The Debt of Time
by ShayaLonnie
Summary: When Hermione finds a way to bring Sirius back from the Veil, her actions change the rest of the war. Little does she know her spell restoring him to life provokes magic she doesn't understand and sets her on a path that ends with a Time-Turner. [Four Part Series. Complete] *Art by Freya Ishtar*
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: **Rated M for explicit language, violence, and sexual content. This story is Canon Divergent. For further disclaimers and warnings, make sure to read my profile. This story is also currently being edited by a whole team of amazing betas and will eventually be uploaded to Archive of Our Own. As the Ao3 version is uploaded, the corresponding chapter here on FFN will be edited to reflect an adherence to FFN's rules for explicit content. The goal is to have the story fully edited and available as a downloadable eBook (due to frequent requests) by May 2017. As of this moment, the FFN version is complete and unedited for content. [Updated Jan 2017.]

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter One: The Life Debt Ritual

_". . . Tears stream down your face_  
_When you lose something you cannot replace_  
_Tears stream down your face_  
_I promise you I will learn from my mistakes . . ."_  
_(Fix You - Coldplay)_

* * *

**June 10th, 1997**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**  
**Gryffindor Common Room**

"Harry, his funeral was days ago," Hermione tried to reason with her best friend once again. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but we need to focus on the mission, the Horcruxes. That's what's important." The tears were already threatening to spill over again. The look on Harry's face kept her in perpetual grief, more so on his behalf than her own. "It's what Dumbledore would have wanted."

Their Headmaster, the greatest wizard that ever existed, had been dead for over a week. Though the rest of the world seemed all too ready to embrace grief and move forward with whatever means they had, Harry Potter was determined to find a way around death. Hermione knew he blamed himself for the death of Albus Dumbledore, regardless of how often she, Ron, and the rest of the Order insisted otherwise. The blame lay completely in the hands of the Death Eaters that had broken into the school, Draco Malfoy for letting them breach the protective wards of Hogwarts, and the murderer himself, Severus Snape.

"You can't know what he would have wanted Hermione," Harry insisted stubbornly. "Can you just . . . can't you just look?"

"Harry, you can't bring back the dead," she said, hoping to put an end to the outlandish idea in his head. "Snape used the Killing Curse. No one survives that!" she snapped—and immediately regretted it.

"I did!" Harry yelled back at her and she recoiled at his volume.

"You are not to blame!" she retorted. "Just because you survived the Killing Curse does _not _mean everyone who is killed is more deserving of being spared from it than you are! Besides," she huffed angrily, officially tired of his martyr complex, "you didn't die and come back, Harry. You repelled it. There's a . . . difference." She lowered her tone to something softer as she saw his eyes begin to glaze with tears.

Finally. Maybe he'd be able to grieve and move on. Dumbledore was dead and there was no bringing anyone back from the dead. The past six years had taught each of them that lesson incredibly well.

oOoOoOo

**July 6th, 1997**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

One month later, Hermione sat in Ron's bedroom at the Burrow, a book on Horcruxes in her hand; the subject of Death had become something of great interest to her. Definitively, there was no coming back from the dead. However, in-depth research into the Horcruxes had shown her the concept's grey areas, which were different than the black and white demarcations that Hermione had known about life and death. One thing was certain, there was no way to bring back Albus Dumbledore.

But something else in the book called out to her.

After briefly skimming the few paragraphs the book had on Horcruxes, Hermione perused the rest of the volume with great interest. If the trio were going to hunt after the things keeping Voldemort connected to this world, she wanted to know as much about life and death as possible so as to take down the Dark Lord completely without the loss of anyone else in the process.

There was an informative chapter on the Killing Curse which went into detail on how to use it, the physical effects before and after death, and—though there was no mention of survival—there was a small handwritten note at the bottom of the page that read, "Sacrificial Love: Lily Potter, 1981," in the script she'd come to recognise as the hand of her former Headmaster.

Eager to avoid the reminder of how and why they'd ended up in this situation, Hermione moved to close the book. Chores needed to be tended to and, though she'd been able to avoid most of the Weasley's thus far—especially after they'd discovered that she had Obliviated her parents two weeks prior—it was time to face the rest of the world. Closing the large book, Hermione stood and moved it to a small pile of them that continued to grow in the corner of Ron's bedroom. All the books she'd brought from her home and Hogwarts were stacked on top of one another in organised piles, all waiting to be set aside or packed for the Horcrux hunt. Setting the book down on a tall stack, Hermione turned to leave the room when the books tumbled onto the floor behind her. Letting out an exasperated sigh, the witch turned to clean the mess when she noticed that the volume she'd just been reading had fallen open. A chapter title called out to her and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously; it was as though a ghost had flipped to that exact page.

**Life Debts.**

Pulling the text back into her arms, she scanned the words carefully.

_"A magical bond formed between a wizard or witch and the person whose life they saved. The one who owes the debt to the saviour would one day be obliged to repay the deed by doing something beneficial to or for said saviour. Such a bond can be formed between even the worst of enemies, regardless of whether either of the involved parties want it or not. As this bond is magically binding, the indebted could commit the repayment without acknowledging it, or even against their will . . . _

_. . . Because the magical binding of a life debt is so strong and unavoidable to resist if called upon, most witches and wizards in debt offer to pay them off immediately and without hesitation so that their debtor is unable to use the life debt ritual to call the score._

_The life debt ritual itself is a magic that calls the debtor to settle their account by use of Blood Magic and sacrifice. This powerful magic flows through the pair so strongly that once enacted, the debtor is bound to their saviour. Life debts were often abused in times of war when Dark Wizards would purposely endanger the life of a witch in order to save her and indebted her to him. He would then use the life debt ritual to bind the witch to him against her will, most especially if a proposal of marriage had already been refused by the witch and her House._

_The ritual itself was banned—though never specifically outlawed—in 1242 after the wizard Cadmus Peverell was thought to have endangered and then saved the lives of six daughters of a rival House with the intent to use the life debt ritual to bind them all to him. Cadmus used the leverage over the rival House patriarch in order to bargain the marriage of one daughter willingly as opposed to six by force._

_When his betrothed perished before their wedding, it is rumoured that Cadmus intended to use the life debt ritual to call her from the grave, but was unsuccessful. Though the life debt ritual is magic powerful enough to extend through time and space, powerful enough to pass beyond the veil, death by Killing Curse is the one exception to this ritual."_

"Exactly what I told him, no one comes back from the Killing Curse." Hermione shook her head in mild frustration as she recalled her argument with Harry a month ago, just after Dumbledore's funeral. With a deep sigh, she closed the book and reorganised her stacked archive, but not before placing a red ribbon bookmark between the pages. Though unrelated to the Horcrux search, life debts had always been something of an interest to her, and it wouldn't hurt to keep the page marked for light reading later on.

Of course, she'd already known a bit about life debts though nothing about a ritual had been mentioned to her before. She couldn't imagine the lengths that greedy wizards would go to in order to hold power over others. Hermione was certain that she owed a life debt to plenty of people, Harry for certain, though at the same time he owed her quite as many himself, if not more. She smiled, thinking how grateful she was that this ritual was, for the most part, unknown. Hermione had been aware that Severus Snape owed Harry's father, James, a life debt for saving from a werewolf attack during a full moon. The thought that Harry's father would purposely be _bound to Professor Snape_ in order to call in a life debt was almost laughable. From what she had heard about James Potter, he wasn't one to be that cruel. Sirius Black on the other hand . . .

Hermione stopped in her tracks as the colour drained from her face. She ran back to the stack of books and flipped open to her bookmark to re-read the passage.

_". . . Though the life debt ritual is magic powerful enough to pass beyond the veil . . ."_

She stared, eyes wide. "Mother of Merlin," she whispered and turned the page.

oOoOoOo

**July 21st, 1997**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

After two weeks of intense research that involved two trips to the Hogwarts library, courtesy of the Floo Network in Professor McGonagall's office, Hermione had a plan in motion. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one. Mrs. Weasley had a plan in motion regarding a rather large wedding. The Order had a rather intricate plan regarding the removal of Harry from the Dursleys. Ron had a very lazy plan regarding telling his parents that he, Harry, and Hermione weren't returning to Hogwarts for their seventh and final year, but instead were going to traipse around Great Britain in the hopes of discovering severed bits of Voldemort's soul wrapped in shiny packages like rings and lockets. Everyone had a plan.

But Hermione's plan needed immediate action before the ability to enact it became limited by the Ministry, the Order and the Weasleys. It didn't help that she couldn't tell either Ron or Harry about it. She needed to tell _someone_, however. Under the guise of heading out for a last minute trip to Diagon Alley for school supplies, while Mrs. Weasley was outside tending to the garden and Ron was upstairs sleeping in late, Hermione threw Floo powder into the grate and waited for the green flames to erupt before shouting, "The Den!" and vanishing into the fire.

oOoOoOo

**The Den - Lupin Residence**

On the other end of the Floo Network, Hermione stepped out of a shallow fireplace, coughing and dusting soot off of her robes. "Remus? Tonks?" she called out, knowing that since their wedding earlier that month, it would probably be inappropriate to interrupt the newlyweds in their home.

"Wotcher, 'Mione!" Tonks said as she entered the drawing room from the small adjoined kitchen.

Hermione winced at the nickname that Ron had given her. She detested nicknames and had been vocal about it from the beginning. The only person allowed any deviations from her full given name was Grawp, because exactly how does one argue with a giant? Despite arguing with anyone who called her anything but "Hermione", she'd given up when it seemed that her friends were either ignorant of her wishes, or too lazy to say a four-syllable name.

Tonks's bright bubblegum pink hair shone even in the shadows of the dimly lit room that seemed to be kept dark by the curtains closed against the rising sun in the distance. "Sorry," Tonks mumbled before going and opening them. "Full moon was last night; he gets headaches here and there," she explained with a tender smile.

"It's nice to see he's being well cared for," Hermione beamed at the young Auror. Despite the momentary lack of faith that Hermione had in regard to her former professor in the Shrieking Shack years ago, she'd always felt a strong sense of concern when it came to his well-being. She chalked it up to her empathic nature when it came to all things despised by the pureblood supremacists in the Wizarding world. Muggle-borns, werewolves, elves, goblins, giants and centaurs; all unworthy of magic. Though she, as a witch, would be given plenty more opportunities than the others, it made her want to strive for their freedoms all the more. "I would have come to help again . . ." Hermione began.

"It's not a problem," Tonks insisted. "Got to learn how to deal with him on my own eventually. Can't tell you how much I appreciate your help last month though," the young Auror said with a sad smile.

"Is he okay?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Much better, thanks to a fully stocked potion cabinet." Tonks nodded. "Plus, I slipped him a Dreamless Sleep draught yesterday at breakfast and forced him to rest up."

"You sure you were a Hufflepuff? That sounds awfully Slytherin of you." Hermione chuckled. "You're a good wife, Tonks. I'm glad he has you."

"Well I'm kinda stuck with the big beast now, aren't I?" Tonks grinned.

"Weren't those your wedding vows?" A tired voice called from the hallway and a dishevelled looking Remus Lupin entered the room with a sweet smile tossed to his new wife as he kissed her cheek.

Hermione smiled brightly. "Good morning, Remus!"

Her voice brought Remus's attention to her appearance and for a split second his eyes lit up. He inhaled, squeezing Tonks lightly around her shoulders before offering a calm smile to Hermione. "Hermione, you're looking well."

"And you." Hermione gestured to the couple. "Marriage seems to be treating you well, Remus."

"It is." He nodded, and she could almost see a faint blush creep up his cheekbones which was a delightful sight compared to the sickly pale colour he obtained during the week of the full moon.

"It's 'cause he's got such a young wife." Tonks teased her husband, who barely seemed to flinch at the mention of the age difference.

Hermione smirked. "'_Youth is wasted on the young_'."

"Oscar Wilde," Remus said with a grin.

"Muggle."

He chuckled. "Wizard."

"Really?"

"Who?" Tonks raised a brow in confusion at Hermione's beaming smile. "I swear I never know what you two ever talk about. Might as well be speaking Mermish for all the good I get out of your conversations." She laughed sweetly as she took a seat in a large, fluffy armchair. "So what brings you by, 'Mione?"

"Actually . . ." Hermione's smile faded. "I need your help with something of _serious_ importance," she said, choosing her words and the emphasis of those words very carefully. While Tonks seemed to be oblivious to Hermione's tone, Remus's jaw twitched slightly and his brows raised a fraction of an inch.

"Is it about Harry?" Tonks asked, naturally assuming Hermione's worries lay with her best friend. After all, it was the only thing anyone in the Order meetings would talk about lately.

"In a way, yes, but not directly," she tried to explain. "I need . . . I need first for you to trust me," she begged them both. "And then I need your assistance in something dangerous and . . . possibly illegal." She spoke the words softly, waiting for either of them to shove her back into the Floo.

When neither Tonks nor Remus made a move, she continued. "I need to get into the Ministry of Magic," she stated.

"Again?" Remus scowled with a lifted brow.

"Don't frown, you'll get wrinkles." She smirked sweetly at him, something that only made his frown deepen. "No, not like last time. Security is different, which is why I need an Auror." She cocked her head at Tonks. "I'm aware that Minister Scrimgeour is making a grand declaration tomorrow morning."

"Yeah." Tonks nodded. "Some big press conference to remind the world that the Ministry knows what they're doing." Her eyes rolled and in the process they changed from a deep brown to a bright blue colour. "So you want to go to the press conference?"

"No." Hermione shook her head. "I want you to get me in the door, and then," she said, turning to Remus, "I want you to come with me to the Department of Mysteries."

"Are you serious?" Both of Remus's brows retreated to his hairline.

"Interesting choice of words," Hermione said carefully. "And yes, I genuinely want to go back there. It's important. I've made a discovery and I need to test it out. I don't know when else I'll have the chance to. I know the Order believes that the Ministry will soon be properly infiltrated, if it hasn't been already . . . but currently, there's enough confusion that I can get away with what I want to attempt. If Voldemort truly takes over the government, there may not ever be another chance. What I need could be destroyed, and I'm not willing to let that happen."

Tonks seemed more than pleased to help, which was surprising considering the fact that she had absolutely no idea what exactly Hermione was planning. Remus, brilliant wizard that he was, appeared to be in tune to her thoughts somehow, or perhaps it was something more primal than that. The way she breathed around words and held her posture when speaking them. As if he were searching her for something specific. His intense gaze seemed to seek a quality which she lacked, and she looked away in shame.

"All right." Remus finally nodded. "I trust you."

"Thank you." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "I have everything I need ready to go. Shall we meet here tomorrow morning, say six?" she asked them.

"That will work." Remus nodded.

"Are you sure? Do you need more time to recover?" Hermione asked, a worried look in her eye.

"I'll be fine, Hermione, thank you." He smiled kindly at her. "So, six you say?"

"Sounds good enough to me." Tonks beamed. "Big speech is set for seven. That'll give us enough time to get ready, Apparate to the Ministry, and get you through during the commotion. Security's only going to be tight in the main Atrium where the Minister will be; I can take you in through the Auror entrance in the back. We've got a private lift that can take you to all the floors. How long do you think you need to do whatever it is you're gonna do?"

"I'm not sure." Hermione winced. "Do you know if the Department of Mysteries is active right now?"

"It might be." Tonks shrugged. "They put a lot of effort into repairing the damage you lot caused last summer." The words were tinted with mirth and admiration as though Tonks was applauding the destruction that had been caused during the battle against the Death Eaters. "'Course, I threw a few good hexes myself." she shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to ignore her own part in the fight, especially considering she had ended up unconscious by the end of it.

"Will they be there tomorrow?" Hermione asked clearly.

"Unlikely. Whole bloody place will be set up for the Minister," the pink-haired woman insisted.

"All right." Hermione reached into her pocket and removed a small Galleon, handing it over to Tonks. "Here."

Tonks smirked. "Late wedding gift?"

"Communication," Hermione explained. "I created them a few years back when Umbridge took over Hogwarts. The defence group Harry created needed a way to communicate so we would know when and where to meet," she said, leaving her own hand in the formation of the D.A. out. "I put a Protean Charm on these Galleons. When I charm mine to send a message, yours will grow hot and then you can read it. When Remus and I are done with my mission, I'll send you a message so you know we're ready to leave and we can exit."

"Wicked." Tonks grinned as Remus snatched the Galleon out of her fingers.

"You said you created this a few years ago?" Remus asked, looking at the coin curiously, as though he'd seen it before.

"Yes." Hermione smiled. "I got the idea from Death Eaters actually," she said with a laugh. "The Dark Mark." She gestured to the skin of her arm and Remus nodded with understanding, quickly burying the nostalgia that overtook his expression.

He made himself smile at her. "It's extraordinary, Hermione."

"Right," Tonks continued. "So you'll heat up the coin, I'll come and fetch you out. If you're done in time, we could probably slip out with the rest of the media. I could transfigure your features a bit, make you less noticeable," she offered.

"No." Hermione shook her head. "Though we might want to transfigure me a bit just in case." She shrugged in acknowledgement. "But if I'm successful, we'll need to immediately exit back through the private entrance and Apparate as fast as possible. Here preferably, if you don't mind," she said, gesturing to their home. "I would suggest Grimmauld Place but . . ." She sighed.

"But we don't know if Severus alerted the Death Eaters to its existence," Remus finished her thought. "I understand."

"Good," she said on a breath. "So we'll meet back here tomorrow, six, and go over everything again before leaving?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Tonks stood up quickly and embraced Hermione. "Can't wait. I love surprises," she said with a happy grin. "You will eventually tell me what you're planning, yeah?" she asked with a child's curiosity.

Hermione smiled nervously. "If it works, I won't have to."

"Go on then." Remus gestured to the Floo. "I can't imagine you've told anyone else about this plan of yours, which means you've lied to Molly about your whereabouts." His eyes flashed with mischief for a moment, and both Tonks and Hermione grinned a little, though the latter seemed to flush with embarrassment over the prospect of lying to Mrs. Weasley. "Better get back before she catches on. Tonks will owl later asking for your help with something tomorrow morning . . . something for Bill and Fleur's wedding. I imagine that'll put Molly at ease with letting you out the door."

"Might be the only thing. If I was one of her children, she wouldn't let me step foot on the front porch unless I was there to sweep it." Hermione chuckled. "Thank you both so much." She hugged Tonks once more and then moved to embrace Remus, who seemed hesitant to return the friendly affection and, when he finally did, appeared to be holding his breath.

"All right, safe trip back, Hermione. Remus, get in here and eat some bloody breakfast." Tonks scolded. "You're still much too skinny for your own good. I like a wolf with some meat on his bones." She winked at him and he blushed. Hermione chuckled as he turned to offer her a look of apology on behalf of his young wife before retreating after her.

Hermione stepped into the fireplace, reaching for the powder when her beaded handbag fell from a pocket of her robes. "Whoops," she muttered and leaned down to pick it up. Considering all it had within it, she thought immediately about putting a Sticking Charm on the bag, permanently attaching it to a belt so she wouldn't lose it. As she leaned down to retrieve it, she overheard Remus and Tonks in the kitchen. Though she wasn't one to eavesdrop—especially on her friends—she couldn't help but overhear her name. Desperate to know whether or not they were genuine about wanting to help her, Hermione listened.

"I'm sorry about that," Remus muttered. "Sometimes Hermione can just . . ."

"No need for that," Tonks insisted lovingly. "We've been through this for a year. Ever since you told me the truth. Nothing to be ashamed about, certainly nothing I need to worry about." Hermione could hear the smile in her voice.

"You're certain?" Remus asked.

"As certain as I am that I'm your mate," Tonks said firmly. "You think she's going there to get . . ."

"It's possible." Remus sighed. "Though I doubt her reasons are the same as mine."

"But you're certain that it's close?" Tonks asked.

"Close." Remus seemed uneasy. "If we survive this war, then maybe. Only time will tell I suppose."

"You worry too much," Tonks insisted.

"You know I love you, right?" Remus asked with quiet fervour.

"I know," Tonks replied. "It's okay, love. There are some things you can't help, and this is certainly one of them. You didn't plan how all of this turned out. We can't help how we feel."

"But you know I love you, right?" he asked again.

"Yes, Remus, you love me, you'll never leave me, I'm your mate; I get it." Tonks laughed and Hermione could tell that the conversation was something that had certainly occurred more than once. Suddenly feeling like she was intruding on a very private moment between the couple, she stepped into the Floo, tossed the powder and whispered, "The Burrow" before disappearing.

"She was still here," Remus informed Tonks the moment Hermione vanished. "Probably heard every word we said."

"You and that canine hearing." Tonks smirked affectionately as she flicked one of his ears. "She always been that big of a snoop?" She laughed quietly.

"You have no idea what that girl is capable of." Remus chuckled. "And right now, neither does she."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love: **Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes between minors.

**A/N: *Updated April 2015* **Wow! I am so thrilled with the amount of follows/favourites/reviews so far. You guys are awesome! **Leafey**, I don't know how I don't have a shit ton of reviews yet (LOL) but I thank you for yours! To answer your questions (the ones that I can), yes, Tonks really is Remus's mate. Due to the nature of his relationship with Hermione, I wanted that to be clear from the beginning. I sometimes struggle reading Remus/Hermione fics where Tonks is a jealous crazy background character. Hermione and Remus will have their own type of bond in the end, but very different from the one she'll share with Sirius.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Two: Invocato Vita Debitum

_". . . Wake me up inside, Wake me up inside_  
_Call my name and save me from the dark_  
_Bid my blood to run, Before I come undone_  
_Save me from the nothing I've become . . ."_  
_(Bring Me To Life - Evanescence)_

* * *

**July 22nd, 1997**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

"I told you, it's a surprise." Hermione smiled brightly. "Just let me do this, okay?" Her smile turned sour as she faced Ron in the living room at the Burrow. "Tonks and Remus just got married and she's got plenty of ideas on wedding gifts for Fleur, so I asked for her help." She lied her explanation with apparent ease, though inside, her stomach twisted into a large knot.

"I just don't see why she can't come here," Ron whined. "Everything that's going on . . ." He sighed in obvious frustration. "Hell, Mum hates it when Dad leaves for work every morning. It's not a safe world out there, 'Mione."

Hermione rolled her eyes in response. "Yes, well, I'll be with an Auror . . ."

"Who trips over her own feet," Ron interrupted.

"And Remus will most likely be with us. I'm perfectly safe," she insisted. "Besides, speaking of safe," she said, eyeing him. "You should take this opportunity to tell your mum what our plan is this year." Ron rolled his eyes, but she continued. "Don't you dare wait until the last minute, Ronald Weasley." She poked a finger into his chest and he grimaced. "You will not throw Harry and I under the bus."

"Under the bus?" He cocked a brow.

"Muggle expression." She sighed. "It means that you will not leave this for Harry and I to explain because you're too afraid of your own mother. Do it yourself and I'll see you when I get back." She headed toward the fireplace. "I don't know how long it'll take—might be a few hours—so just in case, don't tell your mum to save me any meals. I might convince Tonks to make a girls' day of it."

Ron screwed up his face. "You hate girl stuff."

"I do not." She scowled at him. "I hate Lavender and Parvati girl stuff, not Tonks or Ginny girl stuff. There's a very big difference." She gave him a sneer that could easily rival Malfoy's. "Less giggling and squealing," she explained. "Now stop stalling and go talk to your mother. Write out a speech if you think it'll help." She shooed him away before throwing powder into the Floo, calling out, "The Den!" and vanishing into the flames.

oOoOoOo

**Ministry of Magic**

Less than an hour later, Hermione and Remus approached the back entrance of the Ministry of Magic, led by Tonks in her Auror robes. Remus hadn't been transfigured at all as he was known to wander around the Ministry from time to time to speak with various acquaintances, put in job applications, or to see his wife. Hermione, on the other hand, was too easily recognised so before Apparating, Tonks had transfigured Hermione's hair black, straightened her curls and aged her a good ten years in the process. A pair of glasses and a set of secretarial robes later, Hermione wouldn't be spotted by anyone except maybe Harry or Ron.

Tonks pressed the tip of her wand against a dirty looking door next to a large skip and it immediately opened into a lift that looked exactly like the one Hermione had used during her first entrance into the Ministry of Magic, though this time there was no overhead echoing voice welcoming them. It wasn't until they were fully enclosed in the lift with the door shut behind them, plunging them into darkness that Tonks reached for a dimly lit box, slamming her hand against it to access an even more dimly lit panel. Hermione vaguely noted that she pressed the number nine. The lift immediately moved and while they descended, Hermione reached into her pocket and removed the small Galleon. "You've got yours, right?" she asked Tonks, double-checking.

"Yup!" Tonks smiled and showed off the coin before reinserting it into her pocket. "I'll be checking it from time to time just in case. I'm not scheduled to be at the forefront of the press conference, just lingering in the back, so no one will notice me," she promised. "In fact . . ." She concentrated a bit until her bright pink hair became the same sandy blond of Remus's, saving for the flecks of grey he bore.

"Lovely." Remus rolled his eyes.

"Aww, you know you're beautiful, love." Tonks grinned at him and Hermione stifled a laugh as he crossed his arms over his chest in a small tantrum while his wife affectionately ruffled his hair.

"Department of Mysteries," the sudden overhead voice spoke as the door opened.

"Right," Hermione said with a slight tremble in her voice. She exhaled nervously. "This is us." She slowly stepped out of the lift as the grilles opened and Remus followed close behind, pausing only to kiss Tonks goodbye.

"See you soon." Tonks smiled. "Be safe!" she added before the doors on the lift shut tight and carried her away to what Hermione assumed would be the Atrium. She turned and looked around, her breath quickening.

"Take it slow." Remus placed a calming hand on her shoulder and she reacted by touching it, using his gesture to ground herself.

"Thank you," she whispered before moving forward down the corridor, Remus close on her heels. They walked in absolute silence before reaching the large black door at the end of the long hallway. Hermione closed her eyes, taking in a sharp breath before putting her hand on the doorknob. The door opened immediately.

"Seriously?" She blinked. "It's not even locked. What on earth are they thinking? Five teenagers broke in here not a year and a half ago and they can't even bother to keep the department lock—"

Remus interrupted her with a smirk. "Hermione? Let's not look the gift hippogriff in the beak." He held his wand at the ready, though, as he was equally suspicious and ready for an attack.

"You're right, you're right," she acknowledged. "But still, maybe I'll send an anonymous owl later," she muttered under her breath and smiled as she heard him chuckling behind her.

Moving into the large room, Hermione waved her wand and suddenly the blackness around them was illuminated by lit candles showing a number of large doors encircling the two of them. "All right, close the door," she instructed and listened as Remus closed off their entrance and eventual exit. The moment the door shut behind them, Hermione turned and said, "_Flagrate_!" as she had done the previous summer, causing a large fiery cross to mark their exit.

The room began to spin and Hermione braced herself against Remus's arm which held her protectively. Once the doors stopped spinning, Hermione turned her attention to the one she'd marked. "It won't last forever," she grumbled.

"How about we add this?" Remus pointed his wand at the flames and whispered, "_Immobulus_!" The fire that marked the door froze in place. He smirked and Hermione grinned.

"How did _I_ not think of that?" she asked him, frustrated with herself. "It's in _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 2_ for Godric's sake," she said irritably. "I've been using that charm since I was twelve."

"You're too bright sometimes," he chuckled. "You think too big. Remember, it was all of those small charms in your earlier years that kept you alive when roaming the castle on Harry's heels."

"Please," she said with a roll of her eyes. "It's more like _chasing_ after his heels. That boy can't help but run into danger."

"All the better that you're always there looking out for him," he said. "For _everyone_," he added quietly.

"Which door is it?" he asked her. "I can't remember, myself. When we arrived to rescue you all, it was a bit of a mess and most of the doors were open with people rushing about in here."

"I can't recall specifically. I suppose we'll have to just carefully investigate." She sighed lightly and approached a door. Upon opening it, she looked in but refused to step foot inside knowing the dangers that could be lurking within the room. She blinked a few times as the room appeared to contain nothing but darkness. "Huh," she muttered. "What does that look like to you?"

Remus glanced within and lit a _Lumos _on his wand, which had no effect on the darkness inside. In the far distance, lights glimmered above them. "The sky, I suppose," he suggested.

"Space Room." Hermione nodded and immediately shut the door. "Not going in there. They have a variation of a Limbo Mist Charm on the ground," she explained. "Harry faced something similar in the Triwizard Tournament. Ron, Ginny, and Luna got caught in here last time," she said, marking the door with a large circle of flame, which she immediately immobilised as per Remus's example.

Remus turned to the next door and opened it. The sight within caused his eyes to widen.

"Wow," Hermione said, stepping inside. "Be careful. I've seen what these Time-Turners are capable of."

"You have no idea," Remus said softly as he stepped into the room, scanning every detail.

Hermione's sudden smile carried a surprised nostalgia. "I can't believe they were able to put it all back together."

"You destroyed it?" Remus asked with a smirk on his face. "Why am I not surprised?" He laughed quietly before his attention was caught by a familiar object. A Time-Turner with blue sand inside a carefully constructed hourglass, wrapped in a silver casing with a thin chain hanging off of it like a necklace. He reached his hand out and touched the piece with reverence and fear, looking at the bottom of it where he saw engraved a rune he knew meant _predestination_. A smile crossed his face.

"Death Eaters," she explained, her voice echoing off the walls and ceiling as she examined a large hourglass sitting on a shelf on the opposite side of the room. "And_ I _did not destroy anything," she huffed, mildly offended. "I know better than to mess about with Time-Turners," she said firmly. "Then again, you know all about that."

"What?" Remus jumped and turned around, looking at her as though he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Why would _I_ know that?"

"Because I used a Time-Turner third year," she explained. "I've told you this before. When we saved Sirius from the Dementors?" she offered with a raised brow.

"Oh." Remus nodded. "Of course." He shook his head. "Forgive me, I was lost in thought."

She smiled and headed for the door. "Well, we're procrastinating."

"We're leaving?" Remus's forehead crinkled in confusion.

"Yes," Hermione nodded in the affirmative. "I don't need the Time Room," she explained quickly as she exited, waiting for him on the other side.

Remus hesitated, looking around the room in hesitation. _But if she hadn't meant to come for _. . . He glanced back at the Time-Turner with the rune marking. Reluctant to put his faith in destiny, he snatched up the device and quickly slipped it securely in his robes before making a hasty retreat into the large circular room once again. As the door shut behind him, Hermione marked it and moved along to the next doorway.

"Hermione, are you going to tell me . . ." Remus began as she opened the next door. The look on her face silenced him immediately; he turned his attention to the inside of the room and let out a gasp, his nostrils flaring at the sight.

A large, dimly lit, rectangular room stood before them. In the center was a familiar stone pit surrounded by benches that descended into the room like a great theatre. A large stone dais sat in the center of the room upon which a massive archway stood, unsupported by any surrounding wall. Remus could barely take his widened eyes off of the damned thing, his gaze was so intense. _So_ intense that he didn't even notice Hermione step inside the door until she began to move down toward the pit.

"Hermione!" Remus called out after her in a panic. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"This is why I came." She turned back and looked at Remus, a hint of remorse on her face. "I asked you to trust me," she explained carefully. "Do you still?"

"I . . ." But the words caught painfully in his throat. "Hermione, please, please don't go near that thing. I can't . . ." The look of pain on his face was so great that for a moment, Hermione seemed to hesitate.

"If you won't come down with me, then guard the door," she insisted.

Remus stood there, gobsmacked as she continued to move forward, approaching the stone arch much faster than he'd have liked, considering he'd much rather her not approach it at all. He hadn't had the time to observe it closely the last time he'd been here, and now he didn't even want to look at the thing. It seemed to be just a simple construction, though what lay beyond it was indefinite. This was a terrible idea. Remus had been certain that she'd come for the Time-Turner. He had been positive that she had come for the Time-Turner. In fact he knew that this specific Time-Turner in his robes now was the sole reason for him being there. So why had she brought him into this horrible room of death and misery?

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything, but I was coming here regardless of your assistance," she explained as she put her wand down next to her and knelt in front of the large archway. She pulled a small, familiar beaded bag out of her robes and sunk her arm into it up to her elbow.

He tried to reason with her. "Hermione, I can't imagine what you think you can accomplish here but … I beg you not to go near that thing. Please." His heart sunk at the thought of a worst case scenario.

"I'm not going through it, I assure you," she promised as she dug around in her bag. She pulled out what looked to be a stained t-shirt, followed by a small black pack that Remus recognised as a field mediwitch kit, which generally held an assortment of potions inside of it.

Hermione retrieved her wand with a shaky hand as she stood and faced the arch.

"Hermione . . ." Remus whimpered as he stepped closer to her, his gaze frozen, terrified as he kept a close eye on her, taking note of every breath she took, making certain that if she got too close he could pull her away in time. He hadn't had a chance to save Sirius. He'd been miles away when he'd lost James and Lily. He couldn't live with himself if he watched Hermione fall away.

"I appreciate your concern, Remus, I really do, but I need to concentrate or else we've come here for nothing," she insisted firmly, a note of irritation in her voice. Remus shut his mouth and breathed heavily through his nose, his heart beating hard within his chest.

"_Invocato Vita Debitum!_" Hermione shouted, waving her wand in a circular motion in front of her. Golden swirls hung in the air as she moved and the hovering circle pressed forward at her gesture toward the archway. "Aperi!" she called and the golden circle sat against the stone, engulfing it with light. Suddenly the flowing black veil in the archway turned white and Hermione and Remus stepped back, covering their eyes due to the brightness of the veil.

Hermione reached down and picked up the t-shirt, which Remus could now see was stained with blood. His eyes widened and he swallowed hard, not willing to smell the air to find out whose blood it was. He didn't want to know. She hadn't told him a thing about what she was doing here, and Remus was honestly terrified of the answer. A part of him was suddenly very worried about facing his next boggart, all things considered.

"By blood," Hermione whispered as she set the t-shirt on fire, levitating the ashes into the air and pushing them through the veil. "And sacrifice," she said and held out her open palm, inflicting a light _Diffindo _against her skin, cutting it open enough to bleed. Hermione squeezed her hand tightly, allowing the blood to pool in the palm of her hand before flinging it into the veil. "_Do ut des_!" She shouted and the veil grew improbably brighter.

"I have come to collect!" She spoke into the light before flicking her ward forward. "_Debitum Naturae! Domum filius Nigrum_!"

Remus's eyes widened as she spoke, suddenly very clearly aware of what it was that Hermione was trying to do. He took in a sharp breath of worry and anticipation. It wasn't possible. How could she even have found such a spell? He stepped forward, hands shaking, aching to reach out for her. The light surrounding the veil seemed to burst, throwing them both backwards away from the arch and into the back of the pit before the room fell completely dark.

Remus coughed, holding his bruised ribs. "Hermione . . ." he muttered, reaching out for her in the dark. "Hermione, what were you thinking?!" he shouted.

"Son of the House Black." Hermione whispered the last words of her incantation, this time in English. She coughed, moving to stand up, reaching for her wand that had fallen from her hand.

Remus growled at her. "I know what you said!"

"_Accio _wand!" Hermione shouted, ignoring Remus's yelling as her wand flew into her hand. "_Lumos Maxima!_" she called and a bright light ignited from her wand, illuminating the entire room. Her focus fell to the arch, which looked as it had upon entering the room save for Hermione's beaded bag on the ground, the medic kit, and a large shaking figure laying on the center of the stone dais.

"It can't be . . ." Remus whispered as he stood, gazing at the body with trepidation.

"Sirius!" Hermione shouted and rushed toward the shivering form, placing her hands tenderly on his back. The man flinched in response. "Help me, Remus! Turn him over," she instructed as she opened the medical kit, lit wand in her mouth, and pulled out a large variety of potions.

Wide-eyed, Remus found himself moving without conscious volition, dropping to his knees next to Hermione. His hands shook as he grasped firm shoulders and pushed. The body collapsed and he stared, horrified, into the face of the best friend he'd thought long dead. "He's . . . he's . . ." Remus mumbled, "Merlin, Hermione, how did you do it?"

"Life debts," she answered as she fumbled with the vial stopper. "Open his mouth," she insisted. "And cast a Warming Charm," she added as she pulled the stopper out and tilted his head back, letting the green liquid slip down Sirius's throat.

Remus reacted immediately, casting the charm first and watched quietly as Sirius's body stopped shaking. When his limbs relaxed, a chestnut wand that was still tightly gripped in his hand released and fell to the ground. Remus pocketed the item instantly.

"Life debts?" He finally asked as he watched Hermione administer a third potion.

"I saved Sirius, remember?" Hermione answered quickly as she continued to rummage around in the kit, fumbling with the wand in her mouth. "Here, hold this." She handed her wand to Remus. "He would have been given the Dementor's Kiss. They were already on their way, and I broke him out of his cell. He owed me a life debt."

"Hermione, life debts can't bring people back from the dead!" Remus shouted, noticing his volume and immediately wincing. "Sorry." He looked away from her. "I might be going into shock." He rubbed his hands over his face.

She handed him a vial. "Here, have some Pepper-Up." With a shrug, she said, "I'm sure as hell not giving it to _him_." Her chuckle was nervous as she reached for the Calming Draught. When she pushed the liquid into Sirius's mouth, she frowned in concentration. "And no, _generally _life debts can't bring back the dead."

"So _how _did you . . . ?"

"Unless they didn't die from the Killing Curse," she added. "And you use a life debt ritual."

Remus gaped at her. "Hermione, that was Blood Magic."

"Yes," she said with a nod, not going further into detail.

"How did you get Sirius's blood?" he demanded, suddenly wondering how long she'd been planning this mission of hers.

"I didn't. Not exactly." She winced. "That was Harry's t-shirt. Malfoy broke Harry's nose on the train last year and this was the shirt he was wearing," she explained. "Glad I never took the stain out." She smiled. "I honestly didn't know if it was going to work." She laughed nervously, clearly shaken by the energy she'd put into the spell.

"How _did _it work?"

"Harry is James Potter's son, James's mother was—"

"Dorea _Black_," Remus finished her sentence. "Merlin." He shook his head. "That gold light." Remus turned and looked at Hermione. "I've only ever seen something similar during bonding rites. Tonks and I had one at our wedding," he said, giving no further information when she looked up at him with inquisitive eyes, the same look that she got when eager for knowledge of something new.

"Yeah," Hermione mumbled. "Let's go ahead and not talk about that right now." She retrieved her wand from Remus's hand and aimed it at Sirius. "_Petrificus Totalus_!" His body went rigid. Zipping up the mediwitch kit and sticking it back into her bag, she reached further in and pulled out something that held a silvery shimmer.

"Not talk about it?" Remus eyed her carefully. "Hermione, did you accidentally _marry_ Sirius?!"

"Don't be ridiculous," she with a shake of her head. "It's completely different, so stop talking and help me." She handed him the fabric in her hand.

"And you _stole_ Harry's Invisibility Cloak." Remus winced as a migraine began to develop.

"Borrowed," she corrected him. "Besides, even if I did steal it, I think he'll forgive me, don't you?" She gestured to Sirius before covering him. "Now, levitate him if you will, because I barely have the strength to move and we need to get out quick." She reached inside her pocket for the charmed Galleon and sent a quick message to Tonks.

"Is he . . . is he really alive?" Remus asked her, not wanting to get his hopes up. "Hermione, he's my best friend and he . . ."

Hermione reached out, took Remus's hand gently within her own, and smiled up at him. "He's alive."

Before she could take a step toward the exit, she felt Remus's arms wrap around her tightly. Hermione laughed sweetly and held him back as he pressed his face into the crook of her neck and whispered, "You're brilliant," repeatedly before kissing her temple, cheek and then forehead.

"Come on, Remus." Hermione beamed. "There's plenty of time to celebrate after we get out of here."

Minutes later they reunited with Tonks outside the lift. Slowly, Remus and Hermione made their way inside, Remus holding his wand out as he levitated and invisible Sirius inside.

"Good trip?" Tonks gave them a teasing grin. "Bring me back anything?"

"You could say that," Remus muttered and removed a section of the Invisibility Cloak to reveal Sirius's face.

"What the fuck!?" Tonks screamed, jumping backward almost into Hermione's arms. Unprepared for the attack, Hermione collapsed beneath the weight of the Metamorphmagus and the two women hit the floor as the lift began to move upwards. Shifting her focus up from the floor, Tonks saw the underside of Sirius's body where it wasn't covered by the Invisibility Cloak.

Hermione groaned. "You said you _liked _surprises." She removed her glasses as Tonks's transfigurative charms faded away, her straight black hair shifting back to honey-brown and winding back around into bushy curls.

"Bloody hell," Tonks muttered, looking up to meet her husband's eyes. "Is that..?"

"Yes."

"And is he . . . ?"

"He is."

"And she . . . ?" Tonks gestured to Hermione.

He nodded. "She did."

"Bloody hell," Tonks repeated.

A few levels up and the foursome exited the lift and left the Ministry of Magic. Remus took hold of Sirius while Tonks held onto Hermione as they Apparated back to the Lupin residence known as The Den. Once inside the properly warded household, Hermione let out a loud sigh of relief and collapsed into the large fluffy armchair near the couch where Remus levitated Sirius's body.

oOoOoOo

**The Den - Lupin Residence**

"_Finite_!" Remus waved his wand and Sirius was released from the Binding Curse Hermione had put on it. The werewolf removed the Invisibility Cloak, passing it off to Hermione so she could secure it away in her bag and return it to Harry.

"I should go," Hermione said. "If I don't get back to the Burrow, they'll all come looking for me eventually and the last thing I want is for anyone to show up before there's a proper chance to explain. Certainly not before things can be explained to _him_." She gestured to Sirius, kneeling down beside him and affectionately brushing the hair from his face. He no longer had the hollow sunken cheeks as he had upon their first meeting in the Shrieking Shack, nor was his hair matted, hanging down to his waist. He was the Sirius she'd come to know over the years, not having aged a day since he fell through the veil.

As her hand brushed lightly against his cheek, his pale grey eyes opened and stared up into her face. Hermione gasped and Remus and Tonks flew to her side.

"Sirius?" Hermione whispered.

The man gaped upwards as though he were frightened, a weak hand reached up, returning her gesture as his fingers brushed against the softness of her face, tracing the outline of her jaw. She saw beginnings of tears in his eyes. Her breath caught.

His was shaky when his lips parted and he whispered, "Mia?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love: **Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes between minors.

**A/N: *Updated April 2015* **OMG thank you so much for the new follows/favs/reviews! BIG thanks to my idol (glittergrrrl05) that took time out of her busy writing schedule to read this little fic and even comment. Made my whole day! PS, if any of my readers aren't yet reading glittergrrrl05's story The Bespoke Witch, you are missing out on an epic scale!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Three: Chipper as Ever

_"...Something always brings me back to you._  
_It never takes too long_  
_No matter what I say or do_  
_I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone..."_  
_(Gravity - Sara Bareilles)_

* * *

**July 22nd, 1997**

**The Den - Lupin Residence**

"Sirius?" Hermione touched his cheek affectionately, her worry for him increasing dramatically as he continued to stare at her in shock, only uttering one word: _Mia_. "Sirius, it's Hermione. You're going to be just fine. We're here with Remus and Tonks. You're safe."

Sirius's wide, grey eyes stared at her as if she were the only thing in the room that mattered. His fingers gently flittered over her skin as gently as a butterfly's wings—worshipping her, never touching. Finally, he swallowed hard and his gaze turned over Hermione's shoulder to Remus who stood there looking grief-stricken as he shook his head.

_No_.

Sirius removed his hand quickly from Hermione's face and he turned his focus away from her, trying to move but physically unable to. He hissed as pain shot through his body.

"Fuck, it feels like I haven't moved my legs in . . . " He looked up at the three people that surrounded him. "What happened?"

"You should get some rest Sirius," Hermione instructed. "Remus will explain everything when you feel better. I have to get back to headquarters. Harry's coming home soon," she offered with a bright smile, hoping that the name of his godson would ground him to this world.

Her words seemed to trigger something in the wizard. He asked, "Is he okay? I remember . . . something . . ."

"Don't worry about it. Focus on getting better," Hermione insisted. "Meanwhile, Harry is perfectly safe and healthy," she promised and Sirius silently nodded in reply. Tears began forming in her eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks and he looked like he was painfully attempting to not brush them off her skin.

She smiled at him and leaned forward, kissing his forehead. "I have to go." Standing quickly, she turned to Remus. "Thank you," she said, hugging him tightly and chastely kissing his cheek. Remus clenched his eyes tightly as she held onto him, his stare meeting his wife's gaze as she gave him a sad smile while he let Hermione go.

"Thank you, Hermione. I can't tell you . . ." Remus's words caught in his throat.

"Then don't." She smiled and turned to give Tonks a hug. "Thank you so much for your help."

Tonks grinned and hugged the girl back. "You know me, always up for a little adventure."

Hermione laughed and made her way toward the Floo, glancing back once. As brown eyes met grey, she let out a shaky exhale and turned her attention back to Remus and Tonks. "Can you call an Order Meeting? Tomorrow night? If he's well enough then bring him to the Burrow, if not, then . . ." She tried to think. "Then I'll just explain as best I can. But the Order needs to know." She gave them all a smile as she threw the powder into the fireplace and shouted, "The Burrow!"

"What the hell happened, Remus?!" Sirius shouted the moment Hermione vanished. He sat up, albeit too quickly, and started to slide off the couch when Tonks rushed to her cousin's side to help him stay upright. Sirius grimaced and brought a hand to his head.

Tonks scolded him, "You should be resting, cousin."Do you want some Sleeping Draught?"

"I want some firewhisky," Sirius grumbled.

"That's definitely not going to happen." Remus shook his head firmly as he stood up and approached the fireplace. On the mantle rested a stack of parchment, an inkwell, and set of quills. While Sirius complained under his breath from the couch, Remus scribbled out several short notes, folded them quickly and walked over to the window where a small cage housed a young brown barn owl. "Get these to the Order," Remus instructed the owl, passing her a small treat before attaching the neatly folded pieces of parchment to her foot. "The Burrow first." The bird immediately took flight out the open window and Remus let out a small sigh before turning back to look at his recently returned friend.

"Coffee then? Am I allowed coffee? Or am I back in Azkaban where every move I make is dictated for me?" Sirius's look was hard and his voice gravelly as he spoke to Tonks and Remus.

"Well, you're just as chipper as you've ever been, love." Tonks stood. "I'll go and get you some tea." She paused to watch as Sirius narrowed his eyes at her. "No, you'll drink tea. Hermione was insistent that you need to rest." She smiled sweetly at her cousin before turning and squeezing Remus's hand and then leaving the boys in the living room.

"What happened, Remus?" Sirius asked again, this time in a lower volume. He scanned the room, immediately recognising it as the old Lupin Cottage that Remus had grown up in. Sirius hadn't been here since Voldemort's return, and before that when he'd broken out of Azkaban and flew Buckbeak over for a quick stop to get information from his childhood friend before making a break for it and spending another year on the run.

"That's the question, isn't it?" Remus chuckled, but the laughter never reached his eyes.

Sirius stared into the face of his best friend, catching sight of many new lines, a few extra scars, and a scant more grey hair than he remembered. "Mia?"

"Hermione."

"She's grown up." Sirius cleared his throat a little.

Remus angled his brow at his friend. "Still Hermione."

"Shit."

"Agreed."

"Harry?"

"You've missed a bit since you've been gone."

"He's okay though? Safe? I remember fighting." Sirius narrowed his eyes in concentration, trying to focus on the details that seemed to be slipping away from him. His emotions were strong—worry and panic at the very top of the list—but also the brilliant feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"Department of Mysteries. Kids broke into the Ministry. Voldemort put a vision in Harry's head and made him think you'd been captured." Remus explained in short sentences as he tried to fill in the blanks while Sirius put the pieces together himself. It was clear that the werewolf was testing Sirius's mental capabilities.

"I think I remember something like that." Sirius nodded and then suddenly an image flooded his mind. "My cousin?" he asked quietly.

"Tonks?" Remus blinked, and looked up toward the kitchen where he could hear his wife putting the kettle on.

"No . . ." Sirius growled fiercely, his bright grey eyes darkening to the colour of storm clouds. "The crazy, fucking bitch!" He shook at the memory of her.

"Bella," Remus said hesitantly. "She . . . got away."

"Fuck!" Sirius threw his arms and legs out in a mild tantrum, unable to reach anything to throw or break, and could not feel a wand on himself. He looked up and saw the familiar piece of chestnut wood sitting on a nearby table and he reached for it quickly, checking to make sure it wasn't damaged. At the feel of his wand in hand, Sirius scowled as the memories came back. The Department of Mysteries. He'd gone to rescue Harry. Not just Harry though. No, _she'd _been there too. She and a number of other kids were there: the youngest Weasley's, he remembered; Alice and Frank's boy; and a girl who bore a striking resemblance to a Ravenclaw girl that Sirius had kind of been friends with in school. There had been fighting, Death Eaters in the Ministry: Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix and a number of other people Sirius had the unfortunate circumstance of knowing by name.

"I remember dueling," Sirius explained carefully. "And you and Tonks were there. Kingsley and Moody too. Some big room that looked like the most depressing theatre I've ever seen."

"It's a room in the Department of Mysteries. Appropriately called the Veil Room, or . . . the Death Room."

Sirius's eyes widened as he looked up at his friend. "She killed me didn't she?!"

"To be fair, you're not exactly dead right now." Remus shrugged.

"You know what I mean, Moony." Sirius glared.

"Well, yes and no . . . she didn't physically kill you but she is the one that caused you to fall into the veil," the werewolf nodded his head.

"And Mia brought me back?"

"_Hermione _brought you back, yes," Remus corrected him again.

Sirius growled at him. "Don't talk to me like I'm stupid, Remus, I know who she is." It was starting to feel like their first real conversation after his breakout. Sirius asking questions, demanding answers, and Remus constantly correcting him on the proper use of names.

"No, we both know there's a difference," Remus insisted. His eyes, while normally a soft green colour in human form, briefly flashed specks of golden amber—it was the wolf letting itself out in small moments during stressful and emotional peaks. Sirius caught the change immediately and nodded to his friend as Remus's eyes softened once more.

"How have _you _been handling it?" Sirius asked.

"Not . . . well." Remus shook his head. It had been hard enough dealing with the ghosts of his past before Sirius had died, but between losing his best friend, the war and . . . other inconveniences, Remus was having difficulties even on days when the moon _wasn't _closing in on him. "Tonks has been very understanding, all things considered," he added quietly.

"You _married _my cousin? I knew you were stupidly in love with her, but didn't think you'd ever take the leap, Moony." Sirius chuckled, glancing down at Remus's wedding band. "You're old enough to be her father you know." He smirked up at him teasingly, begging for anything to break the uncomfortable tension in the room.

"If that isn't the cauldron calling the kettle black." Remus stared down at him.

Sirius grinned. "I'm _always _Black."

"It's good to have you back, Padfoot." The werewolf let out a sigh of relief and clasped Sirius on the shoulder. If Sirius was well enough to make name puns, then the world had somehow righted itself.

"Drink up, love," Tonks said as she walked in with two teacups in hand, passing one over to Sirius and the other to her husband who smiled up at her with grateful and adoring eyes. Sirius chuckled softly as he caught the glance, shaking his head as if the idea of the two of them actually married was beyond ridiculous. Tonks smiled down at him. "You all right then, Sirius?"

"I will be. You know me." He gave her a small smile. "Can't keep this old dog down. And speaking of old dogs . . ." He winked at his young cousin. "Seems like you finally got _this _one collared."

Remus growled in reply and Tonks affectionately ran her fingers through his hair. "Yeah I did," she said with a bit of triumph in her voice. "You should see the matching leash." She winked and Sirius let out a loud, barking laugh while Remus groaned and lowered his gaze. "Right boys," Tonks said with a laugh. "You look after each other. I've got to get back to the Ministry before they realise I'm not there anymore. I need to make sure no one caught our great escape."

"Be careful." Remus stood to walk her to the fireplace.

"Always am, love." She smirked at him, kissing him quickly before vanishing into the Floo.

"All right, fill me in. What's happened with Harry?" Sirius sat up straight, putting his now empty tea cup on a nearby table, quickly scanning the room for Remus's stash of firewhisky. He knew that his friend's father had an old shelf that stood in the corner of the room that housed what few decent bottles the family had, ones that Sirius, Remus, and James were constantly replacing the few times they'd been allowed over prior to their sixth year at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, though the shelf was still present, the beautiful bottles of liquid amber had been replaced with what looked to be wedding photos.

"We're at war, officially," Remus said on the end of an exhausted sigh.

Sirius scraped his hair back from his face. "We're _always _at war."

"True, but this time the Ministry isn't arguing the point. Rather, they're going above and beyond the call of duty to remind the people how safe we all are and how everything is under control." At this statement, both men made a rude hand gesture.

"Which essentially means that it's worse than we imagined?"

Remus nodded in reply. "Moody thinks that the Ministry has been infiltrated by Death Eaters." When Sirius raised an incredulous brow at the declaration, Remus added, "Kingsley agrees."

"Good enough for me." Sirius ran a fidgety hand through his raven-coloured hair. "How long was I gone?" he asked, contemplating the length of his hair. It couldn't have been too long, but then the way Remus and Tonks spoke, it seemed like a lot had happened in his absence.

"Close to a year," Remus answered.

"Shit," Sirius growled. "Haven't I lost enough years?!"

"We'll be collecting Harry in a few days," Remus said, trying to distract his friend. "The Order has put together a plan. It's his coming of age next week. We'll be removing him from his aunt and uncle's house permanently."

"Sodding pricks." Sirius's nose twitched in disgust.

"We're being paired off when we go to Little Whinging, half of us Polyjuicing ourselves into Harry's likeness to distract potential Death Eaters that might want to ambush us."

"Good plan." Sirius nodded. "Mia's idea? Girl's always loved her Polyjuice." He chuckled.

"Hermione?" Remus clarified again. "No. It was Mundungus's actually."

"I _highly _doubt that." Sirius raised a skeptical brow.

"So," Remus continued, ignoring Sirius's protests and doubts. "We'll pair off, fly out to separate safe houses, and Portkey back to the Burrow. It's headquarters now."

"What about Grimmauld Place? My mum's screaming drive you lot out finally?"

"We think it may have been compromised." Remus turned his attention briefly away from Sirius's stare.

"Impossible. Dumbledore is the Secret-Keeper. It can't be compromised, and I know because I made him the Secret-Keeper myself. I know better now than to be switching Keepers about. Fool me once—"

"Sirius, he's dead."

Sirius looked up in shock as Remus spoke. He opened his mouth to shout something, likely a swear, but no words of his own would come to him.

"I'm sorry," Remus continued, "there's no easy way to say it."

A heavy silence fell over the room as the two friends sat, looking at one another. Remus held Sirius's stare, watching as the Animagus's grey eyes flashing between anger, confusion, and grief, clearly trying to focus on not letting his emotions get the better of him. Remus had been there during the moments of Sirius's life when he'd lost people. His father and brother, James's parents. Though Remus had not been there the night James and Lily were killed, he knew Sirius well enough to know that it took a thing like death to bring the man to tears, though he angrily fought them off.

"Who?" Sirius finally broke the silence, and the word pushed through his teeth on the edge of a low growl.

"Snape," Remus said quickly, knowing there was no reason to put it off.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Sirius stood up and kicked the nearby table hard enough that it flipped over, knocking the teacups to the ground. He shook for a moment, trying to establish balance, his strength still greatly lacking. Remus had a feeling that if Hermione hadn't brought the mediwitch kit with her to the Ministry, Sirius would be comatose. "I knew it! I told you!" Sirius shouted. "I told all of you we couldn't trust that snivelling, fucking traitor!"

"Well, you'll have a lot of time to say 'I told you so', but it won't do a damn thing to change what's already happened." Remus moved from his seat, flicking his wand to instantly repair the damage that Sirius had caused. As the two men stood face to face, Sirius looking up into Remus's eyes daringly. The werewolf stood a good four or five inches taller than the Animagus, and was clearly using that leverage to get Sirius to calm down and return to his seat on the couch.

"Dumbledore's dead, Grimmauld Place is compromised, Snape's on the run, Voldemort is infiltrating the Ministry and Harry's in danger. He's _always _in danger," Remus spoke, taking a step forward, forcing Sirius to move back. The friends growled at one another, their canine counterparts equally vying for territory, but Sirius ultimately backed down when a sharp pain in his shoulder hit him and he was unable to stand much longer.

"So where do_ I _come in?" Sirius asked in defeat, falling backwards onto the couch with his arms crossed over his chest like a petulant child stuck in the corner. "I assume Mi—_Hermione _had a purpose for bringing me back? Some grand plan where I am greatly needed?"

"Actually no." Remus crinkled his forehead, still surprised by the day's events. "Not that I'm not thrilled you're alive, Padfoot, believe me, but she gave no reason. Mentioned that she'd discovered something while researching and needed to get into the Department of Mysteries to test a theory. That's all she said. I agreed of course because I naturally assumed she was going there—"

"To get the Time-Turner?" Sirius interrupted him.

"Yeah." Remus nodded. "We found the Time Room, but after a minute of looking around she left to find the room with the veil."

"So she didn't . . .?"

"No. She didn't get it."

"So, what does that mean?" Sirius asked, panic in his voice. "How old is she?"

"Almost eighteen," Remus replied and watched as Sirius did the math in his head.

"Another year?"

Remus nodded. "If we survive it."

"And then what?"

"And then I do my part," Remus said with a small smile as he reached into his robes and removed the Time-Turner that he'd stolen earlier that morning.

oOoOoOo

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

". . . and you think we're just going to let you, Harry, and Hermione go gallivanting off on some harebrained adventure!?" Hermione could hear Mrs. Weasley screaming from the kitchen as she stepped out of the fireplace. Wincing, Hermione tried to quietly make her way toward the staircase in order to avoid being brought into the conversation that Ron should have had with his parents weeks ago.

"Oh no you don't!" Ron called after her. "Don't go throwing me under the bus!"

"If you can remember what that expression means, I will gladly step in and fix this for you." She turned and crossed her arms over her chest, staring at her redheaded best friend with a dare in her eyes. Ron stared back, stuttering over a few syllables as his ears turned red.

"Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley stepped into the doorway and her worried gaze fell on the young witch. "Could you please explain to me why my son thinks he's not going back to school this year?" The elder witch eyed the young girl askance. Hermione sighed in defeat, but not before glaring in Ron's direction.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, but we have to do this. It's up to Harry now. It's always been up to Harry, and I for one am not going to let him go it alone," she tried to explain. "Ron has voiced that he feels the same."

"And where are you going? What will you be doing? Why can't the Order or, Merlin forbid, your own _parents _know about it?" Her voice was high, bordering on shrieking. Hermione flinched at the word _parents _and Mrs. Weasley caught the reaction immediately. "Oh, my dear girl." She walked quickly over and pulled Hermione into a hug. "I'm sorry, Hermione, but . . . but I can't lose any of my children. That includes yourself, you know."

"I know." Hermione nodded. "But we'd put our trust in Dumbledore, and in Harry. Unfortunately, the mission is not the only thing we need to deal with. Harry needs to come here, come home," she clarified with a sad smile as she looked up at Mrs. Weasley, who seemed to be crying for what looked to _not _be the first time that night.

The conversation was interrupted by a tapping sound at a nearby window. Hermione took a sharp breath as she recognised Remus's owl. Ron raised a questioning brow, catching her reaction, but she shook her head quickly, a silent plea for him to drop whatever suspicions he had about the anxiety on her face.

"Order meeting tomorrow," Mr. Weasley said as he walked into the room. "Remus says it's important, but that we shouldn't worry ourselves."

"Easier said than done," Mrs. Weasley huffed. "Don't think you're getting out of this, young man." She pointed a stern finger at her youngest son, who swallowed a lump in his throat in reply and nodded his head quickly as his parents left the room. Once out of sight, Ron snatched Hermione's hand and practically dragged her up many flights of stairs before reaching his room and shutting the door.

"Silencing Charm," Hermione said, scolding him before he opened his mouth.

"_Muffliato_!" Ron threw it up quickly and turned to face Hermione. "What was that about? You knew about the Order meeting?"

"Yes, I was with Tonks and Remus today," she explained calmly.

"What's it about? Something wrong with Harry? Has the plan changed?" he demanded in obvious panic.

"Sit down before you pass out." Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, the plan has not changed as far as I'm aware. Just . . . something new." She shrugged her shoulders lightly and knelt on the floor where she removed the mediwitch kit from her bag. "Remind me to refill this tomorrow. I need to make sure our potions are stocked and ready before we go."

"Why's it empty?"

She sighed. "You'll find out soon enough."

His voice was edged in worry when he said her name. "Hermione?"

She turned to face him. "Calm down. I'm fine. It's just . . . well, tomorrow at the meeting there are going to be a few people who are very _happy _with me, and some others who are going to probably be very _angry_," she tried to explain.

"What did you do with Tonks? I thought you were putting together a wedding present for Fleur?"

"I lied," she said simply.

"You lied? Why would you lie to me? To Mum?" he asked, shocked that she'd admit her sneakiness so willingly.

"Because if anyone knew what I was planning on doing, no one would have let me out of the house. Before you ask me again, no, I'm not telling you. You'll just have to wait. I hope, however, that no matter what happens tomorrow, you'll be by my side. _On _my side." She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Of course." Ron nodded. "I don't like the secrets, though."

"I know you don't. I'm sorry."

"Am I going to be one of the people who's happy with you?"

"I hope so. But really in the end it was all for Harry," she explained. "_He'll_ be happy, and that's what matters."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love: **Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes between minors.

**A/N: *Updated April 2015* **Wow. Just wow. Thank you all so much for reading, following, and leaving awesome reviews! It means a lot to as you'll start to notice in this chapter, the story will follow a general pathway through Deathly Hallows. There are still Horcruxes to destroy, a dark wizard to kill, and a lot of problems along the way. There will be obvious changes and (almost) all of them will stem from the question: What if Sirius had been alive? Also, new chapters have been posted daily because I really wanted to give you guys enough to feel the story out a little bit, and I won't lie, to get you invested. However, pretty soon the updates will probably come more around 2-3 times per week after this. It all really depends on how fast I can write. And I'm trying to kick out a few chapters a day, so fingers crossed and keep the reviews coming! They fuel me!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Four: Some Welcome Home Party

_"...Someone who knows when you're lost and you're scared_  
_There through the highs and the lows_  
_Someone to count on, someone who cares_  
_Beside you wherever you go..."_  
_(Gift of a Friend - Demi Lovato)_

* * *

**July 23rd, 1997**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

In the late afternoon, the Order members all gathered together inside the living room of the Burrow. One by one, they entered in through the Floo Network that Mr. Weasley securely opened for the night. As each wizard or witch stepped through, another member was there to ask them the previously established security question. Considering that the entire Order planned to engage in a mission involving Polyjuice Potion in just a few days, they, more than anyone else, knew how tight security needed to be.

Mrs. Weasley had created a feast as usual, though instead of sitting down to eat at the end of the meeting like they often did, most people gravitated to and away from the table of food, snacking as they moved around the room, engaging one another in conversation. Everyone, save Hermione, openly wondered why the meeting had been called in the first place.

Green flames lit up the living room and everyone turned to face the fireplace as Tonks stepped through quickly, a look of excitement on her face. Just as fast, before anyone had a chance to even say hello to her, Alastor Moody approached the young Auror. "Your first day as an official Auror, you stepped into my office and tripped. What item of mine did you break?" he asked gruffly.

Tonks snickered at him. "Two sneakoscopes, a brand new foe-glass, and a secrecy sensor."

"Aye, and you still owe me a new one of each," he grumbled. "Where's your husband and what's this meeting all about?"

"Learn some patience," she scolded him. "And stop worrying so much." She smiled and tossed a wink to Hermione who looked as though she were about to vomit. "Calm down, love. Everything's going to be fine. Everything and _everyone_," she added, "is fine."

"They are?" Hermione asked nervously. "Nothing's wrong?"

The Metamorphmagus chuckled softly. "Bit pissy, but that's normal ain't it?"

The Floo opened again with another burst of green fire and Remus stepped out, his eyes quickly finding Tonks and Hermione, and he gave a reassuring smile to the young witch, nodding his head as though giving her a silent approval of what she had done, while at the same time letting her know that she had his support in this meeting.

"Remus!" Bill Weasley stepped forward. "If that really is you . . ." He eyed him suspiciously with a smirk on his face. Between the two men, who could easily smell the lycanthropy in one another, the security questions were pointless. But to appease the anxious crowd, Bill asked, "When I woke up in the hospital ward last month, what's the first thing you said to me?"

"I hope you like your steaks rare." Remus grinned and embraced the eldest Weasley son. "Speaking of which, you doing all right?" he asked quickly.

"Better than you I'd imagine." Bill shrugged. "I got a little anxious a few nights ago, moon and all, but nothing I can't handle." The Curse-Breaker nodded, and Remus patted his back, glad to see that Fenrir Greyback hadn't ruined another life.

"Now that the pups are all reacquainted," Moody interrupted with a growl. "Anyone going to tell me what the bloody hell was so important we needed to risk another meeting so close to retrieving Potter?" The old scarred man seemed completely on edge.

Hermione began to fidget and Remus, hearing the change in her breathing and heart rate, put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He ignored Moody's slur about "pups". "We're _not _all here actually," he declared," Remus declared. "Now, before I call our last member, I need everyone to keep an open mind, and keep calm," he insisted. "You can ask all the security questions you need, but keep your wands where they are. You've already spoken to Tonks and myself, you know we are who we say we are, and therefore I'll ask you to trust us."

Most of the Order nodded anxiously, while a few—notably Moody—looked angry that details were clearly being left out of whatever it was that was happening. Instinctively, Hermione reached out and clutched Ron's hand tightly, using her other hand to grip Tonks's robes. Remus approached the Floo, tossed in powder and shouted, "The Den!" before sticking his head into the green flames. "Come on through," he said loudly before stepping back to make room.

The green flames burned higher and brighter and, when they finally died down, every wand in the room was drawn as wide-eyed Order members defensively stared into the grey eyes of Sirius Black.

"Some 'Welcome Home' party this is." Sirius stared at all of the wands. "Surely only one or two wands are necessary." He looked at Remus, who seemed to be annoyed by the reaction of his fellow Order members. "What'll happen if everyone shoots a curse off at once?" Sirius asked. "The whole damn house will cave in." Sirius saw the lady of the house and flashed his well-remembered smile. "Molly, you're looking well."

Her jaw had dropped and she was clutching at Arthur with her wandless hand. "You're looking alive!" she shrieked.

"And handsome as ever," Sirius said with a grin. "All right, Remus said you lot use security questions now, yeah?" He dusted off his robes. "Let's get this over with. It's been a long time since I've had some good home cooking, and I can smell the treacle tart from here."

Arthur gaped at him. "How are you alive?"

"That," Sirius said, pointing at the redheaded patriarch, "is a terrible security question, Arthur. Try again."

"Umm . . . I . . . What song wouldn't you stop singing when we all spent Christmas together at Grimmauld Place?" Arthur blurted out, clearly not giving himself enough time to think of a good enough question.

"_God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs_," Sirius declared while smiling. "Good to see you, old friend. I've been told you have my bike. I'd like it back." He eyed the man carefully and Arthur laughed in response, still in shock. "Next?" Sirius predictably turned toward Moody.

Moody narrowed his one good eye at the Animagus and asked carefully, "When we escorted Harry Potter to Kings Cross, what were his last words to you before we left you behind at Grimmauld Place?"

Sirius grinned. "Trick question! I came with you, and you were really pissed about it." He smiled smugly. "For no good reason, might I add. I played obedient lap dog quite well." Several members in the room chuckled, some snorted, Moody growled.

"Fine, fine." Moody looked him over. "Now answer Arthur's first question. How the hell're you alive, Black?"

"Magic?" Sirius offered with a wink.

Remus cautioned his friend, "Sirius, you're pushing it."

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to say?" Sirius glared at the werewolf. "I woke up on your bloody couch not knowing where the hell I was or why your new wife wouldn't give me a proper drink!" His focus moved to glance at his cousin, but his stare was quickly taken by the witch who was clinging to Tonks's robes. Sirius gave her a sweet smile as though the entire room suddenly revolved around her. He grinned as he watched colour flood her cheeks.

"You mean you don't know how or why you're alive?" Mrs. Weasley stepped forward. "Were you even really dead? Where have you been?!" she asked accusingly.

"Yes, really dead, don't know where I was." Sirius shook his head and then leaned in quick to give Molly a kiss on the cheek. "You're as temperamental as ever, Molly. Lovely to see you."

"Sirius Black," Mrs. Weasley hissed through clenched teeth, "you cannot just Floo into my house after being dead for a year and expect to go on like nothing happened! This is serious!" she shouted and then pointed a finger in his face as she caught him about to speak. "Don't you _dare _say it!" Sirius grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet, visibly having a lot of fun wreaking havoc on Molly Weasley's nerves.

Moody broke the tension loudly when he cleared his throat, and a few members raised their wands in response. "How do we know this isn't some sort of plot by You-Know-Who?"

Sirius scoffed loudly. "Oh, for fuck's sake!"

"It's not his fault!" Hermione shouted and soon all eyes fell on her as she stood beside Sirius, her hands shaking as she twisted them together. "I . . . I did it," she confessed quickly. "I found . . . I found a way to bring him back."

"And I am forever grateful, kitten." Sirius smiled and leaned forward to place a kiss on her temple.

Hermione smiled nervously at the gesture, especially as a warmth moved up her neck. She turned to the rest of the gathered crowd, most of whom looked shocked, scared, or angry. Save for the twins, who were quietly applauding her.

"And how did you do that?" Moody stepped forward aggressively but before he got too close, both Remus and Sirius stood in his way, a low growl emitting from both of their throats.

Hermione's eyes widened at their movement, and she took a sharp breath as she scanned for Tonks who appeared relaxed and proud. As the two Marauders quietly faced off against the angry Auror, Hermione peeked around Remus to look at everyone's reactions. Kingsley looked relieved, but curious. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were obviously on edge, though it appeared that it was more in regards to the potential fight than Sirius's appearance. The Weasley brothers, save for Ron, looked ready to jump in, all led by Bill who was aggressively watching Remus's movements as though waiting for some silent command. Ron was the only one who still stared, open mouthed, at the now living Sirius Black.

"It doesn't matter _how _it was done. It was done. I found the spell while researching the mission Dumbledore gave Harry, Ron, and I. In _Dumbledore's _own books," she clarified as though _that _let the Order members know that she hadn't used Dark Magic. Which, technically, she hadn't. Not all Blood Magic was dark, though it wasn't all exactly legal—which was why she was keeping as mum about it as possible in front of so many Aurors.

"I was there when she did it. I saw and heard the spell, saw his body come out of the veil, watched him wake up," Remus said, looking down at Moody carefully. "Sirius is alive again, Hermione brought him back. Now back off from them both."

"I don't like this," Moody grumbled.

"Noted," Sirius replied. "So if we're all done measuring our—"

"Sirius," Remus growled.

"I'm starved. Molly?" Sirius turned his attention to the Weasley matriarch. "Not to be too imposing, but I'd love some dinner. Tonks and Remus barely know how to brew a cup of tea. I'm amazed they're surviving together without anyone to feed them." He stepped behind Remus, who was still guarding Hermione. His eyes fell on the young witch and he reached a tender hand out to her, pushing a curl of her hair behind her ear. She smiled, feeling grateful—more than anything, _really!_—that he had recovered so well.

One by one, the Order members moved from the living room, following behind Sirius as he gathered up food onto a large plate, leaving only Moody, Remus, Ron, and Hermione in the living room, the werewolf still standing in front of her as though the old Auror posed a serious threat.

Hermione reached to place her hand softly on Remus's arm. He tensed under her touch. "Remus?" she whispered and watched as he relaxed at the sound of her voice. "Remus, it's okay. I knew this would happen. I knew there would be questions." Moody made a grunting noise and she turned her attention to him. "Questions I still won't be answering," she added and watched as Mad-Eye glared for a few brief moments before giving her a curt nod and leaving the room.

Remus turned and watched Moody before bringing his attention back to Hermione. "Is there any way I can get you to stay here when the rest of us go fetch Harry?" he asked, his green eyes glimmering with flecks of gold and amber in the light.

"No." Hermione shook her head. "I'm going."

The werewolf's nose twitched in silent defiance of her words, but he nodded and patted her shoulder lightly. "Very well. I suppose I'll have to make sure Molly can keep Sirius here on her own then. We won't be able to keep Harry safe if he knows that Sirius is alive. He'll have to be told once he gets here."

Hermione nodded. "Ginny'll help. Go and get some food. And keep an eye on _him_." She chuckled. "I'm worried he's going to make someone angry and undo all the hard work I did to get him back." Remus laughed at her words, leaving her to make his way through the crowd that had quickly gathered around his best friend.

"What the bloody hell did you do?" A voice called from the side and Hermione turned to see Ron, still wide-eyed, staring at her.

"You're supposed to be on _my _side," she reminded him.

"I _am_ on your side!" Ron insisted as he quickly approached her. "But I didn't know you knew how to bring people back from the bloody grave!"

"Language!" she scolded him and then added, "and keep your voice down, Ronald!" She scolded him. "And I don't know how to bring back just _anyone_." She rolled her eyes. "I can't reverse a Killing Curse," she clarified. "That's how I found the spell. Harry wanted me to look into a way to bring back Dumbledore. I knew it was pointless, but I wanted to maybe find a way to protect us when we go off on this mission. I stumbled on the spell I found, made the connection, and asked Remus and Tonks to go with me to the Ministry since Tonks is an Auror and could get me in."

Ron exhaled. "Bloody hell."

She smacked his arm. "Language!"

"Can you imagine the look on Harry's face when he sees him?" Ron grinned.

"That's almost all I've been imagining, Ron," Hermione smiled. "If we have to go on this hunt, this is it. This is the end, I can feel it. Harry's going to face him soon." She nodded. "And I needed to give him this. He needs us and he has us, but . . . Harry needs his family. He needs to have something of his own to fight for." She wiped a tear as it fell down her cheek.

oOoOoOo

**July 27th, 1997**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

"Sit and stay!" Ginny Weasley said firmly, her wand trained on the raven haired wizard in front of her, a devious smirk on her face.

"I'm _not _a dog." Sirius glared at her and she snorted. "Right _now_," he clarified. "And I've already said I'll be good and sit tight until everyone gets here. Which they should have done by now!" he shouted, his head turned toward the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley stood, staring out the window.

"There's a Portkey!" Mrs. Weasley yelled and flew out the door.

Sirius moved to stand, but Ginny shook her head and aimed her wand once more. "No, Sirius, you promised. If something's gone wrong, we need to figure out what happened and tend to anyone who might have been hurt. Harry won't be able to focus if he sees you right off." The redhead had an eerily similar tone of voice to another ginger witch from his past, and Sirius was almost forced into submission by the memory of her.

"Fine," he conceded. "Go and help your mum," he growled under his breath. Ginny looked at him suspiciously, but nodded and ran out the door. The second she was gone, however, Sirius transformed into his Animagus form, and the large black dog swiftly slipped out the open door, shifting himself into the shadows of the bushes that surrounded the Burrow, watching in the distance with careful eyes.

The moment his gaze fell on Harry, Sirius felt a pain in his chest and he audibly whimpered, his paws begging him to move forward, but he knew better. It had been his recklessness that had gotten him killed last time, and he knew that not only would he put Harry in more pain if he did something like that again, but his impatience would demonstrate a lack of the gratitude he needed to show to Hermione for everything she'd done for him.

"The Death Eaters were waiting for us," Harry told Mrs. Weasley. "We were surrounded the moment we took off . . . they knew it was tonight . . . I don't know what happened to anyone else; four of them chased us, it was all we could do to get away, and then Voldemort caught up with us . . ."

Sirius growled at the mention of Voldemort, his large body shaking as he stared at his godson, the mirror image of James, and knowing that the wizard that killed his best friend had attacked Harry this very night had Sirius's blood boiling in rage.

In the distance another blue light appeared. As the humans turned to await their friends, Sirius quickly caught the scent of blood and his eyes widened as Remus appeared, carrying with him the wounded body of George Weasley. Still on the edge of his paws, Sirius stayed put, wishing that he could do something to help, but remembering everyone's cautions. _Wait for everyone to get back, then go to Harry._

Everyone made their way into the house and Sirius winced, knowing that soon Ginny and Molly would notice his absence. He listened quietly from outside as Molly tended to her son's wound; nothing life-threatening from the sound of it, though Sirius felt quite a bit of grief for the boy—a fellow Marauder—who'd certainly no longer _look _like an identical twin.

"What creature sat in the corner the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" Remus asked, giving Harry a small shake. "Answer me!"

"A . . . a Grindylow in a tank, wasn't it?"

"Wha' was tha' about?" Hagrid roared.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I had to check," Remus said tersely. "We've been betrayed. You might have been an impostor."

Outside, Sirius looked back to the field outside the Burrow, waiting and watching for anyone to arrive, his eyes scanning the area carefully, his ears perked up listening for any threats. Remus said they'd been betrayed. Sirius mentally went through the list of Order members that he remembered, growling as his memory fell on the image of Mundungus Fletcher. Remus had said it was his idea to use the Polyjuice. Sirius knew Dung wasn't smart enough to come up with something like that. It had to have been a trap.

Sirius continued to guard the Burrow, listening all the while to Remus scold Harry inside the house. He was a bit on edge with the volume and tone his best friend was taking with his godson—though Sirius had to admit, it was for the boy's own good.

"Harry, the time for Disarming is past! These people are trying to capture and kill you! At least Stun if you aren't prepared to kill!"

"We were hundreds of feet up! Stan's not himself, and if I Stunned him and he'd fallen, he'd have died the same as if I'd used the Killing Curse! _Expelliarmus _saved me from Voldemort two years ago."

"Yes, Harry," Remus said with painful restraint, "and a great number of Death Eaters witnessed that happening! Forgive me, but it was a very unusual move then, under the imminent threat of death. Repeating it tonight in front of Death Eaters who either witnessed or heard about the first occasion was close to suicidal!"

Another blue light emitted from the field and Sirius caught the scent instantly, every bit of his soul pushing himself forward as though staying put was painful as the scent overpowered him. He struggled to fight the instinct, and the sight of Harry and Remus rushing out the door to meet Kingsley and Hermione finally helped stop Sirius from continuing to move forward. He watched closely as Harry enveloped Hermione in his arms and, as though she knew exactly where he was, Sirius felt her eyes immediately upon him. She looked exhausted but grateful to be alive. He stood, moving uncertainly on all fours until she shook her head at him over Harry's shoulder, silently requesting that he stop. He whined, physically hurting from not being able to go to them both, but obeyed her—this time—and retreated into the shadows.

"Where's George?"

"He lost an ear," Remus said.

"Lost an . . .?" Hermione repeated in a high voice.

"Snape's work."

"Snape?!" Harry shouted. "You didn't say—"

"Severus lost his hood during the chase. _Sectumsempra _was always a specialty of his. I wish I could say I'd paid him back in kind, but it was all I could do to keep George on the broom after he was injured, he was losing so much blood."

Unable to contain himself any longer, Sirius growled loudly as the image of Snape entered his mind. He'd seen _Sectumsempra _in use before, and the memory caused Sirius to shake with anger. Not only had the filthy Slytherin betrayed and killed Dumbledore, but was now using his old favourites to attack the young members of the Order.

Harry spun at the growling noise. "Did you hear that?" He pointed his wand at the shadows where Sirius remained hidden.

"Harry, pay attention, we need to wait for Ron and the others." Hermione tried to distract him, but Harry was not deterred in the slightest as he stepped forward, lit wand aimed ahead. Sirius flinched at the sight, immediately regretting the fact that Remus had just insisted the boy not hesitate to use offensive tactics.

"Harry!" Hermione called after him, stepping in front of her friend.

"Hermione move, someone's over there!" he yelled.

"Harry!" Kingsley shouted and the Order members that had arrived made to move after the boy, but Hermione shook her head. She gave a silent look to Remus who understood and glared into the shadows where he could clearly see Padfoot hiding.

"Everyone inside then!" Mrs. Weasley called and one by one they all moved into the house save for Harry, Hermione, and Remus.

Hermione put her hands on Harry's chest. "Harry, stop. I can explain."

"Explain what?" Harry's green eyes flashed with panic. "Hermione, what's going on? Who's back there?"

Knowing it was inevitable now that he'd fucked it all up, Sirius transformed back into his human form and slowly stepped out of the shadows, hands held up in surrender to show his godson that he was unarmed. He gave a very brief apologetic glance to Hermione, who seemed undecided whether she should be sympathetic to his need to see Harry, or incredibly angry over his impatience.

Sirius smiled. "Harry."

"Wha . . . no, no . . . Sirius . . . but . . ."

Remus placed his hand on the young wizard's shoulder. "Harry, it's really him."

"No." Harry shook his head, tears began to gather in his eyes, making them look unnatural in the flickering light reflecting off of the windows of the house. "No, Sirius died, I watched him die. You told me, Remus, you told me he was gone!"

Sirius took one careful step forward and stopped immediately when Harry's wand hand stiffened. "Ask me then," Sirius spoke softly. "Ask me anything to identify myself. It's what the Order does now, yes?"

"I . . . I . . ." Harry quickly used a free hand to wipe his though his voice trembled when he asked, "What were the first words you ever spoke to me?"

Sirius smiled. "I assume you mean at the Shrieking Shack. In which case, I told you that I thought you would come to help your friend, as your father would have done the same for me. But if we want to get technical, my first words to you were, "Merlin, look at this head of hair"," he said with a chuckle.

Harry lowered his wand. "Sirius?"

"It's really me, pup." Sirius grinned and moved forward.

Hermione released her grip on Harry and watched with tears in her eyes as the two wizards collided. Sirius pulled Harry into a tight hug, patting his back and affectionately rubbing his messy black hair. Laughter fell out of Hermione's mouth at the scene and she sniffed, wiping the back of her hand across her eyes. She smiled as she felt large hands rest on her shoulders, and she immediately knew them to be Remus's. "You did well," he whispered and she nodded, reaching up to pat one of his hands in silent gratitude.

"Go wait for Tonks." She looked over her shoulder and up at the werewolf. "I'll stay with them." Remus nodded with a tense smile as he turned and made his way back toward the field.

"I don't understand," Harry said as he finally broke away from Sirius, though not letting go of the grip he had on his godfather's robes, clearly worried that if he let go, Sirius would disappear. "How is this possible?"

Sirius grinned and gestured over Harry's shoulder where Hermione stood, quietly smiling at the scene in front of her. "You've got a very clever witch on your side, son."

"Hermione?" Harry turned and looked at her. "You . . . you brought him back?" She nodded. "How? You said that—"

"I couldn't bring back Dumbledore," she reiterated. "But I kept researching. And I found a spell." She smiled, hoping that he didn't need to know all the details that Hermione herself hadn't completely looked into.

Without words, Harry reluctantly let go of Sirius and rushed to Hermione, pulling her into a warm embrace and burying his face in her shoulder. She closed her eyes and clung to her best friend, hushing his continued mumbles of gratitude. "You've done too much already, Harry," she insisted. "Had too much taken away. I saw a chance, and I couldn't not take it to do this. To give something back to you. Especially with what we need to do next."

"I'm sorry, what do we need to do next?" Sirius said, interrupting them.

Harry pulled away from Hermione, brushing at his eyes before turning his attention back on his godfather with a bright and determined smile. "We win this war."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes between minors.

**A/N: *Updated April 2015*** Continued gratitude for all of you lovely readers. I love your comments, suggestions and the way your brilliant minds are trying to work through the details and secrets of this fic. LOVE IT!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Five: Sad Sitting Sods

_"...But nothing's greater than the rush that comes with your embrace_  
_And in this world of loneliness_  
_I see your face..."_  
_(Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis)_

* * *

**August 1st, 1997**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

"Careful there," Hermione said as she approached Sirius, taking the seat beside him at the large round table in the back of the marquee. The table was marked by empty chairs and empty bottles of butterbeer at the place settings that surrounded him. Everyone else in the room was on their feet, dancing, enjoying the company, and congratulating Bill and Fleur.

Sirius eyed the witch curiously. "Careful of what?"

"Careful or you might bury so deep in this misery you're creating that you'll come out the other side cheerful." She smiled at him.

He raised a curious brow at her. "How many butterbeers have you had?"

"Three, but that's besides the point," she shrugged and Sirius chuckled, taking a sip from the small glass of firewhisky on the table in front of him.

Hermione looked out at the crowd and laughed as she spotted Ron uncomfortably trying to dance with Luna Lovegood, who seemed content to dance with herself. Hermione had all but insisted that he be kind enough to ask the young Ravenclaw out onto the dance floor, and the result was a perfectly amusing situation.

"How come you're not out there?" Sirius asked her, eyeing her lilac-coloured dress and smiling at the ridiculously uncomfortable shoes she was wearing.

"How come you're sitting here?" she countered.

He tipped his glass to her. "You first."

"Nervous," she shrugged again. "If we weren't in the middle of a war and preparing to leave any day now, I'd still probably be sitting here," she quietly admitted. "The last time I was asked to dance, I was fifteen and _that _man," she said as she pointed to a large bloke with a short beard in fancy robes, "was my date. He spoke little, pissed off my friends, and couldn't even pronounce my name," she said with a laugh.

Sirius briefly narrowed his eyes at the familiar face of Viktor Krum, remembering exaggerated articles in _Witch Weekly_ and the _Daily Prophet_ about the love affair between his godson, the little witch, and the famed Bulgarian Seeker. "You afraid he's going to ask you to dance?" Sirius smirked at her.

She shook her head emphatically. "I made sure that the second he walked through the door, Fred and George introduced him to at least one of Fleur's veela cousins." She pointed to two blond women who were batting their eyelashes at Viktor Krum. Fred and George were lingering nearby, most likely waiting for Viktor to choose a girl thereby leaving the twins to pick up the pieces of a broken heart left behind by the Quidditch star.

"So instead of finding someone else to dance with, you've come to keep company with the sad sod sitting in the corner?"

"Ah, but why is the . . . I'm not saying that," she insisted as she shook her head. "_Why_ are you sad and sitting in the corner?" she asked him carefully, eyeing his movements as though she could tell if he were lying.

Ever since she had brought Sirius back from the veil, Hermione had kept a close watch on the man. While the Weasleys were left preparing the wedding and following orders given by their matriarch, Hermione and Harry would sneak off to Remus and Tonks's home to visit with Sirius. Harry because he wanted to visit with his godfather as much as possible, and Hermione because she was finding it harder and harder to keep away. She felt comfortable in his presence, warmer.

It was also easier to make plans for the approaching year as Mrs. Weasley had put a hard stop on the trio organizing their Horcrux hunting trip, so Harry and Hermione had to work out the details outside the Burrow. Since Harry absolutely refused to keep Sirius in the dark about anything, the Animagus quickly made their former trio a quartet.

"I'm sad because I don't like weddings," Sirius admitted. "Spent much of my childhood attending them in uncomfortable robes."

"Hence your current rebellious outfit of choice?" Hermione chuckled, gesturing to his leather jacket and pants.

"Leather looks good for any occasion." Sirius winked at her and grinned when he saw her blush. "But yes, I avoid dress robes unless absolutely necessary. Not that I don't have them, or look good in them. I look fan-fucking-tastic in dress robes," he said with a smug tone. "Anyway, most of the weddings were for cousins, aunts and uncles of mine, all destined to marry one another." He chuckled as he watched Hermione flinch at the notion of the Black family's tradition of inbreeding. "Or they were married off to the worst type of people to ever exist, like the Malfoys and the Lestranges."

"I'll drink to that." Hermione reached for his glass of firewhisky and took a sip and then proceeded to immediately choke on it.

Sirius laughed and pulled the glass away from her. He stood up and reached for a passing server carrying a large tray of champagne. "Here, it's not water, but it's better than choking."

"That's awful!" Hermione blanched when she'd rinsed the taste out of her mouth. "How can you drink that? In fact, how can you even like it?"

"You get used to it." Sirius smiled thoughtfully. "Firewhisky holds a special place in my heart." He swirled the amber beverage in his tumbler, watching the candlelight sparkle through the colour. It had been a long time since he saw a familiar pair of amber eyes staring back at him. That same pair of eyes that had been his downfall, that pair of eyes that had secured the heart of Sirius Black so long ago.

"Well, at least my brush with death got you to smile." Hermione's voice brought Sirius back from Memory Lane. "So, back to the point. You don't like weddings."

Sirius frowned. "Only ever been to one good one."

"Harry's parents."

Sirius nodded.

"Was it beautiful?"

"Of course it was." Sirius smiled brightly. "Lily was gorgeous as she always was," he explained. "James was nervous as we expected. We kept him well plied with firewhisky just to get him down the aisle." He laughed at the memory, absent-mindedly fingering a small silver chain that hung around his neck.

Hermione's eyes widened. "He had to be drunk to get married? That's awful!"

"No, he had to be drunk to be convinced that Lily wasn't going to change her mind." Sirius chuckled. "Spent the whole night at our . . . _my _flat pacing back and forth going over a list of reasons why Lily would bolt at the last second."

Hermione smiled. "But she didn't."

"Absolutely not. By that point the two of them were so besotted with one another it made it hard to be around them." He smiled brightly, but then a cloud hung over the memory. "And then they got married, had a wonderful honeymoon, came home and life turned to shit."

"They had Harry," Hermione argued. "Perhaps not everything was 'shit' as you call it."

"Harry was . . . was very a good thing in a really bad time of life," Sirius explained. "After James and Lily got married, we . . . I . . ." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"I'm sorry." Hermione frowned. "I really didn't mean to bring up bad memories. I actually came over here to cheer you up."

"It's all right, kitten." Sirius smiled and reached out for her hand, giving it a light squeeze. "That's what you do. You try to fix everyone. Just . . . just remember that you're not always going to make everyone happy. It's not your job to fix the world . . . I . . ." He paused and looked down at his glass and reached for it with his empty hand, tossing the firewhisky back. "Come on," he said standing up.

"Come where?" she asked, pulling away from him.

He reached for her hand again. "You, come dance."

"Absolutely not." Hermione laughed, shaking her head.

"Aww, you're cute. You thought that was a request." He snatched her hand quickly and yanked her up to her feet and pulled her arm until they were both on the dance floor. Hermione struggled the entire way there, nearly tripping over her high heels in the process, cursing his name as they moved. To the sides she spotted a Polyjuiced Harry Potter chuckling at the scene.

"Sirius Black, I will . . . get you for this," she growled.

"Oh, kitten has claws." He grinned and pulled her up against him, close enough that he could see variations of brown and amber in her eyes. Far away they looked like chocolate, but up close like this with the light reflecting in them, they could look like firewhisky if he wished hard enough for it. Hermione narrowed those eyes at him as he gripped her hand in one of his, placing the other on her small waist and spun her in his arms. Within seconds she was smiling and laughing, and slapping his chest playfully. "Well how about that, I might like weddings."

"Ah, my devious plan worked." Hermione smiled triumphantly. "I'm glad you're smiling again, Sirius."

"Me too, kitten, me too."

Hermione eyed him. "Have I mentioned that I hate nicknames?"

"It's a _pet _name, not a nickname. Besides, have you noticed I don't always do what people want me to do?" he argued.

"Sirius Black? No, I thought he was the very perfect picture of obedience and consideration," she said sarcastically.

"I am _very _considerate. For instance, despite the fact that you are enjoying dancing with me so much—"

"_So_ much." She laughed.

"—I am going to part with you, even though it's obvious that you want to keep dancing with me all night," he added carefully. "And I do this because I am so very considerate of the fact that I am not the only sad sod sitting in a corner." He gestured to Remus who was leaning against the entrance to the marquee by himself, a glass of firewhisky in hand.

"He's not sitting or in a corner," Hermione argued.

"Fine." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Sad sod _standing _at the door."

"And you're leaving me to go and be sad together?" she asked

"On the contrary my dear . . . _kitten_," he said the word with a smile that brightened as her eyes narrowed. "You've put an end to my corner-sitting sodding sadness, and I wish to share the gift of your dance moves with others. Moony!" Sirius yelled. "Come cut in! She can't keep up with me!"

Remus raised a brow and eyed his friend and Hermione, who suddenly looked a perfect mixture of embarrassed and angry. He didn't want to participate in the poor girl's humiliation, but knew from experience that if he didn't intervene soon, Sirius would only go and make things worse. Setting his glass down on a nearby table, Remus approached the dancing couple.

"Having fun, Padfoot?" He eyed his friend.

"Best wedding I've been to in years, Remus. I'm sure yours was fine and fancy, but seeing as I wasn't invited to it—"

"You were dead at the time," Remus interjected.

"—I have decided to let you make it up to me, by occupying this young witch's dance card in my stead." Sirius took Hermione's hand and placed it in Remus's. The werewolf sighed, but gently pulled Hermione back to the dance floor while Sirius grinned at them and walked over to join Harry and Ron who were laughing back at their table.

"How much has he had to drink?" Remus asked.

She smiled. "I don't want to know. But he didn't step on my toes during our dance, so I think he'll be okay."

"You'd be surprised the amount of things that man can do while properly intoxicated." Remus chuckled softly and instinctively pulled her closer. "You look lovely by the way." He smiled down at her. "Lilac is a good colour on you."

"Thank you, Remus." She blushed. "Where's Tonks?"

"On duty." He frowned. "I offered to join her, but she insisted that I _enjoy _myself," he said the words as though they were a punchline to a joke.

"Happy wife, happy life," Hermione reminded him.

"I try." He nodded. "Keep them out of trouble, will you?" Remus asked her, gesturing to Harry, Ron, and Sirius. "I know you'll all be leaving soon, and it's dangerous for each of you." He sighed anxiously. "They'll be after you all because of Harry. They'll be after Ron for truancy, after you for being Muggle-born, and they'll be after Sirius because he hasn't come into the Ministry yet after everyone found out he's alive. He shouldn't even be here right now," Remus said darkly. "If you four have to be out, try and keep him in his Animagus form, please?"

"I will," she promised. "I'll take care of them, Remus."

"I know you will. But . . . please take care of _yourself_, Hermione. If something were to happen to you . . ." he stopped mid-sentence as a silver light came bursting into the marquee in the shape of a lynx. Hermione turned to face the large cat as did everyone else. Then the Patronus's mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud, deep, voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

_"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."_

"Hermione, go!" Remus yelled and drew his wand. "Get them out. We'll send word when things are safe," he promised, reaching for her briefly and hugging her tight before letting go.

Hermione pulled her own wand and rushed toward the table where Harry, Ron, and Sirius had been, but the crowd had erupted into chaos. Guests were sprinting in all directions; many were Disapparating—the protective enchantments around the Burrow had broken. "Harry!" Hermione yelled. "Sirius! Ron!"

"Hermione!" she heard Harry scream and soon she fell into his embrace. In a rush, Sirius and Ron were by her side as well, one of them gripping her arm tightly.

"We need a safe place to hide," Ron said as the four of them rushed away from the panicking crowd.

"Grimmauld Place," Harry suggested.

"Don't be silly, Harry, _Snape _can get in there!" Hermione replied.

"Ron's dad said they've put up jinxes against him . . . and even if they haven't worked," he pressed on as Hermione began to argue. "So what? I swear, I'd like nothing better than to meet Snape!"

"But—"

"Hermione, where else is there? It's the best chance we've got. Snape's only one Death Eater."

"Harry's right." Sirius nodded. "Apparate to the top step of Number Twelve. You can't see it from the street just in case they've got people watching it."

"Side-Along then," Hermione insisted. "Or else we'll end up knocking each other over once we Apparate," she pointed out as she gripped Ron's arm and watched as Sirius took Harry's. Neither of the younger boys made a fuss considering Sirius was a powerful wizard who'd been Apparating for decades, whilst Hermione had been the first in their class to get her licence. On the count of three, the four turned on the spot, vanishing into the compressed darkness.

oOoOoOo

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"I think somebody's been in here," Hermione whispered, pointing toward the door.

"That could've happened as the Order left," Ron murmured back.

Harry frowned and studied the shadows. "So, where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?"

"Maybe they're only activated if he shows up?" Ron suggested.

They remained close together on the doormat once inside, their backs against the wide door, silently afraid to move further into the house.

"Well, we can't stay here forever," Harry said, and he took a step forward.

Mad-Eye Moody's voice whispered out of the darkness. "Severus Snape?"

"Do I look like an ugly git to you?" Sirius snapped. "We're not bloody Snape!"

A few more curses and jinxes meant to trap Snape were easily averted by the four, though the thing that made the younger three jump the highest was the screeching sound of Walburga Black's portrait in the hallway.

_"Mudbloods! Filth! Stains of dishonour! How dare you taint the halls of the House of Black!"_

"SHUT UP!" Harry and Sirius bellowed at the same time, the younger bringing his wand up and, with a bang of red sparks, the curtains swung shut, silencing her.

"I'm gone a year and no one's thought of anything better than curtains yet?" Sirius asked the three, who all shrugged in response. Sirius sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Hell, I'm just going to plaster over the old bitch when we're done with this damn war."

Hermione waved her wand to ignite the old gas lamps then, shivering slightly in the drafty room, she perched on the sofa, hugging her knees to her chest. Instinctively, Sirius made his way toward her and pulled an old blanket out of a nearby cupboard, wrapping it around her shivering form. She smiled up at him gratefully before her focus latched to Ron, who was carefully looking through the windows.

"Can't see anyone out there," the redhead announced.

"Harry?" Hermione turned and watched as her best friend winced in pain and clutched his forehead. "Harry!"

"What did you see?" Ron asked, advancing on Harry. "Did you see him at my place?"

"No, I just felt anger . . . he's really angry . . ."

"But that could be at the Burrow," Ron said loudly. "What else? Didn't you see anything? Was he cursing someone?"

"No, I just felt anger . . . I couldn't tell . . ."

"He's still connected to you?" Sirius asked carefully, pushing Ron out of Harry's face. "I thought that'd been fixed by teaching you Occlumency?" He turned to Hermione hoping for answers since Harry still seemed to be handling the aftermath of the painful vision.

"He never finished his lessons," she explained. "Snape refused."

"Prick," Sirius growled. "Then we'll pick it back up," he insisted. "I'm not the best at it mind you," he scoffed at his own admission. That was certainly an understatement. Memories of the first time he'd tried made him slightly nauseous. "But better than ignoring it and letting that sick snake inside your head."

Harry exhaled. "Thanks, Sirius."

Hermione shrieked and immediately the other three drew their wands, spinning around to see a silver Patronus soar through the drawing room window and land upon the floor in front of them, where it solidified into the weasel that spoke with the voice of Ron's father.

_"Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched."_

The Patronus dissolved into nothingness. Ron let out a noise between a whimper and a groan and dropped onto the sofa. Hermione joined him, gripping his arm. Sirius walked over and patted the boy on the shoulder. "See? Takes more than the Ministry falling and a wedding being attacked by Death Eaters to take down a Weasley shindig." He chuckled, trying to ease the tension. Ron gave a half-hearted smile in response though still looking a bit green.

"We should get some rest," Hermione insisted as she reached for her little beaded bag, reaching in and pulling out a stack of bedclothes.

Sirius smiled nostalgically at the sight. "Undetectable Extension Charm?" he asked and she smiled and nodded. "Haven't seen one of those in years." He gratefully took the clothes offered to him, though he wondered if his bedroom upstairs had been left alone. He'd probably have things to wear in there, though the idea of revisiting old times just now wasn't appealing. Best wait for the morning.

oOoOoOo

**August 2nd, 1997**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Harry woke first, early the next morning, wrapped in a sleeping bag on the drawing room floor. A chink of sky was visible between the heavy curtains. It was the cool, clear blue of watered ink, somewhere between night and dawn, and and there weren't any intruding sounds save the slow, deep breaths coming from Ron, Sirius, and Hermione. Harry glanced over at the dark shapes they made on the floor beside him. Ron had had a fit of gallantry and insisted that Hermione sleep on the cushions from the sofa, so that her silhouette was raised above the rest of them. Her arm curved to the floor, draping over the furry body of Sirius in Animagus form, Ron on the other side of Sirius, sleeping soundly.

Harry stood and stretched, the sound rousing Padfoot from his sleep. The big black dog stretched out with his front paws, and then back, shaking out his fur. His gaze drifted to the sleeping girl next to him and he reached forward, pulling the sleeve of her fallen arm up with his jaws and setting it back down on the cushions. He looked at Harry before making his way up the staircase, Harry following close behind.

"What an arsehole," Sirius growled as he opened his bedroom door, looking inside to see that his room had been completely torn apart. He could still smell Snape's presence there, though the greasy git had clearly vacated months ago. Grimmauld Place must have been the traitor's first stop after murdering Dumbledore before going on the run.

"I take it you didn't do this?" Harry asked as he walked in behind him.

"No. I'll admit to being messy, but I have respect for my own stuff," Sirius grumbled as he made his way to a stack of papers and fallen photographs, most of which were of himself, James, and Remus with Peter scratched out of them. He was glad to see that Snape hadn't snatched up the few photos he had left of Lily. Sirius smiled at the living memories and handed them over to Harry. "Here you go, Pup. Saved them for you."

Harry hesitated in taking them. "You should have some of these, Sirius."

"Got my own copies and then some." Sirius nodded to a large locked box near the bed. He picked up his wand and waved it over the rusty container and smiled when it glowed gold for a brief moment. "Still intact. You'd need a damn Curse-Breaker to get into that thing."

"What've you got in it other than pictures?" Harry asked curiously.

"Pictures are enough. Memories keep you grounded when the rest of the world goes to shit," Sirius explained, but clearly not in detail. He picked up an old copy of _A History of Magic_ from the floor and tossed it on top of the locked box as though subtly telling Harry he wasn't willing to open it in front of the boy.

"Oh, damn," Sirius whispered as he picked up a crumpled piece of parchment, a sad smile crossing his face. "Here," he said and handed it to Harry. "It's a letter your mum wrote me." He focused on his godson as he was sucked into Lily's handwriting. Sirius smiled as he watched Harry get a little teary eyed at the words.

"We had a cat?" Harry asked with a laugh.

Sirius nodded. "I hated that fucking beast. It used to be Mi—mine." He cleared his throat. "But we didn't get along so great so I handed it off to your mum," Sirius explained, suddenly looking a bit lost in emotion himself.

"Harry!? Sirius?!"

"Up here, love!" Sirius called. "What's happened?"

There was a clatter of footsteps outside the door, and Hermione burst inside.

"We woke up and didn't know where you were!" she said breathlessly. She turned and shouted over her shoulder, "Ron! I've found them!"

Ron's annoyed voice echoed distantly from several floors below. "Good! Tell them from me that they're both gits!"

"Harry don't just disappear, please, we were terrified! Did you make all this mess, or was some of it done when you got here?" She looked at Sirius carefully who narrowed his eyes back at her. "Sorry." Hermione held up both hands as a sign of surrender. "Why don't you both come down and we'll put together some breakfast."

The three left Sirius's room, closing the door behind and heading back down the stairs, Sirius close on Hermione's heels with Harry dragging behind. As they passed a door on the right, out of bitter habit, Sirius made a fist and punched the sign that hung on it as he continued down the stairs.

"Hermione, Sirius! Come back up here!" Harry called.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Hermione looked back up the stairs.

"I think I found him!" Harry shouted.

Sirius looked suddenly concerned. "What's wrong? What'd you find?" he asked.

"R.A.B."

"You found . . . oh, Merlin. How didn't I put that together?!" Hermione said excitedly as she reached the landing. She smiled and hugged Harry tightly and then reached out for Sirius as he approached the both of them, Ron coming up behind him.

"Someone want to clue me in? You found R.A.B.?" Ron asked.

"What's R.A.B.?" Sirius asked, scanning the door carefully. _Certainly they didn't mean Regulus?_ What the hell would these three need from his dead Death Eater brother?

"The fake locket Horcrux that Dumbledore and Harry found had a note in it from one of You-Know-Who's followers," Hermione explained to him. "One that defected and stole his Horcrux intending to destroy it."

"Good for him, sticking it to old . . . wait . . . R.A.B.? No." Sirius shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"It fits, Sirius," Harry said.

"No," Sirius growled. "Regulus was a Death Eater. He was a bloody idiot who bought into all the pureblood nonsense that my parents taught us."

"Would you recognise his handwriting?" Hermione asked as she reached into her beaded bag and pulled out the fake locket. As she popped it open, a small piece of folded parchment came out.

Sirius took it quickly and opened it, immediately recognising the script. He and Regulus had been forced to go through penmanship lessons since the moment they could each hold a quill. As usual, Sirius rebelled and scribbled his way through most of his early years, only taking up the need for proper penmanship when he began writing love letters to girls in school. It also set his notes apart from James's handwriting, which looked like a bunch of bowtruckles went swimming in an inkwell and then flopped around on a piece of parchment. Regulus on the other hand—as always—obeyed immediately and set to prove he had the most beautiful penmanship.

"This . . . this doesn't prove a thing. Why does it matter? Regulus is dead and we have a fake locket," Sirius said brusquely.

"Would you be okay with us searching his room for the real one?" Harry asked.

"Have fun. I'll be downstairs." Sirius turned and fled the landing, making his way past the drawing room to the back door, which he popped open before pulling out the pack of cigarettes he kept in his leather jacket that was in the sitting room. Tapping one out, Sirius reached for his wand and used a small _Incendio _to light the smoke. He took a deep drag from it and exhaled slowly, as though this one small stick would keep him from breaking.

A small voice called from behind him. "Sirius?"

"I'm fine," he answered before she bothered asking. "Did you find it?"

"Not yet. Harry and Ron are still looking." Hermione approached him.

"Good luck to them, then," he said bitterly.

"That's a disgusting habit," she commented as she pointed to the cigarette.

He grinned at her. "You might not always think that. It's helpful when you're stressed."

"Tell me about your brother."

Sirius groaned. _Why couldn't she ever just let things be?_ "Maybe another time, love," he insisted. The last time he opened up and talked about his brother was a long time ago, a memory he was not ready to revisit.

She tried to reason with him. "If this is true, that means he didn't die for nothing."

"Still dead though."

"Did . . . was there a funeral?" she asked.

Sirius sighed, giving up and flicking the cigarette through the opening of the door, closing it behind him quickly to avoid the cold. "I imagine so. I wasn't invited. I got a lovely letter from my mother telling me that my father and brother were both dead."

"That's awful."

"That was typical."

"So you didn't even get to say goodbye?"

"Not in the way you're thinking." He moved and sat down in the armchair, putting the pack of smokes back in the pocket of his jacket. "I said goodbye to them all the moment they blasted me off that damn tree in the other room. When Reg died though . . ." He paused as he thought about whether or not to say anything more. "I said goodbye by drinking my way through a bottle of firewhisky with a girlfriend."

"At least you weren't alone," Hermione said, but there was a hint of bitterness in her tone.

Sirius grinned at the way she answered him. Was that jealousy he was picking up? "No, not _that _time," he continued on, not wanting to point out the brief look of anger in her face as she spoke. "We got drunk and she made up stories about my family. Said that deep down they were good people caught up in bad situations. Lovely fairy tales. Made me feel better until I sobered up." He lost the little bit of a nostalgic smile that had momentarily taken up place on his jaw.

Hermione patted his shoulder. "Maybe they weren't fairy tales."

"We'll see."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** I love that you lovely readers are trying to figure out all of the secrets and hidden bits of information. This chapter is FULL of them! It's also the reason it took several days to get uploaded for your reading pleasure. The hardest part of writing a fic that does involve time issues, is that when you've already written the future and then you start writing the past, you have to go and edit the future related chapters because you've had a stroke of genius. Big (and constant) thanks to **Fluffpanda** my Beta who is now titled 'Queen of Continuity'. Enjoy! PS: This chapter marks the halfway point for Part One of The Debt of Time. Part Two is the longest by far. I don't plan on half-assing this story!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Six: No Repeating History

_"...Keep holding on  
__'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
__Just stay strong  
__'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you..."  
__(Keep Holding On - Avril Lavigne)_

* * *

**August 2nd, 1997**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"Did you find the locket yet?" Sirius asked as he made his way up the stairs after several hours of avoiding the younger two wizards, and the young witch who had vacated his company an hour earlier to help her friends search for the Horcrux. Sirius had avoided it at all costs, insisting that he would look downstairs, when in reality he only went in search for a hidden bottle of Firewhisky and Remus' old stash of chocolate bars, located in a locked tin box beneath the kitchen sink inside a cauldron labeled,** 'Broken - Possibly Cursed - Don't Touch'. **"Idiot," Sirius muttered and reached inside for the wrapped candy, a look of triumph etched on his face. Candy bar in hand, he made his way up the stairs to join in the cause.

"Not yet," Harry called out as he left Regulus' room, closing the door behind him. At the sound, Hermione and Ron appeared each out of their old rooms. "But I have an idea." Harry smiled as he descended the stairs, two at a time. "Kreacher nicked loads of things from us," said Harry. It was the only chance, the only slender hope left to them, and he was going to cling to it until forced to let go. "He had a whole stash of stuff in his cupboard in the kitchen. C'mon."

The younger three thundered down the stairs taking two steps at a time, Sirius sauntering slowly behind. They made so much noise that they woke the portrait of Sirius's mother as they passed through the hall.

_"Filth! Mudbloods! Scum!"_ she screamed after them as they dashed down into the basement kitchen, Sirius flicked his wand silently at his mother's portrait, closing the curtains, a stream of swears echoed gently under his breath and closed the kitchen door behind him. Harry ran the length of the room, skidding to a halt at the door of Kreacher's cupboard, and wrenched it open. There was the nest of dirty old blankets in which the house-elf had once slept in, but they were no longer glittering with the trinkets Kreacher had salvaged. The only thing there was an old copy of _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy_.

"Damn it," Harry swore and pulled out the old book. "Nothing here but this book and a bunch of garbage," he sighed, handing over the book to Sirius who dusted off the cover.

"What book is it?" Hermione asked, looking up at Sirius from the floor as Harry and Ron continued to dig through Kreacher's cupboard, just in case.

"Old book on Pure-blood genealogy," Sirius explained. "My brother and I had to have the damn thing memorized before we entered Hogwarts. Make sure we didn't mingle with impure blood," he rolled his eyes and opened the book, flipping the pages in disgust. "It's magically updated, so when a new child is born or someone dies, the parchment changes. A lot like the family tapestry upstairs."

"You think my family's in there?" Harry asked just as Sirius opened the page where in fine ink script written across the top read, 'Potter'.

_Charlus James Potter  
__April 1921 - June 1978_

_Dorea Violetta Potter née Black  
__March 1920 - June 1977_

_James Charlus Potter  
__March 1960 - October 1981_

_Lily Potter née Evans  
__January 1960 - October 1981_

_Harry James Potter  
__July 1980 -_

Sirius glanced over the page running his thumb over the names he recognized so well. One in particular stood out and he touched the name affectionately with one hand, the other fingering the chain around his neck subconsciously.

"Sirius?" Harry called. "Do you think my family's in that book?"

Sirius looked up from the pages. "Sorry, Pup, got lost for a bit," he cleared his throat and quickly touched his wand looking over the top of the large pages and meeting Harry's eyes while his wand touched the parchment. Using a non-verbal Evanesco, the page vanished from the book altogether and Sirius shook his head at the young wizard. "Potters used to be in the book," he explained. "But when I ran off, Mum tore the page out. Probably burned it," he shrugged his shoulders and looked away, not enjoying the fact that he needed to lie to his godson.

"There's nothing else in here, Harry," Ron sighed. "Except a few dead rats."

"It's not over yet," said Harry, and he raised his voice and called, "Kreacher!"

Nothing happened.

"Why isn't he coming?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Maybe he finally died," Sirius muttered under his breath as he closed the large book, handing it out to Hermione. Suddenly the words reached his head and he smiled at the idea of the old traitorous elf, dead somewhere. "Too bad he didn't leave a cake behind that we could celebrate with."

"Sirius!" Hermione glared at him and he groaned. Not this again. He thought he was done dealing with her elf rights bullshit.

"Wait, what if you being alive actually makes your Will invalid? What if he knows?" Harry asked, crawling back out from the cupboard and dusting his trousers off.

"You mean I'm still in charge of the little monster?" Sirius raised a brow.

"Call him and see," Harry said.

"Bloody hell . . ." Sirius sighed. "Kreacher!"

There was a loud crack and the house elf that Sirius had so hoped wouldn't appear popped out of nowhere in front of the cold and empty fireplace: tiny, half human-sized, his pale skin hanging off him in folds, white hair sprouting copiously from his bat-like ears.

"Master has returned," croaked Kreacher in his bullfrog's voice looking up at Sirius with disdain. "Oh my poor Mistress will be disappointed to know that the ungrateful swine lives to further bring ruin to the most Noble House of Black. Oh my poor Mistress will be so disappointed with Kreacher for failing to get rid of the blemish on her great and noble House."

"Oh you did just fine you little piece of shit!" Sirius reacted immediately and kicked the rotten little monster, punting him forward a good three feet.

"Sirius!" Hermione screamed and then glared at him.

"He has a point, Hermione," Ron said, no love lost between himself and the elf. "Kreacher's the reason that Sirius died."

"I know that!" Hermione snapped at him.

"Then maybe show a little less consideration for that thing!" Sirius narrowed his grey eyes at her.

"Out, both of you," Hermione pointed to Sirius and Ron. "Harry and I will deal with Kreacher," she seemed incredibly upset and not just because of how the elf had been treated.

No, she glared down at Kreacher as well. As far as Hermione was concerned, Kreacher was a product of his environment. Sirius treated Kreacher poorly, Kreacher turned on Sirius. They were both to blame and right now, Hermione was having a hard time dealing with either of them.

"You stay in this room and answer every one of their questions. Got it?" Sirius glared down at Kreacher with pure hatred. "You are not allowed to leave this fucking room unless they tell you to!"

"Whatever Master says," Kreacher bowed low before him. "Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black."

Sirius took a moment trying to actively avoid kicking the elf again, keeping his eyes fixed on Hermione's firm stance, using her to ground himself before storming out of the kitchen, Ron followed quickly behind him.

"Two years ago, there was a big gold locket in the drawing room upstairs. We threw it out. Did you steal it back?" Harry immediately began interrogating the elf.

There was a moment's silence, during which Kreacher straightened up to look Harry full in the face. Then he said, "Yes."

"Where is it now?" asked Harry jubilantly as Hermione looked gleeful.

Kreacher closed his eyes as though he could not bear to see their reactions to his next word.

"Gone."

"Gone?" echoed Harry, elation floating out of him, "What do you mean, it's gone?"

The elf shivered. He swayed.

"Kreacher," said Harry fiercely, "I order you... "

"Mundungus Fletcher," croaked the elf, his eyes still tight shut. "Mundungus Fletcher stole it all; Miss Bella's and Miss Cissy's pictures, my Mistress's gloves, the Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest, and... and... "

Kreacher was gulping for air: His hollow chest was rising and falling rapidly, then his eyes flew open and he uttered a blood-curdling scream. "...and the locket, Master Regulus's locket. Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!"

Harry reacted instinctively: As Kreacher lunged for the poker standing in the grate, he launched himself upon the elf, flattening him. Hermione's scream mingled with Kreacher's but Harry bellowed louder than both of them: "Kreacher, I order you to stay still!"

But Kreacher continued.

"Harry make him stop!" Hermione cried as she watched the old elf continue to try and punish himself despite Harry's attempts to prevent him.

"I'm trying!" Harry screamed.

"Kreacher stop!" Hermione yelled.

Kreacher stopped.

"What the hell?" Harry's bright green eyes widened.

"Kreacher, are you alright?" Hermione knelt beside the elf, worried that he'd permanently done damage.

"Yes, Mistress, Kreacher obeys Mistress," Kreacher said bitterly, narrowing his large eyes at her. Hermione's own eyes widened at the words and she swallowed hard as the elf continued to speak. "Even if Mistress is a filthy Mudblood brought into the Noble House of Black by the ungrateful blood-traitor."

"Wait, Kreacher you obey Hermione?" Harry gaped.

"Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black."

"Harry, go and tell Sirius that Mundungus took the locket," Hermione insisted.

"But . . ."

"Harry go, I'll deal with Kreacher," she turned a fierce look on him. "Harry, please," she begged and smiled gratefully as her best friend nodded, eyeing the elf once again before walking out the door. Hermione quickly turned her attention back to the elf in front of her. "Kreacher, why did you call me Mistress? Why did you obey me?"

"Kreacher can see the Bond with his own eyes," he glared at her, shaking his head. "Kreacher sees the Mudblood Mistress tied to his blood-traitor Master. Oh my poor Mistress . . ." he wailed. "To see what's become of her House. Mistress would never forgive Kreacher."

"You see the Bond? You see the Bond between Sirius and I?" She asked him. "That doesn't make sense, Kreacher, Sirius and I are not married. I am not your Mistress," she insisted firmly.

"Kreacher sees the magic," he looked at her as though examining her for something, and then finding it quickly. Disgusted by whatever it was that he saw, Kreacher grimaced and looked away from her. "Marriage makes no difference, magic was used to make a Bond. The Mistress tied herself to the Noble House of Black with her filthy blood."

Hermione swallowed again, her heart racing in her chest.

"Kreacher you will speak of this to no one, do you understand me?" She looked down at the elf, feeling wretched for giving him orders and watching as he bowed himself before her.

"Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black."

"Kreacher, did you see Mundungus steal the locket?" She asked him, getting back on topic.

"Kreacher saw him!" gasped the elf as tears poured over his snout remembering the locket once again. "Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher's cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher's treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and r-ran ..."

"You called the locket 'Master Regulus','" said Hermione. "Why? Where did it come from? What did Regulus have to do with it? Kreacher, sit up and tell me everything you know about that locket, and everything Regulus had to do with it!"

oOoOoOo

The wizards all sat in the upstairs drawing room, waiting for Hermione to return. When Harry had followed in after Sirius and Ron, the elder wizard rose a questioning brow at his godson who shook his head confused and muttered something under his breath about Hermione and her bloody elves. Sirius could tell that Harry was hiding something, but considering that Sirius himself had vanished an entire family tree in an ancient book just to keep it away from prying eyes, he didn't feel like he had a leg to stand on in questioning Harry's secrets.

Shortly later Hermione entered the drawing room looking pale.

"What's happened?" Harry asked quickly.

Hermione's eyes fell on Sirius.

"What'd the elf say?" He asked.

"Volde-"

"Don't say it!" Ron shouted and the rest of them rolled their eyes.

"You-Know-Who asked Regulus to borrow Kreacher years ago. He took him to the cave where he was keeping the locket. He made Kreacher drink the potion that Dumbledore took," she looked back to Harry. "You-Know-Who used Kreacher to put the security measures around the locket. Then he left him there to die," she sniffed. "But Regulus had ordered Kreacher to always return to him, and he did." Hermione moved toward the couch and sat down next to Sirius, reaching for his hands.

"Kreacher told Regulus what he'd done, and Regulus figured out You-Know-Who had made at least one Horcrux. He . . . he had Kreacher bring him back to the cave to retrieve it. He drank the potion himself and switched the lockets. Gave the Horcrux to Kreacher and told him to destroy it," she frowned.

"Regulus drank the potion?" Harry asked quietly and Hermione nodded. "The Inferi?" Harry asked, looking between Hermione and Sirius, whose grey eyes turned down, staring at the empty glass of Firewhisky in his hand. Hermione nodded.

"Kreacher said he went beneath the water," her lip trembled and she used her free hand to wipe away stray tears from her eyes that were now completely focused on Sirius.

"So... where is it now?" He finally broke his silence, completely unwilling to speak about his brother's death, or potential redemption.

"Umm," Hermione stammered for a moment, a strong part of her wanting to push Sirius until he talked about this, but the look in his eyes told her that she knew better than to force the issue right now. "Kreacher said Mundungus took it. I sent Kreacher off to find him for us."

"How do we know he'll do it?" Ron asked. "What if he vanishes and betrays us? He already betrayed Sirius once."

"I was very specific with his orders," Hermione insisted.

"And he'll obey you?" Ron rose a brow.

"Of course," Hermione nodded, receiving curious looks from each of the men. "Sirius told him to and he cannot ignore his Master's orders. The house-elf's highest law is his Master's bidding," she explained. Ron seemed to nod in acceptance, but both Harry and Sirius stared at her as though they knew she was keeping something big from them both.

"Here," Hermione said, handing the fake locket back to Harry. "Keep this safe. I told Kreacher he could have it when he gets back. It made him very happy. Took me a while to get him to stop crying actually," she sighed.

"You gave the elf a present?" Sirius stared at her.

"I'm putting an end to the cycle," she insisted. "Harry's going to defeat You-Know-Who, we're going to win this war," she said with an assertive voice. "And when that happens, I'm done watching Muggle-borns, goblins, werewolves and house-elves being put under the heel of someone else. It doesn't mean I like him," she explained firmly. "He betrayed you and you ended up dead because of it. But you're not dead, so I'm looking to the future. And I'm ending the cycle of hatred. I expect all three of you to be nice to that rotten elf when he gets back!" She stood up and fled the room in a huff, storming up the stairs and slamming the bathroom door behind her.

"Just keep him away from me when he gets back," Sirius groaned. "If you want I'll give him back to you, Harry."

"We'll eventually need to leave Grimmauld Place," Harry explained. "We'll tell him that if we don't return at any point, he should go back to Hogwarts. At least he won't cause trouble there," the Boy-Who-Lived was not pleased with the idea of owning the bitter old elf anymore than his godfather.

oOoOoOo

**August 4th, 1997**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

The four of them waited for days for Kreacher to return, growing more and more anxious by the minute. Harry and Sirius practiced duelling in the basement which had been emptied out of everything except a large old iron cage that Remus used to secure himself in before Grimmauld Place became compromised. Meanwhile Ron and Hermione remained in the drawing room, Hermione reading the book of stories that Dumbledore had given her, and Ron playing with his Deluminator.

Making their way up the stairs from the basement, Sirius and Harry could both feel the tension in the room as they watched Hermione's eyes narrow in on Ron as he clicked the little instrument in his hands and watched as the lights went in and out of the nearby lamps. Before she had a chance to completely snap and attack him, Sirius snatched the Deluminator out of Ron's hands.

"Hey!" Ron glared.

"You'll get this back when you learn to do something else with your boredom," he explained. "You've got a hand fixation, go smoke," he said tossing his pack of cigarettes to Ron. Ron blinked at the small box and before he made another move, his blue eyes looked over at Hermione who looked absolutely murderous.

"Don't. You. Dare," she growled.

Ron flinched at the sound. Harry averted his eyes from the scene. Sirius grinned at her.

"I think I'll pass, mate," Ron said, handing the cigarettes back to Sirius and taking a step out of the room, eager to get as far away from Hermione and Sirius as possible as the witch turned her narrowed gaze upon the black haired wizard who looked like he was not only willing, but eager to face whatever wrath she had in store for him. Before either could say a word, the security curses shot off in the front hallway and everyone grouped together in the drawing room, pulling their wands.

"Hold your fire, it's me, Remus!"

"Oh, thank goodness," said Hermione weakly, pointing her wand at Mrs. Black instead; with a bang, the curtains swished shut again and silence fell. Ron too lowered his wand, but Harry and Sirius did not.

Lupin moved forward into the lamplight, hands still held high in a gesture of surrender.

"I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, and I taught you how to produce a Patronus, Harry, which takes the form of a stag."

"Oh, all right," said Harry, lowering his wand, "but I had to check, didn't I?"

Remus seemed to relax.

"What the hell?" Sirius asked. "What about my damn security measures, Moony?" He continued to hold his wand up, a raised brow dared his friend to make a move.

"Really?" Remus glared at him. "Fine, during my sixteenth birthday party fifth year, you, Sirius Black during a game of 'Veritaserum or Dare' publicly admitted to kissing..."

"Fine! Fine!" Sirius shouted, holding his wand up in surrender. "Fucker," he growled and Remus looked positively victorious as he stepped into the room and quickly embraced his friend, moving to Harry's side he patted the boy on the shoulder.

"Speaking as your ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, I quite agree that you had to check, Harry. Ron, Hermione, you shouldn't be so quick to lower your defenses."

"What about me?" Sirius asked.

"You gave in under the pressure of public humiliation," Remus shook his head. "Frankly I'm embarrassed for you and I hope you never end up being questioned under torture. The mere mention of your teen years will have you pouring out Order secrets to anyone who asks," he chuckled and Sirius rolled his eyes, leading the werewolf into the house.

"No sign of Severus, then?" he asked.

"No," said Harry. "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"Yes," said Remus, "but we're all being watched. Let's go downstairs, there's a lot to tell you, and I want to know what happened after you left the Burrow."

They descended into the kitchen, where Hermione pointed her wand at the grate. A fire sprang up instantly: It gave the illusion of coziness to the stark stone walls and glistened off the long wooden table. Remus pulled a few Butterbeers from beneath his traveling cloak and they sat down. Sirius looked at him expectantly and Remus shrugged his shoulders. "Butterbeer or nothing, Sirius." Sirius took the small bottle but grumbled bitterly about it.

"I'd have been here three days ago but I needed to shake off the Death Eater tailing me," said Remus. "So, you came straight here after the wedding?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "Can't side-along with four people without serious risks of splinching," she explained. "And it was the only semi-safe place any of us could think of on such short notice."

"Tell us what happened after we left, we haven't heard a thing since Ron's dad told us the family was safe," Harry said.

"Well, Kingsley saved us," said Remus. "Thanks to his warning most of the wedding guests were able to Disapparate before they arrived."

"Were they Death Eaters or Ministry people?" interjected Hermione.

"A mixture; but to all intents and purposes they're the same thing now," said Remus. "There were about a dozen of them, but they didn't know you were there, Harry. Arthur heard a rumor that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him; if it's true, he didn't give you away."

"That's surprising," Harry admitted sadly.

"The Death Eaters searched the Burrow from top to bottom," Remus went on. "And then they interrogated those of us who remained for hours. They were trying to get information on you, Harry, but of course nobody apart from the Order knew that you had been there. When that didn't work, they began asking about Sirius. Though no one outside the Order has seen you since you've returned, at least not until the wedding, rumors reached their ears."

"What did they ask about me?" He asked, sipping his Butterbeer.

"Mostly if any of us knew if you really were back, and if so, how it was possible," Remus sighed and looked to Hermione. "They were just trying to rile me up, I could tell," he shook his head. "Didn't work though," he said with a smile.

"Course not," Sirius grinned. "Takes more than interrogation to break you, Moony."

"Others," Remus' smile faded. "They burned down Dedalus Diggle's house," he went on. "And they used the Cruciatus curse on Tonks' parents."

"What?!" Sirius stood and kicked his chair over, sending the wood skidding across the room where it immediately splintered against the wall. "They hurt Dromeda?!"

"She's fine," Remus insisted. "Shaken, but otherwise okay. I promise. They're my family now too," Remus stood and kept Sirius grounded with a hand on his shoulder. "Tonks is home now, taking care of them both."

"How could they do that?" Hermione asked. "It's . . . it's illegal!"

"What you've got to realize, Hermione, is that the Death Eaters have the full support of the Ministry on their side now," said Remus. "They've got the power to perform brutal spells without fear of identification or arrest. They managed to penetrate every defensive spell we'd cast against them, and once inside, they were completely open about why they'd come. They've made Harry a fugitive wanted for questioning over Dumbledore's death. And Hermione," Remus hesitated. "They've begun a Muggle-born registration department. All Muggle-borns have to register. It's a cover for bringing them in and accusing them of stealing magic."

"That's ridiculous! You can't steal magic!" Hermione shouted.

"People won't let this happen," said Ron.

"It is happening, Ron," said Remus. "Muggle-borns are being rounded up as we speak. It doesn't matter. You all are on a mission and I imagine what you need to do involves keeping under the radar regardless," Remus looked at the three, ignoring Sirius. As Remus continued to speak, Sirius turned his attention on the werewolf, something was off. Sirius sniffed the air once and narrowed his eyes at Remus.

"Come have a chat with me, Moony," Sirius insisted as he walked toward the door.

"I'm fine here, Padfoot," Remus stated firmly.

"Now Remus!" Sirius snapped.

Hesitating just a moment, Remus stood up and made his way through the door with Sirius, the black haired wizard slamming it shut behind him. The Golden Trio sat puzzled in the other room, shocked by Sirius' sudden outburst.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Ron asked, bewildered.

"No idea," Hermione said as she stood, making her way to the door to listen in. Without Extendable Ears it was harder, but with the look on Sirius' face she didn't imagine the two would be whispering on the other side.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked Remus point blank.

"I don't know what you mean," Remus said quickly, but firmly.

"Don't fuck around, Remus!" Sirius shouted. "Why do you smell like . . . fear and shame?" He asked, aiming his wand at his friend. "What've you done? I know you didn't tell the Ministry anything about me or Harry, so what is it?"

"I . . . I . . . I want to come with you," Remus declared. "I want to help."

"That shouldn't make you shameful," Sirius eyed him. "What does my cousin think about you joining this little band of misfits?"

"She's with her parents."

"That's not what I asked," Sirius growled. "What are you hiding?"

"She's pregnant," Remus whispered, looking down. His shoulders sagged and his eyes refused to meet Sirius' gaze.

"She's . . ." Sirius lowered his wand as the news was announced. He remembered the moment that James had told them all that Lily was expecting. It had been one of the happiest moments of all of their lives, and yet this moment was tense, and Remus looked so . . . guilty. Sirius wanted to celebrate with his friend, congratulate him, but he suddenly figured out why the werewolf was in no celebratory mood. "You dickhead!" Sirius shouted and slapped Remus hard over the head.

"Ow! What the hell?!" Remus yelled.

"You're leaving her?! You stupid fuck!" Sirius growled and shot red sparks out of his wand at his friend, nearly setting the man's cloak on fire.

"She'll be safer without me!" Remus yelled. "I can do better being with you, helping Harry! It's what James would've wan-"

Suddenly Sirius' wand raised back up and a deadly look flooded his gaze.

"You want to tell me again what you think James would've wanted?" Sirius threatened. "You are not Harry's godfather. I am. I am here to protect him, not you. I don't have a family. You do. Now get your ass out of this house and go home to them. That's what James would have wanted!" Sirius shouted.

"Don't you see what I've done?!" Remus yelled. "I've made her an outcast! Bellatrix tried killing her because of me! And now she's . . . and now my child . . . what if it's . . . what've I done?!"

"You still think that you're going to pass it onto your kid?" Sirius asked him. "How thick are you? You've been told for years that can't happen!"

"You don't know that," Remus shook his head.

"It's in the saliva stupid! Mia told you that every damn year. And even then it's only in a bite when you're fully turned!" Sirius lowered his wand and ran frustrated fingers through his hair. "Merlin, you know all this Remus!"

"There's no conclusive evidence," Remus muttered quietly.

"No conclusive . . ." Sirius growled, threw his wand down and launched himself forward, sinking a balled fist into the side of Remus' jaw. The werewolf shouted back and turned on his friend, hitting him hard in the back of the head. Just as Remus' fist connected, Sirius shifted into his Animagus form and latched his jaws onto Remus' forearm tightly, growling loudly as Remus continued to shout and growl back.

"What in Merlin's name!" Hermione screamed as she burst through the door. "_Immobulus_!" She shouted and both men instantly froze, their bodies hovering slightly in place as the trio made their way into the room. "Are you both mad?!" Hermione snapped and retrieved their wands from their hands. "Sirius, let go of Remus!" She ordered and with a flick of her wand, the black dog fell to the ground growling. He quickly shifted back into human form and moved to the other side of the room as Hermione unfroze Remus.

"Now one of you tell me what happened!" She insisted.

"Tonks is pregnant," Sirius said quickly.

"That's wonderful!" Hermione brightened and she moved to hug Remus, but he shrugged her away, guilt plastered on his face. "What's wrong? Is Tonks okay?"

"No she most certainly is not okay," Remus snapped.

"Watch your tone with her, mate," Sirius growled low enough that both Harry and Ron stepped away from him, a look of genuine fear in their eyes as they kept drawn wands moving between the two wizards.

"What's wrong with Tonks?" Harry finally blurted out.

"The baby could be a werewolf," Remus said it out loud for the first time and immediately turned away from them all as angry tears flooded his vision.

"He's an idiot!" Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Oh Remus," Hermione approached him carefully, placing a gentle hand on his unwounded arm. "Come sit down," she insisted. "Let me fix that," she gestured to the large bite wound on his other arm where Sirius had latched himself. Remus quietly obeyed. "Ron go in the room and get my bag. There's a small bottle of Dittany in it, please bring it here."

"You sure?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Everything will be fine, please go."

"Remus," Hermione brought a hand to his face and tilted his chin to force him to look at her. When he did, he immediately looked away, shamefully blinking aside the tears that threatened to spill. "Remus, you're going to be a wonderful father," she smiled. "And your child will not have Lycanthropy. It's only transmittable through a bite on the full moon," she insisted.

"That's what we've been telling him since Hogwarts," Sirius grumbled.

"There's no proof," Remus shook his head.

"You want proof?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Moony, if saliva, semen or blood transferred your furry little problem to others, then I'd have a furry little problem of my own!"

Immediately Harry and Hermione's eyes widened as they looked at Sirius, Remus turned his head and looked quizzically at his friend with a raised brow. Sirius blinked a few times trying to understand their expressions before clarifying.

"Oh, uh . . . blood," he subconsciously scratched at his left shoulder where a scar rested beneath a pattern of tattoos. "Fifth year we did a whole… and then after Hogwarts it was…" Sirius groaned trying to explain it, his eyes narrowed at Remus in the process for not helping him. "It was like a blood brothers thing," he clarified. "Like Muggles do. Not with . . . semen, you know . . . nothing with that," he shook his head quickly and Harry held back a laugh.

"See?" Hermione smiled, stifling her own burst of laughter as she turned back to Remus, smiling gratefully as Ron re-entered the room with the small bottle of healing extract. "You are going to go home to your wife," she instructed clearly as she placed drops of Dittany on his bite wound. "And you are going to rub her feet and buy her ice cream and do anything she wants. And you are going to do it with a smile on your face."

"And get over yourself in the process," Sirius added.

"Well that's not how I'd put it," Hermione narrowed her eyes at Sirius. "But yes. Get over yourself. You're a good man, a good friend, a good husband and you'll be a good father."

"I agree with Hermione," Harry nodded and when he heard his godfather clear his throat, he added. "And Sirius."

Remus said nothing, but took Hermione's hand within his own. His eyes drifted to her shoulder, left partially bare by the dark blue vest she was wearing. He smiled sadly at the blemish free skin and for several minutes, the room sat in silence as Remus seemed to handle his conflict privately with nothing but Hermione's hands, and the presence of friends for support. Eventually he stood up and turned to face Sirius.

"Sorry," he said quietly.

"Do me a favor Moony?" Sirius asked him as he approached, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Stay with Tonks. Hide. Don't fight," he pleaded with him. "I don't care what happens. I don't care if it comes down to the end, you stay with your family. You need to survive this," Sirius' eyes were wide and showed a depth of vulnerability that the others hadn't seen before.

"I need to survive this," Remus repeated the words.

"You have a job to do," Sirius clarified. "So you stay with your wife and kid. Make yourself the bloody secret keeper and stay in the fucking house. No repeating history."

"No repeating history," Remus nodded firmly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. Yes, it had A LOT of foreshadowing in it. In fact most of Part One is a great deal of foreshadowing that will pay off in Parts Two and Three. I won't drag everything out forever though. This story has a lot of elements. It's not just about the Bond, or the life debt, or the past and issues with time. It's about everything and about the relationships. I really love that you wonderful readers are enjoying it so far! This was one of my favorite chapters to write (oh hell I loved them all!) because it's one scene where you can clearly say, "This is what would be different if Sirius had lived." As usual, many thanks to my wonderful Beta, **Fluffpanda**.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Seven: Terrible Watchdog

_"...Cause without you I can't breathe  
__I'm not gonna ever, ever let you leave  
__You're all I've got, you're all I want..."  
__(I Will Be - Leona Lewis)_

* * *

**September 7th, 1997**

**On the Run**

"We need to leave soon, Harry," Ron whispered outside the tent as the two stood guard. Harry felt like he'd been up for days watching over the campsite. Ron was eager to take over, if only to leave the tent and get away from the tension inside.

"I know," Harry nodded. "You think she's well enough to Apparate though?" He asked his friend.

"How the bloody hell should I know?" Ron shook his head. "Can't get anywhere near enough to see. Not when he's wearing that damn thing." His blue eyes turned back to the door of the tent that flapped in the breeze "You go in and see if you can figure it out," Ron suggested. "Get some sleep after."

Harry nodded and made for the tent. Opening the door and closing it firmly behind him to keep out the cold, his green eyes adjusted to the dark. Flicking his wand out, the few lamps in the corners of the room ignited, lighting up the room. His attention was immediately drawn to a large bed in the corner of the room. He slowly approached it, hands up showing that he wasn't a threat. The large black dog eyed him carefully as he stepped forward, a golden locket hanging around his furry neck.

"Sirius?" Harry asked quietly. "It'd be really nice if I could talk to you. I need to know how Hermione is," Harry gestured to the body of the girl sleeping behind the Animagus. Her small frame was wrapped carefully beneath blankets, but the bandage over her back was still visible from this angle.

Harry blamed himself of course as always, though Sirius and Ron each took their turns carrying the weight of that guilt. They'd successfully broken into the Ministry after Mundungus Fletcher arrived at Grimmauld Place, dragged there against his will by an irksome house-elf under direct orders from Hermione. Dung had told them how he'd lost the locket, and then pointed out the picture of the new owner in the Daily Prophet. Dolores Umbridge.

After overhearing Hermione and Ron talking about the scars on Harry's hand, it took Sirius little effort to figure out that Umbridge had harmed his godson permanently. Not only that, but she'd been behind a number of terrible things at Hogwarts, and now was personally behind the ridiculous Muggle-Born Registration Act. Sirius had wanted to go for her himself, and it took both Harry and Hermione pleading with him - in addition to threat of petrifying him and leaving him alone with only Kreacher to look after him - to back down. Completely against their plan, Sirius followed the trio to the Ministry of Magic, lingering across the street in his Animagus form while they infiltrated the institution under the guise of Polyjuice Potion.

It took less than an hour before he found himself inside the entrance, a large bathroom where men and women lined up outside the stalls. Appearing as though he were a lost dog, Sirius waited impatiently for the trio to return. Every once in a while someone would stop and pat him on the head, something that made Sirius roll his eyes. He wanted to growl and bite, but knowing that it would cause more attention than being docile, he held back and grit his teeth while old ladies ran their sweaty hands over the top of his head while calling him a 'good little doggy'. Only once did a man cast a glance at him, scream "It's a Grim!" before running the other way, giving Sirius a good chuckle in the process.

When Ron, Harry and Hermione finally exited the Ministry, it was in great haste. Catching sight of the Death Eaters on their tail, Sirius shifted into his human form and reached for Harry's hand as he took hold of Hermione, who gripped tightly to Ron. It was dangerous and stupid but they had little choice in the matter as a Death Eater known as Yaxley reached for Hermione. Mid-Disapparation, Hermione shook off Yaxley but only after he'd seen the entrance to Grimmauld Place. Side-along Apparition with two people was risky. Three people was ill advised. Four was suicidal.

When Hermione landed them in the forest where the World Quidditch Cup had been held, the men all fell to the ground wincing and holding onto their bodies as the air pushed it's way back into their lungs. Harry and Ron lay ten feet apart from one another, bleary eyed and dizzy. Sirius too had a hard time regaining his senses, but the first that came back was a faint coppery odor. And he knew someone had splinched themselves.

When Ron and Harry came to completely, they watched in horror as a blood covered Sirius rustle inside Hermione's small beaded bag, strewing the contents of it across the ground until he found the small bottle of Dittany she'd used a month earlier on Remus in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. The color drained from Harry's face as he watched his godfather piece Hermione's shoulder and back together after the strain of Apparating four people splinched her. A long cut tore at her right arm, pulled across the back of her shoulder blade and down beneath her blouse which was soaked through with blood. Sirius had torn the garment away, revealing nothing but severed skin as he applied the Dittany carefully, using his wand to close the wounds as quickly as possible.

"There's a tent, get it up," he ordered quickly and with a cold tone that told both boys he wasn't going to stand for any hesitation. Sirius moved around them, constantly attending to Hermione's small, unconscious form, never moving to look either of them in the eye, and the boys in turn did the same. Somewhere along the line, they'd fucked up and Hermione was suffering because of it. Each wizard took their share of the blame silently, though Ron and Harry seemed more inclined to talk with one another.

Once Hermione was safely inside the tent and on a bed that Sirius enlarged, he pulled open a small black Mediwitch-kit and began pouring potions down Hermione's throat. Harry recognized several immediately. Pain and Blood Replenishing potion. He closed his eyes trying to rid himself of the image burned into his eyelids of Hermione laying bleeding on the ground. By the time he reopened them, Sirius was in his Animagus form, laying at the foot of Hermione's bed, standing guard over her sleeping form.

And there he remained.

Quietly the two boys discussed the Horcrux as they waited for Hermione to wake or Sirius to change back. When it became obvious that they should each take a turn in wearing the locket, the large black dog stepped off of the bed, inclining his head toward Harry as if to silently request the locket to be placed on him. And so the days went on. Sirius remained vigilant over Hermione's recovery, shifting into human form only when both Ron and Harry were outside looking for food or standing watch. During those moments he would tend to Hermione, changing her bandages, feeding her potions or waking her enough to give her the opportunity to eat, though they had little food available. In those moments he said as little as possible, refusing to meet her stare though she pleaded with him to look at her. Unable to let her see him break, Sirius retreated into his Animagus form knowing that it was near impossible for her to tell the expression on the dogs face.

The locket unfortunately made everything worse. Sirius would wear it at night and dream of Azkaban and Dementors. He'd see visions of James and Lily dying, of Peter's ugly twisted sneer and of a girl he loved long ago, vanishing into nothingness, leaving him alone in the world. Grateful to get rid of the bloody thing each morning, he watched carefully as the Horcrux infected the other two men. Harry withdrew into himself much like Sirius did, and his godfather kept a watchful eye, often removing the locket early if he noticed Harry being weighed down by it too quickly. Ron complained constantly, though a quick growl from Sirius shut him up quick. Despite her attempts, Sirius had been insistent that the piece of Voldemort's soul not touch any part of Hermione at any time.

Looking up at Harry as he entered the tent, Sirius lowered his head, allowing the Horcrux to be removed from him. The moment it was gone, the dog let out a quick breath and Sirius shifted back into human form, rubbing the sore muscle in his neck. "Is it me or is that thing getting heavier?" He asked his godson.

"You okay?" Harry asked quietly, not wanting to wake Hermione.

"Better today," Sirius glanced back at Hermione's sleeping form and sighed.

"You going to tell me what's going on yet?" Harry asked.

"Not my place," Sirius shook his head. "Just . . . she saved me. And I almost let her - "

"We," Harry corrected. "This is on all of us, not just you."

"It's my job to take care of you lot," Sirius tried to explain.

"It's my job to save the world," Harry shrugged his shoulders. "She's in the world, therefore it's my job. You can't take my job, Sirius. You're not the Chosen One, I am."

"Oh stop with the bloody Chosen One nonsense," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Can she travel?" Harry asked, ignoring Sirius' request. "Is she ready? You know we can't stay in one place for very long. We've already been here for days," Harry explained.

"You still having visions?" Sirius asked him, noticing the exhausted look in Harry's eyes. Harry shifted his gaze away from his godfather and sighed, but nodded.

"I want to stop, but none of us is good to practice Occlumency right now. It would only make us weaker," Harry admitted sadly. "He's searching for a wand," Harry told Sirius. "Kidnapped Ollivander, and he's killed Gregorovitch."

"Might be the Death Stick," Sirius suggested.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"It's just a myth," a mumbled voice spoke from behind them.

"Go back to sleep, love," Sirius instructed, but Hermione ignored him and rolled over to face Harry.

"It's a myth about an unbeatable wand," Hermione explained to Harry. "There's a story about it in the book Dumbledore gave me."

"That things all in Runes. When did you have the chance to translate it?" Sirius asked her with a raised brow.

"I've been sitting here doing nothing for days," Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"You're supposed to be resting," Sirius narrowed his eyes at her.

"And you're a terrible watchdog," Hermione smirked. "You constantly fall asleep. When you do that, I read," she explained, reaching for the book that she kept beneath her pillow. "In the story it talks about three brothers who are able to evade Death, as though Death is a real person," she rolled her eyes. "Death offers them each a gift. One brother asks for a wand powerful enough to defeat any wizard. I assume that this is the same fairy tale wand that's known as the Death Stick, or the Wand of Destiny. Professor Binns mentioned it a few times in History of Magic," she shrugged her shoulders.

"So do you think it's real?" Harry asked.

"Maybe," Sirius shrugged.

"Of course not," Hermione said at the same time. "Sirius, it's ridiculous to even think that something like that could exist."

"Oh yeah? Tell Harry what the other two brothers asked for in the story," he gestured as if allowing her to take the stage. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, but decided to play into his little game and spoke.

"Fine," she shrugged. "The second brother received a stone that would bring back the dead. The third brother asked for a cloak of invisibility."

"So a cloak of invisibility, but not just any cloak, a cloak that never loses it's charm, never breaks or tears, and is impervious to jinxes and hexes," Sirius smirked as though he'd already won the argument. "I wonder where we could find such an object," he tapped his index finger against his bottom lip, ignoring the glare that Hermione was sending him.

"Even if the cloak exists, the other two are preposterous," she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it's preposterous to think that people could come back from the dead," Sirius nodded, his face seeming almost genuine except for the glint of mischief in his eye that Harry couldn't help but chuckle at.

"Harry, Horcruxes," Hermione said, attempting to get her friend to focus. "What we need to be concerned with is how to find a way to destroy the locket, and then find the others," she insisted. "Now I've been researching," she reached for her bag.

"When the hell have you been resting?" Sirius growled.

"When Ron's in here," she shrugged her shoulders. "You two won't leave me alone," Hermione explained. "Now, there's only two known ways to destroy a Horcrux. Basilisk venom, and Fiendfyre," Hermione said regretfully.

"Do you know how to cast Fiendfyre, Sirius?" Harry asked.

"Cast? Yes," Sirius nodded. "Control? Well . . . it's complicated," he shook his head. "It's a last resort kind of option," he explained. "If it needs to happen, I can do it. But we're talking about Apparating to a deserted island, placing the Horcruxes on that island, casting the fire and then getting the hell out before it consumes us with it."

"Last resort, got it," Harry nodded. "I'm going to go and tell Ron that we'll be able to move today," Harry smiled at Hermione. "It's good to see you looking yourself again."

oOoOoOo

**October 17th, 1997**

**On the Run**

"I thought you knew what you were doing!" shouted Ron as Sirius entered the tent. "I thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, I thought you had a real plan!" The Animagus turned a sour gaze on the kid for daring to raise his voice to his godson, but not one - these days - to jump into a fight without proper provocation, Sirius looked to Harry and Hermione for an explanation.

"I miss something important?" Sirius asked.

"We think we found a way to destroy the Horcruxes," Hermione said with mild enthusiasm. "Harry used the Sword of Gryffindor to kill the Basilisk our second year and the sword is Goblin-made and therefore..."

"Only takes in that which strengthens it," Sirius finished her sentence. "Bloody hell, that's . . . that's inspired," Sirius laughed and scratched his chin in thought. "So what now?" He asked.

"Nothing now," Ron scowled. "Because the bloody thing's been stolen from Hogwarts, so even if we were able to sneak back into the castle - which we can't because it's being run by bloody Death Eaters - it's not even there for us to take!" Ron shouted, glaring daggers at the rest of them.

"Watch the tone there, boy," Sirius growled at him, not liking his attitude one bit, nor the way he was staring at Harry and Hermione.

"It's because of the locket," Hermione frowned. "Ron, take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day."

"Yeah he would," Harry glowered at Ron. "He's been doing nothing but complaining this whole time! He's starving, like the rest of us aren't. You complain more than any of us, and Hermione got splinched and almost died!"

"Piss off, Potter!" Ron narrowed his eyes at his best friend and Sirius growled, reaching for his wand.

"So why are you still here?" Harry asked Ron.

"Search me," said Ron.

"Go home then," said Harry.

"Yeah, maybe I will!" shouted Ron, and he took several steps toward Harry, who did not back away.

"Ron take off the locket!" Hermione shouted.

"Just go home to your family, and let your Mum make you a big dinner and wipe your face for you," Harry snapped at his friend. "That's what you want anyways."

"What I want is to make sure my family is alive! It's all right for you, isn't it, with your parents safely out of the way.." Ron yelled at Harry.

"Uh oh," Hermione muttered quickly but wasn't quick enough with her wand before Sirius grasped Ron's collar and lifted him high into the air despite their height difference. The Animagus went dark, reminiscent of their first meeting in the Shrieking Shack, his normally light grey eyes turned nearly black as he glared at Ronald.

"Too far," Sirius said with a scary amount of control in his voice.

"Sirius," Hermione pleaded. "Put him down."

"Yeah, put him down so he can leave," Harry glared at Ron.

"Fine," Sirius slowly put Ron back on solid ground, holding his stare the entire time. Not letting go of the boys collar, Sirius used his other hand to tear the locket away from Ron's neck forcefully and then released him with a shove for good measure. "You ever speak to either of them like that again, boy," Sirius threatened. "I'll transfigure what's left of you so no one will even know where to look," he growled low and menacingly.

Ron, impulsive as he often was, responded by drawing his wand. Sirius was much faster of course, but before either of them could get a spell off their lips, Hermione wordlessly threw up a shield between them. The large shield expanded in the tent, separating Ron from herself, Harry and Sirius, visibly showing how the ties between friendship had been severed.

"You're really staying here?" Ron looked at Hermione. "Who am I kidding? Of course you're staying here," Ron glared at her and then cast his eyes at Sirius.

"Of course I am! We promised Harry!" Hermione shouted, her wand still held up, holding the strength of the shield.

"Bullshit, Hermione," Ron scowled. "You're not here for Harry. You're here for him," he said, pointing his wand at Sirius who only growled in response. "Whatever you did to bring him back changed you," Ron shook his head. "He should have stayed dead."

"Get out!" Hermione screamed and pushed her shield toward Ron, forcing him toward the tent flap. "You don't belong here. Go away, grow up, and when this war is over and you've finally matured a bit, come and apologize to us," she coldly instructed him. "But we are done here."

"Damn right I am," Ron glared at her and then left the tent.

"I'll take first watch," Harry announced quietly as he reached for the Horcrux in Sirius' hand, repairing the chain so it could be easily hung around his neck. He ran a hand through his messy black hair in frustration.

"You sure?" Sirius asked him, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah, I need time to think anyways. You two get some rest," Harry nodded to Hermione with a small smile, and she returned it briefly before her eyes glanced at Sirius. When their gaze connected, Hermione broke away immediately and Sirius frowned and looked down.

"You ever think maybe he's right?" Sirius asked her.

"Don't," Hermione shook her head as she made her way back toward the bed. The same bed that she'd been ignorantly sharing with Sirius since she'd been splinched, though never in his human form. Somehow she'd overlooked the fact that the big black dog was still in fact a fully grown wizard, though in his Animagus form it seemed less threatening, and certainly less inappropriate. She'd snuggle beneath the covers and he'd crawl beside her, turning once in a circle before tucking his snout against his front paws, and absent-mindedly Hermione would reach over and stroke his fur as though he were some old beloved family pet, and not Harry's godfather, a man that she'd used blood magic to bring back to life thus tying herself to him through ancient magic. But here now, with him standing in front of her with his grey eyes trained on her face, Hermione shivered under the intensity of his gaze.

"Maybe I should have stayed-"

"Don't!" Hermione snapped at him. "The locket made him say those things. If you weren't here, he'd have found something else to yell about," she insisted. "Don't you dare say that you should have stayed dead."

"He's not entirely wrong," Sirius said calmly as he approached her, unable to look away from her. The fight with the boy had him riled up, and the lack of food and constant stress had broken down what few barriers he'd ever been able to put up between them over the years. "You're not just here for Harry," Sirius looked down at her, closing the distance between them until he was inches away from her, the heat from their bodies colliding. "Neither am I," he admitted.

"Please don't do this, Sirius," she pleaded, looking down, unable to turn her eyes up at him. Sirius however forced the issue by placing a finger beneath her chin and lifting her face to meet his. Hermione closed her eyes tight to avoid looking up at him and he could see tears being squeezed out of the corners.

"Can't avoid it forever, kitten," Sirius sighed. "The kid was right about another thing. Whatever you did to bring me back, changed something," he said softly, running the pad of his thumb against the line of her jaw, drinking in the image of her as his heart beat painfully against his chest. "You're not the only one who's good at magic, Hermione," Sirius leaned in close, pressing his stubble covered cheek against her as he leaned in, brushing his lips against her ear. Hermione's breath hitched in her throat at the contact. "I know the life debt ritual," he whispered before pulling away as Hermione's eyes shot open wide.

"You . . . you know? You knew? This whole time?" She asked him.

"About the Bond?" Sirius nodded. "It's not dark magic, but what you did was blood magic which, in some families, means the same thing. The House of Black is no exception," he sat down in the large armchair facing her bed, kicking his foot up to rest on the opposite knee. "We eventually have to talk about it."

"I don't even know what it means," Hermione looked away from him.

"By the end of this war, we'll have a lot of talking to do," Sirius nodded. "Let's make a date of it, shall we?" He grinned at her and she turned her attention back to him with narrowed eyes. "Your birthday," he smiled suddenly as if the weight of the world no longer rested on their shoulders.

"My birthday?" Hermione rose a brow. "Why my birthday?"

"Fine, the day after your birthday," Sirius smirked. "Gives us almost a year to finish this damn war, and if we're lucky, a little recovery time after what might go down in Wizarding history as the night everyone was smashed."

"Or mourn," Hermione frowned.

"No," Sirius shook his head. "I'm done mourning. Had too much grief in my life and I'll spend the rest of this war making sure I never have to mourn again," he said, his tone once again firm and fierce, and the sound of it made Hermione shiver and blush. Sirius took immediate notice and chuckled, causing Hermione to avert her eyes once more.

"One day you won't do that anymore," he said as he stood up, reaching for his jacket.

"Do what?" Hermione asked quietly as he made his way to the tent door.

"Be embarrassed about how I make you feel," he clarified clearly with a serious gaze fixed upon her. Hermione let out a shaky breath and watched as he broke their stare and ducked out of the tent, jacket and pack of cigarettes in hand.

"Do I want to know?" Harry asked as his godfather approached him from behind, a lit cigarette hanging on his lips as he slipped the leather jacket on, bringing his fingers to hold the stick in his hand and exhaled, letting the smoke be carried away with the wind.

"Nice charm," Sirius commented as he looked up, noticing that the rain poured down around them both, but never touching a dry circle that Harry had created. "Your Mum was always good at charms like this," he chuckled.

"Avoiding the question, Padfoot," Harry said, using Sirius' Marauder name in a tone of voice nearly identical to James'. Sirius laughed softly at the game.

"I know what you're doing," he nodded. "You figured me and Remus out easy," he took another drag of his cigarette. "You've figured out that when you want information, calling us Moony and Padfoot in that voice makes us think of your Dad, which it does," he agreed. "And when you want to impose your opinion, you make eye contact."

"I guess Mum had a way of being convincing?" Harry asked with a small smirk on his face.

"Your Grandmother would have loved you," Sirius let out a barking laugh. "She was a Slytherin you know."

"The hat almost put me in Slytherin," Harry blurted out.

"Yeah, me too, Pup, me too," still purposely avoiding Harry's original question.

"I think I want to go to Godric's Hollow," Harry admitted.

"Consider it done," Sirius agreed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** This fic has officially obtained more reviews, followers and favorites than my last story which tells me one very important thing: people really do not like Ron and Hermione together LOL! I love you all to death! A big thanks to **glittergrrrl05** for recommending this story to her readers, isn't she the best? Seriously, everyone go and read Bespoke Witch right now! I really hope you all like this chapter. Midway through writing it I had a stroke of inspiration and you'll see very clearly where it happens. It made my day and my Beta Reader (**Fluffpanda**) contributed so much to this chapter that it made my day again! Please leave reviews, they inspire me to keep going! PS: From where we're standing right now, this story is going to go on (wonderfully) for a long time. Don't you just hate it when fics end? ;)

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Eight: Ain't a Real Dog

_"...I'm all out of faith  
__This is how I feel  
__I'm cold and I'm ashamed  
__Bound and broken on the floor  
__You're a little late, I'm already torn..."  
__(Torn - Natalie Imbruglia)_

* * *

**December 26th, 1997**

**Forest of Dean**

"Merry Christmas, Sirius," Hermione smiled sadly as she walked into the room from the small kitchen in the tent to look at the raven haired wizard who was currently resting on the large bed with a bandage wrapped around his arm.

"Christmas was yesterday," Sirius scowled.

"Yes, but you were unconscious yesterday," Hermione explained. " And I brought you tea," she held up a small mug toward him. "Consider it my gift," she smiled as he took it eagerly, bringing the liquid to his lips hesitating only once and looking up at her. "It's not laced with anything," she rolled her eyes.

"Can you understand my hesitance?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I maintain that I was doing the right thing slipping that sleeping draught in your tea," Hermione crossed her arms against her chest firmly. "You were exhausted and refusing to take care of yourself."

"And it's your job to take care of me?" Sirius winked at her.

"Stop that," she glared. "Drink your damn tea."

"She curses now," he grinned. "I'm starting to think I'm a bad influence on you."

"Drink the bloody tea, Sirius," Hermione scowled but dropped her anger a notch when she saw him obey her. Sirius smiled up at her once the cup was empty, holding it back out to her. "Feel better?" She asked.

"Yes, but you could have just asked me to take a pain potion," he stared up at her with a knowing look and smirked when she flushed at the accusation.

"Well I never know when you're going to fight with me over something," Hermione fell into the armchair, a perturbed look on her face. "You always want to argue."

"That's because riling you up is fun," he grinned.

"I don't like fighting with you," she frowned.

"You will," he smiled and caught the look of annoyance on her face so before she could counter the argument, Sirius cut her off. "Harry doing alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, he's got my wand," she explained. "He's been out there for a few hours."

"Still can't believe we lost two wands in that fight. One bloody snake," Sirius growled.

The trip to Godric's Hollow had been less than successful. A trap. They'd figured there would have been a trap of course, but a snake hidden inside an old woman? That, they hadn't seen coming. Sirius of course had smelled something off right away and pleaded with Harry and Hermione to leave. When both refused, he insisted, taking a hold of each of them threatening to Disapparate out. When it was clear he was serious about his threats, Harry and Hermione agreed and only then did the snake attack, right there in the middle of the street. Death Eaters Apparated in and a duel broke out. Sirius against Dolohov and Rowle while Hermione faced off against Macnair. Harry himself was left to the snake which slithered around the street, striking at him quickly and repeatedly.

Hermione had easily bested MacNair, stunning him to the ground. While she rushed to help Sirius, Rowle stepped into her path. Sirius felt perfectly justified in properly taking out Dolohov. The Death Eaters attacked fiercely, but when Sirius was briefly distracted by the sound of Harry shouting, Dolohov aimed his wand at Hermione. That was enough to snap what little restraint Sirius had left inside of him, and a bright green light burst from the end of his chestnut and dragon heartstring wand, hitting Dolohov in the chest and sending him to the ground, still and silent forever. Sirius took in a breath at the sight, somehow feeling that justice had been served. Afterall, this was the Death Eater responsible for killing Gideon and Fabian Prewett.

"He's coming!" Harry screamed and Sirius and Hermione rushed to him, Sirius taking hold of Harry's arm and pulling the boy quickly to his feet, throwing curse after curse at the snake that seemed to either dodge or deflect them all.

"More are coming!" Hermione screamed as Death Eaters began Apparating around them. Harry let out a loud scream, grasping at the scar on his forehead and as Sirius turned to check to see if he was alright, a newly arrived Death Eater disarmed him.

"Shit!" Sirius screamed and Harry let out a loud shout of pain, his body going rigid in Sirius' arms. "Hermione! We have to get out of here!"

"Hold on!" She shouted and grabbed them both, Disapparating away just in time. Unfortunately the landing was taken with a bit less grace and Harry fell forward, snapping his wand into three separate pieces, thus leaving one working wand between the three of them.

"At least you can do wandless magic," Hermione sighed as she looked up at Sirius sitting on the bed, still recovering from the splinch that had occurred during their last escape. She'd felt terrible of course, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as hers had been and she and Sirius argued passionately over whether or not he should be treating the wound himself. In the end he gave up, but only after Hermione threatened to stun him into submission.

"It's not that hard when you have the right focus," Sirius insisted.

"How'd you learn? It's not something they teach at Hogwarts," she pulled her knees to her chest and cuddled back into the chair, pulling a blanket up over her, wishing that she had her wand on her right now to cast a warming charm on the tent as the last one seemed to be wearing off.

"I had a friend at school who taught me," Sirius smiled. "Very powerful witch."

"Why am I not surprised that it was a girl?" Hermione chuckled.

"Because I'm so devastatingly handsome?" Sirius grinned.

"I'm not stroking that ego," she shook her head.

"Well if not my ego then would you like to-"

"Don't finish that sentence!" Hermione glared and Sirius let out a barking laugh.

"It's so easy to get you riled up. Very endearing," he grinned brightly.

"Hermione! Sirius!" Harry called from outside and then quickly entered the tent, soaking wet and shivering. Hermione stood up quickly and rushed to him.

"Harry! What happened!?" She shouted, reaching for her wand in his hand and performing an immediate drying spell then shoving him into a nearby chair and reaching for a stack of blankets that she quickly draped over his body. "Are you alright?"

"It's okay, everything's fine. More than fine, I'm great. There's someone here."

"What do you mean? Who?" Hermione looked up and watched as Ron walked into the tent, standing there holding a sword and dripping onto the threadbare carpet. "You!" Hermione growled fisting her hands tightly, and began throwing them at every inch of him she could reach. "Are a complete arse, Ronald Bilius Weasley!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry!" He shouted, trying to protect himself from her punches.

"Oh, you're sorry?!"

"Yes," Ron said calmly. "I . . . I was a right git," he nodded. "You were right, it was that bloody locket. I'm sorry for what I said," his eyes looked up and he caught sight of Sirius sitting on the edge of the large bed in the corner. "I'm sorry," he said to the man who seemed to narrow his eyes at the boy, but after a long moment, Sirius nodded.

"Apology not accepted!" Hermione yelled.

"Hermione," Harry sighed. "He just saved my life."

"What?" Sirius stood up. "Why did he need to? Were the wards breached?"

"No, I . . . I saw something."

"What did you see?" Sirius asked, stepping forward and removing Hermione's wand from her hand before she ended up cursing Ron with something permanent.

"A Patronus," Harry explained. "A doe."

"What did you say?" Sirius' face paled.

"A doe." Harry repeated. "It led me to a small frozen pond. I lit Hermione's wand and looked down and saw it," Harry gestured to the sword in Ron's hand. "We've got it," Harry grinned. "We can destroy more Horcruxes now."

"More?" Hermione asked, her temper finally calming.

Ron beamed at the sight of her no longer yelling or hitting him and he held up the locket, broken and black. She reached for it, snatching it out of his hand quickly and turning it over to examine it carefully. "And you're sure it's gone?" She asked Harry.

"Pretty damn," Harry chuckled, nervously running his fingers through his messy black hair. "I opened it and . . . well . . . it fought back, Ron stabbed it with the sword."

"Good redemption," Sirius commented, his eyes glancing between Ron and Hermione carefully. "How'd it fight back?" He asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Ron looked down shamefully.

"Wait, how'd you get the sword?" Hermione looked up. "You said it was in a frozen pond? Oh no Harry, you didn't," she frowned.

"I did," he shrugged. "Stupid I know. Especially since the locket was still around my neck. It tried to drown me."

"What?!" Sirius looked up quickly.

"Ron saved me," Harry pointed out. "Dove in after me, pulled me out and went back down for the sword. So . . . can we all just move on now?" Harry asked, a look of exhaustion in his eyes. Sirius gave a curt nod, but Hermione seemed to still be sneering in Ron's direction. "Please, Hermione."

"Fine," she agreed. "But I want to know how you found us to begin with," she glared at the redhead.

"With this," Ron said, pulling out the Deluminator.

oOoOoOo

**March 27th, 1998**

**Malfoy Manor - Malfoy Family Residence, Death Eater Headquarters**

The group had spent months continually moving from campsite to campsite, stopping for only a day or two before moving again. Sirius helped considerably with the locations seeing that he'd spent a year on the run with Buckbeak before Voldemort's return. Though it took several weeks of constant apologising, Ron mended his friendship with Harry and Hermione, though the latter kept him at a considerable distance, spending most of her time researching with Harry or training with Sirius to use wandless magic. Ron had provided them with more than the sword of Gryffindor. Apparently during his escape from the campsite many months before, he'd been picked up by a group of Snatchers and was able to disarm one of them. Thus providing Harry with a used wand. Sirius neglected to take it for himself, insisting that whatever magic he needed he could do wandlessly - though it was less powerful for certain.

It made no difference however when toward the end of March, one of the group accidentally set off the Taboo on Voldemort's name and a large group of Snatchers had them surrounded and disarmed. Hermione had been smart enough to throw a stinging hex at Harry's face, thus disfiguring him, but Sirius was too easily recognized, so before anyone took in the sight of him, he shifted into his Animagus form. The hopes of escaping were put to rest due to the fact that he couldn't possibly leave behind any of them, especially Harry and Hermione, so while the snatchers bound the two young wizards and the witch to another kid and what looked to be a wounded Goblin. Sirius was tackled and tied down by Fenrir Greyback.

"Ain't a real dog," Greyback insisted. "I can smell the magic..._familiar _magic on him."

"Then bring it along and we'll figure it out at the Manor," Scabior insisted.

The group Disapparated into the darkness and when they reappeared, Sirius' eyes looked up and he grimaced at the all too familiar sight of Malfoy Manor. The last time he'd been there had been for Lucius and Cissa's wedding, something he had not even been invited to. It had been a last ditch effort to help break his cousin out of a loveless and dangerous marriage arrangement, but as usual, Cissa had cowered at the thought of her husband and had Sirius thrown from the premises.

Now he was back, in the shape of a black dog, tied and thrown over the shoulder of the very same werewolf that had infected his best friend.

One of the Snatchers strode to the gates and shook them.

"How do we get in? They're locked, Greyback, I can't... blimey!"

He whipped his hands away in fright. The iron was contorting, twisting itself out of the abstract furls and coils into a frightening face, which spoke in a clanging, echoing voice. "State your purpose!"

"We've got Potter!" Greyback roared triumphantly. "We've captured Harry Potter!"

The gates swung open.

"Come on!" said Greyback to his men, shifting Sirius' body against his shoulder and shoving the tied prisoners forward roughly, his eyes lingering on Hermione with a grin. The moment they entered the large Manor, Sirius heard a familiar voice.

"Follow me," said Narcissa, leading the way across the hall. "My son, Draco, is home for his Easter holidays. If that _is _Harry Potter, he will know."

The drawing room dazzled after the darkness outside. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, more portraits against the dark purple walls. Two figures rose from chairs in front of an ornate marble fireplace as the prisoners were forced into the room by the Snatchers.

"What is this?"

The dreadfully familiar, drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy fell on their ears. At the sound, Sirius let out a low but dangerous growl.

"Take that beast back outside," Lucius snapped.

"I don't think it's really a dog," Greyback explained. "I've smelt this magic before."

"An Animagus?" Lucius eyed the creature warily. "Take him in the other room, force him to transform back," the blond wizard ordered.

Greyback begrudgingly obeyed, taking Sirius into the next room where he threw the Animagus to the floor with a loud thud, and cracked his neck eagerly preparing to enjoy this interrogation. Greyback leaned down to grip the dog by the scruff, and Sirius turned, snapping his jaws at the werewolf viciously, barking. Greyback responded by squeezing Sirius' throat tight until the animal let out a loud whimpering cry, gasping for breath.

"What's this noise?!" A high pitched screech entered the room and Sirius' eyes went wide and he began thrashing against Greyback's hold violently.

"Found this mutt with the Potter kid and his friends," Greyback explained. "Malfoy wanted me to get it to transform."

"You idiot half-breed!" Bellatrix shouted, using her wand to fling the werewolf backwards into a large marble column, knocking him unconscious. "Well, well, well," Bella grinned looking down. "You're looking quite alive, cousin," she sneered. Though still bound tightly, Sirius snapped his jaws toward Bellatrix who only laughed at him, swishing her wand in the air to constrict the ropes that bound his body tightly. Sirius whined loudly as the pain crushed in on his ribs.

"Oh the Dark Lord will be so pleased," she beamed. "If the brat in the other room really is Potter, I will have such fun letting you watch him die in front of you," she cackled. "Or perhaps I should kill you in front of him? Again," she grinned and levitated Sirius' Animagus form, letting it follow her into the other room where she spotted Draco and Lucius looking over the prisoners, a look of fear on her nephews face.

"Is it him, Draco?" Bellatrix asked and Draco flinched at the sound of her voice.

"I can't be sure," he whispered quietly.

"But surely," she said quietly, "this is the Mudblood girl? This is Granger?"

"Yes, yes, it's Granger!" cried Lucius, "And beside her, we think, Potter! Potter and his friends, caught at last!"

"Of course it's them," Bellatrix smirked. "And I've just caught myself a wayward blood-traitor," she gestured to the floating dog behind her. "Sirius Black, back from the dead," her high pitched laugh came out like a shriek and Lucius rolled his eyes at the sound while Draco again flinched away from his aunt.

Narcissa however stared at the beast with wide blue eyes.

"Sirius?" She whispered, staring at him with a look of fear and pity in her gaze.

Bellatrix dragged back her left sleeve: the all saw the Dark Mark burned into the flesh of her arm, and knew that she was about to touch it, to summon her beloved master.

"I was about to call him!" said Lucius, and his hand actually closed upon Bellatrix's wrist, preventing her from touching the Mark. "I shall summon him, Bella. Potter has been brought to my house, and it is therefore upon my authority.."

"Your authority!" she sneered, attempting to wrench her hand from his grasp. "You lost your authority when you lost your wand, Lucius! How dare you! Take your hands off me!" She stopped struggling when her dark eyes fixed upon something in the corner where the remaining snatchers stood, presumably waiting for payment. Jubilant at her capitulation, Lucius threw her hand from him and ripped up his own sleeve.

"STOP!" shrieked Bellatrix, "Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!"

Lucius froze, his index finger hovering over his own Mark.

"What is that?" Bellatrix snapped.

"Sword," grunted a Snatcher.

"Give it to me."

"It's not yours, missus, it's mine, reckon I found it."

There was a bang and a flash of red light; Sirius knew that the Snatcher had been Stunned. There was a roar of anger from his fellows: Scabior drew his wand.

"What d'you think you're playing at, woman?"

"_Expelliarmus_!" she screamed, disarming Scabior, "_Stupefy_!" She stunned the rest of his group quickly.

"Where did you find this sword?" she yelled, moving in on Scabior and throwing him to the floor, "Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!"

"It was in their tent," rasped Scabior.

"Draco, move this scum outside," said Bellatrix, indicating the unconscious men. "If you haven't got the guts to finish them, then leave them in the courtyard for me."

"Don't you dare speak to Draco like... " said Narcissa furiously, but Bellatrix screamed.

"Be quiet! The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy! We have a very serious problem!"

She stood, panting slightly, looking down at the sword, examining its hilt. Then she turned to look at the silent prisoners. "The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think what to do! Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Wormtail."

At the mention of the name, Sirius growled and barked viciously, thrashing in the air as he tried to break free of the bindings, begging to reach just an inch of flesh so he could tear it from the body of the traitorous rat.

"Wait," said Bellatrix sharply. "All except... except for the Mudblood and Sirius," she gestured. "Keep the blood-traitor away from Potter," she insisted, knowing that keeping the two separate would cause the most pain. Wormtail ushered the prisoners to the cellar, ignoring their screaming as they watched Hermione and Sirius disappear from their vision.

Hermione cowered against a nearby pillar as Bellatrix descended upon her, wand raised. The young witch took in a sharp breath, trying to regain her composure, but memories of Neville's parents at St. Mungos were still as fresh in her mind as the day she first saw them, and fear was evident in her gaze.

"Where did you get that sword?" Bellatrix asked the girl with a menacing look in her eyes. Before Hermione could even answer the question, Sirius began kicking in mid air, paws lashing out against his restraints, barking madly and growling as loud as possible. His barks echoed off of the marble floors and walls, nearly drowning out the screams of Hermione's name that came from the cellar.

"Shut up you damn blood-traitor!" Bellatrix screamed at the dog. "Cissy, take him in the other room while I deal with the girl. Can't get an answer out of her with him making all that racket!"

"Bella . . . the girl," Narcissa began.

"Narcissa, go!" Lucius screamed at his wife, his eyes narrowed. "Draco, go with your mother!" He shouted. Draco huffed but took his mother's hand in arm and swept into the next room, flicking his wand upwards and levitating the Animagus to follow.

Once the door to the drawing room closed behind them, Sirius shifted into his human form, though still tightly bound. His eyes looked up into the blue orbs of his cousin and her son; grey eyes, like his own. He'd never before seeing such a resemblance to the Black side of the family in Draco. Then again, the young blond wizard bore a near mirror image to that of his father. "Cissa, let me go," Sirius pleaded with her. "You know this is wrong!"

"Sirius, please be quiet," she turned away from him. "You don't know how dangerous this is. What you've brought into my house."

"What _I've _brought?! Cissa! We were captured and taken here against our will. You know Bella, you know what she's going to do! You're just going to let her..."

But his sentence was cut off by the loud sound of Hermione's screams. Sirius's eyes widened and a look that perfectly mixed rage and fear covered his face as the color drained from it. "No...No!" He muttered and screamed, "Hermione! Cissa! She's torturing her!"

"I know," Narcissa whispered.

"Let me go!" Sirius shouted. "Cissy, do the right thing. For once in your life, do the right thing!"

"I can't Sirius, we're dead if I let you go," she looked down at her cousin with tears in her eyes.

"You're dead already!" Sirius shouted. "You're trapped under the heel of a dictator, your husband is wandless and your son has been sacrificed!" He looked at the boy who turned away, consciously covering his left forearm. "Cissa, let me go and I will help you."

"There's no helping me," Narcissa shook her head.

"Mother, maybe..." Draco began hesitantly, but stopped mid-sentence as the screams coming from the other room grew louder.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Narcissa shook her head.

"So am I, cousin," Sirius stared up into her terrified eyes,"_Invocco Vita Debitum_!" He called out, and Narcissa's eyes widened dramatically.

"What are you doing?!" She gasped.

"You owe me a life debt," Sirius said firmly. "And I will call it in now with, or without your consent," he threatened.

"Sirius..." her voice broke in her throat.

"What's he talking about?" Draco asked her.

Sirius gave her a dangerous look that said he was at the end of what little patience he was offering her.

"Let him go," Narcissa ordered her son quickly. "Cousin, please do what you can to save us?" She asked him as Draco pulled out his wand and set loose the bindings that trapped Sirius. The Animagus immediately stood up and moved toward the door.

"Stay here," he ordered them both before shifting into his Animagus form once again. Sirius was still wandless, and despite his power, he was no match against Bellatrix without a wand.

Silently slipping back into the drawing room, Sirius flinched at the immediate smell of blood and his eyes widened as he saw Hermione laying on the ground, tears flowing from her eyes, her arm extended and familiar scars carved into her otherwise perfect flesh. _No_, he thought. _Not this. Not here. Not now_.

Fury fueled him as he crept forward in a frenzy, as silent as possible until the last second when he let out a soft growl and watched as Bellatrix's eyes turned to see his dark frame as he launched himself forward, landing on her body, pinning it to the ground and knocking her wand from her hand. She actually looked afraid for a split second and Sirius imagined how wonderful it would feel to watch the bitch get carted off to Azkaban again. But then Remus' words to Harry months earlier echoed in his mind.

_"Harry, the time for Disarming is past!"_

And so was the time for mercy.

One glance to the side where he saw Hermione's still body on the floor sent him teetering over the edge in his head. He turned and bared his sharp teeth on his cousin, opening his jaws wide enough to sink his large fangs into the flesh of her neck. Bellatrix tried to scream, but the sound died in her throat as Sirius tightened his grip on her and violently tugged backwards, tearing from her body.

"_Crucio_!" He heard briefly behind him and suddenly pain racked his body and he fell to the ground whimpering as a thousand knives carved into the flesh of his form. His eyes looked up and saw Lucius Malfoy looking down on him with scorn, Hermione's stolen wand in his hand and a hint of joy in his face at the position he had the dog in now. Sirius snarled in between whimpers of pain as his eyes met Lucius' and he recalled a time long ago when the blond Death Eater had a wand trained on him just like this. A small scar to the left of Lucius' nose reminded Sirius how that last encounter ended.

"Narcissa!" Lucius called. "I think it's time to reaffirm your loyalties and vows my love," he said coldly and Sirius watched as his cousin and her son entered the room. "Your blood-traitor cousin just murdered your sister. While there is no love lost between Bella and I, the Dark Lord will not be pleased."

"Bella..." Narcissa whispered, her eyes wide.

"Kill the beast," Lucius ordered her.

"Lucius..." Narcissa shook her head defiantly.

"Do it yourself willingly," Lucius growled. "Or I will _make _you do it," he threatened.

"No," Narcissa stood firm. "You've been using the Imperius on me for twenty years, and I'm done being your puppet."

"You insolent . . ." Lucius growled and raised his wand at his wife. "_Avada_-"

"_Sectumsempra_!" A voice called out from behind Lucius and the elder blonde wizard turned with wide cold eyes at his attacker and the wand held out aggressively toward him. Hermione's wand fell from his grip as blood seeped through his finely pressed oxford shirt. As Lucius' body fell forward, Sirius followed his gaze along the hawthorn wand to hand to blemished arm and then to Draco, standing tall and firm, staring hard cold grey eyes into his fallen father's back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** I love the comments from the last chapter! Yay Draco! Big thanks to my Beta, **Fluffpanda** who came up with that last movie scene worthy visual. I love Draco as a character that others react to. I also always love a good redeeming Draco story, and I feel that Draco and Sirius have a lot of similarities. Think about the way they grew up. Both heirs to their Houses, both raised by awful people. And really only one thing changed it, Gryffindor vs Slytherin. It's amazing what a tiny piece of bravery at eleven years old can do. This chapter has a bit of darkness in it for sure, which is why I laced as much humor as I could in it! Tell me your favorite part in the comments! As always, thank you for reading and commenting!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Nine: Break the Rest

_"...Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones  
__I'm talking loud not saying much  
__I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose  
__Fire away, fire away..."  
__(Titanium - David Guetta)_

* * *

**March 27th, 1998**

**Malfoy Manor - Malfoy Family Residence, Death Eater Headquarters.**

"Hermione...love?" Sirius transformed as he crawled up next to the witch, cradling her head gently in his hands, running his fingers through her messy locks of chestnut hair. Her eyes fluttered open briefly and he smiled and ran his thumb along her cheek affectionately. "Hermione? Can you say something?" He asked, needing to gauge her mental clarity.

"Sirius?" She winced, the pain from the lingering Cruciatus Curse still doing its damage. "What happened?" Her brown eyes looked around the room, where she saw several bodies, a lot of blood, and the faces of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy looking down at her.

"She going to be alright?" Draco asked and Hermione widened her eyes in shock at the brief look of concern that flashed across his sharp features.

"She'll be fine, needs rest and time to heal," Sirius let out a loud sigh of relief.

"You need to get her and the others out of here," Draco insisted. "Quickly. I need to call the Dark Lord," he lifted the sleeve of his shirt, revealing the mark, but not touching it just yet.

"Excuse me?" Sirius looked up at the kid and growled.

"It's not what you think," Draco held up a hand to Sirius before the Animagus took whatever rage was left in him that killing Bellatrix didn't get out. "I'm on your side."

"Bullshit," Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"I've got Veritaserum in a safe if you want to test me," Draco offered and Sirius stared at the boy for a long minute until he felt Hermione grasp at his shirt tightly as another wave of pain washed over her body. Sirius looked down at her worriedly and then back up at the young Malfoy and his mother. "Go," he said quickly, wondering if he'd made the right call.

"Where are Harry and Ron?" Hermione asked. "And did I hear right? Malfoy's on our side?"

"Possibly," Sirius rested her head back on the floor. "I'd pick you up love, but you'll just be in more pain with every movement. You need to stay there until it's safe to leave. Then we'll go somewhere you can heal properly," his eyes flickered to the word carved into her arm and he growled.

"That won't heal, will it?" She asked him, blinking away a few straggling tears.

"No," Sirius shook his head. "It'll scar. Her blade was cursed," he looked away. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," Narcissa's high voice whispered as she knelt down beside the girl, a pillow in her hands. She gestured to Sirius who seemed overly protective of the witch and Narcissa wasn't about to touch her without permission. Sirius lifted Hermione's head for her and Narcissa did what she could to make the girl more comfortable in the position she was in. "What do we do Sirius?"

"Apparently we wait for your kid," he turned his attention to his cousin. "Is he telling the truth?"

"I don't know," Narcissa admitted. "I was never allowed in the meetings. Draco always attended with Lucius. He's . . . he's different around his father and the others. At home, here with just me he's always been a kind boy," she frowned. "I was heartbroken when Lucius dragged him into the inner circle, branding him like that," she let a few tears escape. "I should have listened to you all those years ago," she admitted quietly.

"I've got it," Draco said as he entered the room once again, but before he had a chance to reach Sirius, a voice shouted from behind him.

_"Expelliarmus!"_ The hawthorn wand flew out of Draco's grip. The blonde wizard turned and scowled at Harry Potter who stood beside Ron, both wands in their hands aimed at a disarmed Draco, hands held up as a sign of surrender.

"You're making a mistake, Potter," Draco sneered. Regardless of what side he was on, there was a constant animosity between the boys that was certain to never disappear entirely. "Ask your bloody godfather."

"Sirius?" Harry eyed him, keeping his wand trained on Draco. It was only when he saw Hermione on the floor, that Harry dropped his attention and rushed to her side. "Hermione!"

"It's okay, Harry," Hermione nodded. "Listen to Sirius," she insisted.

"What's going on, Sirius?" Harry asked his godfather who clapped him on the back.

"First, where's Wormtail?" Sirius asked.

"Dead," Ron said from behind them, his wand still aimed at Draco's face. "Tried to kill Harry until we reminded him of the life debt he owes Harry," Ron explained. "When he let him go, his silver hand turned and he strangled himself to death."

Sirius didn't know how to process the information. A man who he'd once considered a friend, a brother, was dead. But that same man had been the reason for all of this. The reason James and Lily were dead. The reason that he lost twelve years to Azkaban. The reason that Voldemort returned in the first place. No, Sirius would never mourn Peter. Any version of him.

"That's actually good," Draco insisted. "It'll help the story I need to create."

"What's he talking about?" Harry asked.

"If you'll tell your pet weasel to point his wand elsewhere, I'd be more than obliged to inform you, Potter," Draco growled. "This is Veritaserum, pass it to Granger if you don't believe me, she can spot it I'm sure."

Ron snatched the vial from Draco's grip and tossed it to Sirius who handed it over to Hermione. The witch looked at it carefully, uncorking the top and smelling it. "There's no smell."

"Of course not, Granger, it has no smell," Draco rolled his eyes.

"It's a trick," Ron scowled. "It's poison."

"Someone tell the Weasel King why his ideas are moronic," Draco insisted.

"Because the Veritaserum isn't for us," Sirius explained. "It's for him."

"I'll take it, and then you can wait and see if I die. Then one of you can take it to test and make sure I'm not faking it," Malfoy offered. "Agree? Honestly, we shouldn't be dawdling here," his jaw was set tight, his eyes glaring at Ron.

"Give it to him," Harry nodded and watched as Sirius stood, handing the vial out to Draco who unstoppered the bottle, using the eyedropper within to place one drop on his tongue, knowing better than to use too much. He was willing to prove his allegiance, but not stupid enough to let the truth serum stay in his system long enough for Potter and Weasley to take advantage of the situation. "Only Black can ask questions," Draco prompted, handing the vial back to the man who in turn handed it over to Harry.

"Now one of us.." Harry muttered, opening the vial but before he had a chance to put the potion in his mouth, Hermione snatched it away.

"Are you out of your mind?" She scowled at him. "You're worth too much to risk," Hermione rolled her eyes and before anyone could stop her, she placed one drop of the potion on her tongue. Harry and Sirius both gaped at her, one seemingly more angry about her risk than the other, but both equally anxious. She waited a few second and then nodded. "Alright, is someone going to ask me something?" She asked.

"What happened second year when you messed up the Polyjuice Potion?" Ron said before anyone had a chance to think of a question to verify the potion. Hermione turned and gave him the most heinous glare possible and Harry immediately averted his gaze as he awaited the answer.

"The potion wasn't messed up," Hermione said, unable to keep silent as the words flew out of her mouth unwillingly. "But I accidentally took a cat hair instead of a human hair and ended up turning myself into a cat," she growled as the sentence finished. "You're dead to me, Ronald Weasley!" She shouted.

"She turned into a cat?" Sirius chuckled looking at Harry, who stifled his own laugh but nodded.

"Well it's really Veritaserum," Ron smirked. "She wouldn't repeat that story to anyone outside the two of us."

"Why were you three brewing Polyjuice Potion in your second year?" Draco asked, taking advantage of the situation knowing that Hermione was still under the influence of the truth serum.

"Because we thought that you either were or knew who the heir of Slytherin was, so Harry and Ron polyjuiced themselves into Crabbe and Goyle and snuck into the Slytherin Common Room to question you," Hermione blurted out and then immediately covered her mouth, eyes wide.

"And I'm the untrustworthy one?" Draco scoffed. "Alright, Black, let's get this over with before it wears off. But by the end of this war, I've got some bloody questions of my own," he said, pointing to Hermione and Harry, purposely ignoring Ron who still kept his wand trained on Draco.

"Alright, who holds your loyalty?" Sirius asked Draco.

"My mother," Draco said immediately.

"Not Death Eaters?" Sirius asked.

"No," Draco insisted.

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"Technically," he said through clenched teeth.

"You said you were on our side, how so?"

"At the end of fourth year I was recruited as a spy. Everyone assumed I'd be pulled into the ranks because of my father, and therefore I was deemed a valuable asset," Draco explained. "I've been watching, passing information and helping the Order of the Phoenix ever since."

"Who recruited you?" Sirius asked.

"Severus Snape."

"Let me stun him!" Ron shouted, angrily.

"Severus Snape is a bloody traitor!" Sirius growled. "He murdered Dumbledore!"

"No," Draco shook his head. "I . . . I don't know all the details, but I was told that Snape and Dumbledore had some arrangement. When I was told to kill Dumbledore myself, I was taken aside and told to fulfill the mission as completely as possible with the exception of killing Dumbledore. I was told to disarm him and wait for Snape to show up. I didn't know he was going to kill him."

"He's telling the truth," Hermione admitted, shocked though by the confession.

"Even if Snape betrayed your precious Order, I haven't," Draco insisted.

"Prove it," Ron snapped.

"Prove it? I'm under Veritaserum you fucking git."

"What have you done that can be counted as proof that you're loyalty is still with the Order?" Harry asked.

Draco took a deep breath before turning his gaze on Hermione. "You're parents made it to Australia," he confided with a smug look on his face. Hermione gasped in response, her eyes widening. The wizards surrounding her glared at Draco. "They weren't supposed to for the record. Are we done now?" He sneered at Ron.

"Let him go," Hermione insisted.

"Hermione you can't be serious!" Ron scowled.

"Do it!" She snapped.

"What's the plan?" Harry asked.

"You lot take yourselves and my mother out of here," Draco insisted. "I'll grab Greyback from the other room and bring him in here," he pointed to Bellatrix's body. "She was mauled," he eyed Sirius. "Dark Lord doesn't need to know by whom. I'll summon him once you're gone, tell him that Greyback and Scabior turned on us when Bellatrix refused to pay them. We fought, Snatchers died, but Potter escaped because Wormtail betrayed us," he looked to Sirius. "See? Works in our favor."

"And he'll believe you?" Hermione asked.

"I'm an excellent Occlumens," Draco said smugly. "Which is why you're taking mother with you. She's not," he scowled at her as though her lack of talent offended him.

"I'm not leaving without you," Narcissa insisted.

"I'm not asking," Draco glared at her. "You're a blood-traitor now. So you stay hidden no matter what," he turned to Sirius. "Keep her safe."

"And your father?" Sirius asked, looking at the other body on the ground.

"Potter killed him," Draco explained. "He's already known to be quite effective at using Sectumsempra," he eyed the black haired boy who glared back at him in response. "Take all the wands," Draco gestured to the few that had fallen on the ground. "Mother, give me yours."

"Why can't you just take back your own?" Harry asked, holding the hawthorn wand in his own hand.

"Prior Incantanto," Malfoy explained. "If the Dark Lord suspects me at all, he'll check my wand and see that I was the one who killed Lucius. It's better if you disarmed me, killed my father, and I took my mother's wand as she escaped. Speaking of escaping, take Ollivander, the Goblin and the other two," Draco gestured to the cellar.

Ron and Harry shared a look.

"What?" Draco asked.

"They're already gone."

"Gone? How?"

"Dobby Disapparated them out," Harry explained. "House-elves can Apparate in places where wizards can't."

"Dobby is pleased to help Harry Potter," a small voice called from above. The group turned their eyes upwards and caught the small elf hanging on the large chandelier that hung above the drawing room. He smiled down, glancing briefly at the body of his former Master, and he shook for a moment, his large ears flapping.

"Dobby? Can you Apparate this many people out of here?" Harry asked and Dobby nodded, disappearing from the chandelier and reappearing on the floor in front of them all. He briefly looked at Draco as if assessing the character of the boy and smiling at the result before reaching out for Harry's hand. One by one the group connected, leaving Narcissa to say a short goodbye to Draco.

"I'll send a Patronus if I hear of any movement," Draco promised.

"Malfoy can make a Patronus?!" Ron gaped. "What is it? A ferret?"

"Get out," Draco growled and before Ron could say another word, Dobby Disapparated them all out of Malfoy Manor. Draco let out a large sigh before moving quickly, levitating Greyback's unconscious form and laying him over Bella's body, then with his mother's wand, aimed a killing curse at the unconscious werewolf before turning his back and heading out the front door to do the same to the unconscious snatchers in the courtyard.

oOoOoOo

**April 4th, 1998**

**Tonks Home - Current Residence of Andromeda, Tonks and Remus Lupin**

The large group had been staying with Bill and Fleur for a week now and the small cottage was overly crowded. Three guest rooms had been set aside for the wounded, Griphook, Ollivander, and Hermione who insisted that her room be shared with Luna. Dean, Ron and Harry took refuge on the couch and floor of the sitting room. Sirius had escorted Narcissa to Andromeda's house after sending a Patronus to Remus and Tonks who he knew were living with her. Being the secret keeper for both Andromeda's home and his own, Remus had met Sirius outside the wards in order to allow them all inside. He'd been reluctant to bring Narcissa, but Sirius gave his word that his cousin would behave properly.

The two sisters were able to reconnect, though not before a good screaming match which made Sirius groan over the fact that he'd promised to keep Cissa in line. It wasn't until they each discovered the common trait of being recent widows that they fell into a puddle of tears in one anothers arms. Andromeda had loved her husband, had lost her entire family because of him, but he'd been worth it to her. Narcissa had feared her husband, and had lost her entire sense of self-worth because of him, but he'd been worth it all just because of Draco.

Sirius had put up a set of incredibly complicated wards around Andromeda's house to protect his cousins, enlisting Bill's help as a curse breaker to test them just in case. Despite her incredibly large stomach, Tonks stood to take a turn at trying to test the wards, as an Auror, she felt very qualified. The women all took refuge in the kitchen to drink tea, while Remus and Sirius vacated to the basement to share some Firewhisky and update one another about the war.

"How are they?' Remus asked.

"You mean how is she?" Sirius looked up, his eyes exhausted.

"I have a large enough heart to think about the entire war effort, Sirius," the werewolf scowled.

"You knew, didn't you?" Sirius asked. "Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix."

Remus nodded.

"And you never told me," Sirius growled. "I could have stopped it. I was there. If I'd have know when and where we were going and what would have happened . . ."

"You couldn't have done anything more than you've already done," Remus snapped with a little more of a harsh tone than he'd intended. "She showed me in a Pensieve. When I noticed the scars, I confronted her. That's when she told me everything. Begged me to only reveal it all to you when the time was right, which she insisted wouldn't be for at least a decade . . . and then she made me take an Unbreakable Vow about Bellatrix and the Manor." Remus shook his head. "Told me I'd be released from it when it all came to pass."

"Why the fuck would she do that?!" Sirius growled and knocked his glass to the floor with a violent sweep of his arm.

"From what I remember in the memory she showed me," Remus looked up. "Bellatrix had informed her that if she didn't cooperate, then you were next, followed by Harry."

"I should have known," Sirius shook his head. "This whole time, my own fucking cousin," he growled again and put his head into his hands. "You remember what I told you happened at Narcissa's wedding?" Sirius looked up at Remus. "She… I've never seen her so…"

"Unhinged?" Remus asked.

"That's putting it lightly," Sirius almost laughed. Almost.

"Her hatred of Bellatrix wasn't about this you know," Remus quietly pointed out. "It had almost nothing to do with what happened at Malfoy Manor. Nothing to do with the curse, or her arm. It was horrible of course, don't misunderstand me," he said, putting up a defensive hand in front of him as Sirius' grey eyes glared across the table. "But after she told me the truth I asked her."

"And?"

"She hated Bellatrix because of you," Remus sadly smiled. "Because of the Veil."

"She's started having nightmares," Sirius whispered, ignoring the guilty feeling that continued to build in his chest. He didn't want to know that she was always thinking about him instead of worried for herself. He didn't want to talk about the fact that Hermione had apparently sacrificed herself to save him and Harry, or the fact that she'd done so willingly, under a Cruciatus Curse at that.

"She's always had nightmares," Remus countered.

"No," Sirius shook his head. "Hermione started having nightmares. This is the source. This is the beginning," he frowned.

"Maybe that's why she swore me to secrecy," Remus suggested.

"How's that?"

"She took care of us constantly," Remus smiled. "Always hovering over me, making sure I was healed and never alone. But she was always vulnerable at night. That gave us a chance to take care of her." The werewolf reached down and picked up Sirius' fallen glass, setting it back on the table and reaching for the bottle of Firewhisky to refill it for his friend. He slid the drink across the small table and offered a consoling smile.

"What happens if I can't keep her alive? Any of them?" Sirius looked up, genuine anxiety in his deep grey eyes.

"That's the thing about time," Remus smiled softly. "It's a loop you see. Every moment has already happened, we're just reliving it. The very fact that we still remember, means that she made it through this. The fact that she wasn't entirely broken must mean that it all turns out right in the end," he offered.

"I miss the pessimistic and stressed out Moony," Sirius glared at him. "How are you this calm with a pregnant wife ready to pop any second, and a full moon in a week?"

"Oh the dosage of Calming Draught I've been on the past three months would put a normal human in a coma," Remus smirked and Sirius openly gaped at him, finally noticing Remus' eyes were hooded, and the pupil beneath the lids was incredibly dilated. Remus smiled and raised his glass to toast. "Cheers to werewolf healing, mate."

oOoOoOo

**April 13th, 1998**

**Shell Cottage - Residence of Bill and Fleur Weasley**

"So what do you want to do with the rest?" Hermione asked, holding a bundle of wands in her hand. Her own had been returned to her and she almost hated to hold it now, knowing that Lucius Malfoy had used it to cast the Cruciatus Curse on Sirius, and nearly killed his wife with it. But it was hers and she forced herself to hold it affectionately, determined to use it to bring about enough good to counter the evil it had briefly caused.

"Break them," Harry nodded.

"You sure you don't want to pick one from the bunch?" Ron asked Harry as the Boy-Who-Lived continued to spar off against Sirius outside Shell Cottage, the small crowd gathered on the front porch to watch as Harry continued to try and disarm Sirius, Draco's reasonably springy hawthorn wand with unicorn hair core rested in Harry's grip.

"No, I need this wand," Harry insisted as he threw up a shield to block a binding curse that Sirius sent his way. "Ollivander said it's mine, at least for right now. It's allegiance changed the moment I disarmed Malfoy. The wand chooses the wizard. I can't explain it, Ow!" Harry glared at his godfather who had grazed his leg with a mild stinging hex. "But for right now, I need this wand."

"But break the rest?" Hermione asked, double-checking Harry's instructions.

"Yes, Hermione! Those wands belonged to Death Eaters and Snatchers. Break them and be done with it all!"

"Gladly," Hermione handed the bundle to Ron, leaving the unyielding walnut and dragon heartstring wand in her hands. With something that looked like a vengeful smile on her face, she snapped the wand clean in half and then used her own wand to set the pieces on fire. Feeling a bit more rejuvenated, Hermione reached back for the bundle of wands and held it out to Dean and Luna, offering them each one as theirs had been stolen from them upon their capture and possibly destroyed. She then took the remaining wands in hand and moved to snap them all in one go.

"Wait!" Harry shouted. "Sirius, pause," he said to his godfather. "I have a better idea," Harry approached the witch with a grin. "Dobby!"

The small elf appeared with a loud crack looking up at Harry Potter with his wide, expressive eyes and a bright smile. "The Great Harry Potter calls for Dobby?" His tennis ball sized eyes glanced around at the gathered crowd, giving them each a smile in turn, his ears flapping as a soft breeze blew through the front porch.

"Dobby, I would like you to break these wands," Harry said, snatching the bundle from Hermione and handing them out to the elf.

"Harry Potter wants . . . " Dobby's eyes went wider, if that was even possible. He immediately began shaking his head. "No, no, no . . . elves are not to touch the wands of wizards. Mustn't, mustn't." His eyes looked around the porch and Harry knew immediately what he was trying to do.

"Dobby, don't you dare hurt yourself," Harry cautioned the elf who began to shake. "Dobby, these wands did not belong to wizards. They belonged to weak men who abused magic. They aren't fit to be wizards," Harry said firmly. "These wands cast dark magic, hurt many people and creatures. They were used to capture and enslave. I think it only right that a free elf be the one to break them, and put those evil deeds to rest."

Hermione smiled brightly, and ignored Sirius who was rolling his eyes behind his godson, mirroring the image of Ron who stood beside Hermione. Luna looked abundantly pleased at the idea, while Dean, Bill and Fleur all nodded their heads, hoping their smiles would encourage the little elf to take charge.

"Come on Dobby," Hermione beamed. "You're better than those wizards."

"If Harry Potter insists," Dobby said, taking a very hesitant step toward the out held bundle of finely carved wands, each with a different color and core but all with a history of violence and death. Very slowly, the little elf reached for one wand, a black wand made of elm that Hermione recognized as Scabior, the Snatcher that had brought them to Malfoy Manor. With initial reluctance, Dobby held the wand between his two small hands and clenched his eyes tightly as though he were waiting for someone to hit him for attempting to follow through. When no one made a move, Dobby snapped the wand in half and opened his large eyes that shone brightly in the setting sun. A large smile crossed his face and he let out a loud laugh of pure glee and jumped in the air, throwing the broken wand on the ground and stomping on it vigorously.

As though it were his new favorite thing in the world, Dobby eagerly reached back into the bundle of wands, snapping each one with enthusiasm, laughing and jumping as each one fell to the ground in a large pile. Hermione grinned brightly at the scene, and once the bundle was gone, Dobby seemed to look around eagerly as if he could find more if he tried. Harry laughed and held a hand out to Dobby.

"Thank you Dobby," Harry smiled. "You've taken a great burden off my shoulders."

"Dobby is always happy to serve Harry Potter, sir," the elf beamed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** This chapter has one of my favorite scenes and a lot of lovely Draco/Ron animosity moments which are delightful. I don't think I love any pair of enemies more than Draco and Ron, especially when they are forced to work together or attempt to be civil. This chapter also initially caused me some problems because once I decided to have Bellatrix killed, my mind immediately said, "Umm... how're they going to get the Cup, genius?" But my mind fought back, and the fruits of those labors are below. Enjoy! As usual, so much credit goes to my Beta Reader, **Fluffpanda**.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Ten: Not a Killer

_"...Another head hangs lowly,  
__Child is slowly taken.  
__And the violence caused such silence.  
__Who are we mistaken?..."  
__(Zombie - The Cranberries)_

* * *

**April 30th, 1998**

**Shell Cottage - Residence of Bill and Fleur Weasley**

"It has to be there," Hermione insisted. "She was adamant that we'd broken into her vault."

They had gone around this argument in circles before. Bellatrix's behavior at Malfoy Manor the month before had indicated that something important was housed in the Lestrange vault, and not just an imitation the Sword of Gryffindor. Unfortunately there was no way to get inside. Ron had suggested Polyjuice potion, but without a piece of Bellatrix to use, it was impossible. Harry had suggested someone return to the Manor to find anything, but Sirius refused to allow any of them to risk something so suicidal.

Hermione had the idea of asking Narcissa to help, considering she was Bellatrix's family after all, but Sirius explained that since the Horcrux would be hidden in the Lestrange vault, Narcissa had no claim to it despite being of blood relation. Not while Bella's husband and brother-in-law remained alive. It was Ron who then suggested to hunt down the Lestrange brothers and kill them, to which everyone in the room promptly ignored him.

Harry suggested asking for help from Griphook, which Sirius shot down quickly, having dealt with Goblins in the past. He insisted that Griphook would turn on the lot of them faster than Kreacher had betrayed him.

It seemed like only when they'd given up hope that they were handed the Horcrux on a silver platter.

That silver platter arrived in the form of a silver dragon that burst into the kitchen at Shell Cottage late at night when all other occupants save for Harry, Hermione, Sirius and Ron were asleep. The large dragon hovered for a few moments and Hermione widened her eyes at the intricate beauty of the Patronus. Soon it's mouth opened and Draco's voice was heard.

_"Potter, I have information you might be interested in. The Dark Lord wants myself and my uncle Rodolphus Lestrange to go to Gringotts in order to fetch an item of great importance. He was enraged knowing that not only was Bellatrix killed, but that the sword of Gryffindor might be missing from her vault. We're headed to Diagon Alley tomorrow at noon. If you find this information helpful, I'll expect to be accosted outside of Gringotts. Let Granger or Black be the one to engage us. Weasel might hurt himself."_

"Prick," Ron glared as the dragon vanished.

"Did you hear what he said?!" Hermione's eyes were bright and practically glowing with excitement.

"Yeah I heard the ferret," Ron glowered.

"It wasn't a ferret, it was a dragon," Hermione scolded him.

"How come he gets a dragon?" Harry seemed to be riding a line of enthusiasm and self pity.

Hermione scanned the room and looked at all the wizards around the table, each looking a bit put off by the appearance of the Patronus. "Are you kidding me?" She narrowed her eyes at each of them. "Malfoy is offering to deliver to us a Horcrux, and each of you has decided instead of celebrating, to have a pity party over the fact that his Patronus is a dragon?"

"Mine's just a stupid dog," Ron frowned.

"Hey!" Sirius snapped. "I take offense to that. Mine's a dog too."

"Well of course _yours_ is a dog, _you're_ a dog!" Ron countered.

"Mine's a stag like my Dad," Harry added in, clearly trying to make himself feel better.

"Well then how come I got a dog?" Ron asked. "It's nothing to do with me!"

"Oh for crying out loud, you think my otter has anything to do with me?" Hermione smacked the back of Ron's head.

"Your Patronus is an otter?" Sirius asked her, his eyebrows raised in absolute shock.

"Yes," Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Got something to say about it?" daring him to poke fun at her otter.

There was a bang on the front door. Everyone's head turned toward it. Bill came running out of the bedroom, looking concerned, his wand pointing at the door; Harry, Ron, Sirius and Hermione did the same.

"Who is it?" Bill called.

"It is I, Remus John Lupin!" called a voice over the howling wind. "I am a werewolf, married to Nymphadora Tonks, and you, the Secret-Keeper of Shell Cottage, told me the address and bade me come in an emergency!"

"Lupin," muttered Bill, and he ran to the door and wrenched it open.

Remus fell over the threshold. He was white-faced, wrapped in a traveling cloak, his graying hair windswept. He straightened up, looked around the room, making sure of who was there, then cried aloud, "It's a boy! We've named him after Dora's father! Edward Remus Lupin!"

Hermione shrieked and rushed to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Congratulations, Remus!"

"Tonks had the baby?" Sirius grinned brightly.

"Yes, yes, she's had the baby!" shouted Remus. All around the room came cries of delight, sighs of relief: Fleur squealed as she entered the room, hearing the announcement, "Congratulations!" and Ron said, "Blimey, a baby!" as if he had never heard of such a thing before.

"Yes... yes... a boy," said Remus again, who seemed dazed by his own happiness. He strode around the table and hugged Sirius and then Harry; the scene in the basement of Grimmauld Place might never have happened.

"You'll be godfather?" Remus said as he released Harry, his eyes lingering on Hermione's smiling face for a moment as though he wanted to say something else but held back.

"M-me?" stammered Harry.

"You, yes, of course... Dora quite agrees, no one better..."

"Hey!" Sirius said, his brows furrowing. "I'll have you know I'm the only one here that's actually experienced in the act of godfathering," he pouted, clearly put out by the announcement.

"Poor Sirius," Hermione smirked and walked up behind him, placing a kiss to the top of his head and patting his shoulder consolingly. Somehow the act of affection shut him up quickly, though he continued to keep his arms crossed over his chest as a silent protest, occasionally muttering, "It's not like I'm your best friend or anything."

Bill was hurrying to fetch wine, and Fleur was persuading Remus to join them for a drink.

"I can't stay long, I must get back," said Remus, beaming around at them all: He looked years younger than anyone had ever seen him. "Thank you, thank you, Bill"

Bill had soon filled all of their goblets, they stood and raised them high in a toast.

"To Edward Remus Lupin, Teddy," said Remus, "a great wizard in the making!"

"A wizard?" Hermione questioned him, though it seemed like she was really trying to make a point. Remus took note of the look on her face and grinned at her brightly.

"Yes, a wizard," he replied and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Hermione."

"'Oo does 'e look like?" Fleur inquired.

"I think he looks like Dora, but she thinks he is like me." Remus smiled.

"Poor kid," Sirius chuckled and Hermione glared at him in response but Remus just laughed.

"Not much hair. It looked black when he was born, but I swear it's turned ginger in the hour since. Probably blond by the time I get back. Andromeda says Tonks's hair started changing color the day that she was born." He drained his goblet. "Oh, go on then, just one more," he added, beaming, as Bill made to fill it again. "So, have I missed anything important over here?" Remus asked.

Hermione, Harry, Ron and Sirius all shared a look before Sirius finally spoke.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Moony," he smiled. "You've got a wife and kid to take care of. In fact, since you've hurt my very soul by not making me the godfather of your firstborn, I'll accept your apology in the form of you staying inside a locked and warded house with your family."

"Until when?" Remus rolled his eyes.

"Until I send you a Patronus!" Sirius snapped. "I'm not joking, Remus. The only reason you or Tonks step foot out your door is if I tell you to. Or Hermione," he added, a part of him still wondering if he would survive this war.

"Fine, fine," Remus stood. "I'll occupy my time with late night feedings and dirty nappies," he chuckled. "Now I really must get back," said the werewolf at last, declining another goblet of wine. He got to his feet and pulled his traveling cloak back around himself. "Good-bye, good-bye... I'll try and bring some pictures in a few day's time... they'll all be so glad to know that I've seen you..." He fastened his cloak and made his farewells, hugging the women and grasping hands with the men, then, still beaming, returned into the wild night.

"Godfather Harry," Bill chuckled, and patted the young wizard on the back.

"Yeah," Harry smiled, a bit dazed still by the request. "Sirius, what does a godfather even do?"

"I'm not exactly an expert," Sirius shrugged sadly. "You just . . . you take care of him. Keep him safe," his grey eyes turned down into the empty cup of wine. "The first couple years is relatively simple," Sirius suggested, trying to break away the sadness that had suddenly clouded the conversation. "Spoil the hell out of him," he declared, setting his cup back down on the table with a loud sigh. "Alright, enough of this sappy nonsense," Sirius cleared his throat. "We've got a Malfoy to mug tomorrow!"

oOoOoOo

**May 1st, 1998**

**Diagon Alley - Outside of Gringotts Wizarding Bank**

The plan was simple, all things considered.

Sirius Apparated to a back street just off Knockturn Alley, immediately shifting into his Animagus form, making his way to the beginning of the road where his eyes could be glued to the entrance of Gringotts. Ron had been transfigured to have black messy hair that fell past his ears, and a long goatee. He looked like a displaced Death Eater from Durmstrang, resembling Igor Karkaroff more than a Weasley. It was the best any of them could come up with on such short notice. Harry and Hermione remained hidden beneath the Invisibility cloak, eagerly waiting for Sirius' signal.

The plan had been for Ron to stand guard while Harry and Hermione were to stun Rodolphus and Malfoy, at which point Sirius would rush in and snatch up the package and the four of them would Apparate back to Shell Cottage. It should have been simple, all things considered.

What they hadn't planned on was that Voldemort had lost trust in Draco Malfoy after coming to the Manor to find his two most loyal Death Eaters dead on the floor, Narcissa escaped, a handful of dead Snatchers, and a rotting werewolf corpse. He'd immediately attacked the young, blond wizard, infiltrating his mind and searching for answers. What he saw enraged him. Harry Potter had been captured, that much was certain. Voldemort saw clips of memories where Potter disarmed young Draco after Bellatrix tortured the Mudblood for answers. Bits and pieces and nothing more. Malfoy had claimed to have been in the other room most of the time, observing another prisoner - Sirius Black who, upon Draco's turned back, was freed by Narcissa. Not only that, but Wormtail was dead having freed Harry Potter, his friends and the Wandmaker, Ollivander. But worst of all was a slightly skewed image. The image of a sword and the muffled screams of Bellatrix saying the word: vault.

Voldemort was beside himself with fury and had taken it out on the young Malfoy heir. Draco lay unconscious for a week before his eyes had opened to see his uncles Rodolphus and Rabastan looking down at him, shaking their heads in disappointment. Day by day, Malfoy was nursed back to health by a scattering of house elves, and once he was well enough to withstand a Cruciatus curse without passing out, he was given a mission to redeem himself and his family name.

What no one planned on was that the trust lost in Draco Malfoy, meant that the plan was changed last minute and Rodolphus was not the only one to escort the young Slytherin inside Gringotts.

As the doors to the bank opened, Sirius' eyes widened at the sight of not only Rodolphus, but Rabastan Lestrange flanking either side of Draco Malfoy with Travers, and the elder Crabbe and Goyle following behind. Draco himself looked uncomfortable as he descended the stairs outside the bank, his bright grey eyes looking around Diagon Alley, his lips curled into a scowl. The Death Eaters had figured this could be a trap, and they were using Malfoy as bait.

But there was nothing else to do. Draco held a package in his hands, hands that looked to be covered in very recent burns. Sirius shook on the spot recognizing the results of what had to have been a Flagrante and Gemino Curse that was taught to the Black children early on in life when they were caught snooping through their parents belongings. It was cruel and harsh, but Sirius couldn't help but think that it would be a perfect trap to set inside of a vault.

Draco's eyes scanned the alley once more and immediately took in the image of a large black dog with unnaturally focused eyes. Seeing this as his only chance, Draco held his mother's wand in hand, quickly ducked down shooting up a nonverbal protection shield around his body. As if knowing what the boy was planning, Sirius shifted in form and sent a stunning spell toward the crowd, hitting Crabbe first, before another spell followed, immediately hitting Goyle.

From the other side of the street, Harry and Hermione broke away from the cloak that hid them, shooting spells, hexes and jinxes forward at the gathered Death Eaters. Hermione watched carefully as Draco Malfoy Disillusioned himself and slipped into the background with the package in hand. Spell after spell and soon they'd paired off. Sirius against Rodolphus, Ron against Travers, and Harry and Hermione against Rabastan.

"_Stupefy_!" Harry shouted, but his shot was evaded by Rabastan.

"We have to end this quickly! We're drawing attention and one of them could easily call for help!" Hermione shouted to Harry and Ron who were closest to her.

"Push them together!" Sirius shouted, and one by one they herded their opponents backwards and together.

"_Impedimenta_!" Ron called out, hitting Travers square in the chest and knocking him backward between the bodies of Crabbe and Goyle, he then went to Sirius' side to help him fight one half of the Lestrange brothers.

"I know it was you, Black!" Rodolphus screamed. "I knew the Malfoy boy was a blood-traitor and that my Bella wouldn't have been overpowered by a bloody werewolf!"

"No? But she was overpowered so easily by a simple dog," Sirius laughed.

"You'll pay for what you did!" Rodolphus shouted and aimed his wand. "_Avada __Ked_-"

"_Confundo Maxima_!" Hermione's voice called out from behind Harry and a Confundus spell hit Rodolphus Lestrange before he had a chance to finish his curse and the man tumbled backwards against the steps.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Ron shouted, binding the body of Rodolphus.

"Little help here!" Harry shouted as Rabastan descended upon himself and Hermione, the screams of his brother fueling him forward, casting curse after curse in the direction of the two. Ron remained behind to look over the bodies of the stunned and bound Death Eaters, keeping a careful eye open to make sure they weren't attacked by any potential backup.

"_Crucio_!" Rabastan shouted, but the curse missed Hermione by mere inches. Before he had a chance to cast another in her direction, a voice from behind him called out, "_Avada Kedavra!_" And his body fell forward, pale and lifeless. Hermione gasped at the sight and looked up to see Draco Malfoy take off the Disillusionment charm.

"What the hell, Malfoy!?" Ron screamed and stormed forward. "You tricked us!"

"Didn't I say _not_ to let him do anything?" Draco scowled at Harry. "Here, get this away from me. It's given me nothing but trouble," he handed over the package roughly, shoving it into Harry's open hands before turning his gaze on Ron. "If you couldn't tell Weasel, I wasn't a part of this welcome wagon for you! Being on your fucking side has given me nothing but problems!"

"Oh poor you," Ron scoffed.

"Granger, get your boyfriend out of my face before I set it on fire!" Draco yelled.

"Ron, back off!" Hermione yelled. "And he's not my boyfriend."

"Like I really give a shit about the specifics," Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Well, is that it?" He asked Harry who was staring at a fine, golden cup with a badger engraved on the side.

"This is it," Harry nodded. "Let's get back to Shell Cottage."

"Not yet," Malfoy insisted. "You want them to follow you?" He said, pointing to the unconscious or bound Death Eaters behind them.

"They need to be arrested," Hermione insisted.

"Oh, I'll just go call the Aurors then, Granger," Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Except if you haven't noticed, they're all working for the Dark Lord!" Shaking his head, his eyes turned to Sirius who began walking up the steps.

"Look away if you can't do it yourself," Sirius mumbled under his breath, aiming his wand up at a bound Rodolphus Lestrange who glared up at him with a viciousness that Sirius had rarely seen outside of his own family.

"Sirius..." Hermione whimpered slightly, trying to make peace with the idea of killing an unarmed person, Death Eater or otherwise.

"This is war, Granger," Draco insisted, aiming his wand back and sending another killing curse at an unconscious Travers.

"Sirius please," Hermione begged. She knew this was war. She knew people were going to die. And she had little care to see Bellatrix and Lucius' bodies back at the Manor. But they'd each been killed while attacking, with a wand in their hands. Somehow this felt like murder, not defense.

Sirius tightened his jaw, trying to made a decision. He normally wouldn't have given it another thought, but the look in her eyes was bringing him pain, and he couldn't help but lower his wand a fraction of an inch.

"Bloody Gryffindors," Draco scowled and walked over past Sirius, aiming his wand and shouting, "_Avada Kedavra!_" killing the last line of the Ancient and Noble House of Lestrange. All too quickly, Malfoy turned and aimed his wand up at Crabbe, but being forced to kill the father of his friend caused Draco to hesitate and he took in a slow deep breath. Sirius, immediately aware of the boy's change in demeanor, approached him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's too much," Sirius shook his head. "You can't take lives without consequences," he admitted. "Don't end up like him," he said, and though he didn't mention a specific name, Draco seemed to understand that Sirius meant Voldemort. "You're not a killer," Sirius patted Draco on the back. "C'mon, let's go see your Mum, yeah?"

Draco merely nodded.

The moment however was cut by a loud scream as Harry gripped his head and collapsed to the ground. "Harry!" Multiple people yelled as they moved to his side, Hermione reaching quickly for the Horcrux before Harry dropped it.

"What is it?" Sirius asked quickly, gripping his godson by the arms. "What did you see?"

"Potter's a seer?!" Draco asked with wide eyes.

"He's... he's..." Harry forced the words out of his mouth. "He's coming."

"Hurry, we need to Apparate back to the cottage," Ron insisted.

"Don't be stupid, Weasel," Malfoy growled. "He's got the Aurors on his side!"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything!?"

"They can track Apparition now!"

Everyone stood, wide-eyed.

"What do we do?" Hermione shouted.

"We leave a trail too difficult to follow," Sirius groaned. "We'll split up for the time being. Ron, side-along Apparate with Draco back to the forest where you returned to us," he explained. "Harry and Hermione will go to the cottage, I'll Apparate to the cave where I stayed when I was on the run," he explained. "Then we'll need to Apparate somewhere else and meet up."

"Malfoy Manor," Draco offered.

"What?!" Ron shouted.

"If the Dark Lord is on his way here, then that means he won't be there!" Malfoy shouted. "The Floo in our sitting room connects directly to the Headmasters office at Hogwarts. It's how Snape and I have been communicating throughout this."

Sirius growled at the name and Draco rolled his eyes. "Look, I know you've got a problem with him, but he's on your side!" The blond wizard shouted. "And we're wasting time!"

"We need to get to Hogwarts anyway, Sirius," Harry explained, his eyes unfocused as he was being held up by Hermione. "It's where the next one will be. I saw it in his mind. I saw him trying to figure out where to go next."

"I still don't think we should trust..." Ron began but Harry cut him off.

"We need to get going," said Harry firmly. "Can you imagine what he's going to do once he realizes the ring and the locket are gone? What if he moves the Hogwarts Horcrux, decides it isn't safe enough?"

"That thing's a fucking Horcrux?!" Draco paled, his wide grey eyes staring at the cup in Hermione's hand. "What did you mean by ring and locket?" He looked up at Harry.

"He's got more than one, we've been destroying them," Harry explained.

"Fuck," Draco grimaced, the look on his face clearly showing fear, something he'd taken great pride in covering up for what felt like years now.

"Everyone go... now!" Sirius growled.

And with a turn on the spot, they each vanished into the crushing darkness.

oOoOoOo

**Hogsmeade Village - Outside of Hogwarts**

Sirius' feet touched the small road in Hogsmeade that lead up to the cave where he'd hidden years ago while he had been on the run with Buckbeak as his only companion. He'd thought about Apparating directly into the cave but knew that if he aimed wrong, he'd end up landing on the edge of a cliff. Before he was able to take another step, the air was rent with a loud scream that sent chills up Sirius' arms and his hands to his ears.

"Caterwauling Charm, just fucking great," he groaned and made to Disapparate away only to find that anti-Disapparition charms had been set over the entire small town. He growled low and shifted into his Animagus form quickly, moved around the outskirts of the roads, taking back alleys and side streets when possible.

Death Eaters roamed Hogsmeade in droves, wands at the ready as they searched high and low for the intruders. "Look everywhere!" One shouted to a small group. "Potter's got an Invisibility cloak, so check every corner even if you don't see a thing!"

"What about the Dementors?" called another Death Eater. "Let'em have free reign, they'd find him quick enough!"

"The Dark Lord wants Potter dead by no hands but his... "

" 'an Dementors won't kill him! The Dark Lord wants Potter's life, not his soul. He'll be easier to kill if he's been Kissed first!"

Sirius blanched at the sight of the few Dementors that moved in and out of the streets with ease. He swallowed hard, refusing to make eye-contact, quietly hoping that none of them recognized him in this form. It had been easy enough to sneak out of Azkaban this way, and that had been in a tightly cramped cell with at least one hundred Dementors. Sirius could handle just a few. It was harder however, as Sirius pushed forward, closer and closer to the creatures and he felt all the happiness pull out of his body. Focusing as hard as possible, he continued forward, clinging to what little hope he had left.

Finally reaching the street that lead up the way to Hogwarts, Sirius ducked quickly from sight, slipping into Honeydukes back door. The shop was closed, and it didn't look like it was just for the day. Death Eaters had completely taken over the sweet little town that had filled Sirius' youth and filled it with joy. It left a bitter taste in his mouth to see it so empty and lifeless, the joy literally sucked out of it. Quietly and swiftly, Sirius snuck into the passage in the basement that he knew lead to the one-eyed witch and he ran the length of it as quickly as he possibly could. When he reached the end he spotted a figure, and Sirius lowered himself to the ground as he moved, taking in the image of what appeared to be a familiar face though she'd aged over twenty plus years.

Alecto Carrow stood at the end of the long passage mumbling bitterly to herself.

"Check the bloody passages, Alecto," she said in a mocking tone. "Search the Seventh floor corridor, Alecto," she went on. "Guard the Ravenclaw Tower, Alecto. Like he bloody does anything himself," she grumbled.

Sirius rolled his eyes and made his way out into the open, whimpering softly and limping on his front right leg.

"Who's there?!" She aimed her wand forward and Sirius stopped, letting out a soft whining noise.

"Oi, get lost mutt," she scowled and lowered her wand.

_Fucking idiot_.

oOoOoOo

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Her scream still echoed in the passageway as Sirius crawled out from the hump of the one-eyed witch statue, wand drawn and looking around for signs of life. Wishing that he'd taken the Marauder's Map from Harry, Sirius slipped back into his dog form, knowing that it would cause less of a disturbance than his human self. At least only a handful of people knew he was an Animagus.

The halls were silent and empty save for a few Prefects here and there, all appearing to be Slytherins that patrolled the corridors with little attention. He moved into dark alcoves and behind curtains waiting for them to pass before he'd quickly move on, making his way toward the Headmasters Office in the hopes that Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco hadn't waited for him, but were instead already at Hogwarts.

When he was almost to the gargoyle, Sirius suddenly realized he had no way of getting inside. Dumbledore's office was often easy to sneak into, especially with Remus as a friend, Sirius knew every candy ever made and in alphabetical order. But Dumbledore was gone, and his killer now occupied his chair. The killer that was now descending the spiraling staircase from behind the gargoyle with billowing black robes behind him.

"Snivellus," Sirius growled, now in human form with a wand pointed directly at Snape's throat.

"Black," Snape scowled. "I'd heard rumor of your unfortunate return from the grave. Not as though you were actually buried of course. Tell me, were you even dead, or was it another poorly planned escape of yours?"

"Get up the stairs," Sirius growled menacingly.

"I advise you to get your wand out of my throat, dog," Snape sneered. "I stopped taking your threats seriously years ago."

"You really shouldn't have. Get up the stairs now, Snape. I happen to have need of your Floo."

"And why would I possibly grant access to you?" Snape's black eyes met Sirius' steely grey orbs and neither man appeared willing or able to back down.

"Because you're only hope of surviving another encounter with me, hangs on the fact that a certain young blond Death Eater has vouched for you, and I need that fucking Floo to speak to him," Sirius waited for a reply, a cold stare in his gaze.

If Snape was surprised by the revelation, he didn't let Sirius know it.

"And how do I know that young Malfoy is in fact with you?" Snape narrowed his eyes.

"Because unlike you Death Eaters," Sirius growled. "I don't kill children."

"Speaking of children, I can only assume by your lack of emotional breakdown, Potter still lives?" Snape asked, moving only slightly as he turned to the staircase. "Dumbledore," Snape spoke and the gargoyle slid aside revealing once again the large spiral staircase.

"'Dumbledore' is your password?" Sirius scowled. "You're sick."

"And you are as dense as you ever were Black," Snape commented as he moved up the staircase. "If in fact Mr. Malfoy has informed you of my allegiances, then you should know the Headmasters death was in fact..."

"I don't want to hear it," Sirius snapped. "Just get me to the bloody Floo!"

"Very well," Snape glowered as they entered his office.

"Ah, see?" A voice called from the wall around the desk. "I knew my worthless great-great grandson wasn't really dead. Hiding out was he, Severus?" The portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black spoke, staring daggers down at Sirius.

"He has not admitted such... " Snape muttered. "Yet."

"The Floo, Snivellus!" Sirius snapped.

"Very well, it's open for your use. Though it only connects to one place and I can't imagine you'll be appreciated company," Snape folded his arms across his chest, burying them within the sleeves of his robes.

"I know where it bloody goes!" Sirius glared at him. "And you're coming with me."

"Absolutely not," Snape said with no hint of emotion.

"He's coming to Hogwarts," Sirius said, his voice low and threatening. "Now."

If Snape left any hint of emotion, it was minuscule, but he did silently move toward the Floo as if the words Sirius spoke lit some sort of fire inside of him forcing him to act quickly. "Do I want to know who's on the other end of this?" Snape asked.

"Not enemies," Sirius explained.

"How very vague, thank you," Snape rolled his eyes and threw powder into the fireplace and spoke aloud. "Malfoy Manor."

"After you," Sirius gestured and watched as Snape entered the flames, following him moments afterwards.

oOoOoOo

**Malfoy Manor - Malfoy Family Residence**

Sirius and Snape entered the sitting room of Malfoy Manor with wide eyes. The room was lit well with beautiful lanterns and as per Narcissa's style, every piece of furniture matched, antiqued but in wondrous condition. The floors were well polished and beautiful art hung on the walls, centering around a large chandelier in the middle of the room. It was the very opposite of what the drawing room had felt like a month earlier.

It wasn't the lovely furniture, or the beautiful art, nor the polished floors that drew the attention of the two older wizards. No, their eyes were each drawn to the center of the room where two young Gryffindors had their wands aimed at Draco Malfoy, who in turn had his wand aimed at Ron. Hermione stood to the side, screaming at the lot of them, an impatient and frustrated expression on her face to rival the likes of Molly Weasley.

"Oh good, our world is saved," Snape glowered.

"What the hell's going on here!?" Sirius yelled.

"Sirius!" Hermione turned and looked at him with relief in her eyes as she rushed into his arms, wrapping hers tightly around his waist. "I thought . . . Merlin when you didn't show up... "

"I'm fine, kitten," Sirius assured her. "What'd Malfoy do?" He asked.

Snape observed their interaction with a slightly raised brow that instantly turned into a sneer with a twitch in his jaw. Neither Sirius nor Hermione paid him any attention as Hermione attempted to explain.

"I don't know. Harry and I arrived and Ron and Malfoy were screaming at one another. They drew wands, Harry jumped in, and other than insults I haven't been able to get a word out of any of them!" She said with exasperation.

"Oi!" Sirius shouted and the three young wizards looked at him.

"Sirius!" Harry shouted with a smile.

"What'd he do?" Sirius asked Ron.

"He bloody splinched me!" Ron yelled, his wand hand shaking with anger.

"Barely," Malfoy scoffed rolling his eyes. "Has he ever even done side-along Apparition? Honestly Granger, I thought you'd have them better trained by now."

"Look!" Ron held up his left hand where two fingernails were missing. Both Sirius and Hermione stared at him incredulously. Before Sirius had a chance to scold the boy for a pair of lost fingernails in the middle of a war, Hermione went into a frenzy, rushing forward and smacking him hard in the head, snatching his wand from his grip in the process.

"Are you kidding me!?" She screamed. "That's barely a splinch! _Sirius_ was splinched, _I_ was splinched! Get over yourself and get into that Floo right this minute Ronald Bilius Weasley!" She pointed to the fireplace where she spotted Snape and as though she'd not seen him there before, her eyes widened and she reached for her own wand.

"You!" Harry shouted, pointing his wand at Snape.

"Not now," Sirius insisted, dryly adding. "Bigger fish to fry, bigger wizards to fight," he reached out and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "But believe me, Death Eater or Order Member," his eyes turned on Snape. "You and I will have words," he threatened.

"I look forward to it," Snape rolled his eyes and reached for the Floo powder on top of the mantle.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Big announcement! **glittergrrrl05** has started reading this story. **Fluffpanda** and I have officially been validated! Everything is awesome. Like Cheering Charm level of awesome! Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween yesterday! My Beta and I spent the holiday writing and editing future chapters and I have to say, we're getting into the nitty gritty good stuff. Lemony scenes will eventually pop up in this series, but there's a lot of character and relationship building to get through first. Thanks again for all of your wonderful comments. You people are amazing!

PS: **glittergrrrl05** has threatened that if she doesn't write the next chapter of Bespoke Witch, she's blaming it on the fact that she'll be busy reading The Debt of Time. I'm sure I speak for both **Fluffpanda** and I when we say that we would rather read her story than write this one! LOL!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Eleven: Closer Than Ever

_"...I'm going under  
__Drowning in you  
__I'm falling forever  
__I've got to break through  
__I'm going under..."  
__(Going Under - Evanescence)_

* * *

**May 1st, 1998**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Headmaster's Office**

"The Dark Lord is coming?" Snape asked once everyone arrived within his office and he'd thrown a carefully placed silencing charm up, somehow cutting off all of the portraits in the room, most of whom glared at him for purposely doing so, but no more than Phineas Nigellus Black who took turns glowering at Snape and Sirius.

Harry stared at Snape for a long moment, narrowed eyes and hands shaking with rage, only Sirius' hand on the boy's shoulder kept him from attacking. "Yes," Harry finally admitted. "Not like you didn't know!"

"Harry, not now," Hermione insisted.

"Does he have the snake with him?" Snape's eyes flew to Draco who seemed to pale at the mention of the beast. Draco gave a quick nod and turned to close the Floo behind him, making sure that they wouldn't be followed.

"Closer than ever," Draco explained. "Happened after he found Bellatrix dead. Won't let the thing out of his sight."

Snape's black eyes narrowed and he turned around to face a large Pensieve on his desk. Looking more perturbed than ever before, Snape moved quickly to a large cabinet, opening it to reveal cupboards of vials, mostly potions, but some were easily recognisable as memories. Retrieving an empty bottle, Snape unstoppered it and brought his wand to his head.

"What's he doing?" Ron asked loudly.

"Trying to concentrate Mr. Weasley, and your silence would be indispensable if it can be managed," Snape narrowed his eyes at the redhead before closing them, concentrating hard and letting his wand pull silvery strings from the side of his head, eventually twirling them around and pushing them into the large vile in his hands. Securing it with the top, Snape reached forward, holding the vial out to Harry. "Take it," Snape insisted.

"What is this?" Harry asked.

"These are memories. This," he gestured to the large rune covered stone basin on the desk. "Is a Pensieve. If I remember correctly from your abysmal attempt at Occlumency, you're acquainted with their use," he said, glaring at Harry.

"I know what they are, what're they for?!" Harry snapped.

"Answers on the occasion of my unfortunate demise," Snape answered and both Ron and Sirius snorted at the use of the word 'unfortunate'. "A death which is certain to be unavoidable as you've apparently brought the Dark Lord to the doorstep of this institution! Now, if the rest of you plan on surviving the night, I advise the Gryffindors to head toward the seventh floor corridor."

"I knew it!" Draco scowled. "I knew that's where they've all been hiding. Couldn't get in myself when I tried though."

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Students have been going missing all year," Draco scowled. "They're in the Room of Hidden Things. Must have left someone in there at all times to keep Slytherins out. Smart," Draco admitted. "Must have been a Ravenclaw," he added and all Gryffindors in the room - past and present - glared at him.

"Speaking of Ravenclaws," Snape chimed in. "Potter, you'll want to head toward the west Tower on the fifth floor."

"And why would I go where you tell me to?" Harry stared icily at his former Professor.

"Because Death Eaters in the school were alerted by the Dark Lord that you would return to Hogwarts, and you were to be kept from Ravenclaw Tower. I assume you're looking for something?" Snape asked, eyeing Harry but taking note that both Ron and Hermione turned to avoid his gaze. Gryffindors were always terrible liars. "I'd wager that whatever you're looking for will be found there." Snape turned to Draco. "As for you, return to the Slytherin Common room and keep them occupied if you're able."

"Easy," Malfoy nodded as he made his way for the door, quickly disappearing down the spiral staircase.

"And you?" Sirius finally asked.

"I'll be making my grand escape, coward that I am," Snape said sarcastically. "I've been found out after all," he rolled his eyes. "I still have orders to follow through with. You remember those, Black?" Snape glared. "Orders? It's been a few years, I'll give you that. If you recall, you had orders to remain within the confines of Grimmauld Place, not go gallivanting within the Ministry and get yourself killed."

"Don't," a small cold voice said as a vine wood wand was raised and pointed in Snape's direction. Hermione's brown eyes flashed in the flickering light as she glared daggers at her former Professor.

"Just as I thought," Snape almost grinned. "Touchy subject Miss Granger?" He asked. "Or is it Miss Po-" Snape slowly began, his eyes drifting to Sirius who cut him off with a glare.

"We are leaving now!" Sirius interrupted, his dark eyes glinted and narrowed dangerously. Snape seemed to stare at Sirius for a long moment and behind the Animagus, Ron and Harry gathered together, watching closely, wands tightly gripped in hand. Sirius broke eye contact first, turning and herding Harry, Ron and Hermione out the door. Once the trio began to walk down the stairs, Sirius turned on Snape viciously.

"What're you playing at?" Sirius snarled.

"I've had a feeling for several years but thought it was impossible. I almost didn't place her," Snape drawled. "But the way the girl dotes upon you and comes to your defense, raising a wand in threat even," he sneered at Sirius. "For Potter perhaps, but you? I imagine if the wolf was here she'd be raising her fists," Snape scoffed.

"Aren't you supposed to be making your grand escape," Sirius growled dangerously and stormed out of the room, flicking his wand as the door slammed behind him violently.

"What was that about?" Harry asked immediately as Sirius rejoined them.

"Nothing, Snape's an arse," Sirius replied as he moved forward, headed toward the grand staircase.

"He seemed to know something about Hermione-" Harry began again but Sirius stopped him in his words.

"Harry, I'm sorry but now is not the time to be questioning the words of Severus Snape. We've got jobs to do, right son?" Sirius turned back and took Harry's face in his hands. "Now, Ravenclaw Tower?" He asked.

"I don't even know what I'm looking for." Harry shook his head. "I know it'll be something small like the rest, and it'll probably have belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. I say let's go to the Room of Requirement and maybe see if there's a Ravenclaw that could help."

"Might be the diadem," Sirius suggested carelessly as they walked.

"What's a diadem?" Ron asked.

"It's like a tiara," Hermione explained. "But wait, how do you know about the diadem?" She asked Sirius. "I only heard about it because Luna's a Ravenclaw and she was mumbling about it on the train one year."

"We all went looking for the thing fourth year," Sirius explained with a shrug of the shoulders. "James, Remus, Wormtail and... " he stopped and then changed his train of thought. "And I."

"Did you four ever study?" Hermione glared and Sirius laughed in reply.

"If we make it through this, I'll tell you all about how I got nine O.W.L.s," he winked at her.

"Nine!?" Hermione screeched with wide eyes. "That's impossible! I got eleven and I nearly killed myself doing it!" She stormed after him, her curls - which had recently loosened up into soft ringlets falling loosely down her back - frizzed up, sparking at the ends with agitation as she followed Sirius, Ron and Harry laughing behind her.

Once they'd reached the seventh floor, Harry rushed to the entrance of the Room of Requirement and the other three remained behind, watching silently as Harry paced back and forth in front of the empty wall across the way from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. As though the room had been waiting for Harry's arrival, a door appeared on the wall in front of him.

Slowly, he reached for the handle and opened it, stepping inside the room with wide, shocked eyes, the other three following him in.

oOoOoOo

**Room of Requirement**

The room was enormous, and looked rather like the interior of a particularly sumptuous tree house, or perhaps a gigantic ship's cabin. Multicolored hammocks were strung from the ceiling and from the balcony that ran around the dark wood-paneled and windowless walls, which were covered in bright tapestry hangings. They saw the gold Gryffindor lion, emblazoned on scarlet; the black badger of Hufflepuff, set against yellow; and the bronze eagle of Ravenclaw, on blue. The silver and green of Slytherin alone were absent. There were bulging bookcases, a few broomsticks propped against the walls, and in the corner, a large wood-cased wireless.

"Harry?" A voice called from below the steps that lead into the room. They all looked down to see Neville Longbottom looking up at them with shock and elation, one eye swollen yellow and purple, and gouge marks were visible on his face. "Harry!" He shouted and rushed up, taking the Boy-Who-Lived into a tight embrace.

At Neville's screams, more followed.

"HARRY!"

"It's Potter, it's POTTER!"

"Ron!"

"Hermione!"

"Is that...Sirius Black?"

"I thought he was dead."

"Neville, what is this place?" Harry asked, eyes wide as he took in the giant room.

"Room of Requirement, of course!" said Neville. "Surpassed itself, hasn't it? The Carrows were chasing me, and I knew I had just one chance for a hideout: I managed to get through the door and this is what I found! Well, it wasn't exactly like this when I arrived, it was a load smaller, there was only one hammock and just Gryffindor hangings. But it's expanded as more and more of the D.A. have arrived."

"And the Carrows can't get in?" asked Harry, looking around for the door.

"Only need to worry about one anyways," Sirius commented lightly.

"What's that?" Harry turned and looked at his godfather.

"What? The Carrows? Yeah I spotted old Alecto on my way in," Sirius smirked. "She's allergic to dogs," Sirius said with a devious grin.

"Do I even want to know?" Hermione frowned at him.

"She pulled a wand on me," Sirius defended his actions. "It was all in defense, love, I promise. I didn't even have a wand in my hand."

"Did you have hands?" Hermione narrowed his eyes.

"Trust me, Hermione, if you knew the Alecto Carrow that I knew growing up, you wouldn't give her memory a passing thought," Sirius growled low, "or her brother either. In fact I'm looking forward to a little reunion with Amycus."

"Can you just... I don't know, try to avoid trouble?" She pleaded with him, a stern look on her face. "Is it even possible?"

"You act like I purposely walk into fights," Sirius said accusingly, a harsh tone in his voice. "If you haven't noticed, I've been pretty adept at not dying this year, and the only fights I get into are when I'm being attacked."

"You could be a little less enthusiastic about it," Hermione folded her arms across her chest.

"I have very few outlets for my energy," Sirius said, his jaw tight. "At least this way I'm bloody helpful."

"Are they always like this?" Neville whispered to Harry who merely rolled his eyes, nodded and walked away from his feuding godfather and best friend. Hermione heard the comment and glowered at Harry, watching as he moved into the crowd to be welcomed by old friends and acquaintances.

"I need to speak to any Ravenclaws," Harry insisted and was immediately shocked to see Luna's brilliant blond hair stand out amongst the crowd. He'd only seen her a day earlier at Shell Cottage, and had no idea that she'd planned on returning to Hogwarts, let alone had made the journey. "Luna, is there anything in Ravenclaw Tower that might have belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw? Might be small, have an eagle on it?" He asked.

"Well, there's her lost diadem," Luna smiled.

"Told you," Sirius chuckled.

"Told who what?" A voice called from behind Sirius and as they all turned to look, Ginny was now climbing through the hole in the wall, closely followed by Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. Ginny gave Harry a radiant smile and Sirius grinned at the blush that fell over his godson's face.

"I knew there was something still there," Sirius commented to Hermione.

"Of course, he only ended things with her to keep her safe," Hermione smiled as Ginny approached Harry and pulled him into a tight hug.

"He's like James that way," Sirius frowned. "Always tried to keep Lily safe."

"He's like you that way," Hermione smiled up at him. "You keep us safe. You've kept me safe."

"I allowed you to be tortured," Sirius scowled, his voice low and sombre.

"She's gone," Hermione smiled. "I can't have that day...or moment back, but she's not out there looking to finish the job," she took in a slow deep breath as if she were trying to remind herself of the facts that she was so eager to use to calm Sirius down. "And I owe that to you."

"Thought you said you don't like me fighting," Sirius scoffed a little, hoping to break the tension of the sober moment.

"I don't like you in harm's way," Hermione shrugged. "That's a big difference. It's a fine line," she admitted quietly and looked up to see Sirius grinning at her. "A very fine line," she added, narrowing her eyes at him. "Reckless and brave are very different things, Sirius."

"Good thing I'm a Gryffindor then huh?" He smirked. "We're very well known for our bravery."

"Weren't you almost put in Slytherin?" She teased and laughed when he glared at her in reply.

"I'm going to Ravenclaw Tower," Harry announced as he approached Hermione and Sirius, a look of determination on his face. "Luna's going with me so I can get inside. It's a shot in the dark, but I think the diadem is something he'd use, you know?" He said looking at Hermione who only nodded.

"We're coming with you," she insisted.

"No, stay here. Fred said he contacted the Order to let them know what was happening. They should show up and when that happens I need you here to fill in the blanks. He's on his way and we need to act fast. While I'm gone..." Harry whispered. "Deal with the cup."

"Okay," Hermione nodded and pulled Harry into a tight hug, "please stay safe."

"We'll see you soon, love," Sirius nodded to her and moved for the door only to be stopped by Harry's hand on his forearm.

"No, Sirius, you stay here," Harry said firmly.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight," Sirius almost growled.

"Yes you are," Harry insisted. "I need you to stay with them, especially Hermione," he leaned in and sighed. "When Ron destroyed the locket, it... it fought back in a way that almost overpowered him. Got inside his head and showed him ugly lies, preying on his insecurities and weaknesses. When I destroyed the diary it nearly killed me. I need someone here with her," Harry's eyes looked back to Hermione who seemed to be digging in her beaded bag, more than likely looking for the sword and the cup. "Sirius, I trust you to take care of her."

"Fine," Sirius said, a bit begrudgingly. "But you get right back here," he said in what little fatherly voice he thought he could summon. He thought he could imitate what he imagined James would sound like in this situation, but it failed miserably. He should have imitated Lily. That girl's temper would have stopped a rampaging Blast-Ended Skrewt.

"I promise," Harry smiled and then disappeared through the door right after Luna.

"Ron!" Hermione called out and approached the redhead. "Sirius and I are going to go take care of the cup," she said quickly, knowing that time was not on their side at the moment and only Harry could possibly know when exactly Voldemort was getting close to the school.

"I'm coming with you," Ron insisted.

"No, someone needs to be here when the Order shows up. You need to get them all up to date," Hermione stood firm on the issue. "We all have jobs now, yours is to help Neville rally the troops I suppose," she looked back at the gathered students and let out a nervous sigh. "Maybe figure out how to get some of them out of here," her eyes glanced over the young Creevey brothers. "They shouldn't be fighting a war."

"None of us should be fighting a war, Mione," Ron frowned.

"No, I suppose not," she lowered her gaze to the cup in her hand which brought her attention back to her duty. "Alright, let's get going. Stay safe, Ron," she smiled and hugged him tightly before turning on her heels and rushing toward Sirius as he opened the door for her, casting a glance back at Ron who was joined by Neville, giving the boys a nod of the head hoping that his silent support would be properly conveyed.

"Where to, kitten?" Sirius asked as they moved down the corridor, Hermione clenched the cup tightly, passing the Sword of Gryffindor over to Sirius as it was too heavy for her to carry and still move as swiftly as she needed to.

"I'm . . . I'm not sure," she blinked. "I don't know where in the castle would be safe. Under normal circumstances I would have suggested the Room of Requirement," she began to wear her bottom lip between her teeth anxiously. "Why didn't I think to ask Harry for the map?"

"You are forgetting one very important resource you have at your disposal Miss Granger," Sirius grinned. "The person who made the map in the first place," he puffed out his chest. "There isn't a passage in this castle that I don't know about. Speaking of which, there's a perfectly secluded one on the fourth floor behind a mirror."

"Nope," Hermione shook her head. "Caved in years ago," she explained. "You're forgetting that Harry, Ron and I used the map to navigate all those secret passages you're so proud of," she said with a bit more snark in her voice than she was used to letting out. The tone made Sirius chuckle deep in his throat.

"I know it's caved in, but I haven't seen it in years. Is it completely caved in, or just blocked on the other end?" Sirius asked her.

"It's . . . it's just blocked," she paused and then let out a frustrated sigh, upset that he'd arrived to the conclusion before she had. "Which essentially makes it a private, secluded room with only one entrance," her eyes widening at she realized the implication . "You're brilliant."

"Glad you're starting to see things my way, kitten," Sirius beamed and followed her as they made their way down the shifting staircases to the fourth floor where Sirius turned and led the way down a long hallway coming up to a dead end where a large mirror hung against the wall. He reached forward, pushing the mirror aside and muttering, "_Aparecium_." Just as he spoke, a doorway opened behind the mirror and Hermione smiled as they both entered.

"_Lumos_," Sirius whispered, dimly lighting the end of his wand and looking around. Hermione was right, the back end of the passageway had caved in, completely blocking any chance of a secondary exit and Sirius couldn't help but remember the last time he'd used this passage. As the door shut tight behind them, the room fell into utter darkness save for the soft glow from Sirius' wand.

"This will make things easier," Hermione said, reaching into her beaded bag and retrieving a glass jar. Waving her wand over the container, casting a non-verbal spell, blue-bell fire erupted from her wand and she immediately caught them in the jar as though the flickering flames were nothing more than harmless fireflies. Hermione smiled, sealed the jar and set it down on the floor, allowing the fire to light up the passageway.

She set the Horcrux on the ground in front of her and reached an empty hand out to Sirius, silently requesting the sword. Sirius hesitated for a moment, remembering Harry's words to him. The Horcruxes fight back. His heart thudded against his chest in anticipation of whatever fight was due to come out of the little goblet, but he relented and handed the sword to Hermione.

"Be careful, love," Sirius whispered gently as he nervously watched her approach the cup.

The witch slowly approached, taking small deliberate steps toward it. The sword was heavy in her hands, but she found she still had the capability to lift it with ease. She was a Gryffindor afterall, and the sword was meant to be held only by the hands of true Gryffindors. A part of her wondered if it would be difficult to hold by anyone of another house. She made a mental note to research it later. If, of course, she survived. Another step closer to the cup and the Horcrux began to shake as though anticipating the oncoming attack. As she took another step forward, a cold high voice spoke out. Though he'd been vague in the descriptions of what happened with Ron and the locket, Harry had explained to her that the Horcruxes were almost sentient, and they could talk and prey upon you at will - even attack physically if strong enough. Hermione was prepared for the attack.

But Sirius wasn't.

_"Sirius Black..."_ the voice spoke, stopping both Hermione and Sirius in their steps. His grey eyes widening. _"I can see your fears..." _It whispered, and Sirius' eyes quickly fell on Hermione's form, silently willing her forward to stab the bloody thing before it got a little too chatty. _"I can see your heart. The past is your weakness."_

"No shit," Sirius growled.

_"And so is the girl..."_ The voice cackled.

"Kill that fucking thing, Hermione!" Sirius shouted.

"It's doing something," Hermione said, staring down at the cup that appeared to be filling with liquid from the bottom upwards, eventually overflowing onto the ground. "Please be water," she mumbled, terrified that the cup was spewing out blood or something equally disgusting and horrible. As it was, Hermione was right, the cup was overflowing with water. Overflowing at a rapid pace. Before either of them knew it, they stood in half a foot of water, the cup officially buried beneath the surface. Hermione moved to step forward toward the Horcrux, but the closer she brought the sword, the faster the water rose, making it harder to move. Soon she found herself standing waist deep in the rapidly filling room.

"Sirius I can't reach it!" Hermione squealed.

Behind her, Sirius had his wand in hand, aiming spell after spell trying to break the growing liquid that was speedily rising up the walls around them. Nothing was working. "Shit!" He shouted and reached for Hermione, but as soon as his fingers touched her skin, the water around them began sloshing about in a circular motion like a whirl pool. Hermione screamed and slipped on the ground beneath her, the strength of the waves dragging her away from Sirius who clung to the side of the wall with an unnatural strength. "Hermione!" He shouted, reaching for her.

"No, no, no," Sirius muttered and held on in horror as he lost sight of her. The jar of blue-bell flames floated beneath the surface, light bobbing through the water and against the walls as it whirled around in the depths of the waves. "Hermione!" He called out, but there was no answer. When the jar of fire moved closer to him, Sirius reached for it and held it above his head, desperately searching for her and finding her no where. His eyes turned downwards as the water pushed up to his neck, his gaze firm and focused as he spotted a large shadow somewhere in the depths below, and the glimmer of something shiny and gold. He growled and took a deep breath as the water rose up and over his head, sealing them in as it touched the roof above.

He dove into the dark water, lighting his way with the jar, grey eyes searching constantly for Hermione. Sirius swam further down, fighting against the current that tried to carry him into it's reach. His eye caught another glimmer, but instead of the determination he'd felt when he spotted the cup at the bottom of this watery grave, the sight of the Sword of Gryffindor made his heart sink. He'd last seen it in Hermione's grip. Panic flooded him and he instinctively reached for the hilt, gripping it tight. A large part of him wanted to find Hermione, save her, but the very small logical part of his brain fought back with a vengeance, reminding him that the Horcrux was to blame, and even if he found Hermione, he couldn't hope to save her while still being drowned by a bloody goblet.

Sirius swam, moving swiftly despite the fight the Horcrux was putting up, as well as the weight of the sword in his hands. He caught sight of the cup and even though the water pushed in against his chest, forcing what little oxygen was left in his lungs, he brought the tip of the blade upwards, and thrust it down, stabbing it through the center of the dark object. The cup began to shake as black liquid seeped out,swirling into the water around it and Sirius flinched backwards to avoid letting the dark liquid touch him. He struggled against the water around him, gripping his throat and kicking as he tried to surface, catching only a brief glimmer of hope in the form of the broken rubble at the passages exit, cracks in the cave in, allowing the water to swiftly escape.

When his head broke the surface, he let out a loud gasp, taking in air as deep and quickly as possible, coughing up water that had forced it's way down his throat during the struggle. Catching his balance as his feet hit the ground, the water draining enough to allow him to touch the floor, his eyes scanned the room searching for Hermione. The jar that enclosed the flames clinked against the hard floor, the jar spun across the ground as the water all but evaporated from the room and Sirius saw the silhouette of the small witch, crumpled in the corner of the room and he rushed to her, screaming out a loud and mournful shout, her name on the edge of his cry as he reached her body.

"Hermione!" Sirius shouted, pulling her into his arms and tilting her head back to look at her. Face pale and lifeless, Hermione's eyes were closed and her skin was cold. "Hermione!" He shouted again, reaching for his wand. "_Reenervate_!" He shouted, but nothing happened. "_Reenervate_, dammit!" Sirius screamed, but again, she remained unconscious.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **The character of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Apologies for the cliffhanger in the last chapter (not really). This was one of my favorite chapters to write because it's just filled with emotional highs on so many levels. Plus there's some good snark from the boys. A constant thanks to my awesome Beta, **Fluffpanda**. To answer some comments: **ordinary vamp**, Remus will eventually play into the story, especially when we get to Part Two. Sirius and Remus are my heart and soul and will receive adequate attention in the future. **glittergrrrl05**, _I'm_ evil? Takes one to know one Miss 'I'm going to mention the House Bed knowing that it's several chapters away just to tease my poor readers'. LOL!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Twelve: How Firewhisky Felt

_"...Now that I know what I'm without  
__You can't just leave me  
__Breathe into me and make me real  
__Bring me to life..."  
__(Bring Me to Life - Evanescence)_

* * *

**May 1st, 1998**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Fourth Floor Secret Passage**

"Hermione, please wake up," he cried, cradling her to his chest desperately, for the first time in decades, tears formed in his eyes and fell swiftly down his cheeks, pushing along the trails left behind by the water that had tried to kill him only moments ago. "Mia," he whispered. "Please, wake up." His lips gently brushed against her forehead and he clenched his eyes shut so tight that he saw stars behind his eyelids. He'd seen stars like that before. Long ago, in circumstances much more joyous than this. His heart threatened to break inside his chest as he willed his own warmth to go into her body, to bring her back to him. As though he could will his own breath to...

"Lily!" He gasped as a memory came to the surface of his mind. "I knew I should have paid more attention," he cursed, his eyes glinted with determination and he swiftly moved Hermione's body away from him, gently laying her body against the cold stone floor, his eyes flickering over her with focus and determination as he tried to remember something he'd only seen done once, so many years ago. "Bloody hell," he groaned. "How did Mia do this again?" He muttered as he reached forward, lifting her chin with his fingers and tilting her head backwards.

He pinched her small nose with his large calloused fingers and adjusted her chin to part her lips for him. Leaning close, Sirius inhaled, hands shaking as he lowered his lips over hers. Had it been any other moment in his life, had he not been trying to save her, had she not been so cold beneath his touch, Sirius would have relished the touch of her lips against his. He would have groaned into her, devoured the feel of her mouth and drank in the sweetness of her breath with hunger and longing. But she had no breath.

So he gave her his.

Breath after breath he pushed the air into her, stopping only to press his hands between her breasts, forcefully compressing down multiple times, only to repeat the process over and over, silently praying to Merlin and Circe and Morgana and Godric and hell, even Salazar Slytherin if it brought the girl back to him.

Just as the light from the jar containing the blue-bell flames officially died out, submerging Sirius and Hermione into utter darkness, he felt her body tremble beneath his hands and suddenly she thrust upward, coughing and choking up the water that had tried to pull her from this world. Hermione gasped loudly and cried out and Sirius pulled her against him, quietly sobbing into her mess of thick wet curls.

"Sirius?" Hermione said, her voice breaking through the whisper as her hands clung to his wet shirt.

"It's gone," he assured her. "Merlin, don't ever die on me again," he muttered, kissing her forehead again and again, not even caring that he couldn't see a thing, or that somewhere in the castle he heard loud banging noises above them. She was alive. Despite the fact that his heart was still racing in his chest, she was alive.

He could hear her whimper against him and she turned her body, throwing her arms around his neck and shoulders, stifling her cries into the crook of his neck, and he brought his fingers up against her spine, leaving behind soothing trails with his tender strokes. She let out a loud sob against him and the sound seemed to break him anew. His arms held her tight, reminding his soul that she was in fact still alive, but as though his spirit refused to believe it, he was forced to check again. Reaching for her face, Sirius cupped her cheeks in his hands and pulled her away from the crook of his shoulder. Though he couldn't see her, he could feel her breath gently gliding across the skin of his jaw.

"You're alive," Sirius said the words as though they were a prayer and he could feel Hermione nodding her head.

"I'm alive," she muttered, and the sweet words riding against her voice collapsed what little resolve he had left. Remus insisted that she would survive this. It made sense, but Sirius had almost lost her, and now, more than ever, he saw the finality of war and death and he couldn't let one more moment escaped without properly worshiping her.

Without a second thought to remind him of the very damning consequences, Sirius pressed his lips against hers, delighting in the warmth that was in them once again. He'd waited for her to push away from him. He expected her to slap him hard across the face. But when a sweet tasting sigh crawled up her throat and vibrated against his lips, Sirius was surprised but elated and he captured the noise eagerly, swallowing it as his lips moved languorously over hers. He had little restraint and the ache in his body demanded that he taste her.

Sirius feathered the tips of his fingers against her arms, trailing down until they grazed against her rib-cage and she gasped in response. Her lips parted and he took immediate advantage of the subconscious invitation by sliding his tongue into the wet warmth of her mouth and growled in appreciation when she'd pushed her own tongue forward to gently touch his. He groaned deep in his throat as an old familiar thought came to the forefront of his mind:

_She tasted how Firewhisky felt._

He'd thought he'd forgotten, worried he'd imagined it all. But this was real and she was alive and in his arms, giving him as much as she was taking and he sank into the feel of her. He dug his free hand into the tangle of messy, chestnut curls at the nape of her neck, holding her tightly against him as the hungry beast within his chest growled for more.

She made sweet little mewling sounds against his lips and he drank in every last one of them, promising to coax more out of her as though it was the sole purpose for his entire creation. Her soft whimpers and moans fueled a fire within him that he hadn't felt in almost nineteen years, and suddenly felt as though she had never left him. No death, no war, no Peter or Voldemort. No betrayal, no loss, no bloody Azkaban and certainly no Veil. Just her, just this moment in the darkness, nibbling at her lower lip fervently and licking at the mark immediately afterwards.

She whispered his name and Sirius moved his hands to her hips, pulling her into his lap and against his hard body. He felt the pressure of her hands on his chest, expecting to be pushed away but was startled when she began to explore him. He keened at the touch, slanting his mouth over hers and stroking his tongue inside of her in a desperate attempt to silently communicate all the thoughts in his head and his heart. He wanted her to know everything, to know the truth, and he worried that he'd be dead before the right moment came for her to learn it all.

Her small hands ran up the length of his neck, burying her fingers in his long black locks and she groaned against him, tightening the grip she had on his hair. The darkness made it easier. Gave her a confidence she didn't know she had. She wanted to vocalize everything she was feeling but didn't have the ability to properly form coherent thoughts let alone voice them aloud. She wanted to tell him that this kiss was _everything _to her. Upon opening her eyes, she'd felt the lingering tingle on her lips that told her how he'd saved her life, and a part of the sob she had cried into his shoulder was the fact that the tingles were fading and she didn't even remember what he'd felt like. She wanted to tell him that she felt those tingles now. They spread like Fiendfyre against the skin of her neck, flooding down her chest and burying themselves into a pool in her belly. She wanted to tell him that he tasted like Sugar Quills and how when she was deep in study mode, she sucked on the candy eagerly, a thought that put erotic and inappropriate fantasies in her mind, causing her to push further against him, trying to melt into the feel of his hands pressing against her thighs.

She wanted to tell him many things, but hide other secrets deep down. She wanted to hide her anxiety and worries. She wanted to hide the fact that she was terrified that it was the unspoken magical bond she'd created with blood magic that was driving him to touch her, tease her, plunder her mouth with such vigorous movements. She wanted to hide her inexperience and the fact that though she'd dreamt of a kiss like this for years, she'd never experienced one like it. Or one at all.

Viktor had been nothing but a gentleman when he'd escorted her to the Yule Ball fourth year, and despite Ginny's bitter ramblings, Viktor had left Hogwarts with a mere touch of his lips to Hermione's knuckles in farewell, nothing more. Cormac McLaggen had gotten close, going so far as to attempt to trap her beneath charmed mistletoe at Slughorn's Christmas party, but Hermione had escaped without ever touching his lips, though his hands had gravitated toward her arse more than she'd care to admit. Everyone had assumed that she and Ron would end up together, but seeing what happened last year with Lavender put him in a new light for the young witch, and whatever mild childhood feelings she'd created for the redhead, turned familial all too quickly.

Her previous fancies and suitors had all been boys, save for the embarrassing infatuation she'd once held for Gilderoy Lockhart, as well as a more secretive crush on another certain Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher her third year. But this... this _man _in her arms was just that. A man. He did not fumble with his movements, and did not touch her with hesitation. His affections were not clumsy or rushed, but precise without being predictable, surprising considering how reckless and impulsive he always was. His ministrations lit a fire in her belly and as his fingers grazed the side of her breast her head fell back and she let out a soft cry and a shiver descended her spine like cold water on the hottest day of summer.

Slowly pulling away, Sirius could hear her panting, gasping for air and a part of him felt guilty for depriving her of oxygen considering the lack of such had literally almost killed her minutes ago. Though their lips no longer connected, Sirius felt incapable of releasing her body from his arms, knowing that the moment he did, she would leave them forever. He'd kissed her. He'd just kissed _Hermione_, the eighteen year old best friend of his godson. And he hadn't just kissed the girl, he'd properly and thoroughly snogged her. Half of Sirius wished that the moment wouldn't end so he'd never have to face the consequences of his actions. The other half of him was desperate for a light so he could see the disheveled state he knew she was in. He wanted to witness for himself her wild curls, her flush cheeks, and her swollen lips.

But darkness and silence continued, broken only by the sound of their breathing.

"Hermione..." Sirius finally spoke, but his voice was immediately silenced by another. A high cold voice that permeated the walls around them. There was no telling from where it came. Like the monster it had once commanded, it might have lain dormant there for centuries.

_"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter,"_ said Voldemort's voice, _"and they shall not be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."_

The silence once again swallowed them and it seemed this time both were holding their breath. Hermione was first to break away, both vocally and physically as she climbed out of Sirius' lap. "We have to go," she insisted. "We have to help Harry."

Without another word about what had just transpired, Sirius nodded and stood, reaching for his wand he whispered, "_Lumos_," and looked down on the ground for the destroyed Horcrux. Handing the broken cup to Hermione who swiftly tucked the Horcrux into her beaded bag, Sirius reached for the sword and made his way to the closed door above them.

As the two made their way out of the corridor, a flurry of activity was happening both above and below them. Something was attacking the castle, and the damage to the wards around it was causing the very ground to shake beneath them. Students and faculty seemed to move as one below, and Hermione spotted Neville who was following Professor Sprout with a half dozen other students, carrying what looked - and sounded - like Mandrakes. _That's clever_, Hermione thought.

"Looks like we almost missed out on all the fun," Sirius gave a throaty chuckle as he reached eagerly for his wand.

Hermione blushed, the memory of their lengthy kiss in the dark passageway had been more than enough fun, and she would gladly trade fighting in a war for the sweet darkness and Sirius' lips.

"Room of Requirement," Hermione blurted out, trying to snap herself away from the recent memory in order to properly concentrate. "We have to see if the Order arrived," she spoke quickly and moved faster, darted up the staircase, making her way to the seventh floor. When she turned the corner her eyes widened at the sight of Harry and Malfoy sitting against the wall, breathing heavily, what looked like ash smudging their face. Harry's glasses were partially fogged over with remnants of heat from smoke, and Draco's normally white blonde hair was stained grey. The unconscious bodies of Crabbe and Goyle piled into a heap nearby, both boys had clearly been stunned and bound.

"What the hell happened to you two?" Sirius asked, grey eyes wide.

"Malfoy..." Harry breathed. "Saved me."

"_You _saved _Harry_?" Hermione gaped.

"Where do I collect my Order of Merlin?" Draco said, panting.

"Found it," Harry gestured, tossing a broken and blackened tiara at Hermione's feet. "How'd you lot do?" He asked, a chuckle in his throat let out, followed by several loud coughs, clearing smoke from his lungs.

"Destroyed," Hermione said, leaving it vague. "How'd you get rid of yours without the sword?" She asked Harry. "And why are the two of you covered in . . . soot?" She asked.

"I remembered seeing the diadem last year when you made me get rid of the Potions book," he said, a mild look of remaining bitterness in the tone of his voice. "I went in to get it and found myself face to face with Malfoy and those two," he gestured to Crabbe and Goyle.

"They tried to AK, Potter," Draco muttered, shaking his head in obvious disapproval. "Even if I wasn't on your side, that's a stupid move," he admitted. "Everyone knows the Dark Lord wants him for himself. I stunned them before they got him," Malfoy drawled.

"Not before one of them lit a Fiendfyre in the Room of Hidden things," Harry blurted out.

"Fiendfyre!?" Hermione shrieked. "How did you escape?!"

"Take it down an octave, Granger," Draco scowled. "You are looking at the two best Seekers this school has ever had the pleasure of witnessing. We flew," he gestured to the two singed brooms laying up against the opposite wall. Draco rolled his eyes but taking note of the glaring daggers that Sirius was sending toward the unconscious Slytherins he spoke up, "They're just like me," Draco insisted. "But they didn't get a way out in time," Malfoy frowned.

"They tried to kill my godson," Sirius growled.

"And they'll go to trial for that. You remember trials don't you, cousin?" Draco sneered. "If I was told correctly, you never got one. You wouldn't let me murder their fathers. You told me I wasn't a killer," Malfoy stood and came face to face with Sirius. "Don't be a hypocrite."

Hermione was surprised to see that the men matched in height. Just another reminder that their childhood was over; they were all grown adults now in the middle of a war. It was shocking to suddenly see the family resemblance as well. Draco's dirty hair helped to disguise the fact that he was often mistaken for the spitting image of his father, but in this light she could see the Black blood in him, especially considering his grey eyes matched Sirius' almost perfectly. As if the men realized the same thing, silently acknowledging the family trait in one another, they both took a step backwards, neither admitting defeat, but instead calling a truce.

"Get them out of sight," Sirius told Draco firmly.

Suddenly Hermione let out a loud gasp and all three wizards turned to face her with intense expressions and wands drawn. She covered her mouth and gave Harry and Sirius a guilty look, sorry for scaring them. "Sorry," she whispered. "I just realized. Harry, the snake is all that's left!"

Before they had a chance to respond to her, the ground shook and an explosion at the other end of the corridor could be heard followed by distinct shouts and the sound of spells ricocheting off of stone surfaces. The four ran toward the commotion to find three redheads amongst a large heap of rubble.

"Ron!" Harry shouted.

"M'alright," Ron groaned and pushed large stones off of his body. Fred and Percy stood protectively around him, each duelling a Death Eater across the way. "Bloody Death Eaters are blowing up the damn castle now!" Ron growled as Harry jumped over to help him to his feet. "What's new with you?" His blue eyes had a look of mirth in them as Fred and Percy laughed while shooting stunning charms and destructive curses toward their opponents.

"Oh you know, fought a few fires, destroyed a couple of Horcruxes, made some new friends," Harry laughed.

"We are _not _friends, Potter," Malfoy glared and Harry laughed harder.

"Enough," Hermione scowled at the scene. "Harry, it's time to end this. We need to find the snake," she maintained, reaching forward to grip his glasses in hand, running a quick Scourgify over the lenses before handing them back to him. "You need to find out where Voldemort is, because he'll have the snake with him, won't he? Do it, Harry... look inside him!"

Harry closed his eyes on her command and the rest of them watched carefully, Draco turning to help Fred, Ron and Percy fight off their attackers, Sirius watching from the other side to make sure they weren't attacked from behind. With a gasp, Harry pulled back and opened his eyes at the same moment his ears were assaulted with the screeches and cries, the smashes and bangs of battle.

"He's in the Shrieking Shack. The snake's with him, it's got some sort of magical protection around it. He's there with Snape," Harry blurted out.

"Voldemort's sitting in the shrieking Shack?" said Hermione, outraged. "He's not... he's not even FIGHTING?"

"He doesn't think he needs to fight," said Harry. "He thinks I'm going to go to him."

"But why?" Hermione gaped.

"He knows I'm after Horcruxes... he's keeping Nagini close beside him... obviously I'm going to have to go to him to get near the thing..." Sirius noticed that Harry was fumbling with the vial of memories that Snape had given him hours earlier.

"Right," said Ron, squaring his shoulders. "So you can't go, that's what he wants, what he's expecting. You stay here and look after Hermione, and I'll go and get it..." Harry cut across Ron.

"You two stay here, I'll go under the Cloak and I'll be back as soon as I..."

"What cloak?" Draco chimed in.

"He's got a an Invisibility Cloak," Ron answered.

"Of _course _he does," Draco rolled his eyes.

"No," said Hermione,, "it makes much more sense if I take the Cloak and..."

"Potter," Draco muttered.

"Over my dead body!" Sirius shouted at her.

"Don't even think about it," Ron snarled at her at the same time.

"Potter!" Draco raised his voice.

"I am just as capable as the rest of you!" Hermione snapped.

"POTTER!" Malfoy screamed and everyone turned to look at him. "Grab your damn fancy cloak and head to the Shack. Take Black with you," he gestured. "Weasel will stay here with the other Weasels to keep the Death Eaters at bay, while Granger and I cover you," he ordered.

"What gives you the right to hand out orders?" Ron glowered.

"The fact that no one else is fucking doing it!" Draco snarled and before the two men collided, Hermione stepped in between them, wand raised.

"Go, Harry," she insisted. "Put an end to all of this," she pleaded and then rushed forward, pulling her best friend into a hug, kissing his cheek. Harry smiled at her and turned to leave, but Sirius paused looking down at Hermione and she'd just realized that the two hadn't properly made eye contact since leaving the dark, caved-in passageway. Not that they'd done much with their eyes down there in the first place. She'd expected to feel awkward, to feel mortified and embarrassed. She expected to see pity in his grey eyes, but instead she saw sadness and worry.

"Go," she whispered and hugged Sirius close to her. "Come back safe, both of you," she softly demanded and Sirius smiled and kissed her forehead before turning on the heels of his dragonhide boots and following Harry.

"Come on Granger," Malfoy ordered, moving to go but before he could, Ron gripped tight to Draco's robes and glared at him.

"She's not going with you," Ron insisted, his eyes flashing.

"We don't have time for this!" Hermione shouted and turned away from them both to go after Harry and Sirius, if Ron let Draco follow her then so be it, but she was not sticking around to watch another pissing match between the two while her best friend and her... and her... and Sirius risked their lives.

Hermione ran down the next staircase and found herself thrown straight into various duels. The portraits on either side of the fighters were crammed with figures screaming advice and encouragement, while Death Eaters, both masked and unmasked, dueled students and teachers. Dean with his stolen Snatcher's wand faced off with Amycus Carrow, Parvati with Avery, Seamus with Jugson. It was at that point that Malfoy had caught up with her, though he appeared to have a new bruise crossing the sharp angles of his jaw. Hermione rose a brow and Draco glared at her and lifted up his right hand showing bloody knuckles. "The other guys looks worse, trust me," he said with a smug grin and she glared at him.

The two looked at the onslaught before then, scanning the crowd for Harry or Sirius, but could find neither of them. They stood braced, looking for the opportunity to act, but before they could there came a great "Wheeeeee!" and looking up, Hermione saw Peeves zooming over them, dropping Snargaluff pods down onto the Death Eaters, whose heads were suddenly engulfed in wriggling green tubers like fat worms. A fistful of tubers had hit something up ahead; the damp green roots were suspended improbably in midair.

"Someone's invisible there!" shouted a masked Death Eater, pointing at what Hermione knew to be Sirius and Harry beneath the cloak.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" Hermione called and the masked Death Eater rose into the air, his limbs flailing around as he shouted in a rage. Hermione gave a sigh of relief as she saw the large black dog exit from beneath the cloak, and make a run for the Whomping Willow, followed closely by the image of Harry's green soaked cloak flapping behind him.

"Really, Granger?" Draco eyed her incredulously. "A _first _year spell?"

Hermione kept Draco's stare with an emotionless look on her face. With the slightest flick of her wand, the floating Death Eater was flung into the castle with a loud crunch and fell to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"I'll deny it if you ever tell anyone, but... that was mildly impressive," he smirked. The moment was short-lived however, when a group of Death Eaters attacked them from behind. Hermione ducked behind a large stone pillar to avoid a stunning spell, and Draco's face changed immediately, looking ever the frightened boy he used to be, throwing up his arms in surrender.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm Draco, I'm on your side!" Draco pleaded with the masked Death Eaters.

"Malfoy?" They gaped at him. "Where the bloody hell you been, boy?!"

"_Everte Statum_!" Draco yelled, and suddenly all three Death Eaters flew backwards, landing on their backsides. "_Expelliarmus_!" Draco called multiple times until all three had lost their wands to him.

"Idiots," Draco grinned.

"You're dead you little blood-traitor!" One shouted.

"_Incarcerus_," Hermione said and watched as ropes flew out of her wand, binding the Death Eaters. "_Epoximise_," she added and watched as the ropes drew themselves downward, sticking to the stone floor beneath the new prisoners.

"Showing off, Granger?" Malfoy sneered.

"Not yet," Hermione chuckled and swished her wand. "_Avis_," she whispered and one by one a tiny flock of canaries burst from the tip of her wand.

"Still at war here," Draco muttered.

"_Oppugno_," she grinned, a hint of mischief in her eyes as the canaries took flight, descending down and viciously attacking the Death Eaters who began to scream and thrash against their bindings to no avail. Draco, against his better judgement looked amused by the sight and Hermione beamed in response.

"Careful there, Granger," Malfoy gave her his famous smirk. "People might think you're flirting with me, and something tells me that you're already spoken for," he winked at her and her face went flush. Draco turned on his heels and made his way back into the castle waving his wand and expelling Death Eaters through the glass windows of the Great Hall as he moved through it fluidly.

"What do you know?!" Hermione shouted as she caught up with him.

"I know that I'm not as stupid as everyone else," Draco laughed. "I know that Black called in a life debt with my mother back at the Manor, and when she hesitated, he threatened to use a very old, very powerful spell. Did you know, Granger, that life debts, when called in properly, can even bring back the dead?" He turned and grinned at her, a gleam in his eye as he watched her reaction, which was positively delightful.

"It's not dark magic!" She defended without reason.

"No, it's blood magic," Draco's grin spread across his face. "It's _binding _magic."

"Malfoy I swear if you say anything I'll..."

"Oh I'll keep your little secret, Hermione," he used her first name and laughed when she grimaced at the sound of it coming out of his mouth. "After all," he smirked deviously. "We're practically family now."

Before she could say another word, silence fell upon the castle. Everyone stopped in their tracks, and the Death Eaters made a hasty retreat as if they'd been silently commanded to do so. Before anyone could give voice to ask what had happened, the walls echoed once again in the high, cold voice that she knew to be Voldemort. Her brown eyes turned to Malfoy, hoping for an explanation, but the blond wizard who seemed fearless in the face of multiple Death Eaters, shirked against the sound of the Dark Lord speaking.

_"You have fought,"_ said the high, cold voice, _"valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured."_

_"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."_

Hermione looked up, terrified at the thought that Harry and Sirius didn't make it to the Shrieking Shack if Voldemort was still alive. But he had called for Harry specifically, which meant that Harry was still alive. Her brown eyes scanned the Great Hall where the wounded were being brought in by the droves. Her eyes briefly looked to Draco who was recovering from the announcement a look of worry on his face as though he were trying to decide whether or not he'd picked the right side.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Glad you all approved of some good old fashioned Sirius snogging! Because good Godric, who wouldn't snog him?! This chapter includes the famous 'Prince's Tale' Pensieve scene from Deathly Hallows. Some things have been changed/added to. If you can't tell while reading it, all 'Memory People' speak in fluent italics. Pretty sure that's going to be a common trait if I do more trips down a Pensieve in future chapters. As always, my Beta **Fluffpanda** is magic.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Thirteen: This is My Job

_"...For the life of me I can not remember  
__What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise  
__For the life of me I can not believe  
__We'd ever die for these sins  
__We were merely freshmen..."  
__(Freshmen - The Verve Pipe)_

* * *

**May 2nd, 1998**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

The Great Hall was set up as a temporary medical treatment centre. House tables were pushed together, and the colored banners that use to run the length of them tossed aside. No longer did these banner symbolize the separation of Houses, but the unity of the students, professors and adults in the battle against Voldemort. The uninjured huddled together, providing support to one another while the injured were all waiting around the Head Table to be examined by Madam Pomfrey and her aides.

Draco could only look on as he guarded the few captured Death Eaters, ensuring their bindings were still tight and they were still unconscious and wandless. Without remorse, Malfoy moved to snap each of their wands. If they made it to trial and were found innocent - which was highly unlikely - they could always purchase new ones.

Hermione tended to the wounded along-side Luna, Ginny and Fleur. Mrs. Weasley had been assisting them all until the shouting form of Fred Weasley was brought into the Great Hall, deep gouges bleeding across his face. While his poor mother paled at his appearance, Fred seemed in high spirits, gladly telling George that he now resembled Bill more than his own twin. Others were wounded, but the death toll had been significantly less than Hermione had assumed, given the state of the castle. Seamus was across the hall sitting on the Ravenclaw table while Ginny splinted a broken arm. Dean was being tended to by Luna, who carefully wrapped a large cut on his calf.

The entire room seemed to fall silent when Harry and Sirius entered the Great Hall, and before Hermione had a chance to, Ginny rushed toward the Boy-Who-Lived, wrapping her arms tightly around him and squeezing him as though he would disappear if she let him go. Hermione smiled sadly at the sight, but stood by nervously, clenching her hands together at the sight of Sirius who immediately walked to her, enveloping her in his arms and breathing out a deep sigh of relief.

"What happened?" She whispered into his raven-colored locks.

"Snape's dead," he replied, trying not to let his emotional turmoil show as he still didn't quite understand how he felt about the demise of his long time nemesis. It wasn't more than a day ago that Sirius had wanted to end the man's life himself, but watching as Voldemort cornered the bloke and very nearly fed him to his giant snake, Sirius couldn't help but think back to Lily and wonder what she would have thought about her childhood friends' ultimate end.

"How?" Hermione asked.

"Nagini," Sirius replied. "We went in after Voldemort left," he explained. "Nothing could be done," he shook his head. "Snape said that Harry's got to go view the memories. No clue what's been sitting in that git's head all these years," he scowled and sighed as Hermione frowned at him. "Yeah, yeah, don't talk ill about the dead," he nodded. "Are you alright here?" He asked her, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

"Yes," she nodded. "We've just been treating the wounded. Percy and Neville are outside fetching the..." but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Sirius only nodded.

"I'm going up with Harry into the Pensieve," he explained.

"I'll come too," Hermione made to move but Sirius held her.

"No, you stay here. You're useful here," he insisted. "Remus and Tonks both told me that you're brilliant with healing spells," he smiled proudly. "As if you'd be anything else," he grinned and his smile widened when he watched Hermione blush at his praise. "We shouldn't be long. Nothing dangerous up there except the past, right?" He chuckled softly.

"Keep an eye on him," Hermione cautioned Sirius, her eyes glancing over at Harry who had already made a beeline for the Headmaster's office, pausing only a moment to turn back and wait for Sirius. "He has a bad habit of trying to save everyone at risk to himself," she stared at her friend, hoping against hope that Harry wouldn't do something so foolish.

"I will, love," Sirius smiled and kissed her forehead quickly before following after his godson. Hermione was amazing at healing spells, but he'd known that for a very long time. The truth was, Sirius wasn't certain what he and Harry were going to find in Snape's memories, and if the greasy git had included certain ones, it was dangerous for Harry to see them, let alone Hermione. Sirius was accompanying the young wizard in order to preserve the past - or future, as it were.

"Password?" The stone gargoyle asked as they approached.

"Dumbledore," Sirius muttered and Harry turned around to look at his godfather with wide eyes. "Don't ask _me_, Pup," he shook his head.

oOoOoOo

**Headmaster's Office**

Harry glanced hopelessly at Dumbledore's deserted frame, which hung directly behind the headmaster's chair, then turned his back on it. The stone Pensieve lay in the cabinet where it had always been. Harry heaved it onto the desk and poured Snape's memories into the wide basin with its runic markings around the edge. One right after the other, the wizards descended into the memories of Severus Snape, both feeling overly anxious about what they were about to witness.

They fell headlong into sunlight, and their feet found warm ground. When they straightened up, they saw that they were in a nearly deserted playground. A single huge chimney dominated the distant skyline. Two girls were swinging backward and forward, and a skinny boy was watching them from behind a clump of bushes. His black hair was overlong and his clothes were so mismatched that it looked deliberate: too short jeans, a shabby, over large coat that might have belonged to a grown man, an odd smock-like shirt.

"Is that?" Harry asked.

"Snape?" Sirius nodded.

Harry moved closer to the boy. Snape looked no more than nine or ten years old, sallow, small, stringy. There was undisguised greed in his thin face as he watched the younger of the two girls swinging higher and higher than her sister.

"Mum," Harry whispered and Sirius frowned, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

_"Lily, don't do it!"_ shrieked the elder of the two girls.

But the girl had let go of the swing at the very height of its arc and flown into the air, quite literally flown, launched herself skyward with a great shout of laughter, and instead of crumpling on the playground asphalt, she soared like a trapeze artist through the air, staying up far too long, landing far too lightly.

The men continued watching the memory play out, Sirius forcing himself not to look at Snape interacting with the young Lily. He didn't deserve to know Lily. Not after what he'd called her. Not after joining Voldemort. Sirius couldn't force himself to acknowledge that this small child had caused so much hurt to a girl he had thought of as family.

_"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?" _Lily asked.

Snape hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over the pale face, the dark red hair. "_No_," he said_. "It doesn't make any difference."_

_"Good,"_ said Lily, relaxing. It was clear that she had been worrying.

"Fucking hypocrite," Sirius snapped and turned away from the scene.

"Sirius, stop," Harry scolded him and for once, Sirius listened.

And the scene re-formed. Harry looked around. He was on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and Snape stood beside him, slightly hunched, next to a thin, sallow-faced, sour-looking woman who greatly resembled him. Snape was staring at a family of four a short distance away. The two girls stood a little apart from their parents. Lily seemed to be pleading with her sister. Harry moved closer to listen.

_"I'm not a freak," _said Lily._ "That's a horrible thing to say."_

_"That's where you're going," _said Petunia with relish. "_A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy...weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety."_

And the scene changed again.

_"This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"_ Snape said brightly, trying to cheer Lily up as they took their seats in an empty compartment followed in by two other boys with black hair.

"Ah, now look at these handsome faces," Sirius grinned at the sight of himself and young James Potter.

_"You'd better be in Slytherin," _said Snape, encouraged that Lily had brightened a little.

_"Slytherin?"_ said James; slight, black-haired like Snape, but with that indefinable air of having been well-cared-for, even adored, that Snape so conspicuously lacked. _"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" _James asked the boy lounging on the seats opposite him.

_"My whole family have been in Slytherin,"_ the younger Sirius said.

_"Blimey,"_ said James, _"and I thought you seemed all right!"_

Young Sirius grinned and the older Sirius let out a barking laugh.

_"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"_

James lifted an invisible sword. _"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad." _Snape made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him._ "Got a problem with that?"_

_"No,"_ said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. _"If you'd rather be brawny than brainy."_

_"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?"_ Interjected young Sirius.

James roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike.

_"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."_

_"Oooooo..."_ James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice; James tried to trip Snape as he passed.

_"See ya, Snivellus!"_ a voice called, as the compartment door slammed.

"See?" the older Sirius pointed out as the memory followed Snape and Lily out of the compartment. "He's always been a git," he scowled and looked up eyes wide as the image ahead of them stunned him into silence. Instinctively, Sirius turned and held Harry by the shoulders, blocking his view. "Are you sure you want to see the rest of this? We don't know what he was planning when he wanted you to see this, Harry." It was a distraction, simple as that. Harry's green eyes focused on his godfather, while behind them the scene played on.

"Move!" Snape shouted, pushing his way past a short, bushy haired girl who fell into a lanky pale looking boy. Lily following swiftly behind him, calling out his name. "Sev wait up!" Though the memory followed Snape, Sirius could hear a familiar voice call out from the open compartment door.

"What did you do!?"

And thankfully, the scene dissolved once more...

Harry and Sirius were standing right behind Snape as they faced the candlelit House tables, lined with rapt faces. Then Professor McGonagall said, _"Evans, Lily!"_

Harry watched his mother walk forward on trembling legs and sit down upon the rickety stool. Professor McGonagall dropped the Sorting Hat onto her head, and barely a second after it had touched the dark red hair, the hat cried,_"Gryffindor!"_

They heard Snape let out a tiny groan. Lily took off the hat, handed it back to Professor McGonagall, then hurried toward the cheering Gryffindors, but as she went she glanced back at Snape, and there was a sad little smile on her face. They saw young Sirius move up the bench to make room for her. She took one look at him, seemed to recognize him from the train, folded her arms, and firmly turned her back on him.

Harry moved through the memory, drawn to his mother's small figure at the Gryffindor table, which was perfectly fine as Sirius' attention was drawn elsewhere. James stood side by side with the familiar bushy haired girl, Snape eavesdropping behind them.

_"Care to wager how long it takes the hat to stick me in Gryffindor?" _James asked with a grin.

_"Something tells me it'll be instantaneous," _the girl laughed sweetly and the noise made Sirius' heart clench inside his chest.

_"Bloody right,"_ young James grinned smugly.

Harry turned and watched Professor McGonagall call his father's name and the messy haired boy moved toward the stool. The hat barely touched his head before it yelled out, "_Gryffindor_!" And James grinned. Harry made his way back to Sirius' side, while Sirius blocked his view yet again.

_"Of course," _Snape said behind Sirius.

_"There's nothing wrong with Gryffindor,"_ the girl spoke up.

_"Says another future little lion," _Snape scowled and Sirius did his best to distract Harry once again by pointing at the Gryffindor table where James had joined Sirius and Remus.

"Can you believe how young we all were?" Sirius chuckled as the scene played on behind him.

"You were friends right from the start," Harry seemed to smile, ignoring Sirius' strange behavior, most likely assuming it was painful for his godfather to relive the past like this. "Just like me, Ron, and Hermione."

"Just like you three," Sirius nodded. "Yeah," he nudged Harry's shoulder, moving the boy along, side-stepping away from his past self as another Gryffindor joined the table. Sirius' grey eyes looking back at her once before turning ahead again to watch as the rest of the sorting took place, Snape eventually being put into Slytherin.

And the scene changed...

Lily and Snape were walking across the castle courtyard, evidently arguing. Harry hurried to catch up with them, to listen in. As he reached them, he realized how much taller they both were. A few years seemed to have passed since their Sorting.

_"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?"_ demanded Snape. His color rose again as he said it, unable, it seemed, to hold in his resentment.

_"What's Potter got to do with anything?"_ said Lily.

_"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"_

_"He's ill," said Lily. "They say he's ill... "_

_"Every month at the full moon?"_ said Snape.

_"I know your theory,"_ said Lily, and she sounded cold. _"Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?"_

_"I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are."_

_"They don't use Dark Magic, though."_ She dropped her voice. _"And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there... "_

Snape's whole face contorted and he spluttered, _"Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too! You know that Black tricked me into going down there. All because he was stupid enough to think I had a personal grudge against his little girlfriend!"_

_"Don't you?" _Lily asked.

"I.." Sirius started but stopped as he turned to Harry, a look of pure shame etched onto his face as deep as the scars and tattoos that covered his body. "There's not exactly much I can say for myself," Sirius explained. "Except I was young, impulsive and . . . and I thought he deserved it."

"You could have killed him," Harry shook his head.

"Yep," Sirius nodded. "Believe me, I was properly scolded by my friends for it too."

"All over a girl?" Harry asked with a raised brow.

"Not just _any _girl," Sirius whispered as the scene changed around them.

The surroundings solidified again and he stood on a hilltop, forlorn and cold in the darkness, the wind whistling through the branches of a few leafless trees. The adult Snape was panting, turning on the spot, his wand gripped tightly in his hand, waiting for something or for someone.

Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore.

_"Hide them all, then," _he croaked. _"Keep her... them... safe. Please."_

_"And what will you give me in return, Severus?"_

_"In... in return?"_ Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after a long moment he said, _"Anything."_

"Sirius, did you know about this?" Harry asked, wide green eyes looking up at his godfather. Sirius only shook his head. No, at this point it had been so long since they'd seen Snape. They knew, of course that he was a Death Eater. Everyone knew back then. At that point in the war there was little to do with hiding behind masks. Voldemort was on the rise, and they expected a victory, why would they need to hide? But Sirius never knew that Snape had pleaded for protection for Lily, James and Harry.

The hilltop faded, and Harry stood in Dumbledore's office, and something was making a terrible sound, like a wounded animal. Snape was slumped forward in a chair and Dumbledore was standing over him, looking grim.

_"Her boy survives," _said Dumbledore.

With a tiny jerk of the head, Snape seemed to flick off an irksome fly.

_"Her son lives. He has her eyes, precisely her eyes. You remember the shape and color of Lily Evans's eyes, I am sure?"_

_"DON'T!" _bellowed Snape. _"Gone...dead..."_

_"Is this remorse, Severus?"_

_"I wish...I wish I were dead..."_

_"And what use would that be to anyone?"_ said Dumbledore coldly. _"If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear."_

"He loved my mother," Harry whispered. "This whole time. _Snape _loved my _mother_?!" Harry stared at the scene, watching his former Professor - a man he'd just watched die not an hour ago - fall to his knees in grief stricken sobs over the death of his mother. Sirius turned away, unable to watch. He knew those sobs. They were all too familiar to him. Losing the woman you love was a pain unlike any other.

_"Very well. Very well. But never... never tell, Dumbledore! This must be between us! Swear it! I cannot bear...especially Potter's son...I want your word!"_

_"My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the best of you?"_ Dumbledore sighed, looking down into Snape's ferocious, anguished face. _"If you insist..."_

The office dissolved but re-formed instantly. Snape was pacing up and down in front of Dumbledore.

_"... mediocre, arrogant as his father, a determined rule-breaker, delighted to find himself famous, attention-seeking and impertinent... "_

"You Potters sure do know how to leave an impression," Sirius sighed, raking his hands through his hair. This trip down memory lane - and not his own - was becoming more and more worrisome. Why did Snape need Harry to see all of this? To rub it in his face that he loved Lily first? One last moment to take a shot at Harry and James?

_"You see what you expect to see, Severus,"_ said Dumbledore, without raising his eyes from a copy of Transfiguration Today. _"Other teachers report that the boy is modest, likable, and reasonably talented. Personally, I find him an engaging child."_

The scene changed once more and they stood again in Dumbledore's office. Sirius and Harry watched carefully as Snape hovered over Albus, staring at the blackened hand of the old Headmaster.

_"You have done very well, Severus. How long do you think I have?"_

Dumbledore's tone was conversational; he might have been asking for a weather forecast. Snape hesitated, and then said, _"I cannot tell. Maybe a year. There is no halting such a spell forever. It will spread eventually, it is the sort of curse that strengthens over time."_

"He was already dying," Harry openly gaped at the scene and Sirius put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"_The Dark Lord does not expect Draco to succeed. This is merely punishment for Lucius's recent failures. Slow torture for Draco's parents, while they watch him fail and pay the price."_

_"In short, the boy has had a death sentence pronounced upon him as surely as I have,"_ said Dumbledore._ "Now, I should have thought the natural successor to the job, once Draco fails, is yourself?"_

There was a short pause.

_"That, I think, is the Dark Lord's plan."_

_"The boy must fulfill his mission,"_ Albus spoke and Snape turned and scowled at him.

_"You would have a mere child throw away his life?" _Snape narrowed his eyes. _"After all he's risked so far? The marking ceremony nearly killed him!"_

_"I would have young Draco fulfill nearly his entire mission," _Dumbledore clarified. _"I would not have the boy's soul ripped apart on my account. You must be the one to kill me."_

"Malfoy was telling the truth!" Harry shouted.

_"And my soul, Dumbledore? Mine?"_

_"You alone know whether it will harm your soul to help an old man avoid pain and humiliation,"_ said Dumbledore. _"I ask this one great favor of you, Severus, because death is coming for me as surely as the Chudley Cannons will finish bottom of this year's league. I confess I should prefer a quick, painless exit to the protracted and messy affair it will be if, for instance, Greyback is involved... I hear Voldemort has recruited him? Or dear Bellatrix, who likes to play with her food before she eats it."_

Sirius audibly snarled at the mention of Greyback and his dead cousin.

At last Snape gave another curt nod.

Dumbledore seemed satisfied.

_"Thank you, Severus..."_

The office disappeared, and now Snape and Dumbledore were strolling together in the deserted castle grounds by twilight.

Harry held his head in his hands, trying to process all the information as memory after memory flew in front of him. Hearing Snape compare him to his father, listening to Dumbledore's pleas to put trust in Harry. Watching as Snape begged to be released as a Death Eater spy, the Mark on his arm damning his soul.

"_Now listen closely, Severus. There will come a time... after my death... do not argue, do not interrupt! There will come a time when Lord Voldemort will seem to fear for the life of his snake."_

_"For Nagini?"_ Snape looked astonished.

"Harry!" Sirius called Harry to attention. This was what Snape had been referring to after all when he'd given the boy his memories. Something about the bloody snake. Sirius listened closely, watching the two men carefully as if looking for subtle clues that they were hiding anything else. How had he not known the reason Snape turned against the Death Eaters? He'd spent months around the table at Grimmauld Place staring into the face of Snape, listening to reports, all the while wondering what on earth could have brought him there to begin with. Was it so easy to think that Snape could have loved her? Really loved her?

_"Tell him that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole, and latched itself onto the only living soul left in that collapsed building. Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry, and it is that which gives him the power of speak with snakes, and a connection with Lord Voldemort's mind that he has never understood. And while that fragment of soul, unmissed by Voldemort, remains attached to and protected by Harry, Lord Voldemort cannot die."_

Harry seemed to be watching the two men from one end of a long tunnel, they were so far away from him, their voices echoing strangely in his ears.

_"So the boy...the boy must die?"_ asked Snape quite calmly.

_"And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. That is essential."_

"Bullshit!" Sirius shouted. "We're done with this, Harry," he growled and moved to raise his wand to bring them out of the Pensieve, but Harry pulled away from him. "Harry, I will not put your life at risk over the assumptions of a crazy old man and a so-called reformed Death Eater! I won't!"

"It's not your choice, Sirius," Harry scowled. "I'm not letting anyone else die for me!"

"No one's going to die for you!"

"My parents did!" Harry shouted. "You did!"

"I'm still here!" Sirius shouted back. "And I'm doing my damned job for once, James!" And just as Sirius caught his mistake, Harry caught it too. Sirius took in long deep breaths to calm himself, resting a hand against Harry's shoulder. "Damn," he muttered. "I'm supposed to look after you, _Harry_," he said clearly. "Keep you safe. I promised your parents. I promised..." Sirius was breathing heavy. "I promised to keep you safe," he muttered, his tone lower as he stared at the floor. The scene meanwhile played on in the background.

_"Expecto Patronum!"_ Snape shouted behind them.

From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe. She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. Sirius couldn't look at it. He'd known Snape's Patronus, and he'd always been a little suspicious, but his belief that Death Eaters couldn't possibly love kept the truth far from him. But seeing this, seeing the silver doe right in front of him...

_"After all this time?"_

_"Always,"_ said Snape.

Unable to witness anymore, Harry and Sirius rose up out of the Pensieve, and moments later they lay on the carpeted floor in exactly the same rooms Snape might just have closed the door.

"I don't know what to tell you, kid," Sirius shook his head.

"Snape loved my mother," Harry continued to mumble. "Do you think if he'd never called her a..."

"No!" Sirius snapped. "No, she would have ended up with James no matter what. She loved _James_, and James worshipped her," Sirius held his head in his hands. The trip down memory lane had not been a pleasant one. "One day, I'll take you back through _my _memories," Sirius promised. "And you can see... you can see how they were with each other. You can see _everything_. I'll tell you everything," he whispered quietly.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Harry muttered softly.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Harry," Sirius frowned.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Harry shouted, and Sirius looked up wide eyed as the spell hit him in the chest, knocking him backwards and binding his body tightly. His eyes followed Harry, wide with worry as his godson frowned down at him.

"Thank you for everything," Harry spoke clearly. "You're the only father I've ever known, and you've done a good job with what you've been given," Harry nodded. "Take care of Hermione for me. Take care of everyone," Harry approached Sirius' frozen body and placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is my job, Sirius."

And the boy walked out of the door.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Wow. You people sure do like your cliffhangers LOL! I'm thrilled with the reception we've gotten over the last chapter. Speaking of last chapter, this one is the end of Part One! Thank you so much for hanging in there through this story. You all are amazing and I love waking up every morning to new comments! Just a heads up, Part Two will begin posting tomorrow, right here so you don't need to track down and follow a new story. It'll automatically update. Also, **Fluffpanda** and I both hated writing this chapter. Battle scenes suck, but I am pleased with the direction we took. I did NOT want to play out another Battle of Hogwarts Canon style, especially since I literally just wrote over that scene in Lost Moments. I really hope you all enjoy with the direction we took.

PS: I threw in a small teaser of Part Two at the end for you lovely people.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part One - The Life Debt_

Chapter Fourteen: Playing Dead

_"...This is my darkest hour  
__A long road has lead me out here  
__But I only need turn around to face the light  
__And decide flight or fight..."  
__(Hercules - Sara Bareilles)_

* * *

**May 2nd, 1998**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

"Hermione, you seen Harry?" Ron asked as he approached her while she was applying Dittany to some deep burns caused by an Incendio hex on Lavender Brown's arm. She smiled up at the blonde girl who seemed to be surprised at Hermione's gentle hand.

"He went up to the Headmaster's office a while ago with Sirius," Hermione explained.

"Hey Lav," Ron smiled up at his ex-girlfriend, wincing at the sight of her burned arm. "How'd you get that?" He asked wide eyed.

"Death Eater," Lavender shrugged. "Set my robes on fire," she answered clearly as though her fighting fire wielding Death Eaters was as everyday as curling her hair. Hermione had to stifle a laugh at the look of strange admiration on Ron's face.

"Ron, go find Harry," Hermione smirked. "We need to start planning what to do next," she said as she shooed the redhead away and toward the doors of the Great Hall. Her brown eyes looked back to Lavender's and she offered a kind smile. "I think you should be okay," Hermione nodded. "Unless the pain is too much. We're running low on pain potions, but I might have some Murtlap Essence around here somewhere," her eyes scanned the room.

"Why are you being so nice to me, Hermione?" Lavender asked.

"What?" Hermione raised a surprised brow. "Lavender, I'm doing my job. I'm treating _everyone _who needs to be healed," she answered.

"Yes that, but you could have been mean to me considering everything that happened with Ronald last year," Lavender shrugged her shoulders. "I'm surprised you even let him speak to me just now."

"Ron's free to speak to whomever he pleases," Hermione rolled her eyes as she finally caught sight of the Murtlap Essence and snatched it out of Neville's hands as he passed by her. She tossed him a grateful look and he nodded to her appreciatively. "He's free to date whomever he pleases as well," Hermione added, having caught the look shared between the two exes.

"You're not together?" Lavender gaped at Hermione. "But I thought . . . Ginny said you had been off running together all year. And you mean to tell me that _nothing _happened?" She had her gossip voice, the voice Hermione spent years trying to tune out.

"Ron and I are not together, never got together, and will never get together," Hermione said as clearly as possible. "Got it?" She smiled testily.

"Got it," Lavender said thoughtfully as her eyes turned and scanned in the direction Ron had walked off to. "So you don't mind if I..." she began.

"As long as you don't do it in front of me," Hermione blanched at the image that popped up in her mind. "There," she sighed and used her wand to Scourgify the rest of the healing ointment off of her hands. "You're all set. Maybe wait until the battle's over to go snog Ron?" She added. "Just a suggestion." Of course as the words left her mouth, the memory of Sirius' large hands pulling her onto his lap came into her mind. She instantly recalled the firm feel of his chest as she pressed her hands against it and the taste of his lips and the way he sounded when he moaned into her mouth...

"Son of a bitch!" Sirius shouted as he stormed through the Great Hall, his body rigid as he moved, his hair flying behind him at the speed of his steps. Snapping her from her daze, Hermione's attention flew toward the raging Animagus and she rushed to his side, spotting a furious looking Ron tailing him.

"What's happened?" She asked anxiously. "Where's Harry?"

"Never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd agree with bloody Snivellus!" Sirius shouted as he moved toward the exit. "He really _is _as arrogant as his father!" Sirius' grey eyes flicked with rage and worry, almost blackening against the rising light in the distance and Hermione paled at the look on his face.

"What happened?" She asked again, trying to keep up with the long strides the two men were taking. Ron seemed to stop for a moment, rushing over to where Kingsley Shacklebolt stood among the gathered Weasley's as well as Neville and Luna.

"He's gone!" Sirius snapped.

"Gone?!" Hermione quickly realized what Harry had done. "You don't mean..."

"Yes I mean," Sirius growled and continued moving. "Snape's memories showed Dumbledore telling the greasy git that Harry's got to..." but he didn't finish that sentence. "My own godson jinxed me!" He yelled. "And now he's gone and..."

"It's inside him, isn't it?" Hermione asked and Sirius stopped mid stride to turn and stare at her.

"You _knew_?" He glared.

"Not until you just told me what happened!" She said defensively. "Either way I agree with you," Hermione scowled and made her way toward the large front doors of the castle. "He's an arrogant arse!"

"Wait til you see his father," Sirius mumbled incoherently under his breath as he followed her. The duo made their way quickly through the grounds, heading toward the Forbidden Forest. A look of concern and rage on Hermione's face, a look of stress and fury on Sirius'.

Hermione's brown eyes turned back and spotted nearly the entire Great Hall occupants following in behind them. "What're you all doing?" She asked.

"Harry's in _there_?" Neville asked, the Sword of Gryffindor in his hands. "Oh yeah, you forgot this. Thought it could be important," he blushed a little, dragging the sword as he moved against the grass, approaching Hermione and Sirius.

"You hang on to it for me, Neville," Hermione smiled. "And yes, we think Harry's gone into the Forest."

"Then let's make haste," Professor McGonagall said as she stepped toward the shadows of the trees in front of them. Everyone paused to stare at her save for Sirius who followed in her footsteps. McGonagall turned back once and eyed the crowd. "Well?" She snapped impatiently and immediately the large group snapped into action, moving step-by-step toward the woods.

oOoOoOo

**The Forbidden Forest**

Before they reached the edge of the forest however, dark shadows loomed above them and the atmosphere grew immediately cold. Hermione gasped and felt the air chill down her throat. Shapes moved out in the darkness, swirling figures of concentrated blackness, moving in a great wave towards the castles, their faces hooded and their breath rattling... Dementors, and more than Hermione had ever seen, even during her third year. Her eyes went wide and she instinctively reached for Sirius' hand, knowing his history with the creatures. He squeezed hers back in response and clenched his other hand firmly around his wand.

"Happy thoughts everyone," Hermione muttered nervously.

"I've got a good one," Sirius grinned and held his wand up and shouted, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

A large silvery dog erupted from the end of Sirius' wand and growled viciously at the Dementors, moving forward just as a small otter reached it's side. One by one those who could cast Patronuses did so and soon the large Grim and otter were joined by a hare, a cat, a terrier, a swan, a goat, a coyote, a hyena, a large bear, and a small weasel. Hermione grinned at the sight and made a mental note to find out which Patronus belonged to each witch and wizard. The large group stepped ahead, urging their Patronus barrier forward and the Dementors began to retreat, though not all of them. The focus of the Order and the gathered students was secure, and only faltered once at the shouting of voices behind the crowd yelled, _"Expecto Patronum!"_

Three more Patronuses joined the fight. The large familiar dragon belonging flew upwards into the grouping of Dementors, scattering them apart, flanked on either side by two massive wolf Patronuses that charged forward. Sirius paled at the sight and dropped his focus, turning around to spot what he had been dreading. Moving forward into the fray was Draco Malfoy, wand aimed high controlling his dragon, to his left stood Remus Lupin, to his right, Tonks.

"What the hell are you doing here, Moony!?" Sirius shouted.

"Saving you from Dementors," Remus smirked. "_Again_."

"_Harry _saved me from Dementors, you arse," he growled.

"_I_ taught Harry how to conjure a Patronus, so I could still take credit for it," Remus replied smugly.

"Oh yeah, and _who _taught _you_?" Sirius eyed him, feeling like he'd won this argument.

"I'll maintain that since _I_ taught Harry and Harry ultimately taught _her_, I still come out on top here," the old werewolf chuckled until Sirius punched him in the shoulder, knocking his concentration and lowering his wand with a growl.

"Get your wife and go home!" Sirius snapped.

"No! _This _is where we're supposed to be," Remus fought back, "I wasn't there when I should have been for James and Lily!" Remus raising his voice. "And I was too late when you died. I'll be damned if I'm going to sit at home waiting around for more of my friends to die."

Sirius huffed, not liking that his orders were ignored. Also not liking that Remus had brought up James and Lily at a time like this when all Sirius wanted to do was keep his head. It was too emotional and he hated thinking about the death of the past that haunted him. So he decided to bring up a death in the present to help fuel them both.

"Did I mention Greyback's dead?" Sirius asked and watched as Remus' eyes turned gold and amber instantly and he seemed to puff out his chest.

"Who did it?" Remus asked.

"Draco," Sirius answered, gesturing to the young blond wizard. "Long time coming," he nodded. "Now with that victory in your head, will you get the fuck out of here?" He asked.

"Nice try, Padfoot," Remus rolled his eyes.

"They're gone!" Hermione called back. "Sirius, the Dementors are gone!"

"Good," Sirius glared at Remus and shifted into his Animagus form, using the extra strength and speed afforded him in this state to charge forward into the forest, letting the branches and bushes near the forest floor whip at his body as he rushed into the shadows, sniffing the air and pulling out Harry's familiar scent and raced head first in the direction that called to him. He could feel Remus sprinting after him, and the sweet scent of Hermione close behind the werewolf, but Sirius pushed on at record speed.

All the while racing through the forest, he cursed Remus and his stupid sense of honor and loyalty; cursed Hermione for following him to the edge of the forest and putting herself so close to danger; cursed Harry and his arrogance and sacrificial love for his friends. And he cursed James and Lily for ever thinking he was capable to deal with their headstrong, stubborn, but oh so loving kid.

The scent in the air changed and Sirius turned into a clearing and his wide eyes caught gazed down upon a sight he'd hoped to never see. _Harry. No. _Sirius watched closely from the shadows, trying to see if he could see Harry breathing. Listening for the soft sounds of a heartbeat. It was impossible with the crowd at his back on their way toward him, and the gathered Death Eaters in front crowded around another body.

"My Lord... my Lord..." the voice of Thorfinn Rowle whispered.

"My Lord..." mumbled Yaxley and Sirius growled lowly, recognizing him from the Ministry. This was the Death Eater responsible for splinching Hermione.

"That will do," said Voldemort's voice. "The boy... Is he dead?"

There was a complete silence in the clearing. Nobody dared to approached Harry.

"You fear a dead child?!" Voldemort snapped and immediately several Death Eaters sprung into action, moving towards the body of Harry Potter.

Sirius growled, a protective paternal feeling washing over his rigid body and he lunged from the bushes with a snarl, placing himself in between the Death Eaters and Harry, growling viciously. The Death Eaters all took a step back, reaching for their wands and aiming them at the beast. Sirius continued to snarl as he stalked forward, his eyes set on the red orbs of Voldemort himself. While Bellatrix's blood had tasted like vengeance in his jaws, Voldemort's would most certainly taste like justice.

He readied his body to pounce, knowing that with effort he could easily clear the men standing in front of their Master. Sirius let out one last low growl and sprung forward, paws and claws eager to tear through skin, jaws open and waiting to grip flesh. There was no plan, there was only raging temper and clouded vision. One day, this personality trait was one that always came back to nip him in the arse. Running headlong to confront Peter in a darkened alleyway to be framed for murder. Disobeying orders and recklessly rushing to the Ministry of Magic only to get blasted through that damned Veil. Snogging Hermione in that hidden passage. There would be consequences for that too, but damned if he cared.

"_Crucio_!" Yaxley's voice called and Sirius fell to the ground in a heap at the feet of the Dark Lord, whimpering as the pain shot through his body in sharp stabs and deep burns.

"No!" He heard a muffled yell and felt a rush of movement around him and the familiar sound of his best friend's voice. Remus stepped into the clearing, wand drawn and aimed high.

With the Elder wand in hand, Voldemort aimed another curse at Sirius, taking over where Yaxley left off, but strangely this one didn't sting as bad. It kept him immobile for certain, but he felt almost numb to the point that he wondered if he'd been killed again. It wasn't until he heard Remus take the offense did Sirius remember he was in fact alive.

"_Incendio_!" Remus yelled, aiming a spell straight for the snake. Voldemort laughed as the spell bounced off of his favored Horcrux, unaware that the ricocheted curse hit Rowle square in the chest, setting the Death Eater aflame. The man screamed loudly, attempting to extinguish his robes, but before he could reach his wand, Remus called out, "_Expelliarmus_," and disarmed him.

Voldemort appeared to sneer at the scene and with his Elder wand held on Sirius, Voldemort used wandless magic on the werewolf, hissing out, "_Mobilicorpus_!" And freezing Remus in place, levitating his body toward the Dark Lord himself.

Remus turned a cold stare on Voldemort before aiming his wand downward and shouting, "_Bombarda Maxima_!" The ground at Voldemort's feet exploded upwards in a cloud of dirt and stone, and Remus was freed from the spell, rushing down to aide Sirius. Before either had a chance to move however, the Dark Lord and three Death Eaters had their wands trained back on the duo, each growling out a loud, "_Crucio_!" simultaneously.

Both men fell to the ground, their screams echoing in the forest. The pain so great, Sirius unwillingly transformed back into his human body as though the attack had broken him out of his transfigured form. Both Sirius and Remus were so lost in their pain, that neither heard or smelled her as she quickly approached the clearing.

_Have to mean it, have to mean it, _Hermione repeated her inner mantra over and over again as she approached the expanse in the forest where the Death Eaters and Voldemort had gathered.

_Aim your wand, and mean it, _she said again to herself as she brought her wand up ahead of her, let her gaze linger for the briefest of moments on Harry's body before the grief was consumed by rage.

_Have to mean it._

Her brown eyes locked onto a red stare and she shouted, "_Avada Kedavra_!"

She missed.

Voldemort did not move out of the way of the darting green light, but merely pulled one of his own Death Eaters in front of him as a shield. Hermione's brown eyes widened as her curse, her first killing curse, hit the body of Crabbe Sr, instead of Tom Riddle. A gasp was pulled from her lungs at the sight, but she had no time to properly react as her body went rigid and she felt herself being pulled forward.

"Well, well, well," Voldemort grinned. "A blood-traitor," he glanced down at Sirius. "A half breed," his red eyes glared at Remus. "And a Mudblood," long pale fingers gripped Hermione's chin and she laced her cry of despair with a snarl. She could hear Sirius and Remus behind her, thrashing and wailing on the ground as the Death Eaters kept their Cruciatus Curses constantly. "A perfect trio," Voldemort grinned and dropped her body, allowing it to land in front of the wizards on the ground. Her panicked eyes turned to the side to look at the path where she'd come from, hoping and praying that their backup was closing in on the clearing. But they weren't in sight.

"Allow me to show you what a killing curse is _supposed _to look like," Voldemort hissed and aimed the Elder Wand at Hermione.

She let out a quiet sob at the sight of it and time seemed to stop, but reached her arms out to the side, laying her back against the forms of Sirius and Remus behind her. _Be like Lily_, she thought. _Be brave like Harry's Mum_. Hermione closed her eyes for a second, remembering the love she had for those she would protect. For Harry whose body lay to the side. For Remus who'd always been good and kind to her, who'd taught her so much and had always trusted her. For Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna and everyone from Hogwarts who would soon be on their way.

For Sirius.

_For Sirius._

Her brown eyes opened once more and she looked daringly ahead. Yes, she could do this. Hermione would let history repeat itself. Let herself be taken, let herself be sacrificed and her love protect them all. Voldemort wouldn't see it coming, not again. Not from an eighteen year old girl. She would die, but if he tried to harm either of the men behind her once she was gone, the curse would bounce back and hit him - again. Then all they needed to do was kill the snake.

The snake.

Her eyes glanced to the creature that was looking at her as though she were dinner. Her orbs flashed to the side where she saw the most wonderful sight in the world. Neville Longbottom, Sword of Gryffindor in his hand and a look of determination on his face. Hermione raised her wand and aimed it at the Dark Lord. He paused, looked at her and let out a loud, high, cold laugh.

But her wand dropped several inches while he was distracted and she shouted, "_Alarte Ascendare_!" with her wand trained on the snake that immediately flew twenty feet into the air and away from Voldemort.

As the beast Nagini came down near the edge of the trees, Neville clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the sword. He would not fail Harry Potter and the trust everyone held in him. He would prove himself to Gran. He wasn't able to get revenge for his parents on Bellatrix, but this would have to suffice.

As Nagini's great body landed with a thud on the forest ground, Neville used the dust that rose up as a shield and raised the sword. The young Gryffindor, Scion of the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom, beheaded the last Horcrux and Voldemort let out a violent scream and raised his wand on Hermione again.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" He shouted and she closed her eyes.

She could do this.

She was ready.

"_Expelliarmus_!" A familiar voice shouted and her eyes opened to see Harry Potter kneeling protectively in front of her.

The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between the two wizards, marked the point where the spells collided. Hermione saw Voldemort's green jet meet Harry's own spell, the Elder Wand flew high into the sky, a slim dark wand against the sunrise that gently broke through the trees overhead. And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own curse which had rebounded, and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy's shell.

The briefest moment of silence occurred before the Order and the other burst through the trees, wands drawn all aimed at Death Eaters, most of whom attempted to flee only to be stunned, bound and gagged before they could even think of Apparating. Hermione sobbed, hugged Harry tightly from behind.

"You're _alive_!" She screamed and he turned to glare at her.

"Were you really just going to let him _kill _you?" He looked at her with narrowed eyes, clearly pissed that she'd put herself in harms way. Hermione laughed and kissed his cheeks.

"Why not? _You _did!" She shouted back, unable to be too angry with him considering he was alive and had just defeated the greatest Dark Wizard of all time.

Harry's jaw twitched, but he finally broke into a smile and hugged her back tightly, muttering under his breath about how she was never allowed to do such a stupid thing again. She thought to argue her point, but soon she felt arms from behind wrap around her and Sirius and Remus echoed Harry's statement with vigor.

"Harry how'd you do it?" Ron said as he approached the Hermione hug-fest, his blue eyes wide with relief at the sight of his best friend, clearly alive. Ron hadn't seen his body laying still on the ground only minutes earlier so he had a look of disbelief when his gaze passed over Sirius and Hermione who had made it sound like Harry had left the castle to walk to his death.

"Elder Wand," Harry held it up. "In the Shrieking Shack Voldemort killed Snape because he thought Snape had won the wand from Dumbledore," Harry explained. "But the wand wasn't waiting for someone to kill his Master, only defeat him," he shrugged.

"Malfoy," Hermione muttered, eyes wide.

"What about me?" Draco stepped through the clearing, scowl on his face as he watched from afar while Order members contained the Death Eaters, making it a point to stay as close as possible to people who knew his true allegiance to avoid arrest himself.

"You disarmed Dumbledore," Hermione gaped.

"Yes, your point Granger?" He narrowed his gaze. "Honestly can any of you ever finish vocalizing a thought?"

"You're the Master of the Elder Wand, you prat!" Hermione snapped.

"Really?" He blinked and looked to Harry. "Potter?" Draco smirked and held out his hand, not really believing that Harry would willingly hand over the most powerful wand in the world, but how else was he supposed to react to the declaration?

"Sure," Harry smirked up at Malfoy handing over Draco's hawthorn wand with eagerness. "Thanks for the loan," he turned back to Hermione as Draco seemed to accept his own wand with ease, treating it as a long lost friend instead of a consolation prize. "I disarmed Malfoy at the Manor," Harry explained to Hermione.

"Bloody hell," Ron looked gobsmacked.

"Care to explain the playing dead bit there?" Sirius narrowed his eyes on his godson, threatening anyone with a stare to dare make a dog trick joke at his words. No one made to speak except Harry who removed the broken pieces of his holly and phoenix feather wand, using the Elder Wand in his hand to repair it.

"Oh I _died_," Harry nodded. "Came back," he smirked up at Sirius. "But compared to you that's old news I guess."

Despite the stress of the moment, Sirius let out a loud barking laugh and Harry joined him, gripping his godfather affectionately by the shoulders and letting the moment sink in. Voldemort was gone. The war was over.

All was well… _for now._

**The End of Part One**

_Part Two... The Time-Turner_

_"It's set." _

_"You think she's going to be pissed at us?" Sirius slightly paled._

_"At _me_?" Remus thought carefully. "Possibly," he nodded. "You? Undoubtedly."_

_"Fan-fucking-tastic," Sirius said sarcastically._


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **The character of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** So happy that everyone seemed pleased with the way Part One ended! To answer a few questions and concerns about Part Two, keep in mind that the genre of this fic is not Mystery. While there will always be a little something or someone to fight, this story is about relationships, fate, and how events and choices shape a person's character. As always, **Fluffpanda** is Beta magic!

PS: Also, I've officially run out of things to read so R&amp;R and then maybe leave a little recommendation for me! Sharing is caring!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifteen: Courage and Craft

_"...Time stands still  
__Beauty in all she is  
__I will be brave  
__I will not let anything take away  
__What's standing in front of me  
__Every breath  
__Every hour has come to this..."  
__(A Thousand Years - Christina Perri)_

* * *

**September 17th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Sirius sat on the front porch steps of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, glass of Firewhisky on the step beside him, lit cigarette in his mouth. His grey eyes scanned the neighborhood curiously, smiling as he watched the people around his home go about their business. With Grimmauld Place under a renewed Fidelius Charm with an extra Muggle-Repelling Charm for good measure, Sirius enjoyed Muggle watching from the open door of his home, Even though Hermione often called it voyeurism, considering the Muggles in question were unaware that they were being watched, he still found it soothing. It was only one of many things that the young witch brought up in regards to Sirius' behavior since the end of the war. It was relatively low on the list of his annoying habits, especially when compared to his drinking and smoking, now those were Grade-A list pet peeves of Hermione's. At least at the top of the list ever since he'd permanently signed over Kreacher to work at Hogwarts. He'd avoided any talk of house-elves around the young witch. In fact, Sirius had been going out of his way to knock items of her list of his annoying habits, thus avoiding any form of confrontation with Hermione.

Which was why at this moment, he was enjoying an early afternoon drink and cigarette on his front porch steps. Because Hermione was currently not there to berate him about it. Since she'd moved into Grimmauld Place with Sirius, Harry and Ron she spent most of her time secluded in her room. Sirius worried constantly, as did Harry, though everyone else - meaning most of the Weasley's - insisted that Hermione perhaps needed time to herself. It was something Harry reluctantly agreed to let her do, but Sirius outright refused to let the witch retreat into herself in the aftermath of war.

Following Voldemort's defeat inside the Forbidden Forest, the occupants of Number 12 had become more than celebrities. Harry, Ron and Hermione were labeled war heroes, nicknamed the Golden Trio, a moniker that annoyed Hermione seeing that she'd never been a fan of nicknames. While the rest of the Wizarding world began repairing Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and the Ministry of Magic, those who fought in the war were still repairing the wounds suffered because of it.

Harry's chosen way to heal was to move on with life and be as normal as possible. He'd immediately joined up with a new Auror training class alongside Ron, both personally invited by the Minister himself. Kingsley had offered similar positions to both Sirius and Draco Malfoy, both of whom declined; one with a string colorful words, the other with a great mocking tone.

Sirius instead focused on his family, which of course included Harry and Hermione, but now extended back to his blood. Blood that he'd long ago split himself from, but at the encouragement of a young witch, he'd reconnected with. With Malfoy Manor the headquarters for Voldemort and the Death Eaters, the home of the remaining two Malfoy's was quarantined, forcing Narcissa and Draco to seek shelter elsewhere. Andromeda had all but insisted that her younger sister and nephew stay with her, as both women had grown to rely on one another in their grief. Unable to stand the sound of the constantly sobbing elder women, Draco took up Sirius' offer to stop by Grimmauld Place anytime, which Draco took literally much to the annoyance of Harry and Ron.

Sirius took charge of Hermione's healing himself since everyone else assumed she was smart enough to know what was best for her. He would wake her every morning with breakfast treats from a nearby bakery, seeing that he had no idea how to properly use the kitchen in the basement. When she'd return to her room or the library to lock herself into hours of reading, Sirius would insist she take breaks and get out of the house, though venturing into the Wizarding parts of town made that difficult as her celebrity status kept her in the constant spotlight, something she absolutely detested. The nightmares of course were the worst, but Sirius was used to that. Harry and Ron however were not and each night when she'd wake up screaming, the boys would rush to her room in a panic, wands drawn to find Sirius already there, holding her in his arms and stroking her hair and back until she quieted and fell back into silently slumber.

Harry admitted that he felt responsible for Hermione's condition. Sirius insisted that he was responsible for everyone in the house, and that Harry needed to let Sirius do his job and take care of them. By extension that meant Sirius was also responsible for taking care of Draco, who had been ostracized by the community as well as Pure-blood society for his new blood-traitor status, something Sirius was very familiar with. He took the boy under his wing - or paw as it were - and did what he could to make Draco feel somewhat worthwhile. Harry and Ron refused to be anything more than cordial to Sirius' young cousin, so the Animagus had suggested Draco help him get Hermione out of her shell. The Slytherin and Sirius shared a Black family trait of being able to get under the witch's skin, provoking her to emotions other than apathy, and Sirius was grateful for the help.

"Sirius!" Draco's voice called from inside the house and the raven-haired wizard quickly threw his cigarette out into the street and tossed the rest of his Firewhisky over the side of the steps, pushing the glass out of sight. When Draco cleared the corner of the long entrance hallway and spotted Sirius at the door, he let out a frustrated breath.

"Hermione's not with you?" Sirius asked with a raised brow, suddenly sad that he'd prematurely tossed away his vices.

"She'll be here soon," Draco sighed in annoyance. "I took the Floo cause I figured it would be faster since she was headed off to an Apparition point. Thought I should give you a heads up about her current mood."

"What did you do?" Sirius glared as he walked into the house, closing the door behind him.

"I did what _you _bloody told me to do. Took her for lunch, and _no _I did _not _suggest that she was putting on weight - _again_," he rolled his eyes. "I've still got the burn marks from the hex she sent me over that one," Draco scowled. "We went to the damn book store."

"Why's she in a mood then?" Sirius asked as they moved fully into the house, reaching for his wand he cast an air freshener charm around his body to get rid of the remnants of the cigarette he lost too quickly.

Before Draco could say another word, the loud CRACK of Apparition was heard outside the front door which blew open violently. Hermione stepped foot into the house, her mass of wild curls sparking at the ends, a look of rage and humiliation clearly painted across her face. The second the door slammed shut behind her, the portrait of Sirius' mother began screaming, _"Filth! Blemish upon the noble House of my Father!" _But before she started spewing out racial slurs, Sirius flicked his wand to shut the curtains.

"Afternoon, love," he smiled sweetly at Hermione. "Everything alright?" He approached her carefully as though she were a wild Hippogriff, nearly going so far as bowing before her. Draco stood behind Sirius, not making eye-contact. At the sound of the slammed door, Harry and Ron appeared over the rails of the staircase looking down as Hermione appeared to be facing off against Sirius and Draco.

"What'd you do to piss her off this time, Malfoy?" Ron called down. "Are you two finally done being friends?"

"We're _not _friends, Weasel," Draco scowled.

"Fine, whatever you are," Ron rolled his eyes. "Is it over? I miss the good old days when we could hex you and she'd punch you in the face."

"Shut up, Ron," Harry sighed in frustrated. "Hermione, is everything alright?" Harry asked.

"No!" She screamed and immediately burst into tears, rushing past Sirius and Draco and shoving the latter with her shoulder as she flew up the stairs in a tornado of sobs, brushing past Harry and Ron who tried to stop her but failed miserably. All four wizards could hear her door bang shut and they let out a collective sigh of irritation.

"Seen the Daily Prophet this morning?" Draco finally broke the silence, handing the folded paper in his hands over to Sirius before turning on his heel toward the large formal dining room where he knew Sirius kept a secret stash of Scotch, Draco's not-so-secret guilty pleasure.

"How bad?" Harry asked as he and Ron descended the stairs to meet with Sirius in the hallway, casting their eyes over the opened paper in Sirius' hands where a large moving picture of Hermione and Draco was plastered on the front page.

The two appeared sitting outside Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour. Neither look overly pleased in the photo, though as the picture moved, Draco pushed his half eaten sundae across the table to Hermione. It had been only a few days ago when Sirius suggested the two get out of the house. Harry and Ron had been at the Ministry undergoing Auror training, while Sirius had made plans with Remus for the day. Hermione had spent the night dealing with a particularly bad nightmare, and when Draco showed up bored, Sirius had asked his young cousin to get Hermione out of the house.

It wasn't the picture that caught the attention of the wizards, but the ridiculous headline and attached article surrounding it. Sirius began reading it aloud:

_"HARRY POTTER HEARTBROKEN BY GOLDEN GIRL by Rita Skeeter_

_It appears The Boy Who Defeated You-Know-Who Twice has more on his plate than fighting dark wizards in the weeks following his great triumph. As this reporter stated in her latest award winning biography, named 'Golden Trio: Young Love in War', said Golden Trio (consisting of war heroes Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, and their shared love interest, Muggle-born Hermione Granger), spent the better part of this past year on the run from the forces of darkness, and under the pressures of war, found love in the arms of one another. Details of the love triangle can be found in the pages of 'Golden Trio: Young Love in War', available at your local bookstores now._

_It's no secret that the Gryffindor Golden Girl spent the majority of her time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the arms of many famous young heart-throbs. She first appeared on the scene during the Tri-Wizard Tournament which had been brought back to Hogwarts in order to establish unity between Wizarding Schools. Unfortunately Miss Granger brought dissension to the tournament in the form of her first love triangle between herself, Harry Potter, and famed Bulgarian Seeker and Tri-Wizard Champion, Viktor Krum._

_Despite our world still healing from aftermath of war, it seems Miss Granger has no qualms about inflicting new wounds on her famed lovers, Potter and Weasley. The Princess of Gryffindor now finds herself in the arms of the self proclaimed Slytherin Prince, and supposedly reformed Death Eater, Draco Malfoy. It begs many questions including..."_

"Stop reading," Draco advised him. "Let's just say that mine and Granger's loyalties in the war are called into question and she's also rumoured to be pregnant with my child," he rolled his eyes. "But depending on whether or not the kid comes out with red or black hair, it could be one of yours," he gestured to Ron and Harry who gaped at him. "I know, I don't get it either. As if _any _girl would pass up sex with me for either of you."

"This is really bad," Harry shook his head, staring down at the words, ignoring Malfoy's insults.

"Very observant, Potter. Now one of you go fix her," he gestured. "If I wanted to be around crying women, I'd go home to my mother and aunt. In fact, I think I _do _prefer their company," he said, finishing his scotch and setting the glass down on a nearby dresser. "Cousin, always a pleasure," he nodded to Sirius and headed for the door. "I fully expect to be compensated for being forced to deal with an irate Muggle-born," he added before slipping out the door and Apparating away.

"Prat," Ron muttered.

"Harry," Sirius turned and smiled at his godson. "You want to take care of her?"

Sirius knew that Hermione in this state was something he had a reputation for making worse. Sad and distraught he could handle. Scared or passionate he could _certainly _help with. But when it came to the humiliation of publicity, he was terrible at comfort. He'd had plenty of publicity himself and had taken it all in stride either energetically feeding into the rumors for his own amusement, or ignoring the papers all together. Making such suggestions to Hermione would only piss her off, and this was _one _week where he was determined to keep on her good side at all costs.

"Cowards," Harry glared at the two men in front of him.

"Remus is supposed to be over soon," Sirius said. "If she's up to company we can stick her in a room with him. They can commiserate over bad publicity, and he can cheer her up by talking about boring books."

"Looks like I won't miss much then," Ron nodded and headed toward the Floo. "I'm going to stay at the Burrow for a few days. Mum's upset cause I never come 'round anymore."

"Don't forget Hermione's birthday is Saturday," Harry reminded him.

"I got it," Ron nodded with a smile and stepped into the green flames of the fireplace, vanishing from sight.

"Alright, Pup," Sirius smirked. "You go and be the big hero, tell her you'll pull the Chosen One card and have the Daily Prophet shut down," he chuckled.

"You seriously overestimate my influence," Harry shook his head with a laugh and made his way up the stairs toward Hermione's room just as the front door opened and Remus stepped through.

Though he'd had little sleep dealing with his infant son and exhausted wife, Remus still looked younger than ever. Fatherhood suited him as well as marriage did, though he was eager to get out of the house as often as possible considering the length of Tonks' pregnancy had the both of them cooped up at Sirius' request.

"She here?" Remus asked.

"Upstairs in her room, more than likely sobbing her heart out onto Harry's good natured shoulder," Sirius gave half a smirk and lead Remus into the large dining room where he narrowed his eyes at the open bottle of scotch on the counter. Sirius wondered how on earth his young cousin was surviving at Andromeda's place without having house-elves constantly picking up after him.

"I take it she's read this morning's paper?" Remus sighed.

"The suggestion that Hermione of all people would have a love affair with a Malfoy is hysterically funny," Sirius chuckled.

"I'm sure _she _doesn't see it that way," Remus shook his head.

"Give her about a couple of days," Sirius replied, his words laced with hidden meaning that Remus fully understood.

"I personally think there are more amusing romantic pairings for Hermione," Remus smirked at Sirius who rolled his eyes at the werewolf, giving him a rude gesture with one hand while he set his bottle of scotch back into the cupboard with the other.

"So what's left to do?" Sirius asked anxiously.

"For the party?" Remus rose a brow.

"I'm a little more concerned about what happens _after _the party, Moony," he eyed his friend. "All _I_ have to do is open my house to all our friends who want to spoil the witch. And stay sober on the day of," he shrugged his shoulders. "You're the one in charge of the important stuff."

"Are you sure you're ready?" Remus asked.

"Does it matter?"

"No. It's always been a time sensitive issue," Remus admitted and Sirius let out a loud laugh at the ironic choice of words.

"I'm ready," Sirius nodded though a look of worry crossed his face. "I hate not knowing how this will all play out," Sirius growled quietly. "If it works and she... it's going to bring up a lot of the past shit, and I'm going to have to tell Harry," Sirius frowned. "Never mind the rest of the damn world and Godric forbid, Molly Weasley," he groaned at the thought of it.

"Yeah, I'm planning on not being here when Molly finds out the truth," Remus admitted. "Do you at least have the bracelet?" He asked.

"I snatched it from the Potter vault when I went with Harry a few months ago to find a gift for Ginny's birthday. I suggested that he give her something of Lily's. Made it easy to dig through the jewelry boxes without him catching on," Sirius finished his drink in one large gulp. "It's all wrapped up and ready to go. How about _your _little gift?"

"It's set."

"You think she's going to be pissed at us?" Sirius slightly paled.

"At _me_?" Remus thought carefully. "Possibly," he nodded. "You? Undoubtedly."

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Sirius said sarcastically.

oOoOoOo

**September 19th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

The evening of Hermione's nineteenth birthday was strangely calm. Family and friends gathered together in at Grimmauld Place where Molly Weasley had spent all day cooking up a feast, despite Hermione pleading with her not to make a fuss. Since Hogwarts had yet to finish repairs to the castle, the first day of school had been postponed until November, which allowed Ginny to attend Hermione's birthday celebration. Hermione however had been upset about the delay, considering she had decided to return to school to make up her seventh year. She was firm in her decision despite Sirius telling her over and over to take time with making up her mind about going back, but Hermione would not be swayed.

Guests began to arrive and Hermione played dutiful hostess since Sirius' preferred to play bartender to all the new arrivals. She'd thank them for coming, insist that they didn't need to and hoped that they hadn't changed plans on her behalf. As the presents were brought in and stacked on a large table in the corner, Hermione paled at the sight. It was one thing to have her friends and family make a big deal about her birthday, but quite another for them to expect her to awkwardly stand in the spotlight and be doted upon with materials she didn't need while everyone stared at her.

It wasn't until Remus and Tonks made their entrance with little Teddy that Hermione excused herself from the "Welcome Wagon Committee", taking the tiny Metamorphmagus into her arms with a bright smile on her face.

"Can I just have _him _for my birthday?" Hermione grinned as she snuggled her face into the side of Teddy's plump cheeks, kissing him repeatedly as he giggled and changed his hair from straight blue locks to honey brown curls.

"He's teething, feel free to _keep _him," Remus smirked and even Tonks gave a little chuckle at her husbands comment. The pink-haired witch grinned and kissed Hermione's cheek in greeting. Remus' tired eyes looking up at the two women with a smile and then he excused himself to the restroom, slipping downstairs. The small package in his hands had gone unnoticed by everyone save Sirius.

"Give me my godson," Harry proclaimed, stealing Teddy from Hermione's grip and holding the boy proudly as Teddy's hair changed from brown curls to straight black. "He's going to end up with issues. Parents who are too eager to hand him over and a hovering Hermione who won't stop kissing him," Harry chuckled. "You're too old for him Hermione!"

"Age is just a number, Harry," Hermione chuckled, running her fingers against Teddy's now messy black hair, trying to get the back to stay down. "I should know, I've been reminded of my own age many times today."

There was a loud whoosh from the room and Ron stumbled out of the Floo, a haphazardly wrapped gift in his hands. "Happy birthday, Mione!" He smiled and kissed her cheek in greeting.

"Thank you," she smiled, looking at the gift. "Any chance I can convince you to return whatever that is and instead stop calling me 'Mione'?" She asked. "You know I hate nicknames," she scowled.

"Sirius calls you 'kitten'," Ron scoffed.

"That's not a nickname, it's a pet name," Sirius defended, handing a bottle of Butterbeer to the red headed wizard.

"Do I look like a pet to you?" Hermione put her hands on her hips and then as Sirius opened his mouth, she put up her hands with wide eyes. "Ugh, don't answer that."

"Is it time for presents yet?" Ginny bounced on the balls of her feet, snatching Ron's poorly wrapped gift and tossing it onto the large pile on the table. "I'm dying to know what everyone got you and if it's better than my present...which is_so _unlikely," the little redhead grinned brightly.

"I really wish you all hadn't gone to such trouble," Hermione frowned.

Gifts were opened and Hermione spent the better part of a half hour thanking people graciously, but looking extremely guilty by all of their effort and generosity. Most people bought her books, which was expected, though Ginny had given her tickets to a Weird Sisters concert for when she'd be home for Christmas, Harry had given her an old book on Runes that he'd found in his family vault that had belonged to his mother, Fred and George gave her a large box of various WWW items that she was afraid to touch, and Ron had given her a gift certificate to Honeydukes.

When most of the guests departed for the night, Hermione was grateful to see them go. She'd been more introverted than usual since the end of the war, and a big gathering like this made her a bit anxious. She'd gone to help clean up the party but was refused entry to the kitchen by a determined Mrs. Weasley who refused her help, so Hermione thought to retire to the library. She turned to go down the stairs but was instantly blocked by a sweetly smiling Sirius, a small crimson box in his hands.

"You thought I didn't get you anything?" He smirked and she blushed. "Open it."

Hermione's hands opened the small container as Sirius held it out for her, and her eyes immediately fell on a shiny gold bracelet that flashed red in the flickering lights of the overhead chandelier. Hermione gasped at the sight, instantly recognizing it as Goblin-made and therefore expensive, though she couldn't bring herself to yell at Sirius for going overboard considering the very genuine look of anticipation on his face.

"Oh my! Merlin, Sirius this is too much!"

"It's really not," he insisted, pulling the bracelet out and putting it on her extended wrist, setting the clasp and adding a locking spell around it so she'd never lose it. "Just an old heirloom I had lying around," he smiled down at her and she momentarily got lost in the variations of grey in his eyes. She felt her cheeks warm under his gaze and she turned away from him.

She and Sirius hadn't discussed the bond that came along with the life debt ritual she'd used to bring him back from the Veil. Any mention of the bond - or the extremely steamy kiss they'd shared in the caved-in passage after destroying Hufflepuff's Cup - Sirius would repeat the promise he'd made while they'd been on the run: they'd discuss it all the day after her birthday. Though Hermione wasn't certain why he insisted on putting it off any longer, she agreed. And tomorrow was the day after her birthday and suddenly she realized how nervous she was to bring the subject up with him.

"Tomorrow's the day after my birthday," Hermione whispered.

"I remember," Sirius nodded. "And we'll talk then, I promise."

Hermione nodded and turned her eyes down to look over her beautiful gift. She strained her gaze for a moment as she saw an engraving on the Goblin-forged bangle and raised a brow. "Sirius, these aren't the words of House Black."

"I never said it was a _Black _heirloom," Sirius laughed at the thought that he would give her anything that once belonged to his psychotic family.

"_Animo et astutia_," Hermione repeated the Latin words aloud. "Sirius, where did you get this?" She asked curiously.

"By Courage and Craft," Sirius translated the engraving.

"I asked you _where_, not _how_," Hermione smirked, knowing the translation of the words herself.

"I've heard that before," a black head of messy hair came around the corner. "Where've I heard that?" Harry asked.

"Anywhere in Godric's Hollow I assume," Sirius replied. "Or even in your vault at Gringotts. Those are the words of House Potter."

At his explanation, Hermione's brown eyes widened and she moved to unclasp the bracelet as though it were suddenly deemed much too valuable and delicate for her to wear. "Sirius, I can't accept this."

"Yes, you can," he insisted. "It was... it belonged to Harry's family. But I kept this one safe and sound all these years. Now it's yours."

"I'm not a Potter, Sirius, I can't accept this." She turned around, extending her wrist to her best friend, insisting that he take it off of her. "Harry, you should..."

"Nope," Harry shook his head, cutting her off. "I agree with Sirius. You're my sister," Harry insisted. "And that makes you a Potter," he smiled and his bright green eyes seemed to sparkle. "Besides, I like the idea of you having something that connects you to my family. If anyone honors the words of my House, it's you. Courage and Craft? Might as well just say 'Hermione Granger'," Harry laughed.

"See?" Sirius gestured to Harry. "Even Harry says it's okay."

"I still don't feel right about it, but okay." Hermione frowned, suddenly feeling very guilty and unworthy at the same time. "You can take it back anytime you want though, Harry. When you have kids of your own, you can pass it along to them."

"Just take the gift Hermione and stop arguing with everyone," Harry laughed. "You've fought every single person that brought you a birthday present tonight."

"Well I told you not to get me anything in the first place, so it's not _my _fault," she countered.

"I think we're missing a big moment here," Sirius interrupted their back and forth. "I gave a birthday gift and I haven't gotten my thank you," he pouted.

"Thank you, Sirius," Hermione gently murmured before she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Now, if the two of you are done forcing presents on me, I'm excited to go down to the library and read all my new books," she grinned and hugged Harry before turning and walking down the stairs and through the open doors of the large Black family library where Remus had been kind enough to deposit the large collection of new books that her friends and family had given her tonight.

Her eyes turned to the stack of tomes in the center of the room, assembled in a tower on the large oak coffee table. On top of the large stack sat a small crimson box tied with gold ribbon. Assuming it was another gift from Sirius since the boxes matched, Hermione sighed and turned back to shout out the door at him. When she turned however, she came face to face with Sirius and Remus who seemed to linger in the doorway.

"What's this?" She narrowed her eyes at Sirius, gesturing to the gift.

"That's actually from _me_," Remus smiled softly, "Dora and I are heading out. I wanted to come and say goodbye," he slowly approached her looking incredibly anxious as he reached out and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and breathing her in. "I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Hermione. You really deserve something good after everything you've done."

Hermione ignored the praise as it made her feel uncomfortable, but she squeezed Remus back tightly. "Oh, let me open your present," she released him and reached for the box, but before her hand touched it, Remus reached for her wrist.

"No," Remus swallowed. "Wait until I leave. It's... it's private," he winced at the word, realizing how that could have come across. "I mean, it's just... you might not like it," he frowned. "The next time I see you, you can tell me if you like it, alright?" He asked, his soft green eyes momentarily flashing gold and amber.

"Is everything alright?" She asked quietly, knowing that the gold and amber of the wolf's eyes only shone through when Remus was dealing with emotional or physical triggers.

"Hope so," Remus gave her a tight smile before letting her go and walking out the door, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder before walking off away from the library.

"Is he okay?" Hermione asked, worriedly.

"He's got a lot on his mind," Sirius explained. "We've been going through a few stints of nostalgia lately. Brought up some intense memories from the past," he shrugged his shoulders and slowly walked into the room, reaching for her bracelet clad wrist and tugging her toward him. "It's almost midnight," Sirius whispered. "The day after your birthday."

Hermione swallowed and nodded nervously.

"Before we dig into old magics, and awkward adult conversations, will you allow an old dog one last moment of recklessness?" He asked her, his grey eyes dark and deep. Hermione's breath hitched in her throat, terrified that the warmth his touch was spreading through her body was being caused by the magic she'd used to bring him back to life. A strong part of her doubted the authenticity of his affections, but she didn't have the heart to push him away, so she nodded her head in consent.

Sirius cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand and leaned in toward her, ever so lightly brushing his lips against hers. She could tell he wanted more. His hands were shaking and he seemed to be holding in a breath, and Hermione was struggling to think of how to respond. She knew what she wanted to do of course, but with Harry of all people just upstairs, she couldn't seem to find that infamous Gryffindor courage. A shiver went down her spine and she breathed in deep. He smelled like Firewhisky, leather and the lingering hint of tobacco which made her want to scold him, but certainly not right now. Before she had a chance to properly react to his lips against hers, Sirius had pulled away from her, a look of nervousness in his eyes.

"Happy birthday, kitten," he whispered. "No matter what happens," he swallowed. "Promise me you'll just try to be happy, alright?"

"Sirius, I don't under-"

"Nope, no more talking until tomorrow," he insisted. "Now open Remus' gift. He's been fussing about it forever," Sirius smiled and stepped away from her, moving toward the doors of the library and with great hesitation, he slipped out of the room.

Hermione exhaled slowly, trying to ease her racing heart. Why did he have such an affect on her? It _had _to be the magic. Sirius had been so different since she'd pulled him from the Veil. She remembered before he died, he often avoided her while she stayed at Grimmauld Place. Almost to the point where she thought he didn't like her at all, which hurt because she'd always felt a little drawn to the mysterious wizard. Since he'd returned from the Veil Sirius had been overly attentive, protective of her, and abundantly flirtatious, though he was that way with many women. However, she'd never seen him kiss another woman, and certainly not like he kissed her during the battle, or just now.

Refusing to get caught up in the mysteries of Sirius Black, Hermione turned her attention to the crimson box on top of her new books. She smiled thinking how silly it was that Remus was so worried about her not liking his gift. He was always so thoughtful, she was certain to love whatever it was he gave her. She picked up the small box in her hands and reached to pull on the gold ribbon. When her fingers touched it she realized it wasn't ribbon, but a small gold chain. She rose an eyebrow at the sensation she felt when her fingers touched the chain and suddenly her eyes grew wide as the gold suddenly glowed bright blue and she felt a familiar tug behind her navel that screamed Portkey, but also another familiar sensation.

Something she hadn't felt in years.

The feel of flying backward, very, very fast.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** If you've read one Time-Turner fic you've read them all. But by Godric aren't they addicting?! I know some of you are going to make easy guesses as to how the story will progress. Again, I've never stated that this was a Mystery fic. I love Time-Turner fics (mostly because of my absolute Marauder obsession) and I could read them non-stop. This whole story was a way to bring many of my favorite fic ideas and elements (Sirius alive, time-turners, bonds, and sexy Marauder goodness) into one place. I really hope you all enjoy it! Non-stop love and appreciation for **Fluffpanda**, the best Beta.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixteen: Chocolate Frogs

_"...You said, remember that life is_  
_Not meant to be wasted_  
_We can always be chasing the sun!_  
_So fill up your lungs and just run_  
_But always be chasing the sun!..."_  
_(Chasing the Sun - Sara Bareilles)_

* * *

**August 1st, 1971**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom**

Despite the horror stories of getting splinched, and actually experiencing it herself while on the run the past year, Hermione still preferred to travel by Apparition over Floo or Portkey. While Harry and Ron each preferred the simplicity of using the Floo Network, and while Sirius agreed with her on her favored method of getting from place to place. Even though he insisted that her reason for enjoying Apparition was simply because she'd been the first in her class to get her license, and continued to use the skill she'd so quickly picked up was a silent way of patting herself on the back without drawing attention or publicly inflating her ego. Hermione didn't argue with him.

Hermione's least favorite method of travel was Portkey. It was a rough process that was never as instantaneous as Apparating, and she'd rarely ever been able to land squarely on her feet once she'd arrived at a destination. Immediately after the war, Hermione had obtained an International Portkey allowing her to travel to Australia to see her parents. She'd told passing acquaintances that her parents now lived in Melbourne, eager to start an early retirement. She told closer friends that she had altered their memories for their own good. But those who knew her best had been told the truth: there was no coming back from the way Hermione had Obliviated her parents. It was for their own safety, she knew it. They were lost to her forever. But still she'd requested the Portkey and for eight hours, spent a day in Australia, tailing Wendell and Monica Wilkins, just to make sure they were happy.

When her Portkey took her home, she'd immediately collapsed and nearly vomited. This time she actually did.

Hermione's feet slammed into the ground after she'd been spinning, speeding backwards for what felt like at least twenty minutes. Her knees buckled and she hit a cold floor and relished the feel of the cool stone against her cheeks. She felt briefly relieved for a moment before her stomach lurched and she coughed up the birthday cake that Molly Weasley had spent all day working on for her.

It took several minutes for Hermione to regain her balance and vision, but the moment that she did, she realized the gold chain was still clenched around one of her hands while the crimson box holding the end of the chain was in her opposite palm. She dropped the item immediately and reached for her wand, only to find it missing.

"Fuck," Hermione whimpered, the swear on her lips showing her stress as it was something she rarely did. Someone had planted a Portkey in her birthday present and she'd essentially been kidnapped and if she remembered correctly, her wand was sitting on the bookshelf just inside her room of Number 12. She hadn't carried it with her during the birthday party since she saw no reason to, especially since the War was now over. With no way of testing the object magically, Hermione slowly inched her hands towards the item in front of her. When nothing happened, she let out a sigh of relief and pulled on the chain, slowly bringing the other end out of the box. Brown eyes widened as she lifted in her hands a large necklace, where at the end hung what could not be mistaken for anything other than a Time-Turner.

"Okay, this is not good...so not good," Hermione paled at the sight of the instrument. She felt the anxiety building up inside her as her eyes finally scanned the room around her. Not Grimmauld Place, that much was certain, but she knew it well. Hogwarts. Specifically what looked to be the empty and undecorated classroom where she'd spent years learning Defense Against the Dark Arts.

It was that tiny factor that triggered something in her.

Remus.

She reached for the crimson box the Time-Turner had been placed in and pulled the lid off completely. Inside lay a typical birthday tag that read:

_Happy Birthday. _

_Always, _

_Remus_

But it wasn't the tag that drew her attention, but instead the neatly folded square of parchment beneath it, nestled at the bottom of the small box. Hand shaking, Hermione retrieved the paper and slowly opened it to be faced with her worst fears.

This was not a prank Fred and George had pulled. This was not an accidental burst of magic.

Remus had done it on purpose.

_"Dearest Hermione,_

_I plead for your forgiveness for what I've done, but in all honesty I'm stuck between a rock and a wall. Either betray you, my dear friend by tricking you into accepting this gift, or betray someone I loved a long time ago who made me promise to betray you. Please know that I've spent years conflicted over the choice._

_A long time ago I was given knowledge that I've protected for so many years. Knowledge, instructions and a mission. That mission has now been fulfilled and you hold in your hand the fruits of my labors. You might recognize the time-turner in your hand from the night you and I entered the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius. I stole it from the Time room. I honestly thought you'd gone there yourself to retrieve it, but that was just wishful thinking on my part. I couldn't leave it to chance though. You needed to go back._

_If I've charmed it properly, then the instrument in your hands is not only a time-turner, but also a Portkey. Very clever those Unspeakables are. Hopefully you've been taken to Hogwarts, specifically the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, if I've done my calculations correctly. First of all, you are safe. It should be August 1st, 1971. _

_Again, I beg your forgiveness and hope that in time you'll understand and forgive me. I'm only following the instructions of someone who understood time better than I ever did. She told me that time was a loop. Every action we take is the causation of destiny, time travel won't change anything. You remember in your third year when you went back in time to save Sirius? You mentioned that the only reason Harry was able to conjure his Patronus is because he'd already seen it conjured. This is how time works. Which unfortunately means that nothing you do will change what is meant to be. It breaks my heart to know this. To know that you will be your brave, self-sacrificing Gryffindor self and run head long into the fray in an attempt to stop a war that cannot be stopped, to save lives that cannot be saved, and to redeem those who are at that moment in time, irredeemable. _

_But you will try anyways. Because that is your heart, Hermione. It's why you are so loved._

_But please, I beg you, do not put blame on yourself over the future. What is meant to happen will happen regardless of how it comes to be. Live your life. Enjoy your life, and hopefully very soon you will come across a very lonely boy, who is terrified to go to Hogwarts, and is desperate for some understanding friends._

_Your ever devoted and obedient friend,_

_Remus._

_PS: Say hello to Dumbledore for me. He and I have always had a shared interest in Chocolate Frogs."_

"No!" Hermione shouted as the feeling of betrayal washed over her. How could he have done this to her? She was just starting to live again, to feel normal again, as normal as she possibly could considering she'd essentially lost her parents in the same year that she went to war, ended up tortured, and killed a man. And that wasn't even including whatever the bond issue between her and Sirius was.

Sirius! He'd kissed her and promised her that they'd talk tomorrow. They'd be open and honest and deal with the awkward adult conversations as Sirius had so eloquently put it just minutes earlier. She wanted that conversation! She wanted answers to the questions that had been bothering her all year when it came to the consequences of the blood magic she'd used to bring Sirius back to life. And now Remus had taken that from her only to give her a new set of problems and questions without answers.

She read his letter again, unable to push down on the anger that rose in her chest every time she looked over his words pleading for her forgiveness. He'd stolen a Time-Turner, held onto it for over a year and had followed through with an elaborate plan to send her away, all because someone from his past told him to. She folded the paper back up roughly shoving it into the pocket of her denim trousers, slipping the Time-Turner securely around her neck and moving to stand. She needed answers, and if this wasn't some horrible joke that her werewolf friend had played on her and she really was in 1971, then there was only one place where she could get the help she needed.

oOoOoOo

**Headmaster's Office**

"Chocolate Frogs," Hermione said to the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. It had been just over four months since she'd last seen the spiral staircase, but then she'd been slowly walking down it with Harry, Ron and Sirius beside her. They had won the war, and Harry had returned to the office to speak with Dumbledore's portrait, making plans to securely hide the Elder wand. The castle had been nearly destroyed, though now it was nothing if not immaculate, or as immaculate a centuries old castle could be.

Making her way up the stairs and through the door, she was shocked to see the old office looking similar to how it appeared when Dumbledore - and not Snape - had been Headmaster of the school. The desk was littered with small jumping trinkets and baubles beside a large candy bowl that sat to the left side of the desk. On the right stood a large golden perch where the most beautiful red and gold bird sat, chirping a sweet song.

"Hello, Fawkes," Hermione said softly, with great affection.

"Good evening," a voice said from the nearby shadowed window and Hermione let out a loud gasp. "Lovely sunset," he continued and Hermione stared at the living figure of a slightly younger - and certainly not dead - Albus Dumbledore. The old wizard's eyes shone as bright, unnatural blue and they sparkled with delight, mischief and curiosity. "I've always compared summer sunsets to the colors in a phoenix's tail. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, sir," she answered without hesitation.

"You seem to be familiar with the creatures. Or at the very least one of them. You called Fawkes by his name, I can only presume that the two of you are acquainted?"

"Yes, sir."

"Loyal creatures. Mine especially, though I don't intend to boast," Hermione grinned knowing Fawkes' loyalty from Harry's stories their second year when the beautiful bird came to his aid, blinding a Basilisk and ultimately saving Harry's life. "He seems to trust you. I would like to think that I put a great deal of trust in his judge of character."

"I hope that means you'll trust me then, sir," she said quietly, her nerves a flutter.

"I hope so too, Miss..."

"Granger. Hermione Granger."

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Granger," his eyes twinkled. "Now, I have a question for you. The security wards around Hogwarts, put up by my own wand..." Hermione's wide eyes fell upon the Elder Wand on the desk. "Are pieces of very sensitive magic. They have the magnificent ability to prevent Apparition you see. That being the case, they also alert me when breached, and I was thus, alerted within the hour that a breach took place in the form of Apparition. Something that should not be possible."

"It wasn't Apparition sir. It was a Portkey," she frowned. "Well, sort of... Sir, I need your help."

"I will be happy to advise you as best I can. I trust you'll be forthcoming in helping me as well? I might have a few questions for you." He smiled but she hesitated. Hermione remembered the rules that had been drilled into her by McGonagall during her third year when she'd been given the Time-Turner and she'd already broken the most important one. Don't let yourself be seen. But without any answers to how and why she'd arrived here - not to mention how to get back - Hermione handed over the folded piece of parchment with Remus' words on it.

Dumbledore seemed to take his time looking over the letter, his impassive face showing no concern or fear. Hermione had been about forty percent certain that she'd get in trouble for whatever it was "What year do you come from, my dear?" He asked and his simple question caused Hermione's eyebrows to rise into her hairline.

"You believe me?" She asked, shocked.

"While I don't consider myself overly attentive of the latest Muggle fashions, I can't imagine your clothing is of this decade," he seemed to chuckle. Hermione glanced down at her attire which she didn't find to be so strange, but she recalled seeing photos of her parents from this decade and she couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh. Yes, she must look terribly strange.

"1998, sir."

"Quite a trip."

"I didn't do it," she replied innocently.

"No," Dumbledore agreed. "This Remus Lupin seems to have sent you here," he said the name with a smile on his lips and Hermione wondered if the Headmaster had already met the younger version of her werewolf friend . . . or enemy, depending on how this little trip through time worked out. As if Dumbledore knew what she was thinking, he asked, "A friend of yours from the sound of this letter."

"Yes sir. At least.." she hesitated.

"Do you feel that he lies, that he has sent you back in time with malicious intent?" The old wizard asked.

"No," she said quickly, no hesitation in her voice. "I trust him with my life," she remembered the final Battle of Hogwarts within the Forbidden Forest. She trusted Remus with her life, and he had trusted her with his. She'd nearly sacrificed herself for Remus and Sirius at the hands of Voldemort. She couldn't help but feel deep pain over what felt like a great betrayal. "At least I did until about an hour ago."

"Or a few decades from now, as the situation appears to be both," the Headmaster chuckled.

"I need to go back," Hermione insisted.

"Mr. Lupin's letter says otherwise."

"Sir, I've experimented with time-travel before," her voice gaining an edge. "In my third year, I was gifted a time-turner in order to have access to multiple classes without overloading my schedule."

"Forgive me my dear, that sounds like the very definition of overloading ones schedule," he smiled. "Did it work out well for you?"

"It was... fine," she lied as she remembered how frazzled she'd been by the end of the year, snapping at professors and friends, the lack of sleep had practically aged her an extra few years. "But I've studied Time-Turners since then and I know all the laws and rules of time magic," Hermione went on. "Me being here, could be catastrophic. I could change things just by talking to you."

"According to your friend, you being here seems to have already occurred."

"Sir?" She rose a brow.

"I've had a similar thought about time. When using magic to alter the past, are we in fact altering anything, or merely inserting ourselves as the catalyst that causes the future to happen as it already has?"

"That is... I mean to say..." It did make sense. Remus had brought up the night of Sirius' escape and how Harry was able to summon his Patronus under the knowledge that it had already happened. Full circle. But that's not the only reason she needed to go home. "Sir, I don't belong here."

"Unfortunate as that may be, I feel sad to inform you Miss Granger, that I know of no way to send you home," his words caused her heart to sink. _No_. If Albus Dumbledore couldn't help her, who possibly could?! "And even if I were available to do so, I would hesitate to take action. You say you've studied time travel in depth? Have you by any chance read about Eloise Mintumble?"

Of course Hermione had read about the famous time-traveling witch. She'd been an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries researching in what Hermione now knew to be the Time room. During her experiments, Eloise had sent herself back in time five centuries and upon her miraculous return - which was still a mystery to the Wizarding world as Time-Turners were only known to go backward, not forward - she aged the five centuries she'd gone through and died.

"... Oh Merlin... You're saying that if you were to send me back to my own time, I would instantly age thirty years?" Her brown eyes widened.

"That is a very large possibility."

She thought about it for a long moment. Would it be worth the risk? Would she even survive it? Did that matter? Her being there and speaking to Dumbledore alone could cause a rip in time and change everything. The Butterfly Effect. She'd fought so hard and sacrificed so much over the last year in order to help win the war. What if she did something here and now that ruined it all? No. She was willing to sacrifice her life for the cause four months ago in battle, this was no different.

"I don't care. I'd rather forfeit my life than to risk ruining the future by any actions I take."

Dumbledore seemed to smile at her words, as if taking a survey of her character. "Thinking back to Eloise Mintumble," he went on, ultimately ignoring her decision. "I assume you read what happened as a result of her time alterations?"

"Her meddling with the past is the reason the Ministry of Magic enacted so many laws regarding time travel. She single handedly erased over twenty-five people from history," she repeated the words as though she were reading them directly from a book.

"Are you familiar with children's stories, Miss Granger?"

"Beetle the Bard?" Hermione smirked at the memory of the book that man in front of her bequeathed to her in his will.

"One of my favorites," the wizard beamed. "Yes, the Bard took stories from actual events and wrote them in a way to tell a story, to entertain the masses, and to teach a lesson. What is your favorite tale Miss Granger?"

"The Three Brothers," she said, biting back the sarcasm that she felt was due in her answer.

"I am a fan as well," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and Hermione struggled not to gaze at the Elder Wand on his desk. "And do you believe that Death, who handed over the Elder Wand, the Cloak of Invisibility and the Resurrection Stone was an actual being?"

"No sir, even if the brothers and their objects truly existed, which I highly doubt," she silently chuckled. "Death is not a person."

"So the tale has been passed down as instruction then. What lesson perhaps would children learn from such a tale?" He asked her.

"Not to treat death lightly," Hermione admitted. "The brother who took the Elder Wand thought he could thrust death upon others by force, but in the end there is always someone stronger than you. The brother who took the Resurrection Stone thought he could steal from death, but no one comes back from the dead. The final brother thought to evade death by hiding, but death comes to us all in the end."

"What lesson perhaps would children and adults alike learn from Eloise Mintumble's story?"

Hermione stared at the man as she pieced his words together and then her eyes narrowed and her temper flared. "Are you saying that she _didn't _destroy twenty-five people?! That the Ministry of Magic made it all up in order to avoid having people foolishly use magic to alter time?!"

"That would be a very cunning story to create," Dumbledore chuckled.

"Yeah the author was probably in Slytherin," she muttered bitterly.

"Do you have the Time-Turner Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir," she reached beneath the collar of her shirt and removed the chain, lifting the instrument over her head and holding it out for the wizard to inspect.

"Marvelous," he said with an airiness as though he were looking at a pretty flower or a piece of artwork instead of the life altering device that it was. "I've only seen drawings of them myself, but not in great detail. I was however under the impression that for Time-Travel to be possible, the sand must move through the hourglass?"

"No, that's not how time-turners work. You spin them and then go back a few hours at most, and then you move until you catch up with your present time-line. The hourglass is merely a container for the sands of time, I'm not sure if moving them in one direction or another is what triggers the magic," she said clearly. However as her eyes focused on the instrument in his hands, she furrowed her brow in concentration. Dumbledore was right. The sand in the hourglass was sitting firmly on one side, despite being turned upside-down in his hand.

"Is this the same Time-Turner you used before?" He asked her.

"No sir, this one is... it was..." she remembered the night she and Remus had gone into the Department of Mysteries. When they'd stepped into the reconstructed Time room. She remembered all of a sudden how he seemed confused that she wanted to leave the room, surprised that it hadn't been her goal. "Remus said he took it from the Department of Mysteries. I... it's new. I've never seen one like it before."

"During your very busy third year, did you happen to take Runes?"

"Of course, Sir," she nearly rolled her eyes. As if _not _taking Ancient Runes was even an option.

"Tell me, what does this mean?" He tipped the Time-Turner to show her an engraving on the bottom. It took Hermione a moment to decipher the rune.

"Predestination."

"Something tells me that your Mister Lupin knew what he was doing when he took this time-turner at the request of another and gave it to you. You appear to be an intelligent young lady who adheres to the rules quite well," Hermione almost laughed. _That _was an understatement. It took a life or death situation plus Harry Potter to get her to break rules. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Sir?"

"Treat this letter as your new set of rules," he held the parchment out to her and she hesitantly took it, glaring down at Remus' familiar script.

"I can't just exist in this time sir. I'm... I know what's happening out there right now. I know that war is coming," she explained with a heavy heart.

"There are rumors," he seemed to nod, refusing to give anymore detail to her than she was giving to him.

"Muggle-borns are being attacked," she stated and watched his face as he seemed to acknowledge the statement and agree. "Viciously. I'm a Muggle-born sir," she admitted. "I can't just fall from the sky into this time and attempt to live without drawing attention to myself. I'm frankly not thrilled about the idea of coming face to face with Death Eaters." _Again_.

"I have a suggestion. How would you like to return to Hogwarts?" He smiled at her.

"I'm eighteen sir, or well... nineteen now. Today is my birthday. Or was. It was September 19th 1998 when I left," she frowned as she remembered it had been close to midnight. The day after her birthday. She and Sirius were supposed to talk. Hermione frowned. _Damn you, Remus Lupin_.

"Well many happy returns to you Miss Granger," the Headmaster said with such a genuine voice that it made her smile sadly. "Now, as I was saying, you've already crossed the magic of time, why not push that line a little further? I have in my possession, a De-Aging Potion. It's only kept for emergencies. Every few years, I see a student or two attempt to age themselves in order to sneak into Hogsmeade to purchase Firewhisky. The spell is rarely effective and the hospital wing is often refuge for a couple of elderly third years. I suggest that you take this potion, and become a student here at Hogwarts once again. I believe, it is, the safest place for being a Muggle-born, as you say."

She remembered the De-Aging Potion herself, though Fred and George hadn't needed it for an attempt to sneak a bottle of Firewhisky, they had the Marauder's Map for that. No, the twins had used an aging spell in order to try and wiggle their way into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. A spell that badly backfired and left them in the hospital wing drinking a De-Aging Potion to bring them back to their sixteen year old selves.

"How young?" Hermione asked. She hated admitting defeat, but Remus had clearly left her no options in this awful situation and without knowing a way home, she needed to make a plan to secure her own safety.

"I would suggest eleven years old. Bring you into the school in one month to be sorted along with the new students. You would then not stand out and draw unwanted attention to yourself."

Hermione nodded. It made sense. Bringing her in any older would immediately draw attention. Hogwarts hadn't had a transfer student in over a century. She would be as easy to pick out in a crowd as Harry had been, and she knew how big of a target that had made _him_. "Would I be able to stay inside the school year round? I would stand out when holidays came around. I've no family here sir."

"Then we should find you one. Perhaps a good Pure-blood family, then we could further you from your worries about being recognized as a Muggle-born," he offered, taking note of the way she reacted to the word 'Pure-blood'.

"I can't say I'm familiar with _good _Pure-blood families sir," Hermione snapped back.

"Luckily I am" he beamed, his eyes suddenly drawn to her hands. "That is a beautiful bracelet Miss Granger. I am familiar with the words. Are you acquainted with the Potter family?"

Hermione held back her snort. "You could say that."

"And do you trust them?"

She frowned as she thought of Harry. Harry who'd saved her life. Harry who she thought was dead until Voldemort aimed a killing curse directly at her. But Harry had been there to stop him. "They are..."

"Family?" Dumbledore offered.

"Yes," Hermione nodded immediately. Harry had just told her not an hour ago that she was his sister. That it made her a Potter. "But not . . . I'm sorry sir," she frowned and wayward tears began to flee from the corners of her eyes. Would she ever see her best friend again?

"Nothing to apologize for my dear," he offered her a handkerchief and she smiled gratefully as she took it. "May I suggest a trip to the hospital wing? Perhaps a short rest will help."

"Thank you sir," she nodded.

"Here is the potion we discussed, if you like," he reached for a desk drawer, retrieving the Elder Wand and waving it over, unlocking it and removing a small red vial. "Hand it," he passed the potion over to her and then pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, scribbling a note and rolling it up quickly. "And this letter to Madam Pomfrey and if you decide, she will know the proper dosage. You and I shall meet again once I've conducted a little business on your behalf and then we shall set a plan in motion to keep you safe and protected until I am able to privately investigate the instrument you've brought with you."

"Thank you sir," she sniffled again. "You're being abundantly calm about this all things considered."

"I am a man of many interests. The future is one of them. I must ask however, that you divulge no more information about your origins to anyone, myself included. Nothing that could alter this time-line."

"But sir I thought you said that anything I do has already been done."

"You are responsible yes, for your own actions," he nodded. "But not the actions of others. I can see that you are a fairly skilled at Occlumency, as I've been attempting to break through some of the walls you've erected inside your mind during our conversation."

"I'm aware sir." And she had been. The moment she'd arrived in the office she felt the familiar nudges against the barriers in her mind that protected her memories. Occlumency had never been something she was that skilled at, but some nights on the run Sirius would help her. And since the war ended and Sirius seemed to force Hermione into a pseudo friendship with Draco, the young Slytherin had been assisting her as well, though she imagined it was more for his own amusement over the fact that he finally bested her at something.

"Forgive me, but I felt it was necessary to at least test your skills before offering my assistance at integrating you among my students."

"I understand sir," and she did.

"I only bring that up because if you speak of the future to others who are not so skilled, they could easily divulge that information to parties that would put you in grave danger, as well as others who might be privileged to your knowledge."

"I understand sir," she nodded. "I won't speak a word."

"Thank you Miss Granger. Please get some rest, and I will see you in a few hours." He stood and walked her to the door, and watched her vanish down the spiral staircase.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Thank you all for the wonderful and kind comments! You're amazing! Now a few little notes. As the story progresses through the past Hermione will technically be OOC. We never really got to see a post-war Hermione in the books (aside from the Epilogue which absolutely no longer counts) so as her world changes, she will change. But that's the whole exciting point. How circumstances change us. Remus has given Hermione a second chance at a Wizarding childhood. She can relive those Hogwarts years without constant thread of Voldemort. Also, I know I generally post updates daily, but I'll be taking a few days off to let myself and my wonderful Beta **Fluffpanda** catch up with some of the editing. Have a great weekend! Please R&amp;R!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventeen: Young Miss Learns Fast

_"...You don't know about my past, and _  
_I don't have a future figured out. _  
_And maybe this is going too fast. _  
_And maybe it's not meant to last..."_  
_(Taking Chances - Celine Dion)_

* * *

**August 1st, 1971**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

Hermione slowly made her way down the familiar yet strangely foreign corridors leading towards the Hospital Wing. It was so familiar and yet so different from all the many nights she had spent there. Nights recovering from accidentally turning herself into a cat and then shortly after, the time she spent after being petrified by the Basilisk; or the days of recovery she stayed here after the Battle at the Department of Mysteries. The last time she'd seen the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts had been directly after the end of the war where she had offered to assist Madam Pomfrey with the seriously wounded. As she walked through the door to the infirmary, Hermione was surprised to see it empty and quiet. Just another reminder that she was in fact in 1971 and not 1998.

...This was not home...

"Hello dear, how may I help you?" A younger looking Madam Pomfrey approached and the soft eyes of the Mediwitch made Hermione smile. It was jarring to see a living Professor Dumbledore, but a familiar face made Hermione feel less far away from her actual life.

"Umm," Hermione stuttered. "The Headmaster asked me to give you these," she said, holding out the rolled parchment in one hand, and the bottle of De-Aging potion in the other. Madam Pomfrey took the letter first, though she curiously eyed the potion in between reading. She seemed to mull the words over in her mind for a bit before she raised them once again to Hermione.

"And have you decided what you want to do?" The Mediwitch asked her. "I need to know in order to measure out the proper dosage," she nodded towards the red vial in her hand.

"I... I'm not sure," Hermione admitted sadly. "I... I don't know what I'm supposed to do," she let out a quiet sob and covered her face with her hands. Remus had literally thrown her in an impossible situation. Just a few hours ago she had been home, celebrating her birthday with the most important people in her life. Harry, Sirius, Ron, Remus and the Weasleys. Godric, she'd even be happy to see Malfoy at this point! How was she supposed to follow Remus' instructions and live her life? This wasn't her life.

"Do it," she agreed. "I don't have any other options."

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey agreed with a frown. "Have a seat on any bed. Headmaster insists that you get some rest, and if you're serious about taking this potion, you'll need to be laying down regardless. It can be a bit unsettling as it takes effect."

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey," Hermione smiled kindly. "It's nice to see a familia.." she faltered, suddenly realizing she was about to reveal the fact that she'd known the Mediwitch in the future. Hermione's brows furrowed. This was going to take some time to adjust.

"I understand dear," Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Dumbledore explained in his letter," she gestured to the parchment. "Not in much detail mind you, and I won't be asking questions either," she insisted. "I know better than most not to go about meddling with unfamiliar magic. Now how old are you dear?" She asked.

"Nineteen, just turned actually," Hermione said as she sat on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath to steady her fraying nerves. She had planned to spend the rest of her birthday reading her new books and then maybe having a late cup of tea before going to bed. Now she was here, planning to erase not only her most recent birthday, but the seven that came before it.

"Alright, you'll need to drink this much," the Mediwitch said as she measured out a large portion of the vial, pouring it into a small cup and handing it over to Hermione. "Take it quick, it tastes fairly awful and the adjustments won't be comfortable by any standard, but you can take some Sleeping Draught if you like and you'll drift off before you feel a thing," she said, reaching for another small vial in the nearby cupboard.

"May I...may I request the Dreamless Sleep?" Hermione asked.

"Are you familiar with the Draught?" Madam Pomfrey asked her, raising a brow. Dreamless Sleep was highly addictive, and Hermione wouldn't normally ask but without her friends and family here to help her through the night, she thought it would be better.

"I am," Hermione nodded. "It's best for everyone if I take it. I've...I've been known to cause a stir in my sleep."

"I'm not opposed to dealing with a few nightmares, dear," the Mediwitch explained, using her typical arguments when it came to requests for the potion.

Hermione sighed irritably, knowing that the woman was just doing her job, but Hermione wasn't in the mood to argue. Reaching her right arm across her chest, she tugged at the sleeve of her shirt and began rolling it up her arm, revealing the deep, purple scars that covered her flesh.

_Mudblood._

Madam Pomfrey gasped and her eyes widened. She looked up and met Hermione's strangely calm gaze, and without another word, she nodded, reached into the storage cupboard and handed the draught over to the young witch. Hermione gave her a grateful nod and let the liquid slide down her throat. Then, with a little courage and determination - or just defeat - Hermione reached for the De-Aging Potion and swallowed every last drop, squeezing her eyes shut tight and trying to will her tears to retreat before she turned and set her head down on the pillow, the Dreamless Sleep overtaking her.

Hermione slept for a few hours but did not dream. No nightmares of Bellatrix Lestrange torturing her. No flashing images of Padfoot bound and thrown over the back of Fenrir Greyback, or of herself being splinched. No thoughts of Harry laying dead on the ground of the Forbidden Forest, or of Sirius and Remus being tortured.

But she also did not dream of home.

When her brown eyes opened again, she felt different. Professor Dumbledore was standing over her bed, a twinkle in his eye and a soft smile on his face. Hermione made to sit up and was shocked when her blouse got caught underneath her as she moved. She looked down and immediately realized that her clothing was several sizes too large.

"I see that you made a decision," the old wizard smiled at her. "I'm very glad," he admitted. "I've come to inform you that I've obtained a home for you to stay in. An elderly Pure-blood couple have agreed to take you in. I hope you'll trust my judgement in saying that they are good people, better than most in fact."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione nodded sadly, her eyes twitched a little in surprise at the light airy sound of her voice. Her words came out strange as well. With a groan, Hermione reached her hand forward, brushing her fingers against her mouth where she felt the protrusion of her overly large front teeth. "Wonderful," she said with a bitter growl. "No," Hermione shook her head. "Madam Pomfrey may I make a request?" Hermione asked.

"What do you need dear?" The Mediwitch asked.

"I need... my teeth back to normal," she explained. "I had them fixed fourth year and I know it's completely superficial but if I'm going to be forced to deal with reliving my early youth, I'd rather not have one extra thing against me," she almost pouted and felt a string of sharp emotions rise within her chest that caused her to wonder how the De-Aging Potion had affected her hormones. Another thing she clearly hadn't thought about before taking the potion.

"I imagine when you've reached the age that your teeth were fixed, they will adjust automatically," said Madam Pomfrey.

"I don't understand," Hermione rose a brow.

"Well dear, it's still your body. The potion doesn't exactly give your physical self a new start. You've already lived and gone through physical experiences, and at the age those occurred, your body will tend to readjust itself, as a way of catching up I suppose," she tried to explain.

Immediately Hermione's brown eyes looked down to her left arm, lifting the sleeve of her shirt. A sob escaped her when the flawless skin of her youth, unblemished, scar and curse free was presented to her. "But..." Hermione looked up, tears in her eyes. "They'll come back?" She asked Madam Pomfrey.

"It's highly likely my dear," she frowned. "I'm sorry."

Hermione nodded. "Then I insist that my teeth be fixed now. If I can expect my scars to all return to me one day, I'd like to have this one thing I suppose," she looked up. "If I had my wand, I'd do it myself. Can you... can you shrink them for me, please?" Hermione asked.

"Of course dear, you just tell me when," the older witch finally relented, and approached the bed,. She handed a small mirror to Hermione who choked out a gasp as she looked at her reflection. Eleven year old Hermione, almost twelve. Buck teeth and bushy hair, a scatter of light freckles across her nose and cheeks. She smiled sadly and nodded, opening her mouth to allow Madam Pomfrey to begin the spell.

"How's that?" The Mediwitch asked.

"Thank you," Hermione frowned. "I feel a little vain about it, but..."

"We've all got our own insecurities dear," the witch smiled. "Think nothing of it."

"Now Miss Granger, if you're feeling up to a Floo trip, I'd like to bring you to meet your new adoptive family," Dumbledore smiled. "Though none save for the family in question as well as Madam Pomfrey and myself will know some details of your true identity, all of whom I will ask to take an Unbreakable Vow to protect your secret," he offered and Hermione smiled gratefully.

"Yes sir," she stood up and almost fell off the bed, forgetting that she was a few inches shorter now. Her denim trousers nearly fell off her hips as she stood and Hermione grasped them quickly, embarrassed as she looked with wide eyes at Madam Pomfrey. "You wouldn't happen to be willing to do a little more altering for me, would you?" Hermione blushed and the Mediwitch gave a soft chuckle, waving her wand over Hermione's clothes, shrinking them to better fit her form.

"Not sure what I'm going to do without you Madam Pomfrey," Hermione gave her a sad smile.

"I suppose I'll see you in a month my dear," she smiled down at the girl. "Feel free to come by if you need anything once you've returned to Hogwarts."

"Thank you again," Hermione nodded. "I will."

"Come Miss Granger," Dumbledore stood at the door, holding it open for Hermione who quickly followed him through, staying a few steps behind him as he moved back toward his office, up the spiral staircase behind the stone gargoyle and into his office. The Headmaster approached the fireplace, reaching for the powder on the mantle. "Here you are my dear," he held some out for her. "Now, I've already explained a bit of your arrival to the family taking you in. They only know that you are a Muggle-born in need of great protection, whose family is no longer with us," he explained. "They've been kind enough not to ask any further questions, though I might have insisted upon it regardless. I promise you, they can be trusted with your life."

"I appreciate you putting such a great deal of effort into securing this for me, sir," Hermione smiled at the old wizard. She stood back, allowing him to step forward into the large fireplace. She sighed as she looked at it remembering that only four months ago she was coming through that particular entrance, breaking into the school alongside Sirius, Harry, Ron and Draco.

"Listen clearly, and follow just behind me," Dumbledore smiled down at her as he tossed the Floo powder down and spoke out clearly, "Potter Manor," and vanished in green flames.

"Potter!?" Hermione gasped. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised considering the Headmaster had brought them up before in this very office, but to know that she was about to enter the home of Harry's relatives caused anxiety to creep up inside of her. She swallowed hard and summoned her Gryffindor courage and stepped into the fireplace. "Potter Manor!" she shouted, throwing the powder and vanishing into the flames.

oOoOoOo

**August 2, 1971**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Hermione let out a gasp as she exited a massive fireplace, her eyes adjusting to look around a giant drawing room that rivalled Malfoy Manor. She'd heard and said the word 'Manor' but couldn't wrap her head around it until now. It made sense of course, Harry's ancestors were Pure-bloods until his father married Lily Evans and moved to the Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow. Unlike the large coldness that was the pristine looking Malfoy's large home, Potter Manor looked like someone had walked into the Gryffindor Common Room and put an enlarging charm on the space. The large array of windows surrounding the circular drawing room were draped in deep crimson and gold crushed velvet curtains. The furniture was made of polished dark oak, and the soft looking armchairs and sofas were covered in pillows in a variety of soothing colors.

"Wow," she couldn't help but whisper as her eyes scanned the room with a smile. How did this already feel like... like... home?

"Is it to your liking then?" A sweet feminine voice spoke up and Hermione's eyes turned to the three people in the room, all standing and watching her with amused expressions on their faces.

Dumbledore stood beside an elderly couple, though no where near as old as the Headmaster himself. Both appeared to be in their early fifties, though there was a youthful twinkle in the hazel eyes of the man. He had familiar salt and pepper hair that seemed to almost stand on end, despite it fading along his hairline. The woman who'd spoke smiled kindly, which was shocking at first as she bore a strange resemblance to Andromeda Tonks. The woman in front of her had aristocratic features and was well put together, but she had a softness about her that reminded Hermione of Molly Weasley, something that put her immediately at ease. It helped that the woman had dark auburn hair, though she could see streaks of grey in it, the same color as her eyes.

"It's beautiful," Hermione smiled sweetly. "Thank you, for... for allowing me into your home."

"It's your home now too, dear," the woman smiled brightly. "I've been in need of another woman around the house," she beamed brightly. "I'm desperate to escape the foolishness of youthful boys and old men who refuse to grow up," she chuckled and her husband seemed to wink at her.

"She exaggerates," the husband laughed. "She loves it. Keeps her on her toes."

"Dorea Potter," the woman held a hand out to the girl.

"Charlus," the man grinned down at her.

"Hermione," the young witch introduced herself.

"Well, I don't mean to be rude and under stay my welcome," Dumbledore smiled. "But I have only one month left to prepare my speech for the start of term feast," he beamed and reached into his robes, removing two familiar looking envelopes and handing one to Dorea. "I thought since I was making the trip over, I would hand deliver their letters," he smiled and then handed the other envelope to Hermione who looked down at it with a twinge of nostalgia. Her Hogwarts letter. And since she was eleven again, this was her first Hogwarts letter.

"Thank you Professor," she wiped a tear from her eye. "For everything."

"I look forward to seeing you again in one months' time my dear girl," Dumbledore beamed. "Charlus, Dorea, I hope to see you both more often."

"Hopefully not too often," Dorea smirked. "I'd rather not receive letters from the Headmaster of Hogwarts. I imagine it will usually be bad news," she gave a quick laugh and her husband joined in. Dumbledore smiled once more at the couple and then to Hermione before stepping back into the fireplace and vanishing in a burst of green flames.

"Now," Dorea turned immediately to Hermione. "Albus explained that you've had quite the rough night," she smiled sweetly. "We won't pry, promise," and Hermione let out a sigh of relief. "But the hour is late and I insist we all get a good nights rest and start fresh and early tomorrow," she clasped her hands together as if she were already planning out a day full of activities, something that made Hermione slightly anxious.

"Tilly!" Dorea called and with a soft pop, a small spritely looking house-elf appeared in front of the Potters and Hermione. The young witch paled at the sight of the house-elf and she took in a sharp breath. _No. Absolutely not_! She was not being adopted into a Pure-blood family that enslaved house-elves!

"A young Miss?" The little elf looked up at Hermione with tennis-ball sized eyes the color of the sky on the brightest day in summer. The creature smiled up at Hermione brightly, jumping up and down with the excitement of a Weasley on Christmas morning, turning and grinning at Dorea and Charlus as though they'd just gifted her something precious. "Tilly is so excited!" The little elf squealed. "Tilly has wanted to care for a young Miss. Not that Tilly doesn't love the young _Master_," her eyes traveled to Charlus and Dorea.

"Be careful Tilly, you don't want to play favorites now," Charlus chuckled.

"Tilly does as Tilly does," the house-elf said with what sounded like a tone of humoring defiance and Hermione nearly choked as Charlus let out a loud laugh and Dorea rolled her eyes.

"Hermione, this is Tilly. She'll take you to your room. Be careful or she's certain to go overboard and start dressing you up like a doll," Dorea laughed. "And don't let her spoil you," Dorea insisted. Hermione was shocked at being ordered about as to how to react to the house-elf, rather than seeing Dorea order the house-elf around.

"Tilly does not _spoil_," Tilly rolled her bright blue eyes. "Tilly coddles, dotes, and pampers."

"That's the same thing," Charlus smirked.

"Tilly does as Tilly does," the little elf shrugged her shoulders and reached out for Hermione's hand, giving a soft tug. "Young Miss will follow Tilly. Master and Mistress must go to bed, yes they must. Tilly will be cross if theys be staying up too late again."

"Yes, Tilly," Charlus said with a smirk on his face, pretending to be scolded by the house-elf as though he were a young child. "Goodnight Hermione. Sleep well. We'll figure everything out in the morning. You're safe here," he promised. Hermione wanted to take another moment to properly show her gratitude to the couple, but her arm was tugged along out of the room by the overly excited - and strangely independent - house-elf.

"Tilly? Can I ask... are you treated well here?" Hermione frowned. "Do... wouldn't you rather be a free elf?" She whispered.

"Tilly _is_ a free elf," she explained and Hermione's eyes widened in shock.

"What? You've been given clothes?" She asked, looking at the little tea towel that the house-elf wore. Hermione knew it was the typical uniform of the house-elves.

"Tilly does not need _clothes_ to be free," the house-elf explained, continuing to tug on Hermione's hand, leading her down another long hallway and up a flight of stairs. "Tilly took care of Mistress Dorea when she was a young Miss," Tilly smiled and continued moving. "When Mistress married Master Charlus, Mistress Dorea asked Tilly to come live with her. But Mistress Dorea's mother was not happy, no, no she was not. Tilly's old Mistress was not happy at Mistress Dorea's wedding. Tilly's old Mistress said that Tilly would stay with her just to spite Mistress Dorea. But Mistress Dorea yelled at Tilly's old Mistress, told her she was taking Tilly and she hexed Tilly's old Mistress, yes she did. She hexed her," the house-elf seemed to smile at the memory, letting out a quiet giggle. "Tilly was happy to come and take care of Mistress Dorea and her family. Tilly is free from the bad Mistress."

"I'm glad," Hermione smiled. Happy to hear that Tilly seemed well cared for. "Tilly?" Hermione asked. "I insist that you don't clean up after me," Hermione said firmly. "I can do my own cleaning, and I am good at cooking as well."

Suddenly the house-elf stopped in her tracks and turned slowly, wide eyes tearing up, a sad little frown crossing her face. "Young Miss doesn't want Tilly?"

"No, no, Tilly, I just don't want you to have to take care of me!" Hermione frowned, shocked at the sight of the sad little house-elf.

"Young Miss wants Tilly to be sad? Oh, poor Tilly!" She burst into tears, releasing Hermione's hands and covering her face as she sobbed. "Tilly wished and wished so long for a young Miss, and young Miss doesn't want Tilly. All Tilly ever wanted was to care for a young Miss..."

"Tilly please don't cry!" Hermione gasped. "Please, please. I don't want to make you sad. I'm sorry! Please, please stop crying," Hermione pleaded. "Oh Tilly, okay, okay," Hermione surrendered. "You can take care of me, just please stop crying."

"Tilly accepts," the elf said, immediately halting her sobs as she reached again for Hermione's hand and tugged her toward a large room at the end of the hallway. "Tilly's new young Miss learns fast, yes she does."

Hermione moved forward, gobsmacked. Had she just been emotionally manipulated by a house-elf?!

Tilly opened the double doors at the end of the hallway, pointing out Hermione's personal bathroom as they walked into the suite. Hermione's eyes widened at the sight of the large room with a massive four poster bed in the center, draped with beautiful blue and gold curtains. A large antique wardrobe stood at the end of the room, an open door revealed not clothing, but a large stack of various folded fabrics. Tilly approached the wardrobe with a smile on her face, pointing to the linens.

"Tilly is going to make young Miss new robes and dresses," Tilly beamed brightly. "Young Miss needs new clothes and books and quills and young Miss needs a wand!" She said excitedly. "Mistress told Tilly that young Miss goes to Hogwarts soon with young Master. Tilly will be sad to see them go," the house-elf nodded and Hermione couldn't help but smile sadly.

Though the little house-elf brought up something that Hermione had already forgotten. She looked down at the envelope in her hands and smiled, running her finger over the scripted lettering across it that read:

_Miss Potter  
__Second Floor Room at the end of the Hallway  
__Potter Manor_

Hermione stared at the words with disconnected emotions. She knew that she wouldn't be able to be called Granger here. Dumbledore had found her a Pure-blood family for a reason. As a Muggle-born she was in danger and would draw attention that she didn't need. Hermione needed to appear as average as possible. But her name was the last thing she had left of her parents and the feeling that she'd lost that now too broke something inside of her. Something that needed to be broken. She'd spent months mourning the loss of her parents, parents who weren't actually dead. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as broke the seal and removed the neatly folded parchment from the thick, heavy envelope. No longer Granger. Maybe she could learn to heal now.

Harry had apparently been right. Hermione was in fact, a Potter.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
__(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
__Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
__Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress_

Hermione allowed herself to smile as she read the letter to herself. Hogwarts. McGonagall. Some things could be familiar. Some things could still be home for her. Her attention was called back to Tilly who had - in the few minutes that Hermione had been distracted by her letter - fashioned together a light blue nightdress and was now proceeding to try and dress Hermione herself, just as Dorea had warned her.

"Tilly," Hermione mumbled, trying to tug her blouse away from the house-elf's hands. "Tilly, I can undress myself. Tilly," Hermione said with a warning voice and was caught off guard when the little feisty house-elf growled, freezing Hermione in shock, at which point Tilly took advantage of the situation and proceeded to undress and then redress the young witch. Hermione sat on the bed completely defeated.

"Young Miss is stubborn," Tilly shook her head side to side. "Sleep now. Young Miss needs rest."

"Thank you, Tilly," Hermione offered a tight smile to the small creature who had somehow bested Hermione faster and easier than dark wizards. Hermione crawled into the bed quickly, partially afraid that Tilly would drag her beneath the covers and tuck her in tight enough to trap her there. The house-elf snapped her fingers and the beautiful room darkened, all lamps extinguishing.

Hermione could only hope that the Dreamless Sleep that she'd taken earlier that day stayed in her system through the night. The last thing she wanted to do to this gracious family - and the overly protective house-elf - was to scare them with her screams.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** I'm so glad you all are liking the Potter parents and my favorite little house-elf! I have to admit, didn't even realize it when I was writing her, but Tilly is inspired by another bossy house-elf - Trinket from Bespoke Witch. Go read. Now. There's something just amazing about house-elves with attitude. This chapter will answer a question some of you have had since Chapter Two! I really hope you like it. As usual, lots of credit to my Beta **Fluffpanda**!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighteen: Live Your Life

_"...I learned from you that I do not crumble_  
_I learned that strength is something you choose_  
_All of the reasons to keep on believin'_  
_There's no question, that's a lesson, that I learned from you..."_  
_(I Learned From You - Miley Cyrus)_

* * *

**August 2nd, 1971**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Hermione slept soundly without dreams and she awoke rested and bleary eyed in the comfort of the large four poster bed. Confused at first at the feel of the bed that was so different from the smaller one in her room at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Hermione struggled to take in her surroundings. Her blurry eyes looked around the large room from right to left, lingering eventually on the silhouetted figure standing in front of large windows that eagerly let in the morning sun.

The figure leaned closer and Hermione blinked seeing a head of messy black hair. Hermione smiled, stifling a yawn. "Mmm...Harry?" She murmured in her sleepy state.

"Who's Harry?" A vaguely familiar but still strange voice replied.

Hermione's brown eyes snapped open and she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. She stared up into the face of a young boy with familiar black hair that stood up in the back, but instead of the sparkling emerald eyes she had grown use to over the past eight years, she saw her reflection in hazel brown.

This wasn't her Harry.

_...1971..._

Hermione drew in a sharp breath as everything came flooding back. The crimson box in the Black family library. The Time-Turner charmed into a Portkey. The letter from Remus. Meeting with a very much alive Albus Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey and a De-Aging Potion. Floo-ing into a large Manor and meeting the Potters. That incredible bossy house-elf.

And now a boy standing at the side of her bed, staring down at her with curious eyes and a crooked smile.

"So you're my new sister, huh?" He grinned and Hermione screamed.

"Who are you?!" She yelled, twisting away onto the opposite side of the large bed which apparently, despite her shouting, translated into an invitation for the boy to climb onto the bed with her to get a closer look. "Wait," she paused and looked at the boy closely, shocked at the near identical resemblance to her best friend. How had she not assumed? 1971, Potter Manor.

"You're James?" She gasped, staring at him "Oh my... Merlin you... you look..."

"Handsome? Dashing? Brilliant?" James grinned smugly and Hermione let out a loud laugh, shocked by how genuine it sounded. She hadn't laughed since this whole fiasco began on the night of her birthday.

"You look like a right mess," Hermione smiled at him, his strong resemblance to Harry and his apparent lack of understanding in regards to personal space made him somewhat endearing. "Do you even own a brush?" She subconsciously reached up to smooth his hair as she'd done to Harry for the past seven years, unable to stop herself from doing it, as though her muscles acted on their own.

"You're one to talk," James laughed, reaching a hand up to shake out his locks, making them look twice as bad. He then reached the same hand out and ruffled her hair teasingly. "Can you hide snacks in that mane?"

"Never thought to," she scowled, almost taking the chance to properly scold the boy for talking to an adult like that, until she remembered that she was no longer an adult. Her mind held the memories of a nineteen year old witch from 1998, but in fact, she was now an eleven year old girl living in 1971.

"Well, since you don't, can _I_ hide snacks there?" James asked with a grin. "Seems a bit more convenient than weighing down my own robe pockets."

"No you cannot hide sweets in my hair," she rolled her eyes.

"Look at us, siblings already," he laughed. "Always wanted a little sister," James replied as he leaned back against the headboard, resting his hands behind his head and making himself strangely comfortable in the presence of a strange girl in his house. Hermione gathered that his parents had informed him of her apparent adoption. Hermione was shocked to see that he seemed so... relaxed about her.

"When's your birthday?" Hermione asked immediately.

"March 20th."

"Well, mine's September 19th, so technically I'm older than you... _little _brother," she smirked.

"Technically Mum said that we're telling everyone you're my twin sister. And I'm insisting that I was born first. After all, I was here first," he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Twins?" She raised a brow. "We don't look a thing alike."

"_That's _your issue?" James laughed loudly. "Considering that I woke up this morning to my parents telling me I had a brand new twin sister, and oh don't tell anyone that Albus Dumbledore dropped her off... I think I'm handling this pretty well and _your _problem is that we don't look alike? But hey, if you don't want a brother, fine. Not like I'm heart broken or anything," he faked a pout.

"No, I'm . . . I'd like a brother," she said the words with a hint of pain in her voice as she thought about Harry. Harry was gone, but James - Harry's father - looked so much like him. It hurt to stare at him too long.

James, noticing her shift in mood frowned and thought for a moment before reaching across the bed and yanking on a chunk of her hair.

"Ow!" Hermione snapped, her eyes narrowing at the boy. "What was that for?!"

"Well we're siblings now and I feel like I've missed out on some really good pigtail-pulling years with my own sister."

"Remember that when I hex that mop of hair off your head," she glared and rubbed the sore spot on the side of her head.

"Can't hex me without a wand. And by next week I'm sure you'll have gotten over it. I have a very forgivable face. Mum says so." He was incredibly arrogant and Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at his confidence.

"What's next week?" She asked.

"We're all going to Diagon Alley," he beamed with excitement. "To get our wands and stuff for Hogwarts."

"Oh, I didn't even realize." Of course she knew that she would be returning to Hogwarts, and that she'd apparently left her wand behind in 1998, but she'd forgotten that she would need to get a new wand if she planned on attending Hogwarts again. Or surviving in this world.

"What? Think you can do magic without a wand?"

Hermione chuckled, knowing that she could in fact do just that. Unlike older and more powerful witches and wizards like Professor McGonagall, Sirius and Remus, Hermione could only do such magic under great stress. "Do you ever shut up?" She asked.

"Very rarely," he answered, clearly not offended by her jab. "Get up, Mum sent me in to tell you breakfast is ready." James bounded from the side of the bed and headed toward the door.

"Good, I'm starving," Hermione smiled.

"Oh hey, since you're going to be my little sister and all I think there's something really important I should know," he stopped in his tracks, his hand on the doorknob.

"What's that?"

"What's your name?"

"You don't even know my name?! Your parents didn't tell you my name?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "Your parents told you that you have a brand new sister, and you wake her up, jump on her bed, pull her hair and you don't even know her name?" What was wrong with him? Did he have a suspicious bone in his naive scrawny body?

"They might have mentioned it. I heard sister, twin, and but then Tilly showed up with breakfast..." he explained.

"Hermione."

"What?" He rose a brow.

"My name is Hermione," she smiled sweetly.

"That doesn't sound like a real word," James shook his head.

Hermione scowled at him. "It's not a word, it's my name."

"It's a mouthful is what it is," he laughed. "I'm gonna call you Mia."

Hermione growled. "I don't like nicknames."

"I don't like bossy sisters," James shrugged, unaffected by her sour mood. "Clearly we've both been shorted in this family."

"My name is Hermione Granger," she said firmly, already forgetting how her Hogwarts letter had been addressed.

"Potter," James corrected her.

"What?" She blinked.

"You're name is Hermione Potter. But to me, you're _Mia _Potter."

"Potter?" Hermione frowned.

"You're my sister," James smiled at her and the way he looked at her reminded her so much of Harry that it hurt, but she still smiled back at him. "And that makes you a Potter," he insisted and Hermione's nose stung as she felt tears well up.

Wasn't it just last night that Harry had told her the same thing?

oOoOoOo

"There you are Hermione dear!" Dorea smiled up from the large dining room table as her children entered the room, her hair already set in perfect curls for the day despite still wearing what looked to be the most beautiful nightdress that Hermione had ever seen.

"Hello again Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter," Hermione addressed them politely as she took a seat beside James, shocked when he pulled out her chair for her. She blinked at him with wide eyed, surprised that the boy who'd pulled her hair not five minutes ago upstairs, was being a gentleman. She looked at the Potter parents who smiled proudly at their son, but still acted as if his actions weren't anything out of the ordinary.

"Well we should probably skip right ahead and have you start calling us Mum and Dad," Charlus suggested and Hermione's chest tightened. "No sense in living a double life now, it'll just get confusing. Besides, we've made it perfectly clear that we are your family now," he smiled kindly at her. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about what happened before. Albus wasn't very forthcoming about the details, just that there was a young lady who needed a family."

"I'd always wanted a little girl," Dorea admitted with a gleam in her eye and Hermione couldn't help but be overwhelmed by their instant acceptance of her.

"Thanks, Mum," James scoffed.

"Eat your breakfast, son," Charlus smirked at the boy.

"Albus left some parchments for us to sign and send to the records division at the Ministry in order to officially make you Hermione Potter," Dorea explained as she sipped at her morning tea.

"Mia," James blurted out, after swallowing a mouthful of porridge.

"What's that?" Charlus looked up from his morning paper.

"Her name's Mia."

"I hate nicknames," Hermione repeated, narrowing her eyes at James.

"I think it's cute," Dorea beamed at the two children, glad to see that James had adjusted easily to the recent addition to their family. Even giving Hermione his own endearing nickname

"If you'd like, we will still call you Hermione," Charlus insisted, seeing the look of annoyance on his new daughters face.

"_I'm _not going to," James shrugged as he placed half the dish of bacon onto his plate. "She's _Mia _now."

"Fine," Hermione glared at him. "..._Jamie_," she grinned.

"Well that's..." James frowned, rolling the name over and over in his head before nodding. "Actually, I think I quite like it." Hermione bristled.

"I'm glad you two are already getting along. If you have need of anything, Hermione dear, please just let us know," Dorea insisted.

"Thank you Mrs... err . . . Mum," Hermione swallowed, the word sounding artificial in her mouth. "I think I'm okay right now. Just adjusting I suppose. It's been a strange few days," she admitted quietly, letting her previous polite smile fall from her face.

"No frowning now," Dorea said immediately. "I know you have had some hardships lately, but we're Potters and we push on. You take what happens, learn from it and bravely move forward."

"Courage and Craft," Hermione whispered nodding.

"House words," Charlus said, impressed.

"I hope I can live up to them," Hermione smiled, fingering the bracelet around her wrist, glad that none of the Potters had noticed it thus far. She was worried that they would accuse her of stealing, especially since she had only known them for less than a day. Of course Sirius just _had _to give her a Potter heirloom on her birthday. It would be difficult to explanation how she knew their descendent.

"I think she'll be a Gryffindor," Charlus grinned proudly.

"Of course she will. All Potters are Gryffindors," James rolled his eyes as if the point were moot.

"_I_ wasn't," Dorea folded her arms across her chest.

"Well you weren't fortunate enough to be _born _a Potter, dear," Charlus teased.

"Don't you mean fortunate for _you_?" Dorea winked at him.

"What house were you in ... Mum?" Hermione asked politely reaching for a piece of toast in front of her.

"I was a Slytherin, dear," Dorea explained and Hermione's eyes went wide. _Harry's Grandmother was in Slytherin?!_

"Sneaky snake tricked me into our first date," Charlus scooted his chair closer to his wife, reaching for her hand which she casually allowed him to take, a devious smirk on her lips.

"Are you complaining?" Dorea asked.

"Not a bit," Charlus smirked and kissed his wife's wrist. Hermione chuckled and looked at James who was rolling his eyes at his parents flirting.

"Don't worry, Mia. Mum was probably the only good Slytherin to ever come out of that snake pit."

"Don't start causing trouble already, James," Dorea shook her head. "There's already enough animosity between the Houses. I won't have you walking into that school and being a problem child."

"Does this look like the face of a problem child?" James widened his bright hazel eyes and stuck out his bottom lip as he stared innocently at his mother.

"Don't give me that innocent look James Charlus Potter," Dorea narrowed her slate grey orbs. "I know better by now. Speaking of innocent, you better be exactly that when we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow."

"I thought we were going to Diagon Alley next week?" James asked as he refilled a his cup of pumpkin juice from the nearby carafe, reaching over for Hermione's glass to do the same, but paid little attention to see if she reacted. Hermione was shocked to watch a boy do such things without some sort of alternative motive.

"No, we told you _last _week that we were going _this _week. Tomorrow in fact," Dorea sighed in frustration. "Charlus, are you certain he's ready to go to Hogwarts on his own? Poor boy might get lost on the train, or fall in the lake."

"No one falls in the lake," Charlus laughed and Hermione joined in, though she was chuckling at the memory of a young Dennis Creevy who had actually fallen in the lake on the inaugural boat ride to the Sorting Ceremony.

There was a soft pop and Tilly appeared at the table, clearing away plates, levitating new dishes to the table and refilling cups that the Potters had not refilled themselves. The small family smiled at her, all saying words of gratitude as she moved around the table with a determined smile. "Tilly's young Master will _not _fall in the lake," she insisted. "Tilly taught him to swim, oh yes she did."

"Tilly," James pouted. "Mum's not sure I'm ready to go to Hogwarts," he let his pout turn into a grin and Hermione furrowed her brows, recognizing the look. It was the same look Harry got whenever he and Ron planned on sneaking out of the castle beneath the cloak.

Tilly seemed to suddenly turn on Dorea, her big eyes staring at the older witch. "Tilly's young Master _will _go to Hogwarts," the little house-elf said with a fierce voice. "Young Master is the smartest wizard, brave and valiant," she beamed at James. "They let's young Master into Hogwarts to be the greatest wizard," and she looked back at Dorea with a silent 'or else' hanging in the air.

Hermione stared at the scene. Charlus was chuckling under his breath, Dorea looked mildly annoyed and James looked abundantly smug. Well now Hermione was certain she knew where James's got his ego from.

"I can't believe you turned a house-elf against your Mum," Hermione shook her head and reached for her empty plate as she stood.

"Tilly will take young Miss' plate," the house-elf reached for it and Hermione pulled it away.

"Tilly, I can clear away my own plate," Hermione frowned, a strong part of her just unable to let a house-elf do the work for her. Tilly however, persisted on, though instead of falling into tears like she had immediately last night in the hallway, the little house-elf went straight into growling, and Hermione immediately released her plate with wide eyes.

"Young Miss is the smartest witch," Tilly beamed with the same sudden affection she'd shown James not moments earlier. "She goes to Hogwarts soon with young Master and will make her House so proud, yes she will!" And then Tilly vanished with a soft pop, taking Hermione's empty plate with her.

"I've never seen an elf so..." Hermione began, still in shock.

"Overbearing?" Charlus suggested with a laugh. "She's been like that since about a week after moving into the Manor," he explained. "So happy to be here that she overdid everything," he shook his head. "I didn't grow up with house-elves myself, so I was used to doing most things on my own just like you," he smiled at her and Hermione couldn't help but feel better. "I learned quickly not to get in her way though. The third time she caught me hanging up my own robes, she threatened to bite my hand."

"It's true," Dorea laughed softly at the memory. "So get used to her, love," she smiled at Hermione. "But try not to let it go to your head like someone else," she eyed her son affectionately.

"I don't know what you're all talking about, Tilly's a genius," James shrugged his shoulders and drained his pumpkin juice.

"I'll keep an eye on him at Hogwarts," Hermione offered, looking at James. "I'm sure his head will deflate a little without Tilly there to dote on him," she smirked.

"You're officially taking on the position of sister?" Charlus chuckled.

"Courage and craft," Hermione repeated her new House words. "I'm a Potter now," she said aloud, yielding to the circumstances she had been forced into - or maybe lucked into. "Something tells me looking after him will come with my new name."

"You're a good girl, Hermione," Dorea said proudly.

"Mia," Hermione swallowed hard and turned to smile at James. "I think I'd like to be called Mia."

James threw his fists into the air in a sign of victory.

oOoOoOo

After breakfast, Hermione retired to her room where she was forced into an incredibly large bathtub by a very pushy house-elf who agreed not to scrub Hermione herself as long as Hermione promised to let Tilly brush her hair when she was done. Hermione begrudgingly agreed, and was glad for it in the end as Tilly took to Hermione's bushy locks with determination, taming the curls into submission and promising to look for a spell that would make it easier next time. Hermione wished her luck with that.

Newly made robes waited for Hermione, set out on her large four posted bed in a variety of beautiful colors. She smiled as she touched them, never imagining that she'd ever casually wear something so fine in all her life. She hated to be doted upon like this, but she couldn't help but feel so grateful for the Potters who brought her into their home with such ease and no awkwardness at all. Other than the house-elf, none of them coddled her or pitied her. For all they knew her family could have been slaughtered by Death Eaters, and yet they treated her like any other child. Like their _own _child.

And James treated her like a sister already. With the same affection she'd grown to love from Harry over the years, though Harry lacked the manners that had been instilled in James more than likely due to Pure-blood traditions. Hermione wondered how much of that would change when she and James went to Hogwarts and he was no longer under the gaze of his parents. A part of her couldn't wait to see. The thought surprised her and she swallowed a note of anxiety that threatened to push it's way into her.

After dressing in her new robes, Hermione reached beneath the mattress of her bed and pulled out the folded parchment that Remus had left in the crimson box. She read it again, over and over and frowned at the words. A part of her was still angry, but more over the fact that she'd not been consulted. His words were easy enough to decipher.

_'I'm only following the instructions of someone who understood time better than I ever did'_

_'I couldn't leave it to chance though. You needed to go back.'_

Remus had sent her back because she'd already been back. If Remus and Dumbledore were right and time was a loop, then sometime in his past, Remus had met Hermione and discovered her secret about the Time-Turner, and told him how she'd arrived in 1971. Remus was torn over his orders, this mission, and Hermione figured out that it was _her _who begged him long ago to make sure she was eventually sent back.

But why? If not to end the war early, if not to destroy Voldemort before he grows into power, if not to save so many lives... then what?

_'Live your life. Enjoy your life.'_

Was that the reason? Was Remus somehow giving her a second chance at life? Was this her reward for all her efforts in the war? A _normal _childhood and a chance to grow up in the Wizarding world without being knocked aside due to prejudice? She'd been gone less than a full day and somehow she'd already been gifted a family and a brother. A chance to experience Hogwarts without the need to fight trolls, three-headed dogs, Basilisks, Death Eaters and Voldemort.

Dumbledore told her that Remus' letter was her guide now. Her new rules to abide by, and as much as it pained her to agree, she did. She was good at following rules. Especially when Harry and Ron weren't there to convince her otherwise. Thinking of them hurt. Thinking of everyone back home in 1998 hurt. But hurting was against the rules.

_'Live your life. Enjoy your life.'_

Hermione sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She could do this. She would use the letter as her guide. She would live her life as instructed by Remus and Dumbledore. She would try to enjoy her life. But Hermione Granger's life came with baggage. Baggage that she couldn't carry here in 1971. So she would do the only thing she could do. She would leave the baggage with Hermione Granger, and start fresh... as Mia Potter.

oOoOoOo

Mia spent her first day as a Potter getting a tour of the large Manor and a history lesson on her new ancestral family. Dorea was a skilled witch and exuded intellect and grace, but somehow still clinging to that piece of mischief that lingered in her gaze. Charlus, not knowing how much Mia was privy to about the Wizarding world, attempted to educate her, and she did little to stop him as it seemed an opportune time to bond with the man who their world would see as her father.

"How are people not going to ask questions about me?" She asked him as they strolled through the family orchards that reminded her a great deal of the ones in the Weasley's backyard.

"Well we're the last Potters," Charlus explained. "When Dorea and I married, a good deal of the other Pure-blood families weren't too pleased with it. Her mother had wanted to match her to another family, but her father loved her and let her choose her own husband," he smiled. "I like to think she chose well."

"I do too," Mia smiled.

"Well when we married, Dorea's family cut ties with her, and my folks had died the year after. I worked from home for a long while, and it took years and years before we had James," he shrugged his shoulders. "By the time we had the 'Potter heir'," he said the word with a roll of his eyes. "Society didn't seem to care much of what we were doing. Kids we went to Hogwarts with were already having grandchildren of their own, so we didn't exactly fit in with the crowd after James was born. We didn't even publicly announce it. Didn't want Dorea's family causing trouble," he frowned. "Which is exactly why no one will ask questions about you," he smiled.

"Is James going to be upset when he finally figures out that no one out in the world knows who he is?" Mia asked with a light chuckle and Charlus joined in on the laughter.

"Your brother creates his own world, and in it, he's the highest ranking authority," Charlus shook his head with a laugh.

"We'll see about that," Mia smirked. She was all too eager to take her new brother down a few pegs once they got to Hogwarts.

Meals were served in the formal dining room at the long oak table, though each member of the Potter family all sat at the end, close enough to pick off one another's plates, something that Charlus and James did constantly despite Dorea and Mia's objections. After dinner the family gathered in the drawing room where Dorea and Charlus watched their children play game after game of exploding snap, talking constantly about their eagerness to attend Hogwarts in less than a month.

When Tilly announced it was time for the family to get some rest, Mia practically ran to her room, taking off her robes and throwing on her nightdress swiftly in order to make sure that the house-elf didn't do it for her. When Tilly came in later to see if Mia had need of anything, the house-elf grinned at the independent witch as though she were a challenge, but instead of fighting her new young Miss, Tilly wished Mia sweet dreams.

But as much as Mia Potter wanted to set aside the baggage of Hermione Granger, the two identities were still of the same entity, and just a few hours into the night, Mia began screaming in her sleep.

"Please! Don't hurt them! Please! No!"

"Mia?" A voice whispered from the doorway. James stood there, tired eyes and messy hair as he stared into the darkness, listening to the whimpering cries of his sister. "Mia? Are you alright?" He walked in and immediately rushed toward the bed to find Mia thrashing and crying, lost in the depths of what had to be a horrible nightmare.

"Let him go. Please let him go!" Mia screamed.

"Mia? Mia?" James crawled into the bed and put his hands on her shoulders, giving her a gentle shake, not wanting to scare her awake. When her screams stopped, he let out a sigh of relief, but worried that she might have woken their parents. He knew they'd be terrified if they saw and heard what he just witnessed. "It's okay," James's patted her head affectionately. "It's just a nightmare. You're safe," he whispered.

"Harry?" Mia whispered.

"It's James," he frowned.

"Jamie?" Mia looked up at him, tears still welled in her eyes.

"Yeah, it's me," he looked down at her with sympathetic eyes and in the dark she could almost mistake the hazel color for green. Her tears overflowed and a bubble of pain burst inside of her chest as she cried and reached out to hug him close to her, crying quietly in his small arms.

"It's okay Mia," James patted her back like his mother used to do when he was little and scared. She hugged him tight and James couldn't help but smile, a strange feeling of protectiveness coming over him and he hugged her back just as tight. "I've got you now. You're fine. I'll . . . I'll protect you now."


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** I love reading all of your questions and speculations. Not only does it make me happy to see readers invested, it also causes me to think ahead in the story and to make sure I've got all of my bases covered. Time travel stories can be difficult and I'm always concerned about continuity issues. PLEASE if you ever see a mistake of any kind, feel free to PM me so I can adjust it. My Beta (Fluffpanda) and I go over the chapters multiple times, but still things slip through the cracks. I actually wrote Chapter 18 a while ago and reading it again to post brought tears to my eyes. I love writing James and Mia. To answer **kelbelz'**s question, it is pronounced My-uh, not Mee-uh.

I'm really excited about this chapter. It was one of my very favorite to write during the early years of Part Two. Please let me know what you think about it!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Nineteen: Are You Serious?

_"...'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose_  
_And it's you and me and all of the people_  
_And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you..."_  
_(You and Me - Lifehouse)_

* * *

**August 3rd, 1971**

**Diagon Alley**

Mia woke up the following morning, on the right side of her bed, her hand grasped tightly and pillowed under James' cheek. She smiled sadly, looking over at the boy who looked so much like Harry that it hurt. She'd had nightmares constantly since the war - since Malfoy Manor really. She had spent a month at Shell Cottage recovering from her run-in with Bellatrix Lestrange where Sirius kept watch over her while she slept, guarding her against the night terrors that plagued her. When she'd moved into Grimmauld Place and the memories would return in her sleep to haunt her, Sirius would be there to comfort her - more than likely feeling responsible since it was _his _cousin who'd tortured her. But when Sirius wasn't there, it was Harry who would crawl into her bed and held her until she stopped crying and fell back asleep. Looking at James now with his eyes closed, she couldn't help but see the son in the father, and it warmed her heart to think that somehow the Fates had smiled and given her a piece of Harry to keep with her in this time.

James was overly kind about the situation and instead of asking Mia questions about her nightmares, or even bringing up the fact that he'd had to stay with her through the night, the boy teased her about her hair and began enthusiastically planning the rest of their day at Diagon Alley.

When Dorea Potter and the two children stepped into the Floo, arriving in Diagon Alley moments later, Mia smiled at the familiar sights, though her eyes were immediately drawn toward Flourish and Blotts, a strong part of her eager to get her hands on the first editions of books she'd bought during her own time.

"Can you two be trusted to be on your own while I head into Gringotts?" Dorea asked, her eyes strictly on James.

"You don't trust your own son?" He asked, mockingly offended.

"The last time I brought you to Diagon Alley you got lost for three hours and we found you in the back storeroom of Sugarplum's Sweet Shop," Dorea stared down at her son accusingly and James rolled his eyes.

"That was _not _the last time we were in Diagon Alley," he scoffed, as if the date of the incident was the problem. He turned to Mia, shaking his head. "Mum exaggerates." Hermione quietly laughed as Dorea's jaw twitched, clearly debating whether or not bringing him was a smart move on her part.

"I'll take care of him, Mum," Mia promised and Dorea seemed to accept that.

"James, stay with your sister," she pointed at her son. "I mean it. You can look around for a bit, but meet me at Ollivanders in twenty minutes. And don't wander. And do not go anywhere near Knockturn Alley young man."

"Yes Mum," James nodded quickly and the newly acquainted 'Potter twins' were left to their own devices, one incredibly eager to run amok.

"Do you want to go to Flourish and Blotts?" Mia asked, her brown eyes scanning the store with anticipation.

James made a face at her idea. "Or we could go to Broomstix."

"Obscurus Books?" Mia suggested.

"I counter your boring idea with a trip into Gambol and Japes," he smirked.

_A joke shop?_ Mia shook her head._ Absolutely not_. The last thing she needed was a Potter in a joke shop. She'd spent enough time dealing with Harry and Ron inside Zonko's and eventually Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Though she missed her friends, she couldn't help but feel relieved that she didn't need to worry about encountering Fred and George in this era.

"We should be looking for things on our lists for school," she frowned at him, oddly using the same stare that Dorea used when trying to reign in the messy haired boy.

"Fine, fine," James sighed loudly. "Let's head over to Quality Quidditch Supplies then," he said as though it was a great sacrifice on his part.

"You don't need Quidditch Supplies," Mia scolded him. "First years aren't allowed to play."

"Then I'll be pretty famous when I make the team, won't I? Youngest Chaser in centuries! That's what they'll call me," he said smugly and Mia laughed at his phrasing. She knew James would not become the youngest Chaser in centuries, but she couldn't help but feel a strange bit of pride in knowing that Harry would carry on James' Quidditch dream. Even if the sport was a ridiculous waste of time and an excuse to be barbaric.

"You're incorrigible," she shook her head, refusing to accompany him inside the store. Was it too much to deal with a boy, one boy in her entire life that wasn't obsessed with the insane excuse for a sport?

"Flourish and Blotts first and then I'll agree to accompany you to your little broom store," Mia stared at him, arms crossed over her chest. "It's not like we even have money to buy anything just yet. We're only browsing while waiting for Mum," she shrugged.

James seemed to be okay with the small compromise and the two headed toward the bookstore, one more eager than the other. A thin and sallow faced woman stormed past Mia on the right, her feet stomping a little as she sped forward toward the book store. Her eyes looked back once, dark circles beneath them and an exhausted scowl fixed to her jaw. "Severus hurry, your father wants us back before noon!" The woman snapped.

_...Severus?_

Mia turned around to follow the woman's gaze, but as she moved she collided with something and lost her balance. "Ow!" shouted the voice of a young male and suddenly her brown eyes looked up into a pale face draped in black hair and dark eyes narrowed at her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she mumbled, shocked at the familiar sneer.

"Watch where you're going!" The boy snapped at her, his eyes narrowing before shoving her out of his way. Mia tripped backwards, still awkward in her smaller frame. She tried to recover her balance, but fell to the cobblestone road, skinning her knees and palms scratching against the rough surface of the street.

"Hey! Don't touch my sister!" James shouted, stepping forward and glaring at the boy.

"She should watch where she's going," the sour-faced boy said, glaring daggers at James as the two faced off.

"Severus! Get over here!" The thin woman shouted.

"Sounds like Mummy's calling you," James sneered, his eyes narrowing, glaring at the boy who dared to shove his twin.

Mia sniffed and looked down at her skinned knee that was bleeding. It certainly wasn't the worst thing she'd ever had to deal with, and she almost laughed at the sting of the cut compared to the Cruciatus Curse, or the feeling of being splinched. No, this was nothing, though she was slightly embarrassed by tripping so easily.

"Hey, you okay?" Another voice asked and a shadow fell over her form. "That looked like a bad tumble."

"I'm fine..." Mia grumbled as she tried to pick a few small rocks out of the unattractive cut on her leg. She turned her attention upwards to thank the person for being considerate and asking about her, but when she went to speak, her mouth fell open as her eyes stared up into a color of grey that she was intimately familiar with. Her breath caught in her throat as she gaped at the sight. The color of campfire smoke on an early autumn morning, but the irises twinkled molten silver in the sunlight. "I..." she exhaled and whispered, "Sirius?"

"Have we met?" The boy in front of her quirked an eyebrow and a smile crossed his face.

"What?" Mia blinked.

"You called me Sirius."

"What?" _Shit! _She had. She silently scolded herself for being so easily distracted that she broke one of the main rules of time travel. "No, I said are you serious?" She tried to recover, but internally grimaced at her terrible lie. "A bad tumble. Are you serious? I've had worse."

"Huh," the young boy seemed to ponder her answer as though he were trying to decide whether or not the girl was lying. Mia swallowed.

"Why did you think we'd met?" She asked casually.

"My name is Sirius," He winked at her and she blushed.

"Are you serious?" She laughed.

"Yep," he grinned and Mia melted.

This was Sirius. Sirius Black. _Her _Sirius. No, no, not _her _Sirius. _Her _Sirius wasn't even _her _Sirius, and he was thirty years in the future waiting around for her, the day after her nineteenth birthday when they were supposed to talk about their bond. _Their bond_! Mia's eyes widened as she looked at the boy, wondering if it still existed here and now. She recalled reading about the life debt ritual and how it was supposed to exist throughout time and space, but certainly it couldn't mean time travel as well.

"I'm... fine," she finally answered his original question, trying to distract herself from looking directly at him. His beautiful aristocratic features were hidden beneath the soft curves leftover from childhood. His fair skin contrasted beautifully as ever against the lustrous, shiny black hair that hung just past his ears. Without the aged lines in his face, numerous scars and tattoos, Mia struggled to search the boy's face for the man who'd left her in his family library just days ago. There was the smallest hint of mischief in the boy's eye and Mia smiled. _Found you, Sirius_, she thought to herself.

"You're _bleeding _is what you are," he gestured to her knee, pulling her out of her daze.

"Oh..." She frowned and looked down embarrassed at her skinned knee.

"Here," Sirius knelt down beside her, pulling a silk handkerchief from the pocket of his finely made robes, holding it out to her.

"Are you sure? This looks expensive," she eyed the black silk in her hands, taking immediate notice of the Black family crest embroidered in silver in the corner of the cloth.

"All the better to ruin it then," he smirked and she smiled gratefully, pressing the cloth to her small wound, wiping the blood from her skin.

"I'm H... Mia," she said, scolding herself again for almost messing up. "By the way."

"What an arse," James cursed as he came back to his sister, done with stalking off after the boy who's pushed her. "You okay Mia?" He asked, concern and irritation in his voice. He'd been a brother for one full day and already he'd failed to protect his sister.

"Fine, just scraped my knee," Mia smiled up at him and James took immediate noticed of the other boy who reached a hand out to Mia, helping her to her feet.

"Hey thanks mate," James extended a hand to Sirius, glad that someone had stopped to see if his sister was alright.

"No problem," Sirius nodded, taking the hand.

"James, this is Sirius," Mia smiled brightly at what she suddenly realized was a very historically important moment. She beamed at the two boys, searing the memory in her mind, eagerly hoping that she could keep it so when - or if - she returned to Harry, she could tell him all about it, or better yet show him inside a Pensieve. "Sirius, my brother James."

"You like Puddlemere?" Sirius asked, gesturing to the shirt that James was wearing beneath his open robes.

"Doesn't everyone?" James grinned.

"_I_ don't," Mia shrugged her shoulders. "I don't like Quidditch much."

"You don't like Quidditch?!" Both boys shouted at the same time, eyes wide and staring at her as though she'd just sprouted a second head.

"What the hell, Mia?" James clutched his chest as if heartbroken. "I knew you didn't want to go into the Quidditch store, but I didn't know it was this bad," he shook his head. Considering his reaction, Mia might as well have been infected with dragon pox.

"What's wrong with you?" Sirius gaped.

"Why do you want to hurt me?" James sniffled.

"Oh Merlin," Mia rolled her eyes at the melodramatic scene playing out before her. "Can we go look for our books now?"

"No way," James scowled. "That greasy looking git that knocked you over is in Flourish and Blotts with his Mum. I'd rather avoid meeting him again."

"Who was he?" Sirius asked, a matching scowl crossing his face.

"No idea," James shrugged. "Just another sleazy snake in the making."

"Not a fan of Slytherins?" Sirius grinned.

"Why, are you planning on becoming one?" James said jokingly, as if it were a joke that anyone would plan for such a travesty as being sorted into Slytherin.

"Not if I have a choice," Sirius laughed.

"Sirius Orion Black!" A loud, screeching voice called from a short distance away. Mia's eyes widened at the sight of Walburga Black, alive and in the flesh. She'd spent months inside Grimmauld Place being screamed at by the portrait of this very woman who never hesitated to call her a filthy Mudblood who was tainting the Ancient and Noble House by stepping foot inside. It was more than a little uncomfortable to see the woman in front of her, and not be able to cover her up with curtains.

"Did I not tell you to stay by your brother!?" Walburga Black glared down at her eldest son, ignoring the two other children in front of her.

"What for? He hasn't let go of your skirt all morning," Sirius eyed the smaller black-haired boy who was, in fact, holding onto Walburga's hideous black dress with a tight fist, his grey eyes, so similar to Sirius' were small and wide as he looked nervously between his mother and brother. _This must be Regulus Black. _

"You watch your mouth you little..." Sirius' mother raised her hand, clearly having no qualms about striking her own child in the very public square of Diagon Alley. Sirius, defiant as ever didn't even flinch or blink at the sight. Mia however felt like reaching for her wand to defend Sirius, only to remember she no longer had one.

"Walburga," the calm and collected voice of Dorea Potter glided over, approaching the scene, her eyes cold and hard as she stepped between Walburga Black and Sirius who stood side-by-side with James and Mia.

"Aunt Dorea," Walburga glared, lowering her hand.

"Long time," Dorea said, looking over Walburga as if assessing her.

"Not. Long. Enough," Sirius' mother seethed.

"Still just as dramatic as always I see," Dorea rolled her eyes.

"Still married to a blood traitor I see?"

"Blood traitor, yes," Dorea laughed. "How clever."

"Mum?" James whispered anxiously, attempting to break the tension between the two women.

Mia stared quietly at the two women, still caught up on the word 'aunt' that Walburga put in front of Dorea's name. Mia had almost forgotten that Harry's grandmother was a Black. She'd researched it course when she'd prepared for the life debt ritual, needing something from the Black bloodline in order to call for Sirius. However, she'd all but forgotten the connection when she'd met Dorea face to face, finding no similarities between her adoptive mother and the nasty witch standing in front of her.

"Oh," Walburga turned her eyes to James. "I'd heard you had a child sometime ago."

"Yes, this is my son James and my daughter Mia," Dorea said.

"A daughter too?" She said the word as if it came with great shame. "I'd not heard," Walburga openly patted her youngest son on the head as though she were silently showing off that she'd provided not one, but two sons to the Ancient and Noble House of Black, thus one-upping Dorea.

"Well you know how society is. Once you've got the heir, what reason is there to celebrate," Dorea said sardonically.

"I suppose you're right," Walburga nodded.

"I was being sarcastic you overstuffed bint," Dorea narrowed her eyes, her jaw twitching. James and Mia both widened their eyes as they stared up at their mother, who was usually so calm and collected, but was emanating the classic Black temper, grey eyes narrowed at Waburga. Sirius, however, beamed up at Dorea Potter as though she were the greatest thing he'd ever seen in his entire life.

"Sirius Black ma'am," he grinned and extended his hand. "An _absolute _pleasure to meet you," he said in awe.

"Dorea Potter," she smiled down at the boy, ignoring the look of loathing that crossed Walburga's face. "And who do you belong to?" She asked, already knowing the answer but enjoying the sound of Walburga's teeth grinding together.

"That. Is my son," the angry woman fumed.

"But he can smile, Walburga," Dorea gasped in mocking shock. "Where on earth could he have seen one before?" Sirius' smile widened and he looked over at James and Mia with great appreciation before turning his admiration back to Dorea.

"Sirius is the heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Black," Walburga said proudly, though she refused to look at the son she spoke so highly of. The same son she'd nearly struck only minutes ago. "You remember _them_, don't you, Dorea?'

"My own House? Yes, I'm fairly certain I can recall."

"Surprising, considering that you refuse to act accordingly," Walburga snorted.

"I act as my conscience dictates. And teach my children to do the same," Dorea said, affectionately moving to stand behind James and Mia, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Shame," Walburga looked down at the children as if Dorea's actions immediately labelled them as 'blood traitors'. "I teach my children obedience and tradition."

"You teach bigotry and hatred and you don't fool me for a second!" Dorea snapped viciously, looking as though she were a viper ready to strike. Suddenly envisioning Dorea Potter as a Slytherin was not so difficult.

"Mum..." Mia tugged on Dorea's sleeve. "Weren't we supposed to get our wands soon?"

"Yes, well," Dorea let out a shaky exhale. "If you'll excuse me Walburga, my family and I have some school shopping to do."

"Sirius is attending Hogwarts this year as well. Certain to make Slytherin House _very _proud," Walburga turned her nose in the air and stormed away, eager to have the last word. Dorea likewise turned and walked off in the opposite direction. Regulus immediately followed after Walburga, but Sirius didn't move to leave.

"I heard at the Sorting we have to fight a dragon," Sirius commented with a grin, acting as though nothing had happened.

"That's rubbish, Sirius," Mia shook her head.

"Sirius, come!" Walburga screamed from across the street, but Sirius continued to ignore her.

"I wonder what kind of dragon it'll be!" James' eyes brightened.

"Jamie, we _don't _have to fight a dragon," Mia insisted.

"I hope it's a Chinese Fireball!" Sirius grinned excitedly.

"Or a Peruvian Vipermouth!" Said James.

"Wicked," both boys muttered enthusiastically.

"Are you two even listening to me?" Mia glowered.

"Sirius! Come!" Walburga screamed once more, stomping her foot.

"Woman treats me like a bloody dog," Sirius growled and Mia stifled a laugh.

"We'll see you on the train?" She called after him as he began to move.

"Save me a seat," he smiled at them both and turned on his heels to catch up with his family, dodging to the side as Walburga made to smack him, laughing as she missed her target.

"Well," Dorea said, re-approaching her children. "Interesting friend you've made."

"He was nice," Mia sighed, her heart clenching as she suddenly realized just how much she'd missed Sirius' smile and laughter. "A boy shoved me down and Sirius helped me," Mia explained, gesturing to her scabbing knee.

"A son of Walburga Black helped a Potter?" Dorea laughed, eyes wide. "Salazar Slytherin must be rolling in his grave." Both James and Mia laughed. "Alright, we're a little behind thanks to that nonsense. I would have just walked away had it been anyone else," Dorea explained. "But there's something incredibly satisfying about ruffling that old vultures feathers."

oOoOoOo

**Ollivanders Wand Shop**

The Potter family made their way to a narrow, shabby looking shop ahead of them. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. Hermione smiled brightly up at the sign and James seemed to be bouncing on his toes as they entered the shop.

"Good afternoon," Ollivander smiled as he approached the counter, glancing down first at the children with anticipation. Mia stared at the man who only months ago had been devastatingly unhealthy the last time she'd seen him in Shell Cottage after escaping Malfoy Manor. The man before her now looked bright and healthy despite his age, and obviously eager to help two new customers.

"Dorea Black," Ollivander smiled up at her. "Ten and a half inches. Cherrywood, pliable with the core of a dragon heartstring," he recited and Dorea smiled back at him, impressed.

"Show off," Dorea chuckled. "And it's Dorea _Potter _now," she explained. "My children are going to Hogwarts this year and are in need of wands."

"Always happy to provide wands to new Potters," Ollivander grinned. "Charlus' wand is Eleven inches, walnut, supple with the core of a unicorn hair, is it not?"

"You _know _it is," Dorea rolled her eyes. "James, you first," she gestured to her son who rushed forward with bright hazel eyes, looking up at Ollivander excitedly.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured James from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Mia blinked, wondering if her original wand was somewhere in the store, waiting to choose her, or if perhaps she'd end up with something different and the beautiful vinewood wand would sit on a shelf and wait for her.

After only three tries, Ollivander placed an eleven inch mahogany wand with the core of a unicorn hair in the young wizard's hand. James's eyes lit up and he let out a breath. "This..." James whispered. "This feels... good," he grinned and swished the wand which immediately sparked red and gold.

"Ah, wonderful, wonderful," Ollivander grinned. "This has very consistent magic," he nodded. "Good with transfiguration," he said. "Now, the young lady?" Ollivander turned to Mia who immediately approached the counter to be measured like her brother had been.

The wandmaker turned to the shelves and pulled out three boxes for Mia to try. The first was a brittle ash wand with the core of a unicorn hair but it didn't touch her fingers for longer than three seconds before Ollivander shook his head and removed it from her grip.

"Ah, here," he pulled a familiar looking wand from a box and Mia's eyes widened. _No, no, absolutely not! _"Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple." _Harry's wand_. Mia recognized it immediately and hesitated to touch it. She knew this wand and knew it's brother, and she swallowed hard as she slowly put her hand out. With great relief, Ollivander pulled the wand away after a few moments of holding it, replacing it instantly with another, while Mia was distracted, recovering from her mild panic attack.

A warmth filled her fingers like soft bath water. "This feels... familiar," Mia whispered.

"Ah good," Ollivander smiled. "Ten and one quarter inch, vinewood with the core of a dragon heartstring," he explained and Mia stared at the man. It wasn't her original wand, the measurements were off, but she couldn't help but feel a familiarity with the wand in her hand.

"Dragon heartstring?" She asked.

"Yes, Miss Potter, very powerful. The dragon that donated the heartstring was an old Ukrainian Ironbelly, donated three that year," he nodded. "A wand made of willow that I sold to a young Muggle-born girl just this week, and another vinewood in the back, just a bit longer than this," he smiled and Mia grinned. Somehow she'd ended up with the _sister _wand of her original. It made her feel like she hadn't left it behind in 1998.

"Perfection as usual, Mr. Ollivander," Dorea smiled and placed fourteen galleons in the wandmakers hand who bowed to the witch in thanks as she escorted her two excited children through the door.

_Maybe this won't be that bad_, Hermione thought. 1971 was slowly beginning to feel like home.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** So thankful for all the comments and messages! Glad you all liked the last chapter where we finally met young Sirius and even young Snape! To answer a few questions, **kelbelz **yes, Hermione/Mia is the reason that James and Sirius do not like Snape. Since we only see Marauders through memories in Canon, I really wanted to expand on the friendships and animosities between characters. Hermione is the catalyst that essentially creates the majority of events that happen in the 1970's, just like Remus' letter told her. She cannot change anything - she only sets things in motion if she even tries. Points to **origami zombie** who figured out that the third wand with the dragon heartstring belonged to one Lily Evans! Canon never said what the core of Lily's wand was, so I played with it. I try to put a lot of those hidden gems in the story if I can. Lots of references to Part One and to Canon. **Geclape**, I will be writing through ALL seven years of Hogwarts (and then some) for Part Two of this story. Granted each year will consist of an average of 3-4 chapters each.

This is one of my favorite chapters ever and it brought tears to my eyes to read it again before posting. Those who have already read Part One (and if you haven't, how are you even reading this now?) will recognize bits of this chapter from Chapter 13! As always, so much credit to my Beta, **Fluffpanda**.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty: Adopting Strays

_"...And how can I stand here with you, _  
_And not be moved by you? _  
_Would you tell me, _  
_How could it be, any better than this?..."_  
_(Everything - Lifehouse)_

* * *

**September 1st, 1971**

**Kings Cross Station**

Mia quickly followed behind James through the barrier that separated Platforms Nine and Ten. The twins eased their way through the seemingly stone wall, both grinning as they pushed their carts; James' taller than Mia's as it held a large owl cage with one of the family birds, a Tawny owl with speckled brown and white wings by the name of Hector. Though Mia had been offered the chance to bring her own familiar to Hogwarts, she declined. A part of her was unwilling to bond with another creature so soon the same way that she had done so with her beloved Crookshanks.

Smoke billowed out of the engine of the train labeled Hogwarts' Express, the familiar sight of the giant scarlet steam engine train calmed the frazzled nerves of Mia that had been building since Tilly woke her up this morning. She'd spent the past month as Mia Potter, the daughter of Charlus and Dorea Potter, twin sister of James Potter, and it was strangely easy to get lost in her new life.

The small family rarely left the comfort of the Manor, spending the late mornings reading together or separately in the massive library that rivaled that of the Black's family library. Afternoons were spent in the orchard, garden or the small clearing that James was determined to eventually convert into a proper Quidditch field where he practiced flying, pestering his sister to join him, something she always refused to do. Evenings were spent enjoying dinner together, listening to their parents tell stories, playing Exploding Snap or Wizard's Chess and eventually rushing off to bed to escape the grip of the overbearing house-elf who seemed to have made a game of trying to tuck the young Potter children into bed. While James normally enjoyed being doted upon by the house-elf, he'd seen the amused and proud expression on his sister's face when she properly evaded Tilly, and quickly decided to join in on the fun, much to Tilly's annoyance.

It was only the nights that made Mia's life difficult. She'd refused to let the Potter parents know about her nightmares, not wanting to frighten them, or let them see how utterly broken she was. Thankfully James was always there, sneaking into Mia's room and crawling into her bed usually an hour or two after the twins separated into their own suites. He'd take her hand within his own, utter promises of protection, and the siblings would fall soundlessly asleep. Life was strangely good here and Mia was adjusting well, reading Remus' letter each night before bed to remind herself of her rules.

_'Live your life. Enjoy your life.'_

Dorea looked to her children, tears welling in her eyes. James immediately showed his soft side by hugging his mother tightly around the waist and not making a fuss as she tried to affectionately flatten down his messy black hair that was standing up in several different directions in the back. "Be sure to write to us after the sorting," Dorea whispered.

"When you get in Gryffindor," Charlus added with a chuckle.

"Or Slytherin," Dorea stared at her husband.

"Anywhere's just fine," Charlus promised the kids who both chuckled at the way that their mother crossed her arms over her chest and then mumbled something derogatory under her breath that ended with "... as if children of mine would be Hufflepuffs."

"Go on then, you'll want a good seat," Charlus patted James on the shoulder once before bringing the boy into a tight hug, and before he released his son, he reached a long arm out for his daughter, pulling her in as well.

"Hey isn't that Sirius?" James asked as the twins made their way to the entrance of the train. Mia's eyes turned and immediately spotted the Black family consisting of Walburga Black, a pouting Regulus, a tall stiff looking man with a fixed sneer on his face that could only be Orion Black, and an utterly annoyed and impatient looking Sirius who caught her eyes and broke into a grin as the Potter twins passed him and his family on the Platform.

"Let's head inside, Jamie," Mia said with a smile that quickly faded when she accidentally made eye contact with Walburga Black who scowled at her with complete and utter contempt.

"Do not disgrace our family, Sirius," Walburga threatened her eldest son. "You have an attitude problem and a habit of flocking to ill-bred children," her eyes once again scanned upwards to the Potter twins who were loading their trunks onto the train. "Luckily when you're sorted into Slytherin you won't have to interact with the filth and muck as often."

"I'm going to miss the train if I don't go now," Sirius groaned.

"Please don't go," Regulus whispered desperately.

"I'll write you every week Reggie," Sirius promised, seeing the tense look his brother was giving him. The brothers were as close as they could be, given their home life, though it seemed almost as though Walburga and Orion Black were intent on creating animosity between the siblings, as though they could hold Regulus over Sirius' head in an attempt to control their eldest.

"I want to go too," Regulus frowned.

"Don't be ridiculous my precious boy," Walburga beamed and pulled Regulus closer to her. "You have a whole year just with me. Without distracting influences," she said, narrowing her eyes once more at Sirius.

"Subtle," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"What did you say?" She snapped at him.

"I said..." and Sirius tried to think of a lie. _What rhymes with 'subtle'_? "Bubble."

"Bubble?" Walburga sneered.

"Yeah, I'll admit I wasn't even trying there," Sirius shook his head.

"Get on the train before I change my mind and send you to Durmstrang," the woman said through clenched teeth as she tried to reign in her temper. Though she had no issues with publicly disciplining the boy, Platform Nine and Three Quarters was overly crowded and she was more interested in leaving as quickly as possible.

"Reggie, Father . . . Walburga, it's been great," Sirius saluted them all with a smirk on his face as he ducked away quickly and rushed toward the door of the train, tugging his trunk behind him. "You weren't really going to leave without me were you?" Sirius asked as he immediately ran into Mia and James, both having watched his farewell to his family from an open window.

"It's not _my _fault that you lingered behind to kiss your Mum," Mia teased.

"Ouch, kitten has claws," Sirius' eyes twinkled at her and Mia beamed brightly, remembering last year at the Burrow when a much older Sirius had told her the same thing before taking her in his arms on the dance floor at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

"Hurry you two," James called after them. "Before all the compartments get taken up."

"You boys go find one, I'm going to watch the train leave," Mia said with a smile. She'd done the same thing her first time on the Hogwarts Express.

"Girls," James rolled his eyes. "So bloody sentimental," he laughed and Sirius joined him, following behind the messy haired boy as the two made their way down the aisle, eagerly searching for an empty compartment.

Mia watched from the windows with misty eyes as the train pulled out of the station once the clock struck eleven. The Potter parents waved from the platform and Mia let out a shaky breath as she watched the anchors of her comfort in this world speed away from sight. She closed her eyes and remembered that soon she would be at Hogwarts. Her safe place. The place where she'd grown and blossomed within magic. Her _true _home. Mia summoned her inner Gryffindor courage and headed down the aisle to search for Sirius and James.

As she walked forward, something tugged inside of her as though some invisible string were pulling her gaze to the side where her brown eyes lingered over a small compartment at the front of the train where a thin pale boy with sandy blonde hair, sat with his nose stuck in a book. She rose a brow as she studied the boy, unsure as to why her spirit seemed to reach out to him. The boy's nose twitched and she could see him sniff the air and immediately a confused expression painted across his face as his soft green eyes turned and expectantly looked up at her. She took quick notice that unlike most of the other students, the boy was already wearing his black Hogwarts robes that looked slightly big on him, covering him from head to foot save for his hands and the small expanse of neck where Mia could see the faint outline of what looked to be a fresh scar. With wide brown eyes, Mia let out a soft gasp.

Remus Lupin.

She turned her head away from him, stifling her anger and she moved past his compartment, breathing heavy. This boy was the reason she was here in the first place. The reason she'd been torn from her own time, and thrust into the past without permission. The reason she was an eleven year old again and forced to create a new life and a new identity. Mia wanted to walk into that compartment and hit him. But then she remembered the confused expression on the boy's face and the scar on his neck. This wasn't the Remus that tricked her into going to the past. This was just a boy, a boy who from the looks of it was feeling very ill and Mia suddenly realized that the full moon was due in just three days. _Damn_. He was probably in a lot of pain, feeling sick and exhausted and now he had to deal with the stress of his first trip to Hogwarts.

Mia remembered Remus' letter to her.

_'Hopefully very soon you will come across a very lonely boy, who is terrified to go to Hogwarts, and is desperate for some understanding friends.'_

Her frown deepened. Remus was her friend. No matter what he'd done, she'd always trusted and admired him. He'd been the best teacher she'd ever had the privilege of being mentored by, and he'd _always _been there for her. She in turn had tried to be there for him, helping Tonks with Remus' transformations and the healing that he needed afterwards. At his worst moments - like when he doubted his ability to be a good father - it had always been _her _to bring him friendly comfort and raise his self esteem. She couldn't just turn her back on him.

"Hello!" Mia said brightly as she turned back to Remus' compartment, poking her head inside the door and smiling at him. Remus in turn jumped at the sudden noise and stared up at the bushy haired girl with nervous green eyes.

"Umm... me?" He blinked. "Hello, me?" He stuttered through his very confused expression. "I mean hello. . . umm, hi," he clutched his book tightly to his chest, as though he was trying to physically erect a barrier between himself and the strange girl.

"Are you waiting for your friends to join you?" Mia asked sweetly, trying to ignore the way he seemed to pull away from her.

"No," Remus frowned. Mia tried to hold back her emotions. She'd known that he would be alone, and that he wouldn't have been here with friends, but she couldn't very well let _him _know that.

"So you're here alone?" She asked him, stepping further into the compartment and watching closely as he pressed his back tightly against the window, trying to distance himself more.

"Do you.." he stammered again nervously, his breathing heavy as she closed in on him. "I mean... yeah, I'm alone. That's fine though," he insisted quickly. "I'm okay. I mean, did you need this compartment?" He asked quickly, wondering if he needed to make a hasty retreat through the door.

"No, my brother's getting us one in the back," she answered and then pointed to the book he clutched tightly. "What book are you reading?"

"Hogwarts, a History."

"Merlin, that's my favorite!" She grinned and immediately sat down right beside him, watching closely as he took in a sharp breath and stiffened at the lack of distance between them.

She took a moment to let him adjust to her presence, realizing that Remus had probably been terrified at this point to be around other people, especially without his parents to look after him. She had recalled an older Remus telling her how afraid he'd been of hurting others or even worse, infecting them. It explained everything about the terrified looking, lonely boy in front of her. But older Remus had implied in his letter that his younger self was in desperate need of understanding friends. And his letter was her guide and her rules, and she would obey it. Mia smiled over at him sweetly, gesturing to the book in his hands, watching as he very slowly let his guard down a little.

"My favorite too," he gave her a nervous smile. "I was really excited to go, so I wanted to read up. I didn't think I'd ever be able to attend," he admitted sadly.

"Why not? You're a wizard, aren't you?" She asked.

"I . . . I umm . . . yeah," Remus frowned. "I mean, my folks weren't sure if they wanted to send me somewhere else is all," he lied, and Mia understood why but didn't push the issue any further.

"Well lucky us then," she beamed brightly.

"Lucky?" He rose a brow as though he didn't understand the word.

"Yeah, you're coming to Hogwarts, and now we're going to be friends," she said firmly.

"Friends?" The word sounded painful as it left his lips and Mia did her best to hide the expression of grief that threatened to escape her. _Yes_. Remus was her friend, and would be her friend again. She needed him, just as he very desperately needed her.

"I'm Mia Potter," she smiled, holding a hand out to him that he looked at with wide eyes.

"Remus Lupin," he said without touching her, still staring at her extended hand.

"You know I don't have germs," she insisted.

"I know, I mean..." he looked down at her hand and she could almost see him calculating the risks in his head. Any other child would have probably thought him to be completely strange, or possibly have been offended by his reaction, but Mia knew better, which was also why she refused to back down. _Shake the damn hand, Remus_, she said silently to herself. Eventually, his soft green eyes looked up at her, and she tried to express to him the safety of the situation. Eventually he reached out and took her hand and she smiled like she'd just received an Outstanding on a test.

"Come on, Remus," she said, tugging on his hand like Tilly was constantly doing to her. Remus immediately began to panic, but didn't struggle against her.

"Where...where are we going?" He asked nervously.

"To join up with my brother and our friend," she smiled back to him and watched as he hesitated, lingering in the door to the compartment that had - up until she arrived - been his safe and secluded place. Mia waited patiently, but her stance told Remus that she was not letting up.

"If you come sit with me I'll buy us all a feast off of the trolley," she said, resorting to simple bribery. "You like Chocolate Frogs?" Her eyes twinkled with mischief and she watched as the barrier he'd put up between them fell immediately down.

As Mia and Remus made their way to the back of the train, they could hear loud laughter coming out of a compartment near the end on the right side of the aisle. And then a very familiar voice shouted out, "See ya, Snivellus!"

"Oh no.." Mia frowned.

"Something wrong?" Remus asked.

"At least _two _things," she sighed in frustration as she witnessed a young Severus Snape bolt from the compartment door a sneer on his face as he stormed forward through the aisle, coming across Mia and Remus who looked on as he shoved his way past them, screaming, "Move!" Mia jumped back, not wanting him to push her over again as he'd done in Diagon Alley. She turned as a small auburn haired girl looked to Mia and Remus with apologetic eyes before following after the black haired boy calling out, "Sev, wait up!"

Mia let out a growl of frustration and made her way to the compartment door, throwing it open and staring down at a laughing James and Sirius. "What did you do?" She snapped at them.

"We got a compartment," James smiled up at his sister with bright hazel eyes.

"That's not what I meant," her eyes narrowed. "Were you mean to the two other students that just came out of here?"

"We didn't do anything," Sirius defended immediately. "That greasy looking git started it."

"Yeah, he called us stupid," James scoffed.

"And the girl?" Mia asked.

"Probably just another Slytherin like that kid," James shrugged and Mia rolled her eyes. _Oh James, if you only knew what you'd just done_. "You know _he's _the one that pushed you in Diagon Alley, right?"

"Yeah, I'm not polite to blokes that shove girls," Sirius growled.

"Well..." she sighed in frustration, knowing that the boys at least had originated from a semi-good natured place, though she wasn't pleased with how they'd gone about it. "Thank you for defending me I suppose. Though I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she added stubbornly as she moved completely into the compartment, reaching back to grip Remus' hand and drag him inside with her, taking a seat across from James and Sirius, pulling Remus down beside her. "By the way, this is my new friend Remus."

"James Potter," James smiled and held out his hand. Remus looked at it much the same way he'd looked at Mia's hand when she'd introduced herself, but this time he didn't waste much time in shaking it before another hand was held out to him.

"Sirius Black."

"Remus Lupin," the little werewolf offered both of the boys a small smile.

"What house you want then, Remus?" James asked quickly.

"Gryffindor," he stated without a skipping a beat.

"Good," James grinned. "Hey Mia, you want to hear something funny? Sirius might end up in Slytherin," James laughed.

"Not if I can help it," Sirius scoffed and held his head high, determination on his face.

"Mum was in Slytherin," Mia pointed out.

"Really?" Sirius balked. "But your Mum seemed so . . . nice."

"She's a Black. Like your Mum," Mia pointed out.

"Your Mum is _nothing _like my Mum," Sirius was very quick to defend the honor of one Dorea Potter. "At least I hope not, for your sakes."

"Your Mum called my Mum 'Aunt Dorea.' That makes us family, yeah?" James asked.

"All Pure-blood families are related somehow if you go far back enough," Mia explained.

"I never cared to look too hard at my family tree," Sirius grimaced. "It criss-crosses too often." Mia gave him a knowing smile. She'd seen the Black family tapestry with her own eyes and Sirius was by no means exaggerating. She'd never seen a tree with more intertwined branches.

"We are second cousins once removed," she said, pointing to herself, James and Sirius. "Although considering what Sirius said about the criss-crosses in the family tree, there's a chance it could be fourth cousins. I'd have to research a little just to be sure."

"She always talk like this?" Sirius chuckled.

"It gets better the farther she is away from a library or bookstore," James grinned.

"Move it, first years!" A shout came from outside the compartment and all four inside turned to look at the window as a tall blond boy shoved his way into view. "Salazar, if I knew what House they belonged in I'd already be taking away points," the boy drawled and Mia's eyes widened at the sight.

There before her stood the mirror image of a fifteen year old Draco Malfoy, usual smirk on his lips and two large boys flanking him on either side, also looking very familiar. For a second Mia felt incredibly out of place before she realized that the blond boy in question was not in fact Draco, but his father, Lucius Malfoy, and the cronies at his side must have been the Crabbe Sr. and Goyle Sr. _Looks like some things rarely change_.

She felt a sharp pain and pressure in her chest at the sight of Crabbe Sr. Though she'd watched with her wide brown eyes as Lucius Malfoy had been struck down by the wand of his own son, seeing Crabbe Sr. was more difficult as it was her own wayward curse that had killed the man during the final battle in 1998. The first and only time the words 'Avada Kedavra' had left her mouth. She was distracted from her remorseful thoughts as Lucius Malfoy turned his bullying attention toward a small boy in front of him.

"Prefect coming through. Out of my way!" Lucius said as a small first year tried to walk past him. The older blond shoved the boy violently and the first year collided with the frame of the compartment, sinking quickly to the ground, nearly being trampled by Crabbe and Goyle in the process. James and Sirius stood quickly, scowls on their faces at the scene and Mia jumped from her seat to reach out to the small round faced boy.

"How awful! Are you alright?" She asked, grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet.

"Yes, thank you," he mumbled, a sad frown on his face.

"What an arse," Mia growled, her brown eyes narrowed at the back of Lucius Malfoy's head as he walked away from them. "Just because he's Prefect he thinks he can go about shoving people?"

"He thinks he can do whatever he wants because he's a Malfoy," Sirius pointed out.

"You know that prat?" Remus spoke up.

"Met him over the summer," Sirius shrugged. "He's going to be betrothed to my cousin Cissa."

"You sure you're okay?" Mia asked the round faced boy who seemed to be favouring his right shoulder that would certainly be bruised the following day, but he nodded to her instead.

"Come on in," James insisted, and watched as the boy took a seat opposite James and Sirius, sandwiching Mia between himself and Remus.

"Thanks for being nice to me," he smiled up at them all.

"Course, mate. I'm James," he grinned and began another round of introductions.

"Sirius."

"Remus."

"Mia," she smiled to the boy.

"I'm Peter," he said kindly and Mia's smile instantly faded as the bottom of her stomach lurched and the color drained from her face.

_No! _

She turned her face away from the boy, trying to control her anger as cold dread flooded through her body. She tried to focus on something to ground her. Sirius and James were already deep in discussion with one another, Remus had re-opened his book and Peter sat there quietly, so close to Mia that she wanted to scream. Her brown eyes closed and she tried to think of Remus' letter. Her guide and her rules.

_'Every action we take is the causation of destiny.'_

Mia silently grounded her teeth together. Though she felt proud to have been the reason to introduce James to Sirius and Remus, she was also the catalyst that brought Peter Pettigrew into the company of the future Marauders. She swallowed her guilt and wondered if she hexed the boy to her left into oblivion if anyone would notice. Remus had told her in his letter that she couldn't change anything. That there were those who were irredeemable. And one such person was sitting right beside her.

"Anyone want anything from the trolley?" An older witch's voice distracted her from her bitter thoughts.

"I'll get it," she jumped up, desperate to get away from Peter. "My treat."

"Careful, if you spoil us too early you'll never get rid of us," Sirius grinned at her.

"Like feeding a lost dog?" Mia chuckled and her smile brightened when Sirius let out a familiar barking laugh that soothed the open wound that meeting Peter Pettigrew had caused.

"Can I get two boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and five," she said, figuring she couldn't leave Peter out without appearing rude and suspicious, but then she remembered Remus was probably feeling sick due to the approaching moon, so she added, "No, six Chocolate Frogs?" Mia asked the older witch.

"Get me some Pumpkin Pasties, Mia?" James begged her.

"Can I have a Cauldron Cake?" Sirius added excitedly.

"And what they said," Mia rolled her eyes.

With her arms full of treats, Mia made her way to sit in between Sirius and James across from Peter and Remus. Though she had been very content to sit beside the werewolf, being so near to the traitorous rat had left her feeling ill and somehow feeling securely cocooned between her brother and Sirius erased the sickness.

oOoOoOo

A few hours later and they crashed post-sugar high. Mia fell into a quiet slumber, grateful for James and Sirius sitting beside her to chase away the nightmares. Instead of memories of war playing behind her closed eyes, Mia dreamt of Hogwarts and of Harry and Ron. When her eyes opened hours later, she blinked the sleep away and looked at her surroundings with an amused smile on her face. James to her left had snuggled into her shoulder, his messy black hair tickling the side of her cheek as he softly snored. Sirius however, had collapsed into her lap, his long black locks strewn all over, his legs splayed out toward the end of the bench. Mia smiled down at him affectionately and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to lay it straight.

"You seem pretty close to Sirius after only just meeting him," Remus commented and Mia looked up at the young werewolf with a smile.

"I guess I have a habit of adopting strays," she chuckled quietly.

"I heard that," Sirius mumbled sleepily, snuggling further into her lap.

"If you're awake, why are you still on my lap?" Mia looked down at him.

"This 'stray dog' enjoys having his head scratched," Sirius reached up without looking, grabbing her hand and putting it back on his head of hair. Mia laughed and swatted him gently. He grabbed her free hand and looped his fingers between hers. Mia blushed but continued to run her fingers through the black locks, remembering how older Sirius would shift into his Animagus form and crawl against her, head against her thighs as she petted his soft black fur. Apparently the man had always been a bit of a lap dog, and someone who clearly didn't know the meaning of personal space.

"I'm going to ignore the fact that your head is on my sisters lap because there are more important things to take care of right now," James said with a yawn as he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Like what?" Mia said, still running her fingers through Sirius' hair.

"Remus, Peter..." James addressed them with a very intensive stare. "I have a _very _important question for you both and the future of our friendship hangs in the balance here."

"Umm..." Remus sat back with a concerned look on his face as though James were just about to ask if he was a werewolf. Peter beside him swallowed hard.

"What Quidditch team do you support?" James asked, no hint of joking in his voice.

"Ugh," Mia rolled her eyes.

"Puddlemere United," Remus answered immediately with the biggest smile Mia'd seen today.

"You like Quidditch?" She stared at him with shocked eyes and Remus smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders. "Traitor," she scowled at him and he chuckled softly.

"I've always liked the Falmouth Falcons," Peter answered but then quickly added. "But I could like Puddlemere."

"Good answer," Sirius said, his head still buried in Mia's lap, eyes closed.

"What about the Chudley Cannons?" Mia asked with a mischievous smirk.

"What?!" James yelled and Sirius suddenly pulled away from her, echoing James's statement.

"Are you out of your mind?" James scolded his sister.

"They haven't won the League Cup since like 1892!" Sirius shouted and narrowed his eyes as Mia burst into laughter.

"If it's that easy to rile you all up, this is going to be a fun year," she let out a happy sigh and stood up. "We better get our robes on. I'll leave so you boys can change." Mia caught a brief look of relief on Remus' face that she assumed had been because he was already wearing his robes and didn't want to explain to his new friends about whatever scars covered his body. Just as she moved to open the door to the compartment, a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

She looked back at the compartment full of boys once more, watching as Sirius and James struggling to find their robes while Remus turned his attention quietly back to his book. Peter however was smiling up at her and Mia couldn't help but hate him for it. She wondered if she treated the boy kindly enough if he would change. If she festered a bit of courage in him, would he stand up to the Dark Lord and not betray his friends? _No_. Remus' letter said that she would not change anything. So Hermione would not be overly kind to the boy who would grow into the traitorous man.

It was then that she remembered her first ride on the Hogwarts Express when she'd accidentally created a bit of resentment between herself and another young wizard. This time, she did it on purpose. Mia paused in the door, turned and looked at Peter and muttered, "You've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"

Peter frowned and reached up, rubbing at his face, embarrassed.

oOoOoOo

**Hogsmeade Station**

A few minutes later, the train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Mia heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" And Mia's smile brightened at the sight of Hagrid. "C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

One by one Mia reached for her boys, tugging them along into a row to keep them close, purposely keeping Peter at bay as she moved ahead, linking her arm with James's as the students began walking behind the half-giant as he lead them through the darkness, separating the first years from the rest of the students who were entering large carriages drawn by Thestrals.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. James and Sirius raced to get into the boat first and James grinned as he won, claiming himself captain in the process. Mia reached for Remus' hand and he politely held it to help her climb in, following swiftly behind her.

"Sorry Pete," Sirius looked back at the round faced boy with a shrug. "We'll see you on the other side of the lake, mate." Peter nodded, and Mia couldn't help but feel incredibly satisfied. Her satisfaction didn't last long as the boats surged forward across the lake and both Sirius and James began rocking the boat back and forth.

"James Charlus Potter! If I fall in this lake and get eaten by a giant squid I will haunt you forever!" Mia screamed, gripping the side of the boat tightly.

"Aww Mia, you know we'd save you if you fell in," James laughed.

"Yeah I'm sure one of us knows how to swim," Sirius grinned.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid, and everyone ducked quickly and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"See?" James smiled at Mia who was using Remus' hand once more to help climb out of the boat. If she hadn't been so furious with her brother and Sirius, she would have taken great pleasure in seeing Remus opening up so easily to her, taking her hand without hesitation when she reached for him.

They clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. Mia took a deep breath as the oaks doors began to open. It's good to be home.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** This chapter is another that touches on the memories we've seen in Chapter 13 and also has a few references to some early Part One moments. I love writing those sort of things! Also, writing a Sorting Hat song is a pain in the neck, did you know? It is. Thank you all for the amazing comments! I love that you all love younger Sirius and Remus. Remus is my heart and Sirius is my soul and I've just got done watching deleted scenes from Deathly Hallows 2, so now I'm a weepy mess over my poor Remus. Alright, to answer comments: **kelbelz**, dealing with Peter was a pain. Mostly because most of the time-turner fics I've read have had Hermione try and save Peter to prevent him from the ultimate betrayal. I didn't want to go down that path. Wanted to do something different. I think at this point, Hermione/Mia has embraced Remus' rules for time-travel and knowing she can't change anything, she's trying to control the anger she feels over not being in control at all. Peter will be on the end of that anger from time to time. As always, **Fluffpanda** is the best Beta ever!

PS: Enjoy all the cameos! I researched like a swotty little Gryffindor preparing for O. for this chapter!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty-One: Potter, Mia!

_"...I'll be there someday, I can go the distance  
__I will find my way, if I can be strong  
__I know ev'ry mile, will be worth my while  
__When I go the distance, I'll be right where I belong..."  
__(Go the Distance - Michael Bolton)_

* * *

**September 1st, 1971**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Professor McGonagall walked the awed first years through the Entrance Hall and Mia let out a sigh of relief at the sight of it being unchanged by battle and empty of the wounded and the dead. The beautiful stone walls covered in lit torches and the marble staircase to the side that lead up to the dorms she was so eager to see once again. Professor McGonagall lead the students into the familiar small chamber off the hall to await their cue to join the rest of the school in the Great Hall to be sorted.

"Are you ready Sirius?" James bounced on the balls of his feet eagerly.

"It's going to be a Hungarian Horntail. I know it!" Sirius grinned.

"Oh not this again," Mia groaned.

"Wha...what about a dragon?." Peter sputtered out. Mia restricted the urge to goad Peter further into believing that the dragon was the Sorting, in hopes that he would run home and not attend Hogwarts.

"We have to fight a dragon!" James said with a bright grin, turning to look at the short boy who seemed to cower at the words. Mia rolled her eyes at her brother and Peter Pettigrew. What on earth did the Sorting Hat see in him that made him a Gryffindor? The courage to betray friends?

"You get into Hogwarts, or you burn alive!" Sirius said with a dark look in his eyes, amused at the look on Peter's face. There were other students in the back listening, all now looking equally terrified.

"Will you two stop!" Mia scowled.

"Or it eats you!" James added, ignoring his sisters protests.

"They're taking the mickey out of you," Remus leaned in and whispered to a near teary eyed Peter.

"You been sorted before?" James asked Remus with a devious smirk.

"C'mon Remus, you can help us take down the Romanian Longhorn!" Sirius patted the young werewolf on the back. "You me and James will take it down. We'll be legends!"

"You guys are morons," a small voice called out from behind them. Mia turned to see the familiar face of the auburn-haired girl from the train. A young Severus Snape stood beside her, glowering at the eager Marauders. "You're sorted by a magically enchanted hat."

"Oh yeah?" James turned and stared at the girl, an amused expression on his face as though she was giving him a proper challenge. "How do you know that?"

"It's in Hogwarts, A History," the little redhead, Remus and Mia all said simultaneously. Sirius and James burst into laughter just as the doors opened and Professor McGonagall stepped back through them.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." James stood first followed immediately by Sirius who turned to tug on Remus' robes to urge the boy to join them. Remus in turn looked back to Mia and smiled, and she quickly took her place behind him, not realizing that left Peter directly following her. As the students moved forward into the Great Hall, Mia resisted the urge to kick her leg backwards into Peter's shins.

The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles, floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver as they floated above the tables.

Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. James and Sirius looked disappointed at the hat, and the auburn-haired girl looked incredibly smug with herself at the sight and raised her eyebrow at James and Sirius.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

_Stick me here upon your brow  
__And let me sing my song  
__I'll dig inside your tiny minds  
__To see where you belong_

_Sit right down and let me see  
__The puzzles in your mind  
__For you will notice there is not  
__A secret I can't find_

_You might belong in Gryffindor  
__And wear the red and gold  
__Chosen by brave Godric  
__Who picks the daring and the bold_

_Perhaps you'll find in Hufflepuff  
__You prefer yellow and black  
__Followers of good Helga  
__Kindness they never lack_

_If you find yourself in Ravenclaw  
__You'll wear the bronze and blue  
__And see that wise Rowena  
__Likes her students original and true_

_If you're destined inside Slytherin  
__Silver and green you will don  
__Salazar made Ambition  
__His Houses words and song_

_Regardless where I place you  
__Hogwarts binds you all together  
__For even once outside these walls  
__Your magic lives forever_

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, please place the hat on your head and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Adrian!" A blond boy slowly made his way to the stool, put on the hat and waited for a few moments.

"SLYTHERIN!" Shouted the hat.

The boy made his way to the far end of the hall where a table dressed in green and silver was waiting for him with applause. Among the students Mia immediately caught sight of the pale blond hair of Lucius Malfoy, his Prefect badge glimmering in the light. To his left and right sat Crabbe and Goyle respectively, and across from him was another head of blond hair belonging to a girl that Mia quickly assumed to be a young Narcissa Black.

"Alton, Samantha!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Bagman, Otto!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again.

"Belby, Damocles!" Mia's attention quickly fell to the dark haired boy that now approached the hat. She knew his name well as she'd been researching him the summer after Dumbledore's death.

With Snape on the run, Remus no longer had a Potions Master to brew his Wolfsbane Potion, making his transformations that much worse for him. She'd taken up the task herself to attempt to brew the draught but she'd been unsuccessful at it. In an attempt to get the potion right, she had read about it's history, and the wizard who created it: Damocles Belby. Mia stared at the boy with interest, eager to pick his brain over the coming years in an effort to secure the helpful elixir for her friend. Eventually the hat yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"

"Good luck, Sirius," Mia smiled as she noticed that the young Black heir was next.

"Luck?" Sirius grinned at her. "I don't need luck. I've got determination on my side."

"Plan on tricking the Sorting Hat in order to get into Gryffindor?" James snickered.

"That sounds very . . . _Slytherin_ of you," Mia teased.

"Just for _that_ kitten," Sirius turned and stepped a little too close to her as though he were trying to be intimidating. Unfortunately all it did - coupled with the pet name he'd given her - was remind Mia of an older Sirius who was waiting for her somewhere in the future. "I'm getting into Gryffindor just to spite you," young Sirius winked.

"Black, Sirius!" Professor McGonagall called and they all watched as Sirius strutted forward, smirking when the hat fell over his eyes. Despite knowing the result, Mia watched on nervously, waiting as the Sorting Hat seemed to take it's time. Sirius did indeed look determined and Mia could only imagine the mental argument he was having with the Hat, refusing to be placed in the Hogwarts House of his ancestors.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.

"HA!" Sirius said with the brightest smile Mia had ever seen as he turned and pointed at her then silently did what she figured was an 'I told you so' dance on his way to the Gryffindor table.

"I'll never hear the end of this, will I?" Mia chuckled.

"Unlikely," Remus smirked.

"Brown, Alice!" Became the next Gryffindor to join the table, and Mia smiled at the young girls resemblance to Neville Longbottom. Though the girls last name was Brown and Mia couldn't help but wonder if she was related to a future Lavender. If this Alice was indeed Neville's future mother, it made Mia dislike Lavender Brown all the more who had never indicated that she and Neville were related.

"Carrow, Alecto!" Was called and Mia narrowed her eyes knowing the name well. The Carrow twins were Death Eaters that had evaded Azkaban after the First Wizarding War and spent the last year tormenting students as teachers inside the sacred walls of Hogwarts. It was no surprise when the hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!" for the sister, and then again as her brother Amycus followed.

"Catchlove, Greta" followed by "Diggory, Amos!" were put immediately into Hufflepuff, which didn't surprise Mia at all, and then the auburn-haired girl stepped forward with a nervous smile as her name was called.

"Evans, Lily!" There was barely a second after it had touched the dark red hair, the hat cried, "GRYFFINDOR!" Lily took off the hat, handed it back to Professor McGonagall, then hurried toward the cheering Gryffindors, but as she went she glanced back at Snape, and there was a sad little smile on her face.

"Huh, pegged that one as a Ravenclaw," James shrugged.

"You said on the train that she was probably a Slytherin," Mia rolled her eyes.

"Nah. She knew about the hat like you and Remus."

"That make us Ravenclaws too?" Remus eyed James.

"Hope not. You two leave me alone with Sirius? Who'll keep us in line?" He winked back at his sister and new friend.

"If that's even possible," Mia scoffed.

"Fawcett, Julia" became the newest Ravenclaw, but "Gudgeon, Davey" was sent to Hufflepuff.

When a nervous looking lanky boy stepped forward, Mia smiled sweetly, patting his shoulder and offering him support. Despite his nerves, "Longbottom, Frank" was sent to the Gryffindor table without hesitation.

"I'm nervous," Remus swallowed as he stepped closer to the stool. "That's not very courageous of me is it? I shouldn't even be here," he frowned, so distracted by his worries that he didn't feel Mia's fingers lace their way through his, offering a gentle squeeze of encouragement.

"'_It takes great deal of courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still to love it_.'," she quoted to him.

"Oscar Wilde," Remus looked back at her and smiled. "You read Muggle Literature?" He asked, surprised.

"I do," Mia grinned. "But he was actually a wizard."

"Really?!" Remus said with excited eyes.

"Lupin, Remus!" Professor McGonagall called out and Remus turned, making his way toward the stool, taking a seat as the hat was placed on his head. It seemed that the hat barely touched him before it shouted out. "GRYFFINDOR!" And the large table of lions roared with cheers, none louder than Sirius who eagerly welcomed his new friend to the table.

"Macdonald, Mary" followed Remus into Gryffindor, and soon after a familiar head of pale blonde hair called "Maestro, Pandora" was sent to Ravenclaw. Despite knowing the outcome, when "Pettigrew, Peter" was called, Mia prayed to Merlin that he'd be sent to Slytherin or even Hufflepuff, or better yet, _home_. But Peter joined Sirius and Remus at the table with a smile and Mia frowned.

"Care to wager how long it takes the hat to stick me in Gryffindor?" James asked with a grin.

"Something tells me it'll be instantaneous," Mia laughed at her brother.

"Bloody right," James grinned smugly.

"Potter, James!" And in record time, the hat cried out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Mia smiled and watched as her brother darted down the steps and rushed into the applause that fueled him, turning back to grin up at her.

"Of course," came a bitter voice from behind her. Mia turned and looked at Severus Snape with his arms folded over his chest, glowering at her brother who took his place beside Sirius.

"There's nothing wrong with Gryffindor," Mia spoke up.

"Says another future little lion," Snape scowled.

"My Mum was a Slytherin you know," Mia shrugged her shoulders and then looked back at the boy. "Just because it's tradition that they sort us into separate houses doesn't mean that it's correct. You can still be friends with her you know."

"No idea what you're talking about," Snape said with glaring eyes that seemed to focus on the Gryffindor table where Lily sat, purposely ignoring the ruckus that James and Sirius were causing.

"If you say so," Mia shrugged her shoulders.

"Potter, Mia!" Professor McGonagall called out.

The last thing that Mia saw before the hat fell over her eyes were the expectant expressions on the faces of James, Sirius and Remus all waiting eagerly for her to join them at the Gryffindor table.

"_Hmm_..." said a voice in her ear. "_Well this is interesting. Wasn't expecting someone like you Miss Granger_."

"Potter," Mia corrected.

"_Ah, but you know you can't keep secrets from me. I can see every little puzzle inside your mind. Past, present and future. Although for you I suppose all three are the same, aren't they?_"

"Just put me in Gryffindor please," Mia sighed.

"_Are you sure? It seems Ravenclaw was an option your first time around. You've got a clever mind indeed, very brilliant and talented too. You'd do well in Ravenclaw_."

"I wouldn't be challenged in Ravenclaw," she countered, determined not to end up anywhere but Gryffindor.

"_No, no, you don't absorb knowledge for the fun of it, you like to use it, don't you? You take what your mind absorbs and you use it. Very resourceful. Very cunning. Very ambitious_."

Her eyes widened as she caught on to what the hat was insinuating. "Don't. You. Dare. I do know where you are kept. Might be a little sad if you're too close to Fawkes when Burning Day approaches," she said with a threatening voice.

"_Was that a threat? How very daring of you Miss... Potter_."

"Yes. Daring! And very brave of me if I do say so myself," she insisted.

"_Better be . . . . _GRYFFINDOR!"

Mia let out a long sigh of relief and she rushed away from the hat, still shocked that she'd almost ended up in Slytherin this time around. She ran into a hug from James that awaited her at the Gryffindor table where her fellow lions were applauding her wildly. She took a seat beside Remus, staring across from her where Lily Evans stared up at the Sorting Hat as "Snape, Severus" was placed into Slytherin. Mia frowned as Lily lowered her eyes sadly to the table. Mia glanced up to watch Severus Snape slowly make his way to the table that welcomed him immediately. A seat was made for the young black-haired boy beside Lucius Malfoy, who patted him on the back.

Eventually the final students were called to be sorted, "Shingleton, Gaspard" went to Gryffindor, "Stebbins, Rikard" was placed in Ravenclaw, "Tuft, William" joined the Gryffindor table, and a beautiful "Zabini, Elora" fell swiftly into Slytherin.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. "Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Zowzy! Biggly! Gimble! Bazinga!"

The students all chuckled, save for the Slytherins who all looked incredibly irritated.

Dumbledore seemed unaffected by the many eye rolls dressed in silver and green, as he continued to speak. "A large welcome to all new students. May you find Hogwarts to be your home and sanctuary, a place of safety and familiarity against a world that can otherwise often prove strange and unfamiliar. Though I will not deny that Hogwarts can be strange indeed. Now before we send you off to bed, tuck in and enjoy this wonderful feast!"

The empty golden dishes in front of them were suddenly piled with food: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, and gravy. Everyone immediately dove in, loading up their plates. She had spent years at this table eating many meals, generally surrounded by Harry and Ron who constantly made a mess, often choking on bites. Mia groaned, unable to think about dealing with that again as she looked over at Remus, James and Sirius all who seemed to be keeping themselves miraculously clean as they ate.

"Merlin, the three of you actually have table manners?" She gaped. Of course she knew that James did, though she was worried he'd somehow turn into a pig once around boys his own age and not their doting parents.

"What did you expect?" Sirius eyed her curiously.

"From eleven year old boys?" Mia laughed. "I expected you to be shoveling your plates down your throats by the truckload."

"Glad to surprise you?" Remus said, a look on his face told her he was trying to decide whether or not to be offended by her assumptions.

"Peter wipe your face, mate," James called down the table. "You're lowering the bar we've apparently raised for ourselves," he chuckled and winked at his sister who rolled her eyes.

Between bites, the boys quickly began discussing Quidditch, and even Remus joined in, tossing a smirk to Mia before speaking, clearly finding it humorous that she had assumed he didn't like the sport simply because he loved books as she did. Ignoring their conversation, Mia looked across the table where the redhead in front of her picked at her food sadly.

"Hi, I'm Mia Potter," she smiled.

"Lily Evans," the girl looked up and her bright green eyes sparkled. The color made Mia's breath hitch in her throat as her heart desperately called out for her best friend; for Harry. She collected herself and cleared her throat before speaking again.

"I wanted to apologise for my brother and my friend," she gestured to James and Sirius who, despite having manners five minutes ago, were now using their spoons to launch peas into one another's open mouths, cheering anytime they made a 'goal'. Mia rolled her eyes and turned back to Lily. "I'm not sure what happened, but I think they were rude to you and your friend on the train."

"They were," Lily scowled down the table, glaring at James and Sirius before turning back to Mia. "But Severus can take things a little too seriously from time to time," she admitted sadly.

"Someone call me?" Sirius turned and smiled.

"Eat your treacle tart Sirius," Mia ordered, and he grinned obediently, returning to his plate.

"Did you see the ceiling?" Alice smiled sweetly as she looked up in awe. "It's so beautiful."

"I've never seen anything like it," Lily smiled at her as her eyes turned upward.

"Are you a Muggle-born?" Mia asked Lily, already knowing the answer but using her knowledge to press for open conversation with the girl that would grow up to be her best friends mother.

"Yes," Lily admitted. "Something wrong with that?" She asked, and Mia frowned. Clearly Lily had already been dealing with prejudice in the Wizarding world. Mia knew exactly how that felt.

"Not at all," Mia smiled. "I'd love to learn more about Muggle-borns if you're ever interested in sharing. I've read a bit, myself, but always wanted a Muggle-born friend."

"Really?" Lily smiled.

"Friends?" Mia asked.

"Sure," the redhead beamed.

"What about the rest of you?" Mia called out to the other first years at her table. "What are your families like?"

"Pure-blood," Alice admitted with a shrug. "I've got an older brother who graduated from Hogwarts last year."

"Same here," Frank Longbottom smiled. "Though Mum was worried I'd be a squib for a while." Mia chuckled at the story, determined to make sure that Frank Longbottom became her friend. Afterall, his son had been indispensable to Hermione Granger.

"What's a squib?" Lily asked.

"Non-magical child born to wizards and witches," Mary MacDonald joined in on the conversation. "I'm Pure-blood too."

"Me too," Peter chimed in.

"You're _all_ Pure-bloods?" Lily asked with furrowed brows, clearly looking like she felt suddenly out of place even more than she was.

"It's not all that it's cracked up to be, Evans," Sirius looked over at Lily. "Trust me."

"Why's that?" Lily asked.

"Because most Pure-blood families have dwindled down so much that if they want to stay Pure-blood, they end up marrying their own cousins," Mia chuckled and watched as Sirius nodded with raised brows.

"Are you serious!?" Lily gasped.

"No, _I'm_ Sirius," Sirius grinned. Remus and Mia groaned aloud but he ignored them. "And yes it's true. My parents are first cousins. It makes for good looking blokes like me," he winked at the small grouping of girls at the end of the table. Alice and Mary blushed but Lily looked annoyed, something Mia appreciated. "But it's a flip of the Galleon whether or not Pure-bloods come out crazy."

"There are _some_ Pure-blood families that don't care about blood status though," Mia insisted looking at Lily. "Like mine. The Potters are perfectly normal witches and wizards."

"Mia look!" James yelled, excitedly.

Everyone turned to watch as the heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, the only son, descendant of the great Ignacious Peverell (and future father of the Chosen One)... balanced his wand on his forehead. Mia stared at him in unbelief and let out an embarrassed sigh as she turned and looked up at Lily who was staring at her.

"Your brother?" Lily asked with a raised brow.

"Yes," Mia sighed.

"He's..." Lily turned and stared at James who was being cheered on by Sirius and Peter.

"He grows on you," Mia promised.

"I'm sure," Lily shook her head and watched as the wand fell from James's face, hit the table and shot red sparks upwards into his face. James gave a shout and fell backwards off his seat, his glasses going with him.

"Bloody hell!" James yelled as he retook his seat, slipping his wand back into his robes and looking at his broken glasses with consternation.

"Give them here," Mia reached her hand out, annoyed. James however ignored her expression as he placed his broken glasses into her hand and watched as she said, "_Occulus Reparo_!" mending them.

"Little sister to the rescue!" James beamed at her.

"You're _younger_?" Alice asked Mia.

"By barely a minute," Mia rolled her eyes.

"You're twins?" Lily asked with a disbelieving brow.

"He got the Potter looks, I got the Potter talent," Mia smirked.

"_I'm _talented," James insisted.

"Says the boy who dropped his wand while balancing it on his face," Mia stared up at him incredulously.

"In James's defense," Sirius spoke up. "He had it up there for like a whole minute before it fell."

"I'm so glad that at the end of the night I'll be sharing a room with girls," Mia scoffed.

"You're really going to leave me alone with them, aren't you?" Remus looked up at her shaking his head as though she'd just betrayed him, though a small smirk played across his jaw.

"You'll survive," Mia promised the young werewolf. "If you manage to keep them in line, there's a Chocolate Frog in it for you," she winked and he grinned.

"Deal," Remus said before something suddenly came over him and he clutched at his side, wincing. Mia immediately frowned at the sight, something inside of her hurting for him.

"Are you alright, Remus?" She asked with concern, trying her hardest not to sound as though she were pitying him. She knew that the older Remus hated being pitied more than almost anything.

"Yeah.. I uh.. I was sick last week," Remus frowned through the lie. "Might be coming back a bit."

"Do you need any..." Mia began, but was cut off as Professor Dumbledore stood to speak once more.

"Ahem! A few more words now that we're all properly fed. There are some start-of-term notices. First years should note that the forest is forbidden to all students. Mr. Filch, the caretaker would like me to remind you all that magic should never be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"I'm trying out!" James insisted.

"You can't, you're a first year!" Mia snapped at him.

"We'd like to welcome a new addition to the staff," Dumbledore went on. "Professor Fenwick who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Place your bets everyone," a vaguely familiar voice called out and Mia turned to see the red hair and a freckled faces of two sixteen year old boys. One carrying a parchment in his hands, the other collection coins in his upturned hat.

"Bets?" Mia asked, staring up at the twins who so resembled Fred and George, but clearly weren't the famous Weasley twins.

"See how long this Professor lasts. No Defense teacher ever makes it past a year," the twin collecting the coins said.

"They say the position is cursed," the twin with the parchment grinned.

"That sounds like rubbish," Peter spoke up, rolling his eyes.

"Hear that Gideon? Ickle firsties know better than us," the twin with the hat full of coins looked down at Peter.

"I heard that Fabian," the twin with the parchment said. "Care to put your galleons where you mouth is?" He narrowed blue eyes down at Peter, who instantly began to stutter. Mia smiled at the sight, remembering the names of the twins. She knew of only two people they could be. Gideon and Fabian Prewett; Molly Weasley's younger brothers.

"Lastly," Dumbledore was still speaking. "All students should be aware that Professor Sprout has successfully transferred and planted a Whomping Willow tree on the grounds. All students should avoid the tree at the cost of life and limb. Whomping Willows are sentient trees, and prone to irritable bouts of violence."

At the announcement, Mia's eyes drew immediately to Remus who sat there staring into his now empty plate with wide eyes, taking in slow deep breaths. Mia wanted to reach across the table and take his hand in a comforting way, but she couldn't let Remus know that she knew his secret, and the real reason the Whomping Willow had been planted.

"A tree is violent?" Lily asked.

"Very. I've read about them," Mia explained.

"Of course you have, kitten," Sirius let out a barking laugh.

"Now, off to bed with you all!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together and instantly all the dirty, empty plates vanished from in front of them.

"Alright first years, follow me!" A low, loud voice called. Mia looked up to meet the familiar face of a young Kingsley Shacklebolt. It was odd to see the Minister of Magic this young, herding around a group of eleven year olds, but the shiny Prefect badge on his robes made it all the more real. _Of course Kingsley would be a Prefect._

The students stood and as the Gryffindors and Slytherins headed for the door, each led by their Prefects, Mia caught the glares that passed between Kingsley and Lucius Malfoy and she couldn't help but see the amazing parallels to the future. Kingsley Shacklebolt, future Minister of Magic and Order member, and Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater and Voldemort's right hand wizard.

"Keep up now, don't get lost!" Kingsley yelled back as the Gryffindors made their way through the entrance hall and toward the large marble staircase. James and Sirius were at the head of the group, trailed by Peter. Mia stayed behind, reaching for Remus' hand as he seemed to struggle going up the stairs, obviously in pain. "The stairs move frequently so keep that in mind, especially when you're running late to class. The Professors aren't lenient, not even our own Head of House and she knows all too well how easy it is to get stuck on the stairs. Or in the stairs if you're not too careful."

"What do you mean 'in the ... Ow!" Frank yelled as his foot fell through the vanishing step.

"Trick step. It catches all the first years eventually," Kingsley gave a low chuckle as Frank blushed beet red. Mia couldn't help but remember Neville's run in with the trick step. _Like father like son_. She smiled and only hoped that she could bring memories of Frank and Alice to Neville when…_if_ she ever returned back to her timeline.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Posting early today (like 2AM early) because I don't know what I've got planned for this weekend and I didn't want to leave you all hanging. Especially since this is one of my all time favorite things I've ever written to be completely honest. It tells you so much about where the characters are emotionally at the beginning of this story. Sirius and Remus especially had so much to deal with as children and I wanted to address those things as they develop. I wrote this chapter while I was still writing through chapter four. It's also one of very few chapters that includes a flashback (or forward technically since it goes from 1970's to 1990's).

By the way, a big credit from the last chapter goes to my Beta **Fluffpanda** who was behind Mia's threat on the Sorting Hat. Cracked me up when I first read it!

Questions from the last chapter: **NeonDomino**, Mia's behavior toward Peter could very well be a contributing factor to his ultimate betrayal, but at the same time Hermione was bullied by Draco for years and she never betrayed her friends, so in the end the story is ALL about Choice vs Fate. Peter makes his ultimate choice. Also, yes, James is a wonderful, lovable little idiot. When I write James I picture Lovable Harry + Mischievous Fred + Pompous Draco, and I think he has a skewed way of thinking how the world works thanks to being an only child who has been overly spoiled by a house-elf who thinks he hung the moon with a permanent Sticking Charm LOL! **glittergrrrl05** You're stroking my ego and since I know you're a fellow Slytherin, I can't help but be suspicious in regards to your motives ;) **Brian1972**, Mia is the official name that she took because James gave it to her. I used it specifically because Hermione is a name that sticks out and a lot of people from the 1970's lived long enough to meet Hermione Granger (like all of the Professors, though I imagine McGonagall at the very least will remember her no matter what). The boys will not constantly come to her rescue, she's still a very powerful witch - but she still depends on them. She's been through war and needs to be connected to others, and let's face it, the Marauders are just impossible not to love. She'll save them A LOT more than they'll ever save her. As far as classes go, she no longer needs to prove anything, so she's willing to let Lily and the others have their time in the spotlight.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty-Two: Kind to Me

_"...Oh, why you look so sad? __Tears are in your eyes  
__Come on and come to me now. __Don't be ashamed to cry  
__Let me see you through __'cause I've seen the dark side too  
__When the night falls on you. __You don't know what to do  
__Nothing you confess, __Could make me love you less..."  
__(I'll Stand By You - The Pretenders)_

* * *

**September 2nd, 1971**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

The morning after the Sorting Ceremony was spent at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, all returning and new students eagerly devouring breakfast. Mia smiled affectionately at her brother, pushing his hair back in an attempt to make it lay flat, much like their mother always did. James retaliated by messing up his hair worse than ever, and grinning defiantly at his sister. Peter clung to James and Sirius' side the whole morning until the owls arrived to deliver the mail. All the children had written home the night before, so James and Mia were not surprised to receive letters from their parents, excited over their both being sorted into Gryffindor. Each parent took a moment to offer words of advice for the coming year, and there was even a little note at the bottom of each letter from Tilly, who proudly praised each young Potter, writing repeatedly about how she _knew_ they'd get into Gryffindor because they were so very talented and brave.

The reading was interrupted when a bright red letter fell to the table in front of Sirius, dropped by a large eagle owl that attempted to bite the boy as he reached for it, snatching a sausage off of Sirius' plate before taking flight again. "Bloody owl," Sirius growled and then stared down at the letter in front of him with a sigh. "Well, I can't say this was unexpected."

"What's the matter?" James asked. "Wait, is that what I think it is?"

"A Howler," Mia shook her head, disgusted with Walburga Black.

"What's a Howler?" Lily asked, taking a seat beside Mia and looking across the table at the way Sirius was glaring down at the red envelope with disdain.

"Screw this," Sirius growled and reached for the letter, tearing it open in bold defiance. James and Mia each winced, waiting for the oncoming storm, while Lily looked on eagerly. The rest of the table politely turned their heads away, though Sirius was already getting curious looks from the nosey neighboring tables of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. A roar of sound filled the entire Great Hall and the enraged voice of a wailing Walburga Black deafened the large room.

_"SIRIUS ORION BLACK YOU DESPICABLE EXCUSE FOR A WIZARD! TAINT AND SHAME ON THE HONOR OF MY FATHER'S HOUSE! YOU HAVE BROUGHT DISGRACE UPON YOUR FAMILY! HOW DARE YOU BREAK TRADITION!..."_

Mia scowled at the letter and the familiar screams of Walburga Black. While other students seemed to shrink at the noise as though their own parents were yelling and berating them, Sirius sat firm, glaring down in pure hatred, though his body shook with rage and his beautiful grey eyes darkening.

_"...THANK SALAZAR THAT WE STILL HAVE YOUR BROTHER TO CARRY ON THE PROPER TRADITIONS OF THIS NOBLE HOUSE BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT A DISAPPOINTMENT SINCE YOUR BIRTH! IN FACT I WISH YOU'D NEVER BEEN BORN YOU WRETCHED LITTLE-"_

"_Incendio_," Mia snapped and flicked her wand. Instantly the red enveloped burst into flames, the screaming voice of Walburga Black faded away in the smoke as the envelope curled and fell into a small pile of ashes. James, Lily and the other Gryffindors stared at Mia with wide eyes, but she didn't care. Her gaze fell upon Sirius who continued to look down at the remnants of the letter as though it were still yelling at him.

oOoOoOo

Students eventually left the Great Hall for classes but whispers followed Sirius everywhere the rest of the day. Mia and James were there to scowl at people who stared after the raven-haired wizard, especially the Slytherins who knew of the Black family and found the scene hilarious. Somehow in the aftermath of the event, few even remembered that Mia had performed magic even before she'd stepped foot inside a classroom.

When Remus joined his friends for class, having slept in that morning looking worse for wear, Mia had smiled at him and quietly filled him in on what happened at breakfast. As they took their seats in Charms, the young Gryffindors silently encircled Sirius with James and Mia on either side of him, Remus and Peter taking the seats in front and in back of him respectively. Sirius said nothing to his friends to let them know he was grateful, but he did turn to Mia and offer a small smile. Distracted by the unsavory morning events and Sirius' smile, Mia was not paying attention when Professor Flitwick asked the first question.

"Can anyone tell me what are the differences between a charm, hex, jinx and a spell?" The tiny Professor squeaked.

Of course, Mia knew the answer. She'd spent six years at Hogwarts and was known as the brightest witch of her age. She had left her sixth year with top scores and received eleven O.W.L.s. But she had not been fast enough on this first day of Charms. Lily Evans was. The little redhead shot her hand up in the air and shook it desperately, sitting on the edge of her seat. James and Sirius chuckled at the scene and Mia stared at the girl from behind, horrified.

_Good Godric, is that what I look like_? Mia gaped, immediately making the decision to relax and take her time. Her over-eagerness to prove her talent and intellect is what got herself, Harry and Ron off to a rough start, and she was supposed to be enjoying this life. Mia nodded quietly to herself, deciding that she would lay low, still perform to her usual standard during lessons and exams, but there was certainly nothing left for her to prove to anyone. She knew she was a powerful enough witch.

oOoOoOo

Days went by and the students fell into comfortable routine. Lily showed great talent in Charms, while James and Sirius both excelled at Transfiguration, which was difficult sometimes to tell considering they were rarely paying attention, and constantly getting into trouble. Unsurprisingly, Remus was excellent in Defense Against the Dark Arts, where Mia sat staring at him the entire class, a knowing smirk on her face. Surprisingly, Peter was half-decent at Potions, but was instantly topped by Lily Evans and Severus Snape who became Professor Slughorn's favorites. Herbology was a nightmare for everyone when Lily accidentally put too much water in the pots containing the blossoming Bouncing Bulbs, resulting in a class-wide mud fight led by James and Sirius. Almost everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves, except for Lily, of course, and Remus who had been excused from class because he was sick.

Mia frowned from the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall as her brother and friends ate dinner. It was a lazy Sunday evening and the sun had just set. A full moon hung in the sky and Mia couldn't help but be worried about Remus, knowing that he was spending his first night, alone in the Shrieking Shack. She excused herself early from the meal and snuck back to the dorms where she dug into her trunk and pulled out a small bag of Chocolate Frogs that she kept on hand, just in case. Making her way down the stairs, Mia found her way into the Hospital Wing where she smiled over at Madam Pomfrey.

"Miss Potter," Madam Pomfrey smiled. "Are you feeling well?

"Yes," Mia nodded at the woman. "Adjusting," she added, knowing the Mediwitch was probably curious. "I was just wondering if Remus Lupin was cleared for visitors? I know he was sent here with a stomach ache a few days ago," she said the words, but let her eyes do the talking for her and somehow Madam Pomfrey seemed to understand, though the Mediwitch refused to acknowledge anything specific about Remus.

"No visitors tonight, dear," Madam Pomfrey said clearly. "Perhaps tomorrow."

"I understand," Mia said. And she did. Because she knew that Remus was not in the Hospital Wing at all, but stuck in a shack beneath the full moon, somewhere between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. "Would it be alright if I left something for him?" Mia asked, holding out a handful of Chocolate Frogs. "These are his favorite. They'll make him feel better," she smiled.

"I'll take them, dear," Madam Pomfrey nodded. "It's very kind of you to think of him."

"He's... he's my best friend," Mia smiled sadly and then turned to walk away.

The following day Remus was still missing from class, recovering in the hospital wing, but he rejoined his friends that night for dinner, taking a seat directly next to Mia who smiled sweetly and filled his dinner plate for him while he lifted his arms on the table and rested his chin between his palms. Mia reached out and gently brushed the fringe from his forehead and he looked up at her gratefully, reached into his pocket and pulled out a Chocolate Frog Card, placing it silently in front of Mia. She looked down and saw the bold face of Godric Gryffindor staring up at her. At the bottom of the card in handwritten ink read, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Mia smiled at him.

oOoOoOo

**October 21st, 1971**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Headmaster's Office**

Another month passed and despite finding herself bored with the actual class work since she knew it all, Mia kept herself busy by taking care of her brother and friends. James and Sirius had already received detention once for being caught out of bed after hours, attempting to find the kitchens to sneak snacks back into the dorms. Remus did his best to stay out of trouble, but James and Sirius were relentless in trying to get the young werewolf and Peter involved in their journeys. Mia was slowly building friendships with her roommates,Lily, Mary and Alice, whom were exceptionally less annoying than Lavender and Parvati.

During the approaching full moon, Remus fell ill once again and Mia's heart clenched inside of her chest as she watched the boy descend into sickness. She felt helpless and anxious and when he disappeared to the Hospital Wing early Sunday morning, it took hours of pacing back and forth outside the Headmasters office before Mia finally said. "Acid Pops!" and the gargoyle retreated, allowing her to walk up the spiral staircase.

"Good evening Miss Potter," Dumbledore greeted her with a smile. "How can I help you this night? I hope it's nothing to do with the circumstances surrounding your presence here in 1971? I've had little time to arrange a secure investigation of your time-turner," he explained.

She paused, caught off guard by his words. Had she already forgotten that Dumbledore promised to look into the time-turner and potentially send her home?

"No sir, I did not imagine you had already done so. It's fine. I'm growing accustomed to this new life that I've been..." _Forced upon, tricked into_, she ignored the terms that floated across her mind, "...presented with. I'm doing what you said. Following the rules that Remus left me," she nodded firmly.

"Yes, your future Mr. Lupin. I've noticed you've taken quite a shine to _another_ Mr. Remus Lupin here at Hogwarts. I can only assume they are one in the same."

"They are Professor," she nodded with a sad smile.

"As much as I caution myself about knowing more about the future, I cannot deny that it gives me great relief to have a bit of knowledge concerning this one particular student," he said, sharing in her expression.

"That's actually the reason I've come tonight sir," Mia explained. "I know."

"You know?"

"I know the real reason the Whomping Willow was planted this year, sir," Mia admitted clearly.

"I see."

"I'd like to request permission to stay with him. Not in the shack of course," she shook her head. "But before and after. I've... in the future, I've taken care of him," she frowned at the memories. "I know how to heal his wounds and what potions he needs to let the pain pass by easier." Though she wished she knew the one that would make the most difference, the Wolfsbane Potion that wouldn't come to exist for several more years.

"There is no cure for Lycanthropy, Miss Potter," Dumbledore momentarily lost that constant twinkle in his eyes.

"No," Mia shook her head. "But he's . . . he's my friend, and knowing what I know . . . I can't let him be alone," she looked down. "It's painful."

"You have a good heart, Miss Potter, and good intentions. But regardless of your presence, young Mr. Lupin will experience the pain of his transformations." The Headmaster spoke clearly, with great sympathy in his voice. Mia knew that he had been the whole reason that Remus was even allowed to attend Hogwarts. Dumbledore had a personal investment in the boy.

"I meant it's painful for . . ." she hesitated. "For _me_, to know that he suffers alone."

"I see," the old wizard nodded. "I suppose you have a way to inform him that you know of his condition?"

"Yes sir. In my original timeline I'd figured it out on my own," she said proudly remembering the essay that Snape had forced her to write, purposely hoping that someone like her would figure out Remus' secret and publicly out him. But she had kept that secret for nearly the entire year. "I assume I'll just go along a similar way I did before."

"Then you have my permission to visit him during times when he is ill," Dumbledore smiled gratefully to the young witch.

"Thank you Professor," she sighed in relief.

"Unfortunately Professor Sprout has already escorted young Mr. Lupin beneath the Whomping Willow for the night," he explained. "You are however welcome to wait for him in the hospital wing. Give this note to Madam Pomfrey which will explain your presence. I give her permission to help you with any potions you might have need of to help Mr. Lupin recover."

oOoOoOo

Several hours later, Mia awoke in the Hospital Wing, having been offered a bed by Madam Pomfrey to wait out the long hours until the moon finally set and it was safe to have Remus brought back to the infirmary. Mia nervously waited for the Mediwitch to levitate the boy into a nearby bed, and when her eyes finally fell onto his small, broken and bleeding form, she sobbed at the sight and covered her mouth.

"I thought you've seen this before Miss Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she looked at the young witch.

"I..." Mia frowned and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I have it's just... he's so young, it's not fair," she sniffled and made her way to the side of the bed, looking down at Remus' unconscious form. She knew in the future he would be able to wake himself shortly after sunrise, but now, being so small and so young, the pain was too much to bear. "He needs a Calming Draught while I heal his wounds," Mia explained.

"They're on the table, dear," Madam Pomfrey pointed and Mia nodded, reaching for the vials and tipping the potion down Remus' throat, trying to ignore the small scars scattered around his face. She examined them closely, noticing that they weren't from Moony's claws, but more than likely from the wolf throwing himself against the shack in frustration.

Mia turned immediately to the deep wound that split the length of his back down his spine. She knew this was where his skin split open during the transformation. Lifting her wand in hand, she siphoned off the blood silently, before repairing Remus' back, doing her best to remain emotionless despite the fact that she was reminded of the immediate aftermath of war.

"You're quite skilled at that Miss Potter. May I ask if you were a Healer in your previous life?" The Mediwitch asked.

"No, just . . . skills I had to pick up over the years," she frowned thinking of the war.

"Perhaps with this second chance at life you've been given, those skills could be put to good use in a career," Madam Pomfrey offered with a kind smile.

"I'm grateful that I have years to think about it," Mia admitted. Remus' letter told her to live and enjoy her life. She would do so by not worrying about the future. At least, more than she needed to.

"He should wake soon," Madam Pomfrey explained as she watched Mia apply drops of Dittany to the marks on Remus' face. "There's more Calming Draught and pain potions should you have need. I'll let the two of you alone."

oOoOoOo

_**Flashback**_

**June 20th, 1997**

**The Den - Residence of Remus and Tonks Lupin**

"It's all my fault," Hermione cried into her hands. "I should have asked Snape to teach me back before..."

"Before he showed his true colors?" Tonks cut her off and gave her a sad, crooked smile.

It had been a rough month thus far. Dumbledore was dead, killed by Snape the Traitor. Hogwarts had been infiltrated by Death Eaters. Harry, Ron and Hermione were planning on embarking on an insane mission to destroy dark artifacts called Horcruxes, and worst of all, Hermione had Obliviated her parents and sent them thousands of miles away in hopes that, somehow, they would be safe from the war of her world.

"I should have learned how to brew the potion. Now Remus is suffering," Hermione frowned. She had been desperate to get out of the Burrow and the guilt-ridden sympathy looks she was being given by Weasleys who knew about her parents, Hermione offered to assist Tonks with Remus' first full moon without the Wolfsbane Potion previously supplied by Severus Snape. Without the former Potions Master, they hadn't had time to find anyone who could properly make it, if the slightest mistake was made during the brewing, the results for Remus would be disastrous.

"That is _not_ your fault," Tonks insisted, her tired eyes were dark. She and Hermione had been up for hours, listening as the wolf below howled, throwing himself roughly against the metal bars of the cage that kept him locked inside. Every time he let out a loud growl followed by a painful yelp, Tonks and Hermione would jump and close their eyes shut tight. "Dumbledore trusted Snape. Trusted him enough to brew the Wolfsbane Potion to begin with. How could any of us know that one day he'd turn on us all, leaving us in worse situations, one after another?"

"You think he's up yet?" Hermione said, looking as the light from the morning sun streamed in through the cracks in the curtains.

"Almost," Tonks nodded. "I thought I'd give him an hour after the last of the howling stops. Give him a chance to recover his modesty before I go down. It's nice of you to come and help. I'm shite when it comes to proper healing."

"Didn't you fix Harry's broken nose last year?" Hermione asked her.

"Oh _that_?" Tonks chuckled. "Clumsy as I am, you need to know a few good easy fix spells," she laughed and Hermione joined her.

"It's good practice for me too," Hermione nodded. "All things considered. Plus Remus has always been there for me when I've gotten hurt," she shrugged her shoulders remembering how she'd woken up after the battle in the Department of Mysteries at the end of fifth year, and it had been Remus by her bedside, offering to take care of her while still quietly grieving over the death of Sirius.

"How's Harry?" Tonks asked, changing the subject. "You lot still planning on sneaking off this year?"

"How did you..?"

"Remus," Tonks smirked. "Wolf hearing and all. Don't know much about where you're going or exactly why, just that Dumbledore had a mission. You're apart of the Order now, all grown up and such," the young Auror smiled. "None of us'll be getting in the way."

"None of you?" Hermione raised a brow.

"_Molly_ might," Tonks conceded and Hermione let out a soft laugh.

"I'm still in research mode," Hermione admitted. "Harry hasn't adjusted well to Dumbledore's death. He's been asking me to find a way to bring him back."

"He was the same with Sirius tho, wasn't he?" Tonks asked.

"Yes," Hermione frowned wishing that she could somehow restore Harry's godfather to him. If only it were possible. "Alright, let's head down."

The two witches made their way into the basement of The Den, Hermione was instantly met with the smell of blood and sweat and she frowned as Tonks stepped ahead of the young witch to make sure Remus was at least clothed. Hesitantly stepping forward, Hermione eyed the cage at the end of the room where Tonks nodded to her, wand at the ready just in case. Remus had instructed them both to be on guard. He stated that even after transforming back to his human state, the wolf might linger beneath the surface. There was no way to tell what the lack of Wolfsbane would do.

"Remus?" Hermione whispered as she approached the open door of the cage, and was surprised to look into the golden amber eyes of the man who seemed to barely register her presence. When he did, he growled lowly and Hermione slowly knelt on the floor several feet in front of him, not making any sudden movements. "Tonks, roll him the vial of Calming Draught. He's Remus, but the wolf is on edge still. The draught should bring him down," she explained and watched carefully as Tonks pulled a small vial out of the bag that Hermione prepared, rolling it forward to Remus who stared down at the bottle.

"Remus, take the potion," Hermione instructed, tilting her head to the side and exposing her neck as a sign of submissive surrender. The golden amber eyes seemed to glow for a moment at the sign before changing into the typical soft green orbs of Remus Lupin. He let out a wince of pain and reached immediately for the vial, tipping it down his throat, coughing and then collapsing on the ground, wearing nothing but torn and bloodied trousers.

"Hold him while I tend to his back," Hermione said to Tonks as both witches moved swiftly into the cage and over to Remus' body.

"Hello, love." Tonks sat down by Remus' head, stroking her fingers through his sweat soaked hair and pulling gently on his shoulders to show the fresh wounds on his back to Hermione, who quickly removed the blood and then healed the skin. When Hermione had finished, she nodded to Tonks who turned Remus back over. "C'mere and let me clean up that beautiful face," Tonks smiled down at her mate.

"It hasn't been this bad in years," Remus frowned, struggling to keep from sobbing through the pain or falling unconscious.

"I'm so sorry Remus," Hermione whimpered.

"Not your fault," he insisted, reaching out and taking Hermione's small hand within his own. For some reason the gesture seemed to bring him more comfort than it did her.

"I should have learned the potion when I had the chance," she explained but Remus immediately shook his head.

"There's nothing to apologise for, Hermione," he insisted. "If anyone can figure out how to properly brew Wolfsbane Potion for me, it'll be you. I _know_ you can do it," he smiled over at her but then hissed as a new painful sensation rocked its way through his body.

"I'm going to go get more pain potion for you," Hermione moved to stand but Tonks shook her head and moved out of the way.

"You stay, I got it," the Auror smiled and walked quickly out of the cage, taking the stairs two at a time. Hermione awkwardly looked at the beaten man in front of her who was shaking from the pain. She bit her lip nervously and moved forward instinctively, running her fingers through his hair soothingly as Tonks had done. He seemed to calm a bit and let out a sigh of what sounded like relief at the touch.

"Thank you Hermione," his voice nearly broke. "You've always been . . . very . . . very kind to me, in regards to my condition."

Hermione frowned, wiping a falling tear from her eye. "You've never deserved anything less than kindness Remus," she whispered to him and sat in shock as her words seemed to hit something inside of him and he broke down. The old werewolf let out a quiet sob and pulled his arms around the waist of the young witch, his shoulders shaking. Her brown eyes widened at the man showing such vulnerability, and she frowned and continued to gently stroke his hair, whispering words of comfort. She looked up at the sound of Tonks returning and realized that her position might look incredibly inappropriate in front of Remus' future wife.

Tonks however didn't appear to care in the slightest, and she smiled gratefully to Hermione handing over the vial of pain potion to the young witch.

_**Flashback Ends**_

oOoOoOo

**October 21st, 1971**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

"Mia?" Eleven year old Remus whispered hoarsely as he opened his tired eyes and spotted the bushy brown haired witch sitting in a chair beside his bed in the Hospital Wing. He didn't remember much; he never did, but he certainly hadn't expected to see his friend when he woke the morning after the full moon.

"Hello Remus," Mia smiled at him affectionately.

"Wh... where am I?" He looked around as he began to panic.

"In the Hospital Wing," Mia explained. "Do you need another pain potion?" She asked, and her words seemed to make him panic more.

"What are you doing here? Why are _you_ here?!" He moved to sit up, but the action was too painful and he let out a quiet cry of pain. Mia stood and placed her hands gently on the exposed skin of his shoulders, trying to keep him still.

"Calm down, Remus, I'm taking care of you," she explained.

"What?" He gasped. "No . . . I'm fine, just a little sick is all," he lied, and poorly. "I don't want you to catch anything," he pulled away from her, wincing again as she touched his shoulders to keep him still.

"I'm not going to, and you're not sick," she said firmly, and then when his soft green eyes looked up at her, afraid, she sighed. "Remus, I know."

"You... you _know_?" His bottom lip began to quiver and suddenly Mia realized his age. This certainly wasn't the grown werewolf that had been a symbol of strength. And that old werewolf had been known to break down post transformation, crying into her arms. This was a terrified eleven year old boy who'd never known kindness in regards to his condition outside of his parents, and even then, Mia was certain he suffered at home.

"I know about your Lycanthropy," she said clearly.

"Wha . . . but how?" His eyes pleaded with her to stop touching him, to get as far away from him as possible. She was his first friend, his best friend, and the idea of going back now was too painful. He'd known what it was like to have people not be afraid of him, to not be afraid to touch him. But she _should _be afraid.

"I read books, I know the signs and I'm even smarter than you," Mia explained. "I figured it out last month when you were sick during the full moon. It's why I left you the Chocolate Frogs. I know they make you feel better," she frowned and reached up to run her fingers through his sweat soaked hair, but he flinched backwards.

"You should go. I... You weren't supposed to know," he whimpered but then snapped. "Shit! I'm going to have to leave. No one was supposed to find out," he put his head in his hands and cried.

"No one's going to find out," Mia promised. "I brought my suspicions to Dumbledore and he's given me permission to be here with you each month, before and after your transformation," she reached out, letting her hand finally connect with his messy hair and she brushed it off of his forehead.

"You're... you're not afraid?" Remus looked up at her, shocked and puzzled and awed all at once. She was too good to be true.

"Of you?" Mia smiled. "Why would I have reason to be afraid of you Remus?"

"I'm a monster!" He shouted, his eyes flashing gold and amber briefly.

"Don't you dare!" Mia growled and the ends of her hair sparking. "That's my _friend _you're talking about!" She said, defending Remus against himself. "You are a survivor of a situation that someone else put you in." Tears formed in her eyes. "All you can do is follow the rules, keep people safe, and try to find some semblance of happiness in the process," she spoke the words to Remus, but had said them for herself.

"There's no happiness in this, Mia," he shook his head.

"There _will_ be," she promised him as she thought of Tonks and little Teddy. "And until you figure it out, it's my job to help make it less painful. Do you need another pain potion?" She asked again.

"Did... did _you_ heal me?" Remus asked, reaching a hand behind his back to touch the scar. "Madam Pomfrey did it last month and . . . it feels different."

"I'm a very fast learner," she grinned but Remus frowned.

"I don't want your help," he shook his head. "I don't want to hurt you."

"And_ I_ don't want you to hurt longer than you're forced to," she said, not taking no for an answer. "You let me take care of you, be there for you so you don't have to be alone, and in exchange I promise to never be in harms way when you're close to your transformation," she promised. "I'll never follow you beneath the Whomping Willow." Remus' green eyes widened and his face paled.

"You know about that?"

"Once I told Dumbledore what I'd figured out and that I wanted to help, he explained everything to me," she nodded.

"I'm . . ." Remus looked down, suddenly appearing embarrassed and self conscious. She knew the look. She saw it constantly anytime people brought up Harry's past, or Ron's family. It was the look someone got when they thought they were being pitied. "I'm not another lost stray like.. like Sirius."

"No, you're not," Mia smiled down at him. "Sirius is a lost pup who needs a good home," she chuckled softly, though her words were not a joke. Sirius was wounded and beaten and it had taken him weeks to properly bounce back after his mother had sent that Howler the morning after the Sorting. "You're a werewolf who needs a good friend."

"Why are you so . . ." Remus tried to look for the words. "Kind to me, Mia?"

She swallowed the sob that threatened to crawl its way out of her throat. She scooted over and took a seat in the bed beside Remus, reaching up and gently running her fingers through his hair. He shivered at the touch and she could see him trying to hold onto his strength, trying not to show weakness. "You've never deserved anything less than kindness Remus," she whispered, and her words broke him.

The young werewolf let out a loud sob and pulled his arms around the waist of the young witch, his shoulders shaking as he cried into her. Her brown eyes softened at the boy exposing his vulnerability for what could only be the first time. The first time opening his heart to someone, and she promised she would treat it well.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Wow. Lots of comments and messages over the last chapter. Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews (and I apologize over the tears that were shed). **rlassie** asked a good question, why doesn't Hermione remember Sirius calling her Mia from Chapter 2. My only answer is that it was only once, after a long and exhausting day, which was then followed by a crazy war. Also, the reason James isn't asking questions about his mysterious new sister and her origins, is because his parents told him not to. I'm sure they and Dumbledore gave him a perfectly adequate reason for Hermione's adoption, and considering how he's seen her nightmares, James might know better than to ask her anything that could cause her pain. As usual, my Beta **Fluffpanda** deserves a lot of the credit for her contributions to the writing process, and her amazing ability to find synonyms for 'growl', because I overuse that one a lot.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty-Three: Our Job

_"...Something's wrong, shut the light  
__Heavy thoughts tonight  
__And they aren't of snow white  
__Dreams of war, dreams of liars  
__Dreams of dragon's fire  
__And of things that will bite..."  
__(Ender Sandman - Metallica)_

* * *

**December 18th, 1971**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

Snow blanketed the outside of Hogwarts while the students gathered their trunks together and preparing to spend the Christmas holidays at home. Few children remained at Hogwarts, though the weather was perfect for snowball fights. Gideon and Fabian Prewett had even created a school-wide competition that ended up with seven Slytherins - along with four confused Hufflepuffs that got caught in the crossfire - in the Hospital Wing. James, Sirius and Remus had come out on top in the first year division of the games, but all three boys nearly got frostbite because of it. Mia refused to participate, except the other three Marauders once caught her giggling over the top of her book as she sat on a nearby bench, when a sheet of snow fell off of the roof of the castle and effectively burying Peter Pettigrew beneath three feet of fresh powder.

It was the day after the last full moon of the year, and Remus was surprisingly healthy looking considering it was post-transformation. Somehow over the months, knowing that Mia would be there for him before and after the full moon, made his recovery much easier. It also helped that Mia knew how to treat his wounds, and what potions worked best to get him through the pain. He'd put weight back on, and the color had returned to his face. Christmas was approaching and the holidays never felt better for the young witch.

"Sirius, why are you still in your pajamas?" Mia said as she descended the staircase to the girls dormitories. "We need to leave for the train soon."

"Mum..." Sirius said the word with a scowl on his face, "told me to just stay here."

Sirius had sent letters home to his family, specifically to his father and brother, leaving Walburga out of the equation after the Howler she'd sent him months ago. Orion Black wrote back once a month requesting reports of his classwork and asking if he was in need of anything, the parchments looking more like a supply order form rather than a letter from a parent to a child. Regulus wrote back once, telling Sirius to stop writing to him, calling him a blood-traitor. The words had clearly been fed to him by Walburga, who probably threatened Regulus with the same treatment as his older brother if he didn't cut ties with his only sibling. But the effect had been the same regardless of the intent. Sirius had lashed out at the breakfast table, retreated into himself for several days and then acted out in class, ending the week with detention. Mia was not surprised that Sirius would not be wanted home for Christmas.

"Is your family going somewhere for the holiday?" Remus asked as he came down the stairs with his belongings in hand.

"If they are, they haven't clued me in on their plans," Sirius shrugged bitterly.

"She's still mad about the Sorting?" Mia asked sadly.

"Who cares?" Sirius scowled, arms crossed over his chest reminding Mia of an older frustrated Sirius being forced to stay trapped inside Grimmauld Place while the rest of the Order was free to come and go as they pleased.

"_You_ do," Mia frowned and sat beside him on the couch.

"Like hell!" Sirius snapped, but despite his bitter mood, he reacted to her sitting next to him as he always did. He tilted to the side, landing his head in her lap and silently reaching his hands up to grab at her fingers and place them on his head. Mia smiled and began petting him affectionately. "I'm better off on my own," Sirius added with a sigh.

"Come home with us," Mia said, as she stopped petting his head.

"Really?" Grey eyes turned as he stared up into her smiling face.

"Absolutely!" Mia grinned. "You'll spend Christmas at the Manor," she insisted excitedly. "You need a proper Christmas, Sirius. I won't stand for you just sitting in the Common Room on your own. Remus, you're still coming too, right?" She asked, suddenly feeling guilty for not inviting Sirius earlier.

She had written home earlier that month asking about Remus as his parents were struggling to adjust plans for his return. The Potter parents had been more than happy to invite the boy into their home, something Remus was both nervous and excited about as he'd never stayed with friends anywhere outside of Hogwarts.

"Of course," he nodded. "Trying to complete a collection?" Remus chuckled. "You going to ask Peter to go home with you next?"

"Absolutely not!" Mia snarled and both boys widened their eyes at her tone.

"I just mean," she tried to recover from her mistake. "Peter and I aren't close like I am with the pair of you," she shrugged her shoulders, but both Remus and Sirius knew that there was no love lost between Mia and their short friend. She was rarely rude to him, so they never felt it was necessary to bring up and made a fuss over.

"I can only stay until Christmas Eve though," Remus admitted. "My parents will be home by then."

"Of course," Mia nodded.

"You'll be happy to know, dearest sister," James grinned as he slid down the railing of the stairs that connected the Common Room to the boys dormitories, "that I have everything packed and I didn't use your bloody checklist to do it," he said smugly.

"You have all your clothes?" Mia asked with a raised brow. She had made the list for a reason. She saw how frustrated their mother had been the days leading up to September 1st. James' trunk was a nightmare.

"Yes," James answered.

"You packed all the books you need to finish your homework?"

"Yes I did."

"Jamie?" Mia looked him over carefully.

"Mia?"

"Where's your wand?" She sighed.

"Shit!" James groaned and quickly ran back up the stairs.

"Keep your wand on you at all times, James Charlus Potter!" Mia called up after him.

"How are the two of you related?" Remus laughed as he watched the lanky wizard to rush off in search - of all things - his missing wand.

"Pretty sure Mum accidentally hit him with a Confundus as a baby," Mia laughed.

"Ha! Found it!" James's voice could be heard shouting from the top of the stairs. Mia patted Sirius' head once more and shoved at his shoulders to get off of her.

"Go get ready," she smiled.

"James! Come help me pack!" Sirius shouted as he made his way toward the staircase.

"Thought you said you were staying here?" James rose a brow as he twirled his wand in his hand, hopping down the steps.

"Your lovely sister," Sirius turned and winked at her but was quickly thumped in the head by James who had been trying to stomp out Sirius' bad habit of flirting with his twin. Sirius twitched his nose and turned back to James, seemingly unaffected, "has invited me home with you for Christmas."

"Wicked!" James grinned, already planning winter Quidditch in the field out back by the orchards. "Why didn't_ I_ think of that?"

"Because _you_ apparently are a terrible friend," Mia said looking up at her brother with a smirk.

oOoOoOo

**The Entrance Hall**

James helped Sirius pack his trunk and the boys quickly made their way down to the Entrance Hall where the students would be loaded into carriages and taken back down to Hogsmeade Station where the Hogwarts Express was waiting to take them all back to Kings Cross. Mia and Remus stayed behind in the Common Room, digging through James and Sirius' trunks considering half of their items were falling out.

"Sirius, look," James grinned as he walked to the foot of the marble staircase, watching ahead as Severus Snape walked ahead of them side-by-side with Lily Evans who was trying to find out what his Christmas plans were.

"Oh, brilliant," Sirius grinned and watched quietly as James aimed his wand at Severus, sending a tripping jinx to the boys feet. Snape, mid-sentence, tripped forward, falling onto his palms. Lily looked down at him and frowned.

"Sev, are you okay?"

"Fine," Severus growled.

"My turn," Sirius snickered and aimed his wand, sending the same jinx the moment Severus regained his footing. The boy once more fell forward, this time landing with a loud thud and a slew of mumbled swears.

"Sev?" Lily furrowed her brow.

"I'm fine, Lily!" Snape snapped at her angrily and she took a step back from him, hurt by his tone.

"I've got a good one. _Locomotor Mortis_," James said, aiming his wand at the back of Severus. Snape's legs snapped shut together. His black eyes went wide at the sensation and he bunny-hopped forward twice trying to hold his balance before he tumbled forward into a line of Hufflepuffs, knocking them down like a row of dominoes.

James and Sirius burst into hysterical laughter.

"You!" Green eyes descended upon the pair of mischief makers and suddenly James found a slender finger poking sharply into his chest, the fury of a tiny redhead aimed at him.

"Me?" James smiled innocently.

"Him?" Sirius also feigned ignorance.

"You ridiculously stupid ignorant..." Lily's hair began to spark like Mia's often did. "Toerag!" She screamed loudly, gaining the attention of every other student in the Entrance Hall, Severus and the tumbled Hufflepuffs included. Before James could say another word, Lily flung the open palm of her hand clean across his cheek. The sound of her slap echoed off of the walls repeatedly as she turned on her heels and stormed out of the castle in a rage.

"Did Lily Evans just smack you?!" Remus said, rushing down the stairs after hearing the commotion, soft green eyes wide at the sight of James holding a hand to the side of his face.

"What?!" Mia shouted as she ran after Remus. "What the hell happened? What did you do?" She turned and glared at Sirius.

"_Me_?!" His grey eyes went wide, shocked at the accusation. "If _I_ did something, Evans would have smacked _me_!" He insisted. "No, she hit _James_," Sirius pointed to James who stared off in the direction Lily left, his hazel eyes wide and his hand still fixed to his reddening cheek.

"What did you do, Jamie?" Mia frowned.

"What's a toerag?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Lily called James a toerag?" Remus tried, and failed, to stifle a laugh.

"Jamie? Are you okay?" Mia asked him, suddenly very worried about her brother.

oOoOoOo

**Kings Cross Station**

"Look dear, there's Mia!" Charlus pointed as his daughter stepped off the train, a tall, skinny boy with sandy blond hair following right behind her. "That must be the Lupin boy," Charlus observed. "You don't think... she's too young for a boyfriend," Charlus casually commented.

"I think it's cute," Dorea smirked, teasing him. "You behave. Mia says they're just friends."

"Mia!" Charlus waved to his daughter who smiled and rushed over to her parents, being instantly pulled into hugs by the both of them. Mia hadn't realized how much she'd missed the Potter parents.

"Hi Mum, Dad.." she smiled nervously. "This is Remus," she turned and gestured to the boy behind her who swallowed and stayed back a bit.

"Glad to have you, son," Charlus grinned and extended his hand to the boy. "Charlus Potter, this is my wife Dorea," he gestured to the auburn-haired witch to his side who seemed to be smiling smugly at the way her daughter lingered protectively around the young man.

Remus smiled slightly and reached his hand out to take Charlus'. "Remus Lupin, sir," he nodded his head respectively. "I really appreciate, I mean, I am very grateful," he stammered a bit before inhaling a deep breath to calm himself, "My parents wanted to say thank you, for letting me stay for a few days."

"You are more than welcome, dear," Dorea beamed brightly. "The more the merrier!"

"Oh!" Mia blushed. "I umm . . . is it okay if Sirius stays with us for the holiday?" She looked up at her parents, nervously worrying her lip through her teeth. "His Mum . . . well," she paused, not wanting to divulge all of Sirius' baggage on her parents. So she looked up at her mother and tried to explain in not so many words, "He got into Gryffindor."

"Oh dear," Dorea frowned.

"Shame for Slytherins," Charlus chuckled.

"Sirius!" Dorea called out the moment she spotted the young Black heir stepping off the train. "You lovely little rebellious lion!" She beamed down at him appreciatively and pulled the boy into a swift hug. "I hear you're coming to stay with us for a few weeks? What a wonderful Christmas surprise!"

"Really?" Sirius asked with a raised brow and a smile plastered on his face, more from the affectionate hug than anything else.

"Of course love! The more the merrier!" Dorea repeated her words from earlier.

"Mia, where's your brother?" Charlus asked, and immediately all three children groaned.

"Ugh . . . he'll be a minute," Mia rolled her eyes and then gestured to the train where an irate Lily Evans was screaming once more.

"Let go of my trunk, Potter!" The redhead bellowed at James who was fighting her for it as though it were a game of tug of war that he was surprisingly losing.

"I'm carrying it for you!" James declared. "Your hands are delicate flowers, you shouldn't have to worry about this big trunk. Want me to carry your bag too?" He asked eagerly, his face flush as he stared down into her bright green eyes, though one side of his face was a brighter shade than the other.

"Get away from me you prat!" Lily screamed, yanking on the handle of her trunk and stormed away as quickly as possible, her long red hair flowing behind her.

"Write to me? Owl me? Floo me?" James called desperately after her, waving his hands.

"Argh! Piss off!" Lily's voice echoed in the distance.

"Mum!" James rushed into his mother's arms. Charlus stared down at his son with laughter in his eyes after watching the scene. Dorea on the other hand looked horrified.

"James? Is everything alright?" She patted his head affectionately.

"Everything's grand. I'm in love!" James beamed brightly.

"Oh dear," Dorea frowned.

"I think it's cute," Charlus echoed Dorea's words from earlier, chuckling quietly as his wife glared at him. There would be no double-standards in the Potter family.

"Just ignore him," Sirius encouraged. "We had to spent eight bloody hours on the train listening to his nonsense."

"Goodness, James, darling, did someone give you something?" Dorea felt his forehead. "Mia, was he poisoned?"

"Unfortunately not," Mia stared at her brother, still lost in the midst of stupidity. "This is all him."

"She hit me," James said dreamily, staring up at his father with a proud look on his face as though he'd just declared that he'd won the Quidditch Cup.

"Who hit you? That little redheaded girl?" Charlus blinked, holding back another chuckle.

"Smacked him hard too," Sirius barked out a laugh. "It was hilarious."

"Yeah," James smiled, not catching on. "Did you see her eyes when she did it? Prettiest shade of green I've ever seen in my life. Mum, can we go to Diagon Alley? I want to get her something for Christmas!"

"Umm . . . maybe later dear," Dorea frowned. "I'd like to get you four home, maybe put a charm on your face," she turned James's cheek. "Your eye looks a little swollen."

"Leave the bruise!" James pulled away from his mother as though she'd already threatened to put a glamour charm on him. "I'll wear it like a badge of honor."

"Eight hours you say?" Charlus asked, looking down at Sirius.

"I almost wished I'd gone home to my parents, sir," Sirius smirked.

"That bad?" Charlus laughed.

"_I_ almost went home with Sirius to his parents," Mia rolled her eyes.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

The Potters waited in line for the station's Floo to open, and one by one each of their children and young guests arrived through the fireplace in Potter Manor, followed by both parents. Sirius seemed unaffected by the surroundings of the house, but Remus' eyes were wide and Mia smiled at his look of wonder that nearly matched her own the first time she'd arrived inside the Manor.

"Come on Remus, Sirius, grab your trunks and I'll show you to your rooms," Mia smiled.

"Grab my trunk?" Sirius rose a brow.

"You plan on sleeping in the drawing room?" Mia chuckled.

"No, I mean . . . I thought you had house elves," Sirius looked around.

"Unfortunately, we do," Mia seethed and James laughed, "but that doesn't mean you can't take care of your own things." Mia was already not looking forward to a fight with Tilly the house-elf who spoiled James to a ridiculous point. But she would be damned if she saw Sirius take advantage of Tilly's need to pamper.

"Mia has issues with the elves," James explained with a smirk.

"What, you don't like house elves?" Sirius looked at Mia, completely confused.

"I'd like it if the elves were able to choose for themselves whether or not they wanted to be tied down a family," she tried to explain but knew it would be for nothing. She'd had plenty of these arguments with an older Sirius Black. "And I'd like it if the elves were paid for their hard work."

"Paid?" Sirius barked out a loud laugh. "Are you kidding me?"

"She's _really_ not," James shook his head. "Come on Remus, I'll show you your room. These two are going to be a while," he chuckled and headed down the hallway, trunk in hand followed closely by the young werewolf.

"Mia, that's what elves are for," Sirius explained.

"They are living creatures and not property that can be used and abused, Sirius!" She snapped.

"They abuse back just as good as they get," Sirius scoffed. "My mother's elf is a rotten little sponge that acts just like her. Curses and spits and bows at the same time," he scowled and Mia grumbled and looked away from him. The image of Kreacher popped into her head too easily, especially as she recalled him calling her 'Mistress' and 'Mudblood' in the same sentence.

"Maybe if someone treated them properly," she mumbled under her breath.

"Why the hell would I treat something properly that called me a 'beastly little ingrate'?" Sirius asked, shocked that she was defending the little monster.

"Ugh, I am _not_ having this argument with you again, Sirius Black!" Mia snapped at him, heat rising in her chest that she knew could trigger a panic attack at any moment.

"What do you mean _again_?" He blinked at her in confusion.

"... I... I mean," _Shit_. How was it that he had the ability to make her forget what year she was living in? It was those damn grey eyes. They looked the same, thirty years from now, those eyes were the same. The same infuriating shade of unnatural grey that caused her to lose herself. "Drop it. I don't want to talk about it anymore," she insisted as tears formed in her eyes and she reached for the handle of her trunk, carrying it off toward the hallway.

"Young Miss!" Tilly popped into the room with wide blue eyes and an excited smile. "Tilly is so happy you is home! Tilly will take Young Miss's trunk," the elf reached for it and Mia groaned. "Young Master tried to sneak his trunk upstairs," she eyed Mia as though she knew the girl was behind it. "Yes he did, but Tilly caught him," she smirked. "Now Young Miss will give Tilly her trunk, and Tilly takes care of it."

"_See_?!" Sirius pointed at the elf.

Tilly turned her attention to Sirius and examined him closely. "You is Young Master Black, yes you is?" Tilly asked.

"Yes I am," Sirius said smugly and Tilly continued to stare at him.

"Young Master Black takes his own trunk," Tilly announced and then turned away from Sirius, taking Mia's trunk down the hallway. Sirius stood there, gobsmacked at the little house-elf, his grey eyes looking up to find Mia grinning at him.

"Oh, I should have mentioned," Mia grinned. "Your family was apparently really mean to Tilly," she smirked. "So I guess you'll have to carry your own trunk," she said with a smug look on her face. Sirius should have been offended, but in the end he grinned.

"Anyone who doesn't like the House of Black is okay in my book," he smirked defiantly at Mia and reached for the handle of his trunk, following after the house-elf.

The excitement of being home for Christmas lasted all evening. Tilly had made all of Mia and James's favorites, which happened to also be all of Remus and Sirius' favourites as well. The Manor was decorated with a brightly colored Christmas tree in every room, faerie lights twinkling from within and mistletoe hanging over Charlus and Dorea's room. The guest were given a tour of the Manor, and the boys spent the rest of the night flying out back over the freshly fallen snow that covered the orchard and gardens.

It was perfect.

_But nothing is ever really perfect._

oOoOoOo

"No! No! It's a fake! Please! We've never been inside your vault... It isn't the real sword! It's a copy, just a copy!" Mia screamed in her sleep. At the sound of her cries in the other room, James leapt from his bed and rushed down the hallway as quickly as possible, rushing past Sirius and Remus who stood outside their own doors with wide eyes.

"What's going on?" Sirius called out in a panic.

"Was that _Mia_?" Remus growled and immediately followed after James.

"What's wrong with Mia?" Sirius asked as he rushed after James, tugging on his best friends robes as the three of the boys approached the double doors at the end of the hallway.

"Move!" James shouted and burst into the room to see his sister thrashing and crying in bed. Without another word, James crawled into the massive four poster bed, pulling his sister into his arms like he'd done months ago. "Mia? Mia, love, it's fine. You're safe," he whispered over and over until her cries quieted.

"What happened?" Sirius stepped into the room, looking down at his friends with scared and worried eyes.

"She has nightmares," James explained. "Mia, you're safe. I've got you," James promised over and over again.

"Is she okay?" Remus swallowed, holding his breath. He could smell the worst mix of fear and paranoia rolling off his friend in waves.

"I don't know," James frowned. "Shit!" He scolded himself. "I knew she had nightmares and I didn't even think to check and see if she was okay at Hogwarts. Has Evans, Brown or MacDonald said anything to either of you?" James asked and both boys shook their heads.

"How often does she have them?" Sirius stepped closer.

"Almost every night," James sighed, silently berating himself. "She's probably been having nightmares all year and I didn't even think to talk to her roommates."

"Jamie?" Mia whispered, her eyes fluttering open.

"I'm here, love," James held her close.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to . . " she started crying again but he quickly wiped the tears with his pajama sleeves and kissed the top of her head.

"No, no. You don't get to apologise," he insisted. "It's _my_ job. _My_ job to keep you safe."

Mia let out a quiet sob and clung to her brother, forcing the thoughts of Bellatrix Lestrange from her mind.

"_Our _job," a voice spoke through the darkness and Mia sat up to see the shadowy figures of Sirius and Remus standing at the foot of her bed. Not even embarrassed to have them there, Mia let out a sigh of relief. Sirius walked over to the other side of her bed and reached out, tucking a curl of her hair behind her ear. "It's _our _job," he nodded. "_Our _job to keep you safe."

"Sirius?" She whispered.

"Hey kitten," he grinned at her. "Scoot over will you?" He smiled and crawled into the bed beside her, flopping his head in her lap like always. She laughed through her remaining tears in response, smiling down at him and running her fingers through his hair.

"_We're _supposed to be making _her _feel better, Sirius," James narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"No," Mia smiled up at her brother. "This helps," she beamed down at the raven-haired wizard who was happily staring up at her, his grey eyes almost glowing silver in the light of the new moon. How did he always know how to get through to her?

"You boys should go back to sleep," Mia encouraged them, suddenly feeling bad that she'd woken them all.

"We're not leaving you alone," Remus stated firmly and she could almost feel his eyes flashing gold and amber. "You going to make room for me or do I have to sleep on the floor?" He smirked at her and crawled in behind Sirius, reaching his arm around Mia's shoulder and hugging his best friend close to him.

oOoOoOo

**December 19th, 1971**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Mia's eyes opened as the light from the nearby window flooded her room. At night, the cold and dark memories plagued her nightmares, but in the morning, warmth seemed to envelope her entire being. Her brown eyes looked down at a mess of long, silky black hair laying against her stomach. She chuckled softly at the feel of Sirius' arms wrapped around her waist, using her body as a pillow. She watched closely as he took slow shallow breaths, and felt additional ones behind her. Turning her head upwards slightly, she noticed that somehow during the night, she'd navigated herself onto Remus' chest, bracing herself against him with one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders and his cheek laying gently against the top of her head.

She smiled and leaned into the embrace, peacefulness glided over her. Mia immediately thought of the future. A future where Remus would be ostracized from society, forced into poverty due to prejudice and fear. Left in loneliness for years and years looking for some semblance of family. A family she knew he would eventually get, but not after so much suffering. She wrapped her left arm against his, squeezing his hand gently. She would make it up to him somehow.

She was determined to love him enough so that he could get through the years of loneliness and pain that lay ahead of him.

A light snore from below turned her attention back to Sirius as he turned his head to face her, still asleep. He almost looked innocent like this. She smiled at the image and reached her right hand out to run her fingers through his black locks affectionately. She couldn't imagine this boy, this _sweet_ boy would grow up to spend twelve years in the hell that was Azkaban. Innocent of any crime, put away without a trial all while mourning the deaths of his friends. His soft skin was blemish free now, but she knew it would eventually be covered in scars, tattoos, and lines marking the years that would be stolen from him. Sure he would eventually be free, but the Veil would take him from her. She'd call him back, but it would be one more year stolen from him.

She was determined to love him enough so that he could get through those years of suffering and anger that lay ahead of him.

"You look comfortable," a chuckling voice came from the door where a tired looking James stood, smirking at her. He yawned and made his way back to the bed where he gave Sirius a quick shove before retaking his place beside Mia, snuggling into her right side, using her shoulder as a pillow.

She smiled and rested her cheek on the top of his messy head of hair and blinked away the tears forming in her eyes. In one hand she held Remus close to her, lacing her fingers through his. With the other hand she ran her fingers through Sirius' hair, petting him as he slept soundly. She felt the painful realization wash over her as she realized she could somehow make Sirius and Remus' lives a little better by being there, but she had no hands left to grip tightly to Jamie.

She remembered Remus' words in his letter to her.

_'Nothing you do will change what is meant to be.'_

No matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to save her brother.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** So many tears. I know, I know. I shed them too. Thank you all for the comments and reviews! I loved writing the last chapter and just enjoyed putting together the visual of Mia waking up and putting together the pieces of how she would make an impact on a world that she couldn't change. It's sad and beautiful at the same time. **ordinary vamp**, Mia's future love life will border between the idea that her rules are to enjoy her life mixed with her guilt ridden future knowledge. Thankfully (for us) her default is to follow rules and instructions, and Remus' letter is her guide. She is required to live and enjoy her life. As far as the timey-wimey (hello fellow Whovian) this structure of time-travel is solid. Everything is Remus' letter is absolute. Anything that she "changes" has in essence already been changed or caused. **rlassie**, Lily is basically something that James hasn't seen before. Someone who thinks so little of him but in his mind should adore him. He's grown up an only child (until recently) and has been doted upon by parents, a house-elf who thinks the world of him, and now a protective sister. Had Lily been sorted into Slytherin, James wouldn't look twice, but she's a Gryffindor (and therefore in his eyes perfect already) and yet she dislikes him to the point of violence. She's a rare creature (and a challenge) and he's therefore drawn to her. **AnnHarrisForever**, While the books led us all to believe James' only problem with Snape was Lily, I wanted to take it back further. Snape pushing Mia in Diagon Alley was what triggered the animosity. The issues with Lily will of course come later. I also love how many of you are fans of Tilly!

As always, **Fluffpanda** gets so much credit for being my Beta and putting up with my spelling errors.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty-Four: Little Lions

_"...Hit me with your best shot  
__Why don't you hit me  
__With your best shot  
__Hit me with your best shot  
__Fire Away..."  
__(Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar)_

* * *

**February 28th, 1972**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

It was as if Charlus Potter had convinced his wife that children causing mischief was a rite of passage. James, Mia and Sirius returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas holiday each with a new gift in hand that had been delicately wrapped and given to them Christmas morning. Each with a very careful warning:

_Don't. Get. Caught._

In the two months since they'd been back in school, James and Sirius had not been caught out of bed after hours once. That was due in large part to the fact that James now possessed the most fantastically charmed Invisibility Cloak. When her brother had opened it Christmas morning, Mia's brown eyes simply stared at it. That very cloak was the cause of a lot of trouble with her, Harry and Ron. Though more times than she could count, it had gotten them out of trouble as well. James was floored by the present and had used it nearly every night since returning to school.

Dorea, saddened by the thought that Sirius might not have presents come Christmas morning, dug through her old Black family heirlooms, of course ones that had been looked over properly by a curse breaker. When morning arrived and no gifts had appeared overnight for the boy as she had imagined, Dorea quickly wrapped a small gift and handed it to Sirius with a bright smile. He'd been shocked, not expecting anything let alone something that had belonged to his family. The small penknife fit perfectly in his hand, and he grinned brightly when Dorea explained that it was enchanted to be able to unlock any door, and untie any knot. Thus far, Sirius had used it to break into Filch's office four separate times.

Mia's gift confused her at first when she opened the small package revealing a beautiful small hand mirror. That is until she pull it from the box, revealing it's twin beneath it. Mia brightened, recognizing the gift immediately, though the last time she had seen it, one of the two belonged to Harry and it was broken. Mia had decided to keep one mirror, giving the other to James who kept it beneath his pillow. Mia had woken up every night over Christmas holidays with James, Sirius and Remus in her bed - all having arrived to the sound of her screams, at least until Remus left to spend Christmas with his family.

After receiving the mirror Christmas morning, James begged Mia to use it to contact him in the middle of the night when they returned to Hogwarts, so that he knew she was alright. So far since returning to school, she'd called her brother through the mirror several times each week. Mia would descend the staircase from the girls dormitories and make her way up the boys quietly, slipping into the room shared by James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, and crawl in beside her brother who kept the nightmares at bay. Each morning upon waking, James would give his sister his Cloak of Invisibility so she could slip back into her own room unnoticed by snoring roommates.

Unfortunately it made Mia feel weak, to feel the need to sneak around in the darkness of night just so that a dead woman would not haunt her thoughts. Which was why she'd ultimately stopped contacting James at night. He'd ask her about it every morning, and she would lie, feeling guilty for making him worry over her. But a harsh reality check would hit her from time to time: James wouldn't be around forever. She would need to sleep on her own at some point.

"Morning," Mia said as she reached the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

"You look awful Mia," James stated, staring at his sister whose hair was twice large as normal and looked tangled beyond repair. The dark circles beneath her eyes were nearly purple from exhaustion and she seemed to sleepily struggle to reach for something to eat.

"You flatter me big brother," Mia narrowed her eyes, but dropped the attitude when James poured her a glass of pumpkin juice and slid a plate of toast in front of her. She let out a soft sigh and smiled up at him gratefully.

"He's right, are you okay?" Sirius asked, sitting down beside her. "You're hair is . . . less Puffskein nest and more ball of tangled yarn," Sirius grinned and poked the knotted mane on top of her head.

Mia growled. "Don't touch my hair, Sirius!" She said firmly, moving out of his reach as he continued to try and pet her wild, messy locks. "I woke up late and didn't have time to charm it properly. "

"Why'd you sleep in?" James asked pointedly, knowing that she was still having nightmares but was lying about it. "Were you...?" He began to ask as he did every morning, but Mia shook her head.

"No," she sighed. "Lily, Alice and Mary were up all night giggling over a bunch of nonsense." Though Lily was more prone to serious conversations than Mia's other two roommates, she would still join in on ridiculous conversations about boys. Honestly, in her original timeline, Mia hadn't even thought about boys in such a way until at least third year - the embarrassing exception being Professor Lockhart - and even then it was barely a passing thought. Ginny once explained to Harry and Ron that their bushy haired friend was far too sensible, but all other girls were normal. Hell, Ginny had been head over heels in love with Harry since her first year!

"Did Evans mention me?!" James asked with a bright smile.

"I don't know, I tried not to pay attention," Mia rolled her eyes. But she knew the answer. No, Lily had not asked a thing about James. The only name Lily had mentioned was Remus, and even then it was under a blushing whisper that grated on Mia's nerves. It wasn't until Alice giggled about James and Mary started talking about Sirius' beautiful eyes that Mia had had enough and stormed out of the dorm and down the stairs to get a head start on her homework, something she hadn't done - or needed to do - since they came back from holiday. "It was nonsense. I can't stand how girls can just sit around and gossip like idiots."

"Morning," Remus approached with a yawn, his face was pale and he looked just as tired as she did. Mia knew the full moon was tomorrow, and Remus needed his energy. Despite not feeding herself aside from the few bites of toast that James had sent her way, Mia immediately went into precise, practiced actions, pouring pumpkin juice into a tall glass and setting in front of Remus before reaching across Sirius for the large plates of bacon and sausage, loading the plate with protein and fresh fruit and then setting it down in front of the werewolf.

She didn't even notice it much when Remus moved simultaneously in silence fixing _her_ breakfast. He'd poured a small cup of tea, adding one cube of sugar and pushed it across the table, the two working in tandem as he casually reached over her arms to set a bowl of porridge down in front of her.

"Sorry," Remus muttered as he spotted a raspberry in the midst of the fruit topping off the warm porridge, settled in the midst of blueberries. He reached over, pulling away the offending fruit - knowing she hated them - and tossing it into his mouth.

As the two friends began to eat, the rest of the young Marauder's stared in absolute silence. After several small bites, the two pair of tired eyes turned to look at their friends.

"What?" Remus and Mia muttered at the same time.

"That's . . . . creepy," James blinked.

"You've never seen it before?" Sirius laughed. "They've been like this for months."

Remus and Mia promptly rolled their eyes and ignored the continued jokes and stares as they turned back to their food. When Mia casually touched a piece of the toast that James had given her, Remus reached over Peter's seat, snatching up a jar of marmalade and scooting it across to her, hardly without even looking.

"Oi!" James shouted. "You two develop mind speak or something?"

"Don't be jealous, Jamie," Mia smirked. "Just because Remus is my best friend doesn't mean you're any less my big brother."

"What the hell does that make me?" Sirius pouted.

"Usually?" Mia stared at him. "A pain in my arse that has somehow been tethered to me for eternity."

"Aww, Mia," Sirius winked at her and didn't even flinch when James reached across the table to thump him on the side of the head. "I didn't know you cared."

"What about me?" Peter asked, his tiny watery eyes looking up from his plate to meet the stare of Mia's brown orbs. She blinked twice and then proceeded to ignore him. _If you can't say anything nice..._

"I still think it's creepy," James commented about Remus and Mia's synchronized breakfast. "How come Remus can't get his _own_ bacon? There's a plate right in front of Peter," James pointed out curiously.

"Because he likes it undercooked," Mia replied matter of factly. "The plate in front of Peter is too burnt."

"Why don't you let me or James make your tea?" Sirius asked with a raised brow. "Last time one of us did it, you didn't touch the damn thing."

"Because she doesn't take milk in it," Remus explained.

"How do you even notice things like that?" James asked and at the same time, both Mia and Remus just shrugged. James and Sirius had little time to come up with more questions or jokes at the pairs expense because right then, Frank Longbottom stumbled over to the table looking worse for wear.

"Frank? Are you alright?" Mia looked up at the boy with concern.

"I'm fine, thanks Mia," he tried to smile but it didn't reach his eyes.

"You are not. What happened?" She asked and Frank sighed loudly.

"Some first year Slytherins hit me with a nasty charm," he admitted, his face turning red.

"Which one?" Sirius asked.

"They stunned me."

"What?!" Sirius snapped. "Those rotten lowlife snakes!"

"They _S__tupefied_ you?" Mia's eyes widened. "Merlin, that's a_ f__ifth year_ spell! How did they even know how to do that?!" She felt her own temper flaring, and Sirius' seething beside her seemed to just egg her on.

"Malfoy and Mulciber have been teaching the first year Slytherins advanced hexes and jinxes," Frank whispered, clearly knowing that if the Slytherins knew he'd been the one to tattle, it would come right back to him threefold.

"You should tell Professor McGonagall," Lily said firmly as she sat down on the other side of Frank, purposely ignoring Sirius and James as though they weren't even there, despite the fact that James smiled brightly at her.

"No way, what we _should_ do is get even!" Sirius growled.

"Yeah," James nodded, bringing himself back to the conversation when Lily refused to acknowledge him. "Frank, you shouldn't have to take that crap from them. C'mon! Frank, you, me, Sirius, Remus and Peter are going to go show those serpents why lions are the kings of this castle!" James stood up, turning his attention to the gang of Slytherin first years that were sitting at the other end of the Great Hall.

"You idiots are going to get points taken away from us!" Lily hissed. "If you get away with that, you'll still end up hexed. Frank just said that the Slytherins are using _fifth year_ spells!" But nothing Lily said deterred the boys. James leading the charge beside Sirius, followed behind by Frank who felt compelled to go because James had requested him to, and Remus because he had a feeling that his friends could easily get themselves hurt.

"I better go and help them," Mia sighed and stood up.

"Mia!" Lily scolded her friend.

"He's my brother, they're my friends," Mia shrugged her shoulders. "I . . . I don't let people hurt my friends," she said firmly and then her voice changed to something almost dangerous. "Ever."

oOoOoOo

"Lost little lions?" Amycus Carrow said as the group of Gryffindors approached the end of the Slytherin table. He sat there snickering with his small gang that included his twin sister Alecto, Elora Zabini, and Severus Snape.

"Shut your mouth, Carrow," Sirius growled.

"Piss off, blood-traitor!" Alecto hissed. "Everyone knows that you're nothing but a disgrace now, Black. Ruined your family name."

"My family name was shit generations before I came along," Sirius laughed. "In fact I'd gladly trade names with you, except that everyone knows all Carrows are coat-tailing morons." Alecto seemed enraged by the comment, but her brother and obvious little leader of their gang stayed in his seat, calmly glaring up at Sirius.

"I'd rather be on the coat-tails of something proper than sitting in the filth with blood traitors and Mudbloods," he sneered. His sister laughed, Elora Zabini rolled her eyes as though she was bored of this confrontation already, and Snape seemed to avert his eyes from the Gryffindors.

A memory came to the forefront of Mia's mind and suddenly she snapped.

_"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood!"_

Draco.

She'd been called that word constantly throughout the past seven years and even once had it carved into her flesh. By the end of Hogwarts, she'd grown numb to the sound of the word as it was thrown at her, but something about this moment brought it all back up. It could have been the fact that Amycus was just a boy and already so filled with hate, much like Draco had been when he'd first said it to her. Just twelve years old and already prejudiced. It was more likely though, that it riled something up in Mia because for the first time ever, the derogatory term wasn't being thrown at _her_, but at the table across the Great Hall where Amycus' eyes glared into the back of Lily's head. Mia wasn't the Mudblood here. Harry's mother was.

"You watch your fucking mouth, Carrow!" Mia stepped forward, pushing herself between James and Sirius, both of who stared at her with wide eyes.

"Or what, Potter?" Amycus glared at her.

"You don't want to test me," Mia threatened.

"Mia..." Remus reached a hand forward, setting it down on Mia's shoulder. This close to the moon he could smell everything in the air. Fear, anxiety, and a very distinct sense of rage that was billowing off his friends like smoke from a forest fire.

"Don't threaten us, Potter," Elora narrowed her eyes, suddenly interested.

"We're not threatening," said James. "We're returning the favor. You lot hexed Frank first, without reason too."

"Longbottom?" Snape drawled. "As if we'd _need_ a reason. He hexes himself on accident twice a day," his black eyes rolled.

"Get bent, Snivellus!" Sirius growled.

"Clever retort, Black," Snape's words were laced with sarcasm.

"I'm serious," Mia's eyes never left Amycus, and she watched closely as his hand hovered over the side of his robes. "You pull a wand on any of us again and you'll regret it."

"Forget wands, one more word..." James glowered.

"Just one?" Snape's upper lip curled. "Surely you can count higher than that."

And Sirius lunged over the top of the Slytherin table.

In all likelihood the fight between the two Houses lasted for less than a full minute. Wands were drawn, though Sirius was more than happy to handle things '_the Muggle way_' as he so liked to call it when he threatened physical violence. Advanced hexes were thrown from the Slytherins, and Mia, being fully developed in her magic, tried to non-verbally counter the spells without drawing attention to herself. Unfortunately it was only when Frank Longbottom got involved that things went completely south.

The problem was, the only charm Frank Longbottom had seemed to master properly was '_Lumos_', which wouldn't have been helpful in the fight anyways. But instead of saying '_Lumos_' like he meant to, Frank flicked his wand forward and said '_Fumos_', accidentally casting a smokescreen spell. A defensive cloud of smoke poured out of Frank's wand, covering the fight completely. Unable to see and aim wands properly, the Slytherins made to retreat, but the Gryffindors followed Sirius' example and '_went full Muggle'_.

When Professor McGonagall stormed into the Great Hall and cleared the air of the smokescreen, she was left with four Slytherins and four Gryffindors on the ground. Sirius had Snape by the collar on the floor. James was struggling against Alecto Carrow and Elora Zabini - who were pulling at his hair - refusing to hit the girls. And Remus had Amycus up against the back wall, his forearm pinning the Slytherin there by his throat growling as his other arm held back Mia who was seething and trying to reach over Remus' shoulders to scratch Amycus' smug face. Frank stood in the middle of the floor with wide eyes, tightly gripping his wand that was still pouring smoke.

"Mr. Longbottom!" McGonagall shouted. "Put your wand down!" Frank suddenly snapped to and dropped his wand which fell to the floor and set off sparks, but thankfully the smoke stopped.

"What on earth!? All of you stop this moment!" McGonagall yelled. One by one, each Gryffindor stepped back, though it took Mia's help to get Remus off of Amycus. Sirius and Snape jumped away from each other glowering, while the two Slytherin girls let go of James's hair and he pouted, rubbing his head. "Shameful, each of you! Fighting like common thugs in the Great Hall?! Mr. Malfoy!"

"Professor?" Lucius Malfoy approached the scene slowly, having been sitting on the other end of the Slytherin table during the entire ordeal.

"Are you a Prefect or are you not?" The old witch snapped at him. "A fight breaks out at your own table and you sit idly by?"

"...forgive me Professor..." Lucius stared at the young Slytherins and they all averted their gaze. It was clear that the _fighting_ wasn't the problem in the blond's eyes, but the outcome. "I'll be certain to be quicker on my feet next time," he sneered.

"There will not _be_ a next time. Twenty points from each of you!" McGonagall yelled. "Mr. Malfoy, I expect your first year charges to be escorted to your Head of House for proper discipline."

"Absolutely professor," Lucius nodded his head and walked away, the first year snakes nervously following behind him and out of the Great Hall.

"As for _you_," McGonagall turned on the Gryffindors. "I expect better from my own House. Detention, all five of you, this Saturday!" She said and stormed away, embarrassed of her students behavior.

"_Five_? There's six of us." James looked around.

"Peter stayed back at the table," Remus gestured to the other side of the room where Peter Pettigrew seemed to swallow as eyes narrowed in his direction.

"What? That little shit!" Sirius growled.

"Some Gryffindor," Mia rolled her eyes.

"You're fun when you're all angry and riled up," Remus grinned at Mia, his eyes momentarily flashing gold and amber and for the first time, Mia felt a strange bit of exciting adrenaline flood her chest at the sight of it. Normally when she saw the gold and amber, it was in anger or stress, the wolf trying to break through Remus in a moment of emotional weakness. But Remus looked anything but weak right now, he looked . . . thrilled. The grin he gave made her blush.

"Seriously," James laughed. "Mia said 'fuck'. That was almost worth the detention."

"I did not!" The blush fell from her cheeks as her face paled. She'd rarely ever said that word, least of all in public! The occasional mild curse here and there of course, but she'd never been one to resort to crude language.

"You absolutely did," Sirius beamed at her, a similar look in his eyes as Remus. "It was brilliant."

"I _said_ that?" She blushed again.

"You did," Remus chuckled.

"Oh Merlin . . ." she covered her face, embarrassed. "I blame _you_!" She removed her hands from her cheeks to point at Sirius. "You're the one teaching us all foul language!"

"Oi! I'm going to start blaming _you_ every time I hit someone then. You're violent," Sirius laughed.

"Keep it up, Sirius. You got me detention! I've never been in trouble my whole life until I met you," which was the worst lie she'd ever told. She'd been in detention before, but never for something like this. It was always for getting caught with Harry outside of the castle, or teachers misinterpreting their efforts to save the world as causing trouble.

"You're welcome," Sirius grinned.

"Excuse me? Welcome for what?"

"For fixing your boring life," his grin grew when she growled at him.

"Maybe let's stop talking Sirius," Remus offered with a chuckle. "Mia can be a little scary sometimes."

oOoOoOo

**March 4th, 1972**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"I'm gonna hex Peter next time I see him," James said firmly as he stood in the trophy room with four of his friends, each with a worn rag in their hands, cleaning and polishing every surface, medal, cup, crown, and prize until they gleamed brightly. They were supposed to have been separated for their detention, but Filch wasn't around to supervise the students, as he was called away to deal with something on the third floor corridor, mumbling something about spilled ink, upturned dustbins, Peeves and, "...bloody Prewett brats..." Frank Longbottom was excused from detention this week due to his cauldron melting the day before where he ended up in the Hospital Wing with bandages on both hands.

"I'll do it," Mia offered. "He already knows I don't like him."

"Why is that?" Sirius turned around from the other side of the room to look at Mia who was busy polishing the last Quidditch Cup to have been won by Gryffindors. "What'd Peter ever do to you?"

"He didn't stand up for his friends for one thing," Mia glowered.

"Yeah," Remus nodded. "But you've _never_ taken a shine to Pete."

"I . . . I don't know," Mia snapped, not wanting to talk about this. It was one thing to ignore the short watery-eyed boy, or set him up for a little jinx from time to time, but the boys were asking her to divulge the origin of her distaste for Peter Pettigrew, and she couldn't do it. Thinking about her hatred for the boy only brought up a sickening anger inside of her. _Everything was Peter's fault_. James and Lily's death, Harry becoming an orphan, Sirius getting locked up in Azkaban and Remus being left alone for twelve years.

"Did he do something to you? Say something?" James asked, his eyes filled with concern.

"No," not to her directly. "He just . . . I don't know. I don't trust him," she said with a tone of finality, hoping none of them pushed the issue any further. After what seemed like minutes of absolute silence, Sirius walked the length of the room and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I think you've only got room in your heart for the three of us, is that it?" He winked at her and she laughed, hitting him in the face with the dirty rag in her hands.

"_You_ barely fit," she smirked. "If Remus and James get any taller, you're the first one to get the boot," Mia teased.

"Ouch. I see how it is," he grinned at her and Mia laughed.

"I can only handle the three of you," she gestured to her boys. "Four would be a nightmare. And I can barely keep you and James in line," she pointed a scolding finger at Sirius. "Because Remus happens to be mature enough not to get caught up in your nonsense."

"You know he's here in detention right with the rest of us," James pointed out with a chuckle.

"Hey Remus, want to come down off that pedestal Mia's put you up on?" Sirius barked a laugh.

"Shut up, Sirius," Remus felt his face flush red.

"That's not a very mature thing to say, Remus," James teased. "Sounds to me like you're getting caught up in our nonsense." James and Sirius broke out into laughter and Remus smirked, narrowing his eyes at his friends. While they were distracted, Remus reached for his wand.

"_Vermillious_!" Remus said and red sparks shot out of his wand, snapping against Sirius' backside like an electric shock. Sirius gave a yelp and jumped in the air, turning around to glare at the young werewolf.

"Ow! You git!" Sirius glared and then raised his own wand, sending the charm right back at his friend. "_Vermillious_!" The red sparks shot forward, hitting Remus right on the tip of the nose.

"Ow!" Remus growled in response and raised his wand again. "_Vermillious_!" The red sparks flew at Sirius and the raven-haired wizard tried running from them, but in the end they snapped him on the side of the head.

"See Mia?" James pointed out. "Remus is just as bad as the rest of us."

"Stop provoking one another!" Mia glared at Sirius and Remus. "We're supposed to be in detention!"

"Stop telling us what to do!" James laughed and aimed his wand at her. "_Vermillious_!"

She watched the red sparks shoot from James's wand, and hit her forehead. "Ow! Jamie!"

"You hexed your own sister?" Remus glared at James and aimed his wand. "_Vermillious duo_!" He called out and red sparks emitted from the end of his wand toward James, but then diverted midstream like a fork in the road, one spark hitting James in the leg, the other one hitting Sirius in the back.

"Ow!_ I_ didn't hex Mia!" Sirius shouted.

"No, but you had that coming anyway," Remus laughed.

"This is ridiculous! You three knock it off!" Mia stomped her foot.

"Not until _you_ admit that Remus is _just_ as bad as we are!" James grinned and moved around the room with the other two Marauders, each constantly throwing the same charm over and over, snapping the others repeatedly.

"I will not," Mia folded her arms in a huff.

"He's attacking us right in front of you!" Sirius pointed out and Mia only smirked in reply.

"I happen to think you deserve it," she shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh just because you're in love with him..." Sirius rolled his eyes, but was unable to finish that sentence.

"_Vermillious trio_!" Mia said loudly, and the sparks flew out of her wand with an incredible strength, separating into three distinct paths, each headed for the backside of one boy, snapping them hard and loud like a whip. They all yelped, but then turned wide eyes back at Mia.

"Woah," James muttered.

"That was..." Sirius gaped at her.

"Impressive," Remus grinned, his eyes flashing gold and amber at her. "_Vermillious_!" He said and sent a small spark at her, chuckling when she yelped as the snap hit her on the nose.

"Remus!" She glared.

"I don't know," the werewolf smiled at her with a look of mischief in his eyes. "Maybe they have a point."

"What is going on in here!?" Professor McGonagall said as she stood in the doorway of the large trophy room staring at her students.

"Nothing professor," the Gryffindors looked down, averting the gaze of the intimidating old witch. When she seethed and turned on her heels to leave the room, Remus looked up standing next to Mia and when their amber met honey, they both grinned and blushed.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** I'm so glad everyone liked the last chapter. I really wanted to show the parallels between her original timeline and this one to kind of show how despite war and Voldemort, children could still just be children. The fight in the Great Hall with the Slytherins was a bit of a combo of the original fight with the Slytherings in the Quidditch Stands, and also the one during the Dueling Club. I also really wanted to show that Remus is a true Marauder who can definitely hold his own against even James and Sirius. **rlassie**, Hermione/Mia is nothing if not guilty. The future is always on her mind and she'll struggle with it fairly constantly, especially when it comes to Sirius. Not only is she keeping a HUGE secret from him, but she's missing older Sirius, and also feels guilty over knowing what younger Sirius will have to face in the future. **NeonDomino**, yep, poor, poor Frank. I know it's been done to death making Frank too much like Neville in time-turner fics, but I love Neville so much I had to bring a little of him in through his Dad. **origami zombie**, glad that so many of you are seeing that Peter's not just a nice little Gryffindor that Mia might have gotten a little angry over. I don't think it's the Marauders fault (entirely) for how Peter turned out. Peter and Neville were both outcasts, lacking confidence and friends and while Neville made all the right choices, Peter made all the wrong ones on his own.

This chapter covers an interesting stretch of time: the end of Year One and the beginning of Year Two. A very important time.

Beta Thanks: **Fluffpanda** is awesomeness!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty-Five: Make the Oath

_"...Got a secret  
__Can you keep it?  
__Swear this one you'll save  
__Better lock it, in your pocket  
__Taking this one to the grave..."  
__(Secret - The Pierces)_

* * *

**June 20th, 1972**

**Kings Cross Station**

"Please take care of yourself," Mia frowned as she stood in front of Remus, staring worriedly up into his soft green eyes. "And write me if you need anything . . . _anything_."

The term had ended with nothing more exciting than exams, Quidditch finals, and the year-end-feast. No three-headed dog, no Devil's Snare, no giant chessboard or flying keys or dead troll or Voldemort. _No Voldemort_. Just a typical year of school. The biggest announcement by the end of the year was that the Slytherins had won the House Cup. It wasn't surprising, considering how many house points were taken away from Gryffindor thanks in part to the newly minted Marauders and the Prewett twins.

"You worry too much," Remus smiled. "The past year with you . . ." he reached out and tucked a curl behind Mia's ear. She beamed as she remembered that at the beginning of the year he was terrified to even shake her hand in introduction. It was amazing the changes that had occurred within the young werewolf. "I've honestly never felt better," Remus grinned.

"Still," Mia fussed. "Don't think asking for help makes you weak or cowardly."

"Remus!" A woman called his name and Remus turned just in time to be approached by his parents. Suddenly his confident disposition faltered in the face of his family and Mia caught the change immediately.

"Hi Mum," Remus said quietly.

The woman in question wore Muggle attire. A light brown, modest house-dress that was clearly handmade. Her sandy blonde hair matched Remus' perfectly and although she was still in her early thirties, Hope Lupin had clearly suffered through the years, as lines of stress encircled her beautiful soft green eyes. Remus' mother slowly approached her son, and she reached a hand out as though she wanted to hug him, but she stopped mid-motion and instead patted him on the shoulder. Mia watched the interaction carefully, sad to see how much of a distance Remus' parents kept him at.

Remus' father stood an extra foot behind his wife, bags under his eyes and his hands in his pockets. A good ten years older than his wife, Lyall Lupin looked like a man who could have once smiled as brightly as she knew his son was able to, but Mia doubted that Remus' father still had the ability, or the will to even try. Though Remus took after his mother in appearance, Mia could see the shabby, lonely disposition of an older Professor Lupin in the visage of his father standing before her.

It was painful to watch.

The Lupin parents stood nervously, both obvious in their need to get out of King's Cross as quickly as possible. Mia couldn't stand the tension, so she smiled up at Remus' mother.

"Hello," Mia smiled.

"Oh, sorry," Remus flushed, embarrassed. "Umm, this is my friend Mia Potter. Mia these are my parents," Remus gestured and then ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Lupin," Mia extended her hand which was taken immediately. The fact made her want to narrow her eyes at the couple. They'd so easily offered their hands in introduction to a strange girl, but neither had properly hugged their son after not seeing him since Christmas. No wonder Remus was so terrified when Mia first met him on the train.

"My boy wrote home telling me about his wonderful new friends," Mrs. Lupin smiled kindly to Mia, making polite conversation since neither Remus or Mia seemed to be willing to separate just yet. "I . . . I can't tell you how much I appreciate you keeping his . . . illness . . . your discretion is . . ." Hope Lupin whispered.

"It's nothing Mrs. Lupin," Mia smiled brightly. "Remus is my friend," she said and then reached out, curling her arm around Remus'. "I would do _anything _for him."

Both of Remus' parents gaped at the sight of the strange girl willing to be so close to their son, and knowing his secret at that. Lyall looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack, while Hope Lupin looked as though she would burst into tears at any moment.

"Mum . . " Remus winced. "Please... please don't," he sighed and attempted to reach out to offer a comforting hand to his mother as he often did with Mia when she cried, but he stopped as he thought better of it, especially when his father gave him a look from behind his mother's shoulder.

"Honestly," Mia smiled. "Remus has probably done more for _me _this year than I've done for _him_," Mia laughed, trying to break up the tense moment between the small family. "Can't tell you how many times he's saved me," she chuckled softly and reached up to brush Remus' hair from his face, purposely touching him as much as possible as she felt the need to prove to the Lupins that it was safe.

Mia couldn't understand any of it. From what Future Remus (as she had named him in order to separate them in her mind) had told her, his father once worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She knew that the circumstances surrounding Remus' initial infection had been due to his father's stance on werewolves, but certainly she'd assumed after his son being one for eight years he would have seen for himself that Remus wasn't dangerous outside of the full moon. Lyall however remained distant, staring at the girl who continued to lavish friendly affection on his son.

Mrs. Lupin however seemed to break through the wall that separated her from her child and she smiled, approaching Remus and pulling him into her arms, what was clearly the first time in many years. Remus' eyes widened but he refused to hug the woman back, especially when his father's wide eyes stared from behind, shocked at the display. Eventually it was too much to bear, and Remus hugged his mother back tightly. Mia smiled sweetly, trying to keep herself from crying at the sight of Mrs. Lupin joyfully weeping into Remus' shoulder while he patted her on the back.

"Love," Lyall Lupin cleared his throat. "We umm . . . we should go."

Remus broke away from the hug first, looking at his mother with a sad smile before Mrs. Lupin turned to Mia. "Please know you are welcome to our home anytime, you sweet girl!"

"Maybe not _anytime _Mum," Remus cleared his throat.

"Well no, obviously," Hope Lupin nodded. "But she understands."

"I understand," Mia nodded with a smile.

"You truly do, don't you?" Hope stared at her like she'd just seen magic for the first time in her life. "Where on earth did such a kind girl come from?"

"Mum!" Remus looked down, embarrassed.

"Mia!" Someone from behind was calling her name. She turned and spotted the Potter parents waiting down at the end of the platform, James and Sirius standing next to them. Mia smiled and waved, then turned to say goodbye to the Lupins.

"It really was lovely to meet you both," Mia smiled and then reached up to hug Remus tightly. Unlike with his own mother, Remus didn't hesitate to hold Mia close to him, burying his nose in her wild mane of chestnut curls and breathing in her scent as though it would help get him through the long summer his parents had planned. The small village that they'd lived in the past few years had been compromised. Rumors of a werewolf roaming the village had reached the ears of the Lupins, and before anyone could become suspicious of their child, they planned on relocating. Mia and the Marauders wouldn't see Remus again until September 1st.

"Have a good summer, Remus. I'll miss you," she frowned.

"Have a good summer, Mia," Remus smiled and kissed her cheek before turning and walking away with his parents.

oOoOoOo

**September 22nd, 1972**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Quidditch Pitch**

"Remus," Mia frowned down at her friend. "The full moon is tomorrow, you really should be back in bed resting."

"Can't rest, Quidditch," Remus said half-heartedly, vaguely motioning his hand in the direction of the Quidditch Pitch.

Although they had been back in school for a few weeks, the summer had done a number on Remus. Somehow between being separated from Mia and the rest of his friends coupled with needing to move and be around his nervous parents - mostly his father now - Remus had reverted a bit back to the nervous and stressed out boy that Mia had met the year before, though now he stood a good two inches taller than her. His face was once again pale, and he'd lost the weight that Mia had taken such effort the prior year to put on his skinny frame. He looked defeated.

"James and Sirius will understand," Mia argued.

"No they won't," Remus rolled his eyes as he rested his head against the cold bench in the Gryffindor stands, letting the frosty metal cool the skin of his face. He could feel the moon approaching and it set his skin aflame, feeling like the worst sunburn; hot and itchy. "They'll say I'm a bad friend for not watching them try out. They've already taken the mickey out of me for not trying out myself," he pouted.

"They're being mean to you?" Mia's eyes flashed.

She'd spent the summer worried for all the boys. Remus was practically missing considering that he and his family were always on the move. He wrote back when he could, but between moving and dealing with the summer moons, Remus was ill more often than not. James himself had crashed his broom during a particularly bad wind storm at the beginning of summer, breaking his left leg and hitting his head. Unable to fix it at home, the Potter family had to go to St. Mungo's where James spent a week, prematurely aging his worried twin sister. Sirius had been another issue. Though he'd spent the first two weeks with the Potter family, he'd returned to Grimmauld Place and then remained there without a single owl sent to his friends the rest of the summer. When Mia and James finally reconnected with him on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, the only things Sirius would say was, "I don't want to talk about it."

Her boys were making it increasingly difficult for her to take care of them.

"I don't need you to protect me Mia," Remus growled.

"Don't get snappy with me Remus Lupin," she glared. "I know that's the wolf coming out."

"I'm sorry," Remus sighed and frowned. "I just . . . I miss enough of my life one day out of the month, never mind the lead up to the moon and then the recovering. I don't want to have to constantly hide away in my room."

"You shouldn't have to," Mia reached out and brushed her fingers through his hair and he opened his eyes, squinting against the sunlight as he looked up at her and smiled softly. "I just . . . I don't like seeing you in pain," Mia frowned.

"Worry more about your brother being in pain," Remus sat up trying to change the subject, gesturing to the messy haired boy who was doing loops on his broom in the center of the field. "Four galleons says he loses his glasses and crashes into something," Remus smirked.

"Another four says Sirius hits himself with that Beater Bat," Mia smiled, allowing Remus to divert their conversation. Her brown eyes looked forward where Sirius sat on his broom near the end of the field, balancing the Beaters bat on the top of his head like James's had perfected with his wand.

"Two galleons says Peter falls off his broom," Remus added, watching his short friend struggling near the ground, barely hovering more than ten feet off the ground.

"Only two?" Mia scoffed. "That's easy money for you Mr. Lupin. You should have bet me twenty."

Remus laughed and then a cold breeze passed through the stands. Though it felt good on his skin, it caused his body to shiver which ultimately triggered his muscles to tense, letting more pain sink into his bones.

"That's it. Lay down," Mia ordered, patting her lap.

"Lay down?" He eyed her. "I'm not Sirius," he said clearly.

Mia ignored the comment and comparison between the two boys. "If you refuse to go inside, then I insist you lay down out here. There's plenty of room along the bench. I'll rub your shoulders too if you like," she offered.

Remus raised a brow, contemplating her ultimatum before he sighed and leaned backwards, dropping his head into her lap as though it were a pillow, and placing his arms on his chest, lacing his fingers together. "I'm _not _doing this because you're right."

"Of course not, love," Mia smiled and dug her fingers gently into Remus' shoulders.

"You _didn't _win this argument," he insisted.

"Wouldn't think of it," Mia smirked.

"I'm doing this because no bloke in his right mind would ever turn down a shoulder rub from a pretty girl," he chuckled and Mia rolled her eyes.

"Oh please."

"Please what?" He squinted, cracking open one eye to look up at her.

"I'm already going to rub your shoulders, you don't have to . . . to . . ." she blushed, but frowned.

"To what?" Remus eyed her.

"I don't know. Act like Sirius?" She shrugged. "Lie."

"What did I lie about?" He asked, offended by the implication that he'd ever be anything but honest with Mia.

"For one, calling me pretty ," she scoffed.

"Mia..."

"Don't. Remus," she shook her head. "Please. Just . . . just lay down and let me help you."

"But I . . ."

"Remus . . . please?" Her eyes pleaded with him.

"Well look at this sight," James said as he, Sirius and Peter walked into the stands, their Quidditch uniforms covered in sweat and dirt, brooms slung over their shoulders as they stared forward at Mia and Remus. "He doesn't do a damn thing and he gets special treatment."

"Yeah, I took a Bludger to the back," Sirius smirked. "Where's _my _massage?" He asked and grinned when he caught Remus growling in response.

"You two go rub each other," Mia suggested to James and Sirius with a laugh.

"Sirius is not really my type," James chuckled.

"James _wishes _he was my type," Sirius winked.

"So?" Mia looked up at the boys. "Did you make the team or what?"

"Sirius and I made the reserve player list," James shrugged his shoulders. He appeared to be more happy about being allowed to have his broom at school than to actually have an official position on the team. No longer in the running to be the youngest Chaser in centuries, James had calmed down on his future Quidditch career. It would happen, he knew it.

"Better than nothing," Sirius smirked and then looked behind him. "Right Petey?"

Peter pouted, struggling to hold onto his gear. "It's not my fault I fell of my broom," he said, rubbing his backside which was covered in dirt and grass stains. James and Sirius shared another laugh while Mia grinned, passing two galleons into Remus' open hand.

oOoOoOo

**September 23rd, 1972**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

"Hey, where's Remus?" James asked as he entered the Common Room, catching Sirius and Peter in a game of Exploding Snap, Sirius laughing as a card blew up in Peter's face.

"Hospital Wing," Sirius answered without looking up from the game. "Headache again."

"Again? He's always either going home to visit his sick aunt or in the infirmary," James frowned. "You'd think Madam Pomfrey would give him something better than a simple pain potion."

"Mia said it's something called chronic migraines," Sirius shrugged. "Says Muggles get them a lot," he explained. "Makes them sensitive to light or something. Probably why he stays in the infirmary when he gets them."

"We can get _Muggle _diseases?!" Peter exclaimed loudly, a look of horror and disgust on his face.

"Of course we can, Pete," James rolled his eyes. "You've had the flu before, yeah?"

"Yeah. That's a _Muggle _illness?" The short boy looked gobsmacked.

"Some of theirs we can't catch, and some of ours they can't get. Muggles can't catch Dragon Pox," Sirius explained, setting up a new game.

"Lucky them," Peter nodded.

"Yeah, their pox is called chicken," Sirius laughed.

"What do they do with chickens to get sick from them?" Peter asked, looking disgusted.

"What do _we _do with dragons?" Sirius smirked.

"Can you two shut up for a second?" James groaned looking stressed out. "What's our potion lesson this week?" He asked, an edge to his voice.

"Sleeping Draught," said Peter. "Remember? Frank messed his up the first time and had to be sent to the Hospital Wing for a Wide-Eye Potion."

"Does the Sleeping Draught contain Aconite?" James asked quickly.

"Aconite? You mean Monkshood?" Sirius looked up at his best friend with raised brows. He knew James wasn't the best at Potions, but he was no Longbottom. "No way, mate," Sirius shook his head, worried that James would accidentally poison himself. "That stuff's toxic. We're not allowed to use it yet. Why?"

"Because I found Mia making a list in the library," James whispered, taking a seat beside his friends. "I was under the Cloak and meant to play a prank and move her things anytime she looked away. But then I saw a list she was writing. Had Aconite on it."

"You think she's making a poison?" Peter asked, intrigued.

"Of course not!" James snapped.

"Maybe she's just skipping ahead, you know she likes to read," Sirius suggested.

"I don't know, some of the books she was reading. They . . ." he hesitated. "They looked like they were from the Restricted Section. Big potion books," he gestured their size with his hands.

"So ask her," said Sirius.

"I can't get up the girls dormitory stairs," James frowned.

"And why would you want to, Potter?" A female voice said and James looked up to see Lily Evans descending the stairs, her usual look of contempt reserved only for him had turned momentarily to indifference.

"Evans, I . . . I . . . " James blushed.

"Evans, is Mia up there?" Sirius asked, patting James on the back. "We need to talk to her."

"No," Lily shook her head. "She went down to see Madam Pomfrey a few hours ago."

"A few hours ago?" James snapped back to reality. "What was wrong with her?"

"Same as usual I suppose," Lily shrugged. "She gets really bad headaches during . . . well," she blushed. " . . . girl stuff."

"What girl stuff?" Peter asked, confused.

"Shut up Pete, you wouldn't understand," Sirius rolled his eyes. "She do that often?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at Sirius and grimaced. "About once a month like the rest of us," she snapped at him.

"Not _that_," Sirius groaned. "Honestly, how am _I_ the most mature person in the room right now? I mean how often does she go to the Hospital wing?" He asked.

"Oh," Lily looked suddenly guilty. "About every time. She's been going there since last year. Said she gets really bad headaches when it happens."

"How bad?" James frowned.

"She usually spends the night there," said Lily, surprised with James's concern. "Why? You didn't know she had migraines?" She asked, confused.

"Migraines?" Sirius asked. "The Muggle headache?"

"Yeah," Lily nodded. "She has to take a Sleeping Draught and a pain potion to get through the night when it happens."

"Thanks, Evans," James nodded to her, giving a knowing look to Sirius while Peter sat there restacking his set of cards, already done with the conversation. "I think I'll go check on her later. See if she's okay," James offered a concerned smile.

"Umm . . . okay," Lily frowned as she made her way to the portrait door. "You're welcome. Tell her I hope she feels better," she smiled and headed out of the Common Room.

oOoOoOo

**September 24th, 1972**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

"Sirius!" James poked the sleeping wizard. "Sirius, wake up you prat!"

"What. The. Fuck. Potter?" Sirius groaned into his pillow, his long black hair tangled around his head the same way his bed-sheet was tangled around his leg. "Go back to sleep," Sirius mumbled.

"Wake up asshole!" James smacked Sirius on the back of the head. "Where's my damn cloak. You had it last when you snuck into the kitchens two days ago," he said, moving to the foot of Sirius' bed, digging through his trunk.

"It's in Pete's trunk, mine's full," Sirius groaned. "Where're you going with the cloak anyway? What time is it?" He blinked away his sleep and looked at the window. "Shit, is it even dawn yet?" Sirius asked.

"I'm going to the Hospital wing," James, said, accidentally waking Peter up when he opened Pete's trunk and reached for the Invisibility cloak.

"You think somethings up?" Sirius asked.

"My sister's reading restricted potion books, making lists with poisonous ingredients, and she and Remus just happen to both get sick every month with the same Muggle illness?" James scoffed. "You don't find that at all suspicious?"

"Maybe they're off snogging," Sirius suggested.

"What the hell!?" James snapped, his eyes wide.

"What?" Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "It makes sense."

James ignored the nagging suggestion that his precious baby sister was off snogging one of his best friends. It was enough that both Sirius and Remus were constantly snuggling up on her and Sirius was always flirting. "Are you two coming or not?!" James snapped.

"It's not even six in the morning!" Sirius argued.

"Exactly," James pointed out. "I want to catch them . . . whatever they're doing before they have a chance to come back to the Tower. If they're really sick in the infirmary, then they'll both just be asleep."

"Fine, but if I'm waking up this early, you owe me breakfast. And I don't mean wait until the table is full, I mean you go down to the bloody kitchen and then bring it to me. In bed. On a silver tray," Sirius continued to shout requests and addendums to said requests as the three boys slipped the cloak over themselves and left Gryffindor Tower.

oOoOoOo

**Hospital Wing**

"What happened?!" Mia gasped as Madam Pomfrey set a bloodied Remus down on the bed. He'd never looked this bad before, not even the first moon she'd seen him here in this time. Remus was pale and sallow looking worse than usual, and in addition to the long wound that opened across his back, he had four long deep slashes that covered the expanse of his chest.

"Looks like he clawed himself up good this time," Madam Pomfrey sighed as she helped Mia close the wounds quickly.

"Oh Remus," Mia frowned. "Where's the Calming Draught?" She asked.

"Right here dear," Madam Pomfrey placed the vial in her hands. "And the pain potions are in the drawer as usual, he'll need a Blood-Replenishing one as well when he wakes," she insisted before stepping out of the room.

"Come on love," Mia whispered to Remus as his eyes began to open. "Drink this for me," she held the vial to his lips and let the liquid slip down his throat. He coughed and reached out, gripping her arm to steady himself.

"Mia . . ." he groaned in pain.

"I'm here," she promised him "And I'm going to fix you all up."

"It hurts ..." Remus turned his head away from her so she wouldn't see him cry. "It's getting worse."

"It's cause you're growing up. Hitting a growth spurt," she explained. "You're a good four inches taller this year than last," she reached for the pain potion. "Not to mention," she cleared her throat. "Other changes, I assume."

Remus groaned. "I hate my life."

"Don't say that," Mia frowned, handing him the pain potion and letting him drink it on his own, which he did begrudgingly. "Here, let me look at your face," she cupped his jaw. "These don't look too bad. I can use Dittany and they won't even scar."

"I'm so tired, Mia," Remus sighed. "I don't want it to hurt anymore. My skin breaks open, my bones shatter and I lose my . . . myself," he refused to make eye contact with her. He turned his head away from her gaze once again, a part of him wishing she wasn't there.

It had only been a year ago that he'd opened up and let her see the vulnerable parts of him, but things were different now. She wasn't just some girl, she was Mia, and as uncomfortable as the words were, she was right, they were growing up and Remus didn't just see her as his best friend anymore. There was something . . . something _else _lingering just behind the surface. Something that Remus couldn't quite place, but the wolf inside of him seemed to. He could no longer let her see him as weak. Something primal in him, stemming from the wolf forced him to need her to see him as strong.

"You're in there still. I promise you," Mia whispered. "You're not alone in this."

"I _am _alone! I'm _always _alone!" Remus shouted and threw the empty vial across the room. "I go out to the shack alone, I transform alone, and I tear myself apart because of it! I wake up alone."

"I wish I could be there with you," Mia admitted.

"Don't be stupid, Mia," Remus growled. "I'd kill you."

"I'll figure something out. I promise," she nodded firmly. "I'll make this better for you, love. I'm . . . I'm going to try and find a potion to help. I don't know how to make it yet, it'll take some research, but I will."

"Nothing's ever going to get better, Mia. Just," Remus sighed. ". . . just let me sleep. Leave me alone. Please." He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands, trying to rid himself of the smells of blood and dirt and . . . something else that was making it hard to focus.

"Do you want the Sleeping Draught?" Mia frowned.

"Yeah. Thanks," Remus sighed and reached out as she put the vial into his hands, but refusing to meet her gaze before tipping the draught down his throat and letting sleep take him quickly.

"He's out?" Madam Pomfrey approached with a frown a few minutes later.

"Yes," Mia nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Poor thing," the Mediwitch sighed. "Breaks my heart every month. To think a sweet boy like that has to endure so much pain all because some sadistic creature decided to turn a four year old boy into a werewolf."

"He's never known anything but pain," Mia admitted sadly.

"I don't think so. You and those boys of yours show him love and friendship," Madam Pomfrey smiled. "As much as it pains me to say, even a bit of fun and mischief."

"He deserves better."

"_That_, Miss Potter, I will agree with you. Are you staying longer?"

"If that's alright?" She asked.

"Of course dear. I have to run some errands. If he wakes, you know where the extra potions are," she said, still gesturing to the cupboard in the corner before walking out the door of the infirmary. Just as the doors closed, there was the sound of scuffling in the corner of the room. Mia jumped from her chair, wand aimed forward.

"Who's there?" She narrowed her eyes but saw nothing. When no one responded, Mia took a deep breath and whispered. "_Accio _Invisibility Cloak!" And suddenly there was a shimmer of silver as cloth filled her hand and her brown eyes looked up to see a hunched over James, clumped together with Sirius and Peter, all looking shocked and terrified. "Jamie! How long have you all been there?!" Mia gasped.

"Is . . .is Remus okay?" James stepped forward, staring down at the sleeping form of his friend.

"Bloody hell . . . look at him," Sirius wide eyes moved over Remus' form, unable to look away from the blood stains on the sheets. Mia growled, cursing herself for not changing the sheets that clung around Remus' waist, revealing his bare chest, covered with the fresh wounds from the night before.

"Looks like he got chewed up by something," Peter gaped.

"Jamie," Mia turned on her brother. "How long have you been there?!"

"I don't know," James shook his head and then glared up at her. "How long has my best friend been a werewolf?!" He yelled.

"Mia, is he okay?" Sirius asked, still staring down at his friend, looking sick at the sight.

"He's fine right now," Mia whispered, ignoring James's outburst, favoring Sirius' concern. "He needs rest."

"Is he . . . Merlin, they _let _him into Hogwarts," Peter grimaced and before he had a chance to blink away the look of disgust on his face, Mia had him at wand point, a look of absolute loathing in her eyes.

"Mia!" James shouted.

"Why _shouldn't _they let him into Hogwarts, Peter?" She glared. "Should they have casted him out? Maybe even locked him up? Like an animal?!" She growled viciously, her body had moved to stand at the foot of Remus' bed, effectively separating Peter from the rest of them. If only it would last. "Who would be next, Peter? Round up all the Muggle-borns?!" She glared.

"Woah!" Sirius stepped forward defensively in front of Peter, something that made Mia's blood run cold. "Mia, Pete didn't mean anything by it. Right?"

"R-right," Peter mumbled nervously.

"See?" Sirius slowly approached Mia with calm grey eyes, reaching up and helping her to lower her wand. "It's alright, love. We're just shocked. Remus is our friend too. How long have you known about him?"

"Since first year," Mia frowned. "I read about it, saw the signs, went to Dumbledore and asked permission to help him recover each month. He can't be around humans when he changes because the wolf takes over, but I'm there before and after, to help with the pain and to heal his wounds."

"What happened to him?" James asked, the anger finally leaving him.

"He's basically locked up when he transforms," she explained as she moved, walking over and pulling out clean sheets from the cupboard by the bed, pulling off the bloodied ones and draping a soft white sheet over Remus' sleeping frame. "Since he's alone, he lashes out and attacks himself in frustration."

"He told me he got those scars from camping trips with his Dad," Sirius replied. "Said he fell off a mountain last summer."

"You can't tell anyone," she turned and eyed the boys.

"Of course not!" James agreed.

"No, I mean it," Mia grew very serious. She trusted James and Sirius of course, but Peter was still there and it was taking every last inch of humanity inside of her not to curse him. "I want ... I need you all to take a Wizard's Oath."

"Woah," Sirius eyes went wide. ". . . Mia . . . you can't just take our words for this?"

Mia's eyes turned immediately to Peter and she narrowed them into slits. "No," she shook her head firmly. "I'm sorry, not with _his _reaction," she glared at the short boy. "Remus trusts me to take care of him, and to keep his secret. I love you," she turned her attention solely to James and Sirius. "And I know you love Remus, but . . . I can't risk anything happening to him," she frowned. "If people found out that he was here, they'd take him away."

"Done," James agreed immediately and without needing her to say another word, he held up his wand and spoke clearly. "I, James Charlus Potter, swear upon my wand and magic as a wizard never to reveal to anyone that Remus Lupin is a werewolf without his permission." His wand glowed red for a moment before returning to normal, sealing the oath.

"I, Sirius Orion Black," Sirius stepped forward without hesitation. "Swear upon my wand and magic as a wizard never to reveal to anyone that Remus Lupin is a werewolf without his permission." Like James, his wand glowed.

"Peter?" Mia eyed him carefully as his eyes turned to the floor, hesitating.

"What the hell Pete?" James snapped. Do it!"

"I . .. I . . ." Peter stammered nervously.

"Make the oath," Mia stepped forward in a predatory manner that Remus and his wolf might have appreciated. "Or I'll figure out a way to Obliviate you," she threatened and she could see James and Sirius stare at her from the side. Peter swallowed hard. "We're only second years, I wouldn't trust me to remove just this _one _memory."

"I love it when she's scary," Sirius exhaled with a grin and James made a face.

"I, Peter Evan Pettigrew," Peter said quietly, gripping his wand tight. "Swear upon my wand and magic as a wizard never to reveal to anyone that Remus Lupin is a werewolf without his permission." Once the oaths were complete, the room fell silent and Mia closed her eyes, listening close to Remus' softly snoring behind the four of them.

"What do you need Aconite for?" James finally broke through the quiet.

"You snooped through my things?" Mia scowled.

"Accidentally," James looked down guiltily.

"Aconite is also called Wolfsbane," Mia sighed. "I can't cure him, but I think if I try hard enough, I can come up with something to help him."

"What can we do?" Sirius asked immediately. "James and I aren't that great with potions, but is there a spell that can help?"

"Nothing," Mia shook her head. "Keep the secret," she eyed Peter with a glare. "Educate yourselves about his condition. Be his friends and don't treat him any different. He hates pity."

"That's it?" James frowned. "He . . . he's been alone through this since he was four?"

"A werewolf named Fenrir Greyback attacked him," Mia told the story. "Remus' Dad was working at the Ministry. Greyback had been arrested on suspicions of killing Muggle children. Remus' Dad knew that Greyback was a werewolf, but because the Ministry doesn't know how to properly keep a registry," she growled. "His name wasn't on it and he was set free. Mr. Lupin . . . said . . . some awful things about werewolves in general, and Greyback infected Remus in revenge."

"And I thought _I_ had a fucked up childhood," Sirius shook his head.

"His parents did the best they could after," she frowned, still a bit uneasy with Mr. Lupin's continual prejudice against werewolves, and fear of his own son. "They didn't think he'd be able to come to Hogwarts, so they taught him as much as they could at home."

"Always knew he was ridiculously smart for a reason," James smiled.

"So _how'd _he get in?" Sirius asked.

"Dumbledore," Mia smiled.

"Hagrid's right," James grinned. "Great man, that Dumbledore."

"We should leave," Mia smiled at her brother. "Let him get some rest."

The four made their way to the door of the infirmary, but not before Mia readjusted Remus' sheets and blankets, setting another pain potion on his side table in case he wakes up. She smiled down at him, sad that she'd somehow failed to keep the Marauder's from knowing his secret, but resigning herself to the fact that she knew they eventually discovered it.

"Hey Mia?" Sirius asked as they left the Hospital Wing. "You say he can't be around humans, right?"

"Right," Mia nodded.

There was a long pause while Sirius contemplated something.

"What about other animals?" He asked, and Mia grinned.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda** is amazing.

**A/N:** I think it's really funny that a few chapters ago when Mia was mean to Peter on the Hogwarts Express I had several readers feeling mild sympathy and saying, "Nooo she should save him!" And yet Peter's hesitance to take a Wizard's Oath in the last chapter just did you all in. So many torches lit as you all ban together to hunt down Wormtail in the past, present and future! I love it LOL! **LalaSianLovegood**, I have bits and pieces of the animagus process, yes, but I won't go into too much detail here. You'll just have to wait and see! **LuresaSWTOR**, thank you! I really wanted to show how Remus' lycanthropy has hurt his parents as well, and in turn harmed him. Sirius and Remus have strangely similar and yet very different upbringings. Remus is kept at arms length by his parents because he's not what they expected him to be regardless of his choices. Sirius is despised by his parents because he's not what they expected him to be because of his choices.

Speaking of Sirius and the Ancient and Noble House of Black...

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty-Six: Toujours Pur

_"...I'm so sick,  
__Infected with where I live  
__Let me live without this  
__Empty bliss,  
__Selfishness  
__I'm so sick..."  
__(I'm So Sick - Flyleaf)_

* * *

**April 25th, 1973**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

It only took five days for Sirius' world to go to shit.

Sirius hadn't been eager to return home to Number 12 for Easter holidays, but for the first time since he'd been shipped off to Hogwarts, his parents seemed overly insistent that he return home. His father had requested that Sirius return home the summer before, and he had, only to have Walburga lock up their Floo Network and restricted all use of the owls thus cutting Sirius off from his friends in the hopes that he'd figure out his priorities in regards to his family. That of course hadn't worked in the slightest. So when Sirius and his younger brother Regulus arrived home in late April, the young raven-haired wizard was prepared for a battle against his mother.

A battle that didn't come right away.

While his parents prepared the children for the upcoming engagement party for his cousin Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, the actual reason that the Black siblings had been brought home for holidays, Sirius thought of new ways to remind his family that he was _nothing _like them. His first night home, Sirius charmed his standard green and silver bedspread and matching curtains to reflect his Gryffindor pride, changing them into deep crimson and a brilliant gold. He'd also taken the few photos he had of himself, James, Remus and Peter, courtesy of Mia, along with some Muggle posters he managed to procure and placed them on his wall with a modified permanent sticking charm. The photos hadn't triggered a reaction in his parents.

The _posters _on the other hand...

"What have you done?!" Walburga had screamed when she burst into her son's room to witness him laying lazily on his bed, flipping through the pages of a magazine with a look on his face that said he didn't have a care in the world.

"What's that, Mother?" Sirius looked up at her with an innocent smile. "I've done nothing, Mother," Sirius smiled. "I'm just sitting here, enjoying my lovely holiday with my delightful family," his grey eyes twinkled. "Relaxing for a bit and reading," he raised the Muggle magazine in his hands. "Do you know what a motorcycle is?" He asked aloud as he returned his attention to the booklet in his hands.

"You ignorant and ungrateful child, what are _those_?!" Walburga screamed and pointed to the canopy of Sirius' bed.

He turned his grey eyes towards the ceiling, following her shaking index finger, as though he was unaware anything were in fact on the canopy of his bed. Sirius smiled and turned slowly back to her.

"Why, dear Mother, they appear to be large photographs of women in various degrees of dress, or _undress_, depending on how you want to see it," he smirked. "Bikinis," Sirius grinned as he laid back on his pillows to stare upwards and let out a happy sigh. "Muggles come up with the best things ever."

She tried to remove the offending material but it seemed her son was surprisingly well versed in using sticking charms. Sirius had been enjoying himself too much to admit that he didn't know the counter-spell to remove them even if she'd threatened to Avada him. She swore he'd be punished for it, but Sirius was no longer afraid of the backhand of one Walburga Black. She could try and hit him all she'd like, but he would no longer back down.

oOoOoOo

**Malfoy Manor - Malfoy Residence**

It was with this cocky ego that he entered Malfoy Manor five feet behind his properly dressed family. Walburga in a finely made purple gown, on the arm of Orion Black in traditional - yet stylish - black dress robes with his long ebony hair tied back with a leather thong. Regulus - ever the doting son - held Walburga's other hand, dressed to match his father perfectly. Sirius however, strolled into the Manor wearing black denim trousers, dragonskin boots, and his hands in the pockets of his long open robes. His hair was left messy and down, hanging nearly to his shoulders now.

"Cygnus," Walburga smiled as her family approached her youngest brother who stood proudly beside Abraxas Malfoy. Cygnus, a cookie-cutter version of his sister in appearance barely registered a smile at Walburga's presence which wasn't out of the ordinary, but a scowl crossed his face when he spotted his young nephew.

"I see you've allowed the boy to dress himself these days," Cygnus shook his head. "Are you suddenly destitute, sister? Have all your house-elves died leaving the boy to his own devices?"

"Narcissa is as lovely as ever," Walburga smirked at her brother, ignoring his words. "She'll make a fine wife for your boy, Abraxas," she turned to the tall blond wizard beside her brother. "Shame, of course," Walburga sneered. "That you were forced to break tradition and marry your daughter off out of order," her grey eyes narrowed at her brother. "Any word yet on dear Andromeda?"

"Still missing," Cygnus' jaw tightened and his nostrils flared in annoyance.

"Not that this isn't all fascinating," Sirius interrupted and all of the adults turned and gaped at him for speaking out of turn. "But can a bloke get a drink?"

"You ungrateful little-" Cygnus began but suddenly a hand fell on his shoulder silencing him.

"Let the boy be," a voice spoke from behind Cygnus. "How many of us were perfect little noblemen at thirteen?" The man chuckled. "I'll get the little whelp out of your hair," he suggested, moving past Cygnus and Walburga and putting his arm around Sirius.

"You dote on him too much, Alphard," Walburga scowled but said nothing more. Even Walburga knew it was better if Sirius was nowhere near the inner circles of the party.

"You're going to give them heart attacks you know," Alphard chuckled deeply as he walked Sirius over to the bar, silently motioning to the house-elf behind it for two fingers of Firewhisky.

"That's the plan," Sirius rolled his eyes. "I figure if I time it right, they'll all drop dead at once and you and I can take over the family. We could flip a galleon for all the vaults and properties, uncle," Sirius smirked. "Or duel to the death, leaving one victor standing. Do you think you could take me?" The boy grinned and Alphard genuinely laughed.

"Here, boy," he handed him the shot. "Drink up."

"Firewhisky?" Sirius grinned looking down at the glass.

"Your first?" Alphard Black asked and Sirius nodded. "A momentous occasion then. What should we drink to?" The elder Black held his glass up.

"This sham of a marriage?" Sirius suggested.

"Be careful, boy," Alphard quietly advised. "Do not think yourself to be untouchable."

"You know this is wrong," Sirius said, taking his first sip of Firewhisky, which burned going down his throat. He coughed loudly, and Alphard patted him hard on the back. Sirius cleared his throat and let the warmth from the drink settle over him before taking a second hesitant sip that didn't burn as bad going down. "Cissa's going to be miserable."

"It's tradition," Alphard shrugged. "You'd do well to keep your opinions quiet on the matter. Your cousin will do what she's been raised to do. It's not in her nature to stir things up. Unlike yourself," he smirked down at his nephew. "I hear you're making a name for yourself at Hogwarts. You and that Potter boy."

"James," Sirius nodded. "He's my best mate."

"Be careful," Alphard warned. "Your parents have eyes everywhere. You won't be a boy much longer. That drink in your hand is a first of many and once they realize you're approaching manhood, they'll be making more detailed plans for your future."

"What do you suggest?" Sirius asked. "Go along with them?" He shook his head. "Let them force me into a sham of a marriage like Cissa? Shit, I'm shocked they didn't have us marry each other," he made a face at the idea of taking his own cousin as a wife.

"No, we live in a world now where the Pure-blood families are trying to unite together. Our world is changing, Sirius, and we all need to make decisions on how we're going to adapt to it," the man tilted his drink back, finishing it off. "If I go and make pleasantries with people I dislike for the sake of family, will you promise to stay out of trouble?" Alphard glanced down at his nephew suspiciously.

"You want me to take an Unbreakable Vow?" Sirius suggested with a smirk and Alphard laughed.

"No, I think not," he shook his head. "I rather enjoy having you around for situations like these, and something tells me you'd end up breaking that vow all too quickly. And _then _who would keep me company?" Alphard ruffled Sirius' hair before stepping away from the bar and making the rounds.

oOoOoOo

Sirius would have been perfectly content to remain by the bar for the rest of the night, but his grey eyes fell across a blur of blond hair as Narcissa was pulled quickly from the large Ballroom. Curious and concerned for the one cousin he had left that wasn't a complete disaster, Sirius slipped into the shadows of the hallways and followed after, eagerly listening for voices. When he came upon a door that had been slightly cracked open, he pressed his forehead against the frame and slowly cracked the door open just a bit to peer inside, only to find his cousin Narcissa and her intended husband face to face.

"All I said was that I thought it was an extreme reaction. Muggles have their own world that's separate from ours already, why even bother to have thoughts of them?" Narcissa asked coldly and Lucius turned on her positively livid.

"You were not given to me to have opinions, especially verbal ones," he sneered.

"I have not been properly _given _to you yet, Lucius!"

"Do you think you can get out of this marriage, love?" He chuckled. "I would _very _much like to see you try. Our arrangement was sealed with blood," he closed himself in on her, their noses nearly touching. "Only death will separate us now. So straighten your priorities on your own, or I will do it for you," he growled and stormed toward the door.

Sirius' eyes went wide and he ducked away into the nearby alcove just as Lucius burst through the door, moving quickly back toward the Ballroom. Inside, Sirius could hear Narcissa's sniffles. He opened the door slowly and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Cissa?"

"Sirius!" She hissed and turned on him, quickly wiping the tears from her face. "What are you doing back here?! Get out!"

"You're not really going to marry that fucking creep, are you?" He asked, incredulously.

"You're too young to understand," Cissa scowled and made her way through the door, shoving past her young cousin. "And if you were smart, you'd know better than to question my marriage, or your own future one. I heard your mother talking about it."

"Oh fuck that," Sirius snarled. He would make damn sure no other nasty Pure-blood family would even consider him marrying any of their girls. "Cissa, do you need help?" Sirius asked.

"I said leave it!" She snapped and rushed back into the Ballroom where the entire room had fallen into complete silence, all eyes staring forward at the fireplace where a dark head of hair had recently stepped through.

"Dromeda?" Sirius gasped, eyes wide and Narcissa in front of him nearly wept at the sight of her sister who had been missing since she'd left Hogwarts just a year earlier.

"You didn't think I'd miss my baby sister's engagement party, did you?" Andromeda smirked at Narcissa and moved to embrace her, but swiftly the rest of the Black family save for Alphard, Sirius and Regulus stepped in between the sisters. "I see," Andromeda sighed. "Well, I figured this might happen," she shrugged her shoulders and flashed a small diamond ring at the crowd. "I got married. Don't worry," she rolled her eyes. "I didn't expect any of you in attendance."

"You did not," Cygnus growled at his daughter. "Tell me you didn't run off with that filthy-"

"Muggle-born?" Andromeda smiled almost sweetly. "Why yes," she beamed. "I did. He's a lovely man. And to think, I'd almost lost my chance to find _real _love and happiness," her eyes fell on Narcissa, trying to make a very obvious point.

"Get out you nasty blood-traitor! You have brought shame, shame upon the Great and Noble House of Black!" Walburga shrieked.

"Wait!" Cygnus seethed. "Andromeda, I will give you one chance to fix this," he glared ahead at her. "Put an end to that marriage," he spat the word. "And you can redeem yourself and your honor by letting me arrange a proper marriage for you."

"What Pure-blood man would take a girl who's been sullied by a Mudblood?!" Walburga screeched.

"_I'll _take her," a voice called and everyone turned to see Abraxas Malfoy staring ahead at the young Andromeda, who instantly appeared nauseated. "My own wife died some years ago, and I've been looking for a replacement. I have my heir in Lucius, but..." and his cold grey eyes scanned the girl. "A man has needs."

"Sorry to break hearts then," Andromeda rolled her eyes. "I didn't just come for my sister," she stated. "I came to see _you_, father," she stepped forward and reached into the pocket of her robes, pulling out what looked to be a small photo. She looked suddenly nervous as she held it out to the man who took it and instantly froze, her face paling. "I've named her Nymphadora."

"_Crucio_!" A voice called out from behind and Andromeda fell to the ground screaming.

Sirius' eyes looked up to see his eldest cousin, Bellatrix standing beside her new husband, the elder of the famed Lestrange brothers, both glaring down at Andromeda who was seizing in the middle of the Ballroom.

"Stop!" Sirius shouted and rushed forward, only to be held back by Alphard, who raised his wand at his niece.

"Bella!" Alphard snapped. "This is completely unnecessary!"

"Father?" Bellatrix turned and looked at Cygnus as though waiting for permission to either continue, or a request to let Andromeda go. Cygnus, glared down at the photo in his hands and shook his head.

"Uncle!" Sirius shouted, trying to somehow plead for Andromeda's life.

"Leave her," Cygnus growled. "She is no longer my daughter. Shove the blood-traitor through the Floo and never let me look upon her again." He turned his gaze away from Andromeda and looked immediately to his sister. "You should take to heart what has happened here. It is one thing for me to lose a daughter, but another for our House to lose it's proper heir!" And then he stormed out of the room.

All glaring eyes suddenly fell on Sirius as he stood, shaking with rage in the arms of his uncle.

oOoOoOo

**April 30th, 1973**

**Hogsmeade Station**

When Sirius and Regulus stepped off the Hogwart's Express in Hogsmeade after their return from Easter holiday, it only took a few minutes before the pair of brothers collided with violent intent on both parts. Sirius hadn't intended to clash against his younger brother that day, but James, Remus, Sirius and Peter stepped off the train to spot Lily arguing with Snape near the horseless carriages. She looked hurt when Snape gestured back toward the train where a group of Slytherins stood waiting for him. The Carrow twins stood flanked by two older Slytherins, Evan Rosier and Titus Wilkes, and off to the side of the little posse was Regulus Black.

Snape sighed when he returned to his friends looking defeated, avoiding eye contact with his fellow snakes. James and Sirius laughed at the sight of Snape looking as though he were being silently reprimanded by the older two and the Carrow twins. It was funny until they overheard the conversation.

"Are you done playing house with your little Mudblood, Snape?" Wilkes narrowed his eyes at the black-haired boy.

Snape didn't respond but looked properly admonished.

Sirius, triggered by the horrible word immediately went into a frenzy. "What the hell did you call her?!"

James followed suit and moved to stand in Wilke's face and being immediately flanked by Remus who stood just as tall as the older boys, pushing Rosier away from his friend.

"I called the little ginger bitch a Mudblood," Wilkes grinned smugly. "What's it to you, Potter?"

James growled at Wilkes as Sirius turned toward Snape. "She's supposed to be your fucking _friend _you bloody coward!" Sirius yelled. "You going to stand up for her, Snivellus?" Sirius glared at Snape who remained silent.

"Why would he?" Amycus glared at Sirius. "Snape knows better. He might only be a half-blood, but it's still too rich for the likes of her," he laughed. "Is _that _it, Potter?" Amycus turned. "Eager to dirty up your House, yeah?"

"He already has," Regulus stated. "Hanging around with _this _blood-traitor," he glared up at his older brother and Sirius didn't even give it a second thought before punching Regulus in the face and breaking the boy's nose instantly.

It was the worst fight to date that ended up with five of the boys in the infirmary. Regulus, Peter, Snape and Amycus were all being treated for broken noses. James had broken his collar-bone, and Remus had been left to escort Sirius back to the Common Room as the young Black heir refused to be treated for his black eye, split lip and a burn on his neck from a wayward hex. Somehow Remus had been the only one to leave the skirmish without a scratch, though he'd been all too eager to scrap with both Wilkes and Rosier who were too keen to use their wands against him, despite the fact that even as a second year, Remus was fairly proficient at summoning a shield.

oOoOoOo

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Common Room**

Mia was worried.

Remus had begun pulling away from Mia since the first moon of their second year. She hadn't been aware if James, Sirius and Peter told Remus that they knew his secret, or if the Wizard's Oath she made the three boys take included Remus in their secrecy. Either way, no one mentioned it to her again, and when Mia arrived at the Hospital Wing the following month to be with Remus, Madam Pomfrey sadly sent her back to the Gryffindor Common Room, letting her know that Remus had requested he be left alone.

Each month during the week of the full moon, Remus retreated into himself, ignoring anything she said or did to bring up his health or condition. She tried multiple times to talk to him, pleading him to let her help. On a good day he would explain, asking her to stop politely while saying that her waiting for him in the Hospital Wing made it harder for him each month to make the walk to the Shrieking Shack. On days after the full moon if she asked how he was feeling, he would completely ignore her and leave the room if possible. She knew better than the days leading up to the full moon, Remus was down right volatile, and more than once she saw him stare at her in a predator stalking his prey type of way that both terrified and excited her.

Eventually James had to intervene, confessing that _yes_, the boys had talked about Remus' condition. James asked her to just pretend she didn't know Remus' secret after all. When she asked why, James indicated that it was personal but that Remus didn't want to lose her as a friend, he just couldn't handle her as his caretaker any longer.

Sirius on the other hand was most willing to take Remus' place.

"There you are!" Mia shouted as she watched Remus help Sirius through the portrait hole. It was late into the night and the rest of the boys were staying the night in the infirmary. All the other Gryffindors had gone to bed, but Mia had waited up, hoping for news about what happened.

"Hey, kitten," Sirius winced as Remus dropped him onto the couch.

"I've got some pain potion in my trunk upstairs if you want it," Remus offered.

Sirius shook his head.

"Sirius," Mia frowned and sat down next to him on the couch to look at his face. "Godric, what happened?" She asked. Without answering, Sirius tilted forward and slowly lowered his head into her lap. "No, no," she shook her head. "You need to get fixed up. Didn't you go to the Hospital Wing with the others?"

"He refused to let Madam Pomfrey touch him," Remus shrugged.

"_Mia _can heal me," Sirius mumbled, closing his eyes and wrapping an arm around her waist. Mia turned her eyes to look at Remus who watched the scene with a sad smile, as though he were remembering how good it felt when it was _him _that she took care of and healed. But he shook the thoughts away and Mia could see him put his barriers back up. He never let her see him weak.

"I'm going to bed," Remus said. "You need help up the stairs, Sirius?" He asked.

"Good here," Sirius mumbled.

"Goodnight, Mia," Remus smiled at her and she smiled sadly up at him.

Once Remus was gone, Mia reached down and tilted Sirius' head to look up at her. The soft curves on the boy's face that he had when they first met in Diagon Alley had given way to the sharp angles that he would carry with him for the rest of his life. Laying there in her lap with his long black hair tucked behind his ears covered in evidence of a physical brawl, she could immediately recognize the older Sirius buried behind the eyes of the teenager as he snuggled further into her lap.

"What happened?" Mia murmured, "Alice and I were helping Frank get his trunk from the train and when I looked back the rest of you were being restrained alongside the Slytherins."

"Snape's a bloody git," Sirius grumbled, reaching up and grabbing her hand, putting it on his head like normal. She frowned but stroked her fingers through his hair regardless.

"What did he say _this _time?" She asked.

"Nothing, not a damn thing," Sirius scoffed. "Wilkes called Lily a you-know-what and Snivellus just stood there. Didn't even defend her," he shook his head. "And she thinks that James is a toerag while that greasy git parades around acting like her friend."

"So you _punched _him for it?" Mia asked.

"No," he shook his head. "I punched _Reg_."

"Why did you hit your little brother?" Mia asked, eyes wide. "Sirius, he's _eleven_!"

"I don't give a shit, he's a little prick just like the rest of my family," he pulled away from her, something that he'd never done before willingly. There was a lost look in his eyes and he turned to stare into the fireplace ahead of them as Mia continued to stare at him.

"Come here, Sirius," Mia took her wand and muttered a healing spell for the swelling on his eye. "I've got some Dittany upstairs if you want me to fix your lip and that burn on your shoulder," she reached forward to look at it, touching his collar. Sirius' hand touched hers, lacing their fingers together.

"Can you just stay with me?" Sirius asked, though not making eye-contact. "Let the damn things scar," he muttered quietly. Mia nodded and turned to look into the fire.

She closed her brown eyes and inhaled deep, trying to imagine she was back home, back in 1998. It was something she rarely did these days: wish to go home. James, Sirius and Remus had made it easy for her to do what Remus' letter instructed: _'Live your life. Enjoy your life.' _Her boys made it a simple thing to enjoy life. But lately, with Remus pulling away from her and Sirius constantly getting into fights, she was reminded that these boys would grow up to become the wounded men she'd known for years. She could see the beginnings of Sirius breaking and it broke her heart to know his future and not be able to stop it.

She missed Sirius. _Her _Sirius.

For a moment she could pretend that the boy holding her hand innocently in the Gryffindor Common Room was the man who'd kissed her passionately in the caved-in passageway. She could pretend that it was the day after her nineteenth birthday and she was at home at Number 12, sitting on the couch in the drawing room, holding Sirius' hand. They'd talk about the life debt ritual and he'd explain to her what he knew about the bond that had happened because of it. She'd ask him why he'd kissed her in the middle of the battle, and if she were very, very lucky, he would say it was because he'd _wanted _to. Not because of magic.

Mia opened her eyes and looked over at the thirteen year old boy sitting next to her, nervously licking the cut on his lip as he stared off into the flames, deep in thought. Sometimes _this _Sirius was easier to deal with. She didn't feel much of a magical bond with him, which brought both annoyance and relief to her at the same time. Annoyance because she knew he'd grow up to be that beautiful man who'd kissed her until her toes curled. Relief because he was safe. Without a mystical bond to pull him toward her, Mia could trust that _this _Sirius said and did what he really wanted to. He was honest.

"What happened with your family, Sirius?" She asked. "When you and Regulus were gone."

Sirius thought about his family. The party at Malfoy Manor where he'd watched as nearly every member turned on one of their own. Bella had Crucio'd her own sister and no one had done a thing about it save for he and his uncle Alphard, and even then they hadn't made much of a difference. Andromeda was blasted off the tree the moment they got home, and Walburga made him watch her do it. Then, at wand point and with a Blood Quill in hand, Sirius had been forced to write the words of his House - '_Toujours pur' _\- repeatedly until they were carved into the flesh of his hand. The wound had only just healed and he was happy to see it hadn't left a permanent scar.

"Just a bunch of typical drama," Sirius lied. "Nothing to worry about, love. I'm fine."

"Sirius?" Mia frowned. "Please don't hide things from me."

"It's just Pure-blood shit, Mia," Sirius sighed. "My parents are apparently getting ready to plan out my whole future, wife and all," he laughed dryly and then smiled when he felt her growl in response to the news. "Don't worry," he smirked. "If they set up an arranged marriage, I'll just elope with James_. That'll _teach them."

"I'm sorry about your family," Mia admitted.

"Can we not talk about them anymore?" Sirius asked, cuddling back into her side.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Mia asked, finding it painful to look at his sad face. He was beginning to shut her out. She could see it clear as day. The exact same thing that Remus was doing. Mia couldn't understand why it was so important for her boys to never let her see them vulnerable.

"Anything?" Sirius tilted his head up and winked at her.

Mia rolled her eyes.

"Well since apparently _my _ideas are all off the table..."

"How many ideas did you have?" She asked looking scandalized.

"About _you_, kitten?" He gave a teasing grin. "About six-hundred and forty-three."

"Get off my lap, immediately," Mia laughed but still moved to shove him. Sirius grinned and gripped his arms around her waist tightly, refusing to be pried away from it.

"No, it's _my _lap!" Sirius fought. "I'll behave!" He promised.

"You don't know how!" Mia laughed, but continued to shove at him.

"Then you join me and start misbehaving!" Sirius insisted.

"Fine!" Mia shouted and suddenly Sirius let go and sat up quickly, looking at her with wide grey eyes.

"What?" He gaped.

"Not _that_," Mia rolled her eyes. "I mean, I figured out how to cheer you up," she grinned. "You say Regulus has been a prat?" She asked.

"_Prick_. I said, 'he's a _prick'_," Sirius clarified.

"Whatever," Mia shook her head. "How would you like it if I help you prank your brother?" She asked and turned her brown eyes to watch as Sirius lit up like a Christmas tree, a look of awe and wonder on his face.

"Really?" He asked brightly.

"Maybe just once," she shrugged.

"But you said you hated pranks. You told me and James we were childish and immature because we made Rikard Stebbins' hair vanish," he grinned at the memory.

"Because you had a childish reason," she defended.

"And you yelled at me and Peter for charming Snivellus' shoes to quack when he walked," Sirius added.

"That's was stupid," Mia rolled her eyes. "He just changed his shoes. You should have put a sticking charm on them," she commented quietly and then realized her mistake when Sirius grinned at her.

"You want to prank with us!" He beamed.

"Just once!" She hissed. "And only because I think Regulus deserves it."

The little prick _was _responsible for marring Sirius' beautiful face.


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda** is awesome.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** I'm so glad you all liked the last chapter. It was a blast to write! I really enjoyed digging into the Black family problems. It seems like there's a lot of people already speculating on when/if Mia will end up with Remus and/or Sirius. All I can say to that is... keep reading. **NeonDomino**, Remus is currently backing away from Mia because as he (and his wolf) have matured, she's no longer a friend but considered a potential mate (though not THE mate) and the wolf refuses to allow Remus to appear weak in front of her. So he's decided to not let her see the vulnerable side of him for now. **Roseaux**, I did take an easy out with Peter by just making him a little shit. I've often compared Peter to Neville in the fact that Neville made all the right choices while Peter made all the wrong ones. While Peter at this stage isn't evil at all, he is attention seeking and is using unfortunate means to get the attention he wants. It will clearly become a pattern that his friends unfortunately will not see. They're all teenagers and still pretty darn selfish. Peter just never grows out of it. **Brian1972**, while I can't recall if I go into her studies deeper on her own, I do know that Mia will begin experimenting with magic because yes, she is bored in school after already learning everything. And I agree... I think that becoming an animagus would be an interesting challenge for her, especially considering she knows most of the theories already. I wonder how long it would take her?

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Marauders Code

_"...Perfect by nature.  
__Icons of self-indulgence.  
__Just what we all need,  
__More lies about a world that...  
__...never was and never will be.  
__Have you no shame? Don't you see me?  
__You know you've got everybody fooled..."  
__(Everybody's Fool - Evanescence)_

* * *

**May 12th, 1973**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
Dungeons**

It didn't take long for Mia to come up with a half-decent prank to pull on Regulus, but Sirius was thrilled that it involved the rest of Slytherin House. Though she'd been fairly quiet about the details of said prank, she promised Sirius it would be worth it and that all he had to do to help was borrow James's Invisibility cloak. When it came to pranking his younger brother with Mia, Sirius had only two conditions: the first was that it was only the two of them that pulled the prank. Not only because Sirius wasn't in the mood to explain to his mates why Mia had thrown caution to the wind to sully her reputation as a humorless swot just to make him happy, but because the four Marauders didn't even fit under the damn cloak these days, let alone squeezing in a fifth person.

The second condition was that they set up the prank for the night of May 12th. Mia didn't ask why at first, assuming it had something to do with scheduling their misbehavior around Quidditch practice. So immediately after dinner on the 12th of May, Sirius and Mia slipped beneath the cloak and headed down the marble staircase, walking in the direction of the dungeons.

She'd never been this close to the Slytherin Common Room before, but had remembered Harry and Ron when they explained directions on how they'd gotten there during their quest to interrogate Malfoy about the heir of Slytherin during her original second year. The memory of sitting in the Hospital Wing, polyjuiced into a cat made her nose twitch in irritation. As they made their way deep beneath the castle Mia was really wishing she had the Marauder's Map right about now.

_Hmm_.

"Too bad there isn't a treasure map showing a big X over the Slytherin Common Room," she chuckled softly. "That would make this easier."

"A map of the castle would make _a lot _of things easier," Sirius quietly agreed and Mia grinned, a devious sparkle in her eye.

Eventually they came upon what looked almost like a dead end where they met a large expanse of bare, damp stone wall.

"This it?" Sirius whispered. "There's not even a portrait here," he made a face.

"What's a better way to hide something than in plain sight?" Mia smirked. "Most of them are absolute prats, but Slytherins know how to keep their secrets," she thought briefly of Draco Malfoy being a spy for the Order of the Phoenix for nearly three years without anyone but Snape aware of the situation. Somehow standing here outside the Common Room to the snake pit, she felt like she almost missed the annoying blonde ferret.

"What now?" Sirius asked, practically jumping out of his skin in excitement.

"Now we make sure no one's inside," Mia grinned and held out her wand. "_Homenum Revelio_," she whispered and waited. "We're good," she smirked. "They must all still be down at dinner. Good thing we left early," she lifted the cloak off of the both of them.

"That reminds me, if the guys ask, you and I snuck off early to go snog in a corner," Sirius winked at her and Mia turned, gasping at him.

"Sirius Black! You did _not _tell Remus and Jamie you were going off to snog me!" She glared, her face flushing red.

"You left a few minutes before me," he smirked as he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. "You should know better than to leave me unsupervised for any stretch of time, kitten," he winked. "I'm shocked McGonagall hasn't put a tracking collar around my neck by now."

She rolled her eyes.

"But then again, they _did _look suspicious about me heading out after you. At least _Remus _did, and I figure if they're already thinking it..." Sirius laughed and Mia smacked his arm. "Don't worry about your sweet little reputation, kitten. James was too busy asking Evans if she was going to come cheer for him at the Quidditch match next week."

"And what did she say to him?" Mia looked at him, wincing.

"Nothing," Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "But she dumped her mashed potatoes on his head and told Remus to find friends who weren't idiots," he chuckled.

"Poor Jamie," Mia laughed softly.

"Poor _Remus_," Sirius scoffed.

"What do you mean?" Mia raised a brow.

"I mean Evans clearly fancies him," Sirius shrugged. "And even if he's got it back for her, he's got the Marauder's Code to follow. Don't touch another bloke's girl," he said with a tone of finality, immediately catching the look of disgust on Mia's face. "Oh don't go burning your bra on me now, Mia," Sirius rolled his eyes. "I get it, you're not property, you can snog you who want."

"I am not snogging anyone!" She hissed. "And neither is Remus," she added coldly.

"What's that now?" Sirius raised a brow. "Oh," his eyes widened. "So that look on your face isn't about us making up rules about dating birds, it's about Remus?" He laughed under his breath. "You fancy Lupin?" Sirius grinned brightly.

"Shut up, I do not," Mia growled. "One more word Sirius Black, and I will march right out of these dungeons and this prank is over," she insisted, her heart racing.

She had no claim to any boy, and certainly not Remus. She knew that for a fact. Tonks was his mate, though she wasn't even a month old in this time - a fact that caused her to shake her head a little - but at the same time, her three boys were just that: _hers_. And while she was more than okay with the fact that Lily Evans would someday marry her brother, she was absolutely NOT okay with her redheaded friend taking a fancy to _her _werewolf.

No, wait, not _her _werewolf.

"Fine, fine," Sirius agreed. "But I reserve the right to make fun of you both if I ever catch him eating your face," the young wizard chuckled even louder at the color of red her cheeks turned.

"Shut up and let me concentrate," Mia said and then turned her wand on the wall in front of her, waving it back and forth as what looked like heat waves poured out of the tip, painting the wall with an invisible barrier in front of them. "There," Mia grinned. "That should do it. Of course we won't be able to tell until some Slytherins come back."

Sirius tossed the cloak back over the both of them, and they slipped back into the shadows, hiding within a dark alcove that faced the blank wall from an angle. She and Sirius sat down, pressing their backs against the stones and crossing their legs in front of them so as not to accidentally knock the suit of armor that stood in front of their guarded safe space.

"You going to tell me exactly what we're waiting for yet?" Sirius whispered.

Mia just grinned at him.

Less than five minutes later, the hallway began to fill with students dressed in black and green robes. It was as if Lady Luck decided to smile upon the two Gryffindors committing mischief, the first to appear was a young Regulus Black, typical smug look on his young face, flanked by his lanky cronies.

"...I'll take that bet," Regulus grinned. "Twenty galleons on Slytherin to win next week's match, another five if we win the Cup," he smirked. "And I'll give all my winnings to anyone on the team that can knock my blood-traitor brother off his broom," the young boy sneered and his friends all laughed.

From beneath the cloak Sirius made a rude hand gesture and Mia stifled a laugh.

"What's the password again?" Regulus asked the boy next to him.

"It's 'Basilisk', but..." and the boy's eyes scanned the hallway. "But where's the..."

"Did we take a wrong turn?" Regulus asked with raised eyebrows as he looked around the hallway.

"What're you first years doing just standing around?" A drawl came from behind them and Lucius Malfoy walked forward with Mulciber, Avery, Wilkes, and a scattering of younger Slytherins behind them including the Carrow twins and Snape.

"Nothing," Regulus said nervously. "I just... I mean..." he swallowed embarrassed. "We can't find the entrance to the Common Room."

"Pathetic," Lucius rolled his eyes and turned only to find himself in a similar position. Only instead of speaking, his silver eyes narrowed around the hallway and his lip curled, his jaw tightening. "What did you do? Where is it?" Lucius glared down at Regulus.

"I don't know!" Regulus yelled.

"Should..." Alecto muttered quietly. "Should we go and fetch Slughorn?"

"Absolutely not!" Lucius snapped. "You want to tell that bumbling idiot that his entire House can't locate their own fucking rooms?!" He growled under his breath.

"So we're supposed to just sleep in the hallway?" Snape rolled his eyes.

"Unless you'd like to sleep in the lake, Severus," Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Which can be arranged quite easily."

An hour later, not a single Slytherin had gone for help, but five had turned on one another. Lucius Malfoy spent most of the night trying to keep his housemates from tearing each other apart. Apparently putting the already on edge and suspicious Slytherins into a stressful situation with no one to take it out on but one another, they did just that. Sirius grinned from beneath the cloak as he and Mia watched the wonderful entertainment. He didn't even complain when hours passed and the two finally silently slipped out of their alcove and down the corridor, leaving an entire houseful of sleeping snakes crumpled on the cold stone floor outside their Common Room with no way inside.

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Common Room**

"That was bloody brilliant!" Sirius said with the brightest smile. "How did you do it? Was it a locking spell?"

"It was an adjusted Muggle-Repelling charm mixed with a Notice-Me-Not," Mia said proudly, the smile on his face filled something inside of her up and warmed her thoroughly.

"That's amazing!" Sirius beamed. "_You're _amazing! You're pranking with us more often," he insisted. "We need your brains. You're clever, sadistic brains!" He leaned forward and kissed her forehead and she smiled up at him, surprised at how Sirius was suddenly taller than she was, and how she hadn't noticed until now.

"I'll think about it," she shrugged her shoulders, blushing.

"You better, kitten," Sirius grinned again and kissed her cheek.

The action somehow caught them both off guard and Sirius dropped his excited smile, favoring a confused look instead as he stared down at the little witch. Mia swallowed hard and tried to not look at his lips. Those lips that were so young and untouched by time and circumstance. His innocence was still there behind his eyes and it made her smile as she forcefully pushed the memory of an older Sirius pulling her into his lap, passionate devouring her lips with his own in the heat of battle.

"Umm," Sirius cleared his throat. "Thanks," he said, breaking the strange spell that for a moment had them both wrapped in a cocoon of awkward tension.

"Anytime," she said with a soft smile.

"I can't wait to see Regulus' face in the morning at breakfast," Sirius chuckled. "To think he's going to spend his twelfth birthday on the floor in the dungeon," he let out a barking laugh.

"_Birthday_!?" Mia's eyes widened and guilt flooded her.

"Don't even try to feel bad for him," Sirius insisted. "Last November my parents didn't send me a thing for my birthday, but Reg did. A lovely family photo where my head was cropped out and glued in place was a picture of our nasty house-elf," Sirius scowled. "He deserves to be taken down a few notches, trust me."

"Well..." Mia sighed. "He _was _trying to bribe people to knock you off your broom," she conceded. "Speaking of which, I don't want you and James playing in the game next week," she pouted. "It's too dangerous of a sport on a normal day, let alone with your own family plotting against you."

"Nothing's going to keep me from the sky, kitten," Sirius grinned. "Besides, we're the only reserve players on the team and at the Ravenclaw game, Smith and Morgan crashed into the stands. They're still in the Hospital Wing and aren't allowed to play. That gives me and James our chance to show what we can _really _do," he beamed.

"Just... promise me you'll be careful," Mia frowned. "Jamie's my only brother and you're..." _Mine_. "My friend."

"What are you two up to?" Remus said as he descended the staircase from the boys dorms looking down with curious eyes at Sirius and Mia. Mia looked up and blushed, but Sirius grinned.

"Snogging!" Sirius shouted.

Mia gasped and elbowed him in the ribs.

Hard. Possibly _bruisingly _hard. Though her stomach flip-flopped a bit.

oOoOoOo

**May 19th, 1973**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Quidditch Pitch**

It was a perfect day for Quidditch. The sun was shining, though there was the hint of a chill in the air as Sirius Black and James Potter were causing uproar among the crowd as they flew back and forth taunting the booing Slytherins and high-fiving one another midfield. Enjoying his moment a little too much, Sirius swooped down to the ground, gripping a handful of pebbles out of the dirt before taking to the sky once more. Throwing the pebbles into the air softly, Sirius gripped his Beaters bat and swung as though the small rocks were tiny Bludgers and as they sailed toward the Gryffindor stands, Sirius pulled his wand and transformed them all into roses, each landing delicately into the hands of a girl.

The Gryffindor girls in question were swooning.

Mia was grinding her teeth.

James, seeing Sirius' trick, swooped down to the ground likewise, pulling a weed from the grass below and flying up and forward, holding it out toward his favorite redhead. "Evans," James grinned. "Want me to win the game for you?" He asked and held the weed out to her in the palm of his hand. Just as sunlight struck it, it transfigured into a brilliant red Asiatic lily and James' hazel eyes sparkled as he stared ahead at the object of his affection.

Lily, with no hint of malice on her face, reached up to touch the little flower and everyone could see James suddenly hold his breath. The moment she touched the beautiful blossom, Mia could see her wand gripped tightly in her other hand, and with a quickly whispered, "_Incendio_!" the flower in James's hand burst into flames.

"She's getting more creative at telling him to piss off," Remus commented with a small smirk on his face as he sat next to Mia in the stands.

"She'll get over it one day," Mia grinned at the sight. A small shiver ran up her arms as the chilly breeze passed over her.

"You cold?" Remus asked, removing his red and gold scarf and wrapping it around her. Mia turned and smiled up at him sweetly and she watched as his eyes flashed amber and gold. It had taken her so long to figure out what was happening to Remus and why he was no longer letting her be with him before and after the moon.

All she'd wanted to do was take care of him, but Remus - along with Jamie and Sirius - were slowly becoming men right before her eyes, and men didn't want to be taken care of, not in the way that Mia felt she needed to. It was worse with Remus, she knew, who had to compete with a primal wolf inside of him, struggling for control. When Mia had stopped trying to protect Remus, she immediately noticed a change in him, especially during moments like this when it seemed the wolf inside of him knew he was protecting her - even with something as small as a long scarf against a cold breeze.

"Thank you," she blushed and his inner wolf secretly puffed out his chest, seeing the color bloom in her cheeks.

"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three... two... one..."

With a roar from the crowd, the players took to the sky and Sirius watched closely as James flew fast, reaching the Quaffle before anyone on either team.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Gryffindor reserve Chaser James Potter - Potter, speeding along,makes a pass to Smythe - Smythe to Prewett, Prewett back to Potter and right past Slytherin Keeper Emma Vanity! Gryffindor takes the first goal of the game!" The announcer shouted.

Mia and Remus cheered from the stands, shouting James's name and soon the entire section was screaming, "Potter! Potter! Potter!"

"Oh his head is never going to deflate now," Mia groaned.

"At least this time he'll have an ego over something he's actually done," Remus grinned.

"Slytherin now in possession," the announcer continued. "Captain Steve Laughalot does anything but as he flies toward the Gryffindor Keeper. Laughalot shoots and misses thanks to a hit from reserve Beater Sirius Black! There's nothing funny about this situation now for the Slytherins!"

James and Sirius were in their element, and the two boys had never felt more fulfilled in their years so far at Hogwarts. James rushed down the pitch, desperate to knock at least one snake off their broom. Sirius however was being surprisingly obedient after being ordered by their team Captain to remain near the end of the pitch to help their Keeper block the goals as she'd just been released from the Hospital Wing after breaking her arm a month earlier.

And as a flash of gold flew across the field, attracting the attention of both Seekers, a flash of something else caught Sirius' attention across the pitch. Light reflecting off of pale blond hair in the distance. The sun hit the hair just right that it almost reflected which was surprising to Sirius because while all the other students had their eyes on the game, this pale blond had their head turned away and slowly they rose up and up, climbing up the stairs towards the back of the stands.

"Cissa?" Sirius muttered curiously wondering why his cousin was even out here. She hated Quidditch, and Sirius knew that Malfoy hadn't played since he was a third year when he'd been permanently banned for too many fouls. Sirius narrowed his eyes as he watched his cousin, and when her arms went out to her sides like she was spreading wings, Sirius realized what she was doing.

"No!" He shouted and flew at breaking speeds, dropping the Beater bat in the process as he leaned forward on his broom to gain momentum just as the visage of Narcissa Black vanished over the back railing of the stands.

"Both Seekers are in a race for the Snitch - Hey is that Black? Sirius Black has broken away from formation and is heading toward the Slytherin goals, no Quaffle in his hands and he seems to have lost his bat! Is this a new secret play?" The announcer asked. "Black rushing at speeds unheard of for that Cleansweep for sure. Black flies through the Slytherin goal and... and... over the railing of the stands?"

Everyone stood to watch now, none paying attention to the Snitch save for the two Seekers who were diving toward the ground. Sirius meanwhile dove over the edge of the railing, gripping his broom and gasped when he saw Narcissa ahead of him, falling toward the earth, her body relaxed as though she wasn't expecting impact.

"Cissa!" Sirius screamed and reached forward, grabbing hold of the bottom of her left foot and clinging to it tightly as he pulled his broom upward, slowing their descent, but not enough. Sirius lost his grip and watched as she fell, still a good twenty-five feet above the ground. "No!" Sirius yelled and aimed his broom straight down, putting his feet on the edge of the stick and pushed against the broom, launching himself off and forward.

He reached out and pulled hard once he had a grip on his cousin, rotating backwards and pulling her into his arms just as his back collided with the ground.

oOoOoOo

**May 22nd, 1973**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

When Sirius' grey eyes opened again his vision was blurry.

"Cissa?" Was the first thing he whispered when he remembered what had happened. He recalled the game, spotting his cousin, and then falling forward until pain. Sirius let out a loud cough and then yelped as the muscles in his back spasmed. "Ow! Fuck!" He yelled.

"Well it's good to see you're awake Mr. Black," Madam Pomfrey approached. "Though I can't say I care for your language myself," she narrowed her eyes. "I'll let it slip for now as long as you tell me how much pain you're in."

Sirius took advantage of the punishment free zone and snapped, "A lot of damn fucking pain! Shit! Arse! What the bloody hell happened?" He winced and then looked up at Madam Pomfrey stared at him, her hands on her hips.

"Are you quite done?" She asked.

Sirius took in a sharp breath and then let out one word, "Tits."

Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine," she scowled. "Drink this," she shoved a pain relief potion into his hand and Sirius took it without question. The pain dulled to a gentle throb and Sirius let out a great sigh of relief.

"What happened?" Sirius finally asked.

"You strained your back, pulling various muscles from hitting the ground, and fractured a couple spinal discs, young man," Madam Pomfrey sighed with irritation. "You've been here for several days now, unconscious for most of them which is good considering what we had to do to repair the muscle and bone damage. You wouldn't have liked that one bit," she nodded firmly.

"Mia's going to kill me," Sirius groaned. She'd been worried about him hurting himself at the game and not had he essentially blew her worries out of the water, but also propelled it into space. Although technically he could argue that he hadn't hurt himself playing Quidditch. "Where's my cousin? Is she alright?"

"Narcissa Black?" The Mediwitch asked. "She'll be fine," she said simply and then walked away.

"Wait! What happened to her?" Sirius called after Madam Pomfrey. "Is she okay?" He yelled, but there was no response. "Is anyone going even tell me if we won the game?" Sirius growled.

"Is that really all you can think about right now?!" Mia screamed as she stormed into the infirmary, the doors slamming against the walls, closely followed by James, Remus and Peter. "You nearly died you bloody idiot! Have you any idea how worried I've been? How worried we've _all _been?!" Her hair sparked as she glared into the eyes of Sirius Black who seemed to grin at her in response.

Godric he loved it when she got angry.

"Miss me, kitten?" Sirius smirked.

Mia let out a loud scream of frustration and then stormed away, using her wand to fling the doors open.

"Oh she _definitely _missed me," Sirius nodded. "Alright mates," he looked up at his friends. "First, did we win? Second, where's my damn cousin?"

"Well, we won," James grinned. "Even secured spots on next year's team as long as your back is good to go come September," he ran a hand through his already messy hair as he looked down at his injured friend. "Full players too, not just reserves."

"As for your cousin," Remus frowned. "She's fine. Nothing a Calming Draught and Muscle Relaxation Potion couldn't fix. You, however, took the brunt of the impact," he shook his head and Sirius averted his gaze for the moment. Sirius knew that if anyone understood what it felt like to be broken in the Hospital Wing it would be his werewolf friend, and the thought made him feel guilty for complaining so much minutes earlier.

"Most people think she tripped," James explained. "A lot of the Ravenclaws are spreading a rumor that another girl pushed her because they're jealous about her marrying Malfoy," James said, rolling his eyes.

"What does _Mia _think?" Sirius asked and the three other boys raised their eyebrows in silence. "Oh shut it," Sirius growled. "I know she's got a theory. She bloody knows everything!"

"Mia thinks someone Imperiused Narcissa," Remus whispered. "That someone _made _her jump."

"Malfoy," Sirius growled.

"Mia thought so too. But you can't prove it," Remus shook his head. "Mia already went to Dumbledore. Last we heard, Narcissa said it was an accident. She's going with the tripped excuse," the werewolf frowned.

"No way," Sirius shook his head. "My cousins were walking with books on their heads to balance when they were four," he insisted. "Narcissa wouldn't just trip. If Mia thinks someone Imperiused her, then I believe it. And it's got to be Malfoy. He was threatening her at their damn engagement party minutes before her damn sister was Crucio'd on the floor!" He shouted.

"What?!" James gaped. "When the hell did _that _happen?!"

"Shit," Sirius groaned. He hadn't meant to tell anyone. "Look, it's... it's family stuff, okay," he looked away from his friends, growling as he could feel pity pouring off of them. "My cousin Andromeda married a Muggle-born and popped a kid out causing a fuss among the older folks," he sneered. "But that's not the point. I heard Malfoy tell Cissa to straighten out her priorities or he'd do it _for _her. Then told her she could only end their engagement by dying."

"Aurors were called in," Peter spoke up. "Malfoy was at breakfast this morning. He wasn't arrested."

"Your cousin was sitting with him," James shrugged apologetically. "If he really did that to her, then he just got away with it and Narcissa doesn't look like she's going to be accusing him of anything," he frowned.

"Why'd Mia think it was Lucius?" Sirius asked curiously. "It's obvious to me, but I'm curious."

"I'm not sure exactly," Remus scratched the side of his head. "She just said that Lucius Malfoy was a monster who wouldn't think twice about turning his own wife into a puppet," he said. "Then she..." Remus frowned. "She said that he deserved what he got. I don't know what that means."

Sirius frowned.

"Probably the prank," he nodded. "She charmed their Common Room door, locked all the Slytherins outside of it," he let a small smile sneak through and lowered his voice. "That's probably it. Oh, that reminds me, Mia mentioned the word '_map' _during that prank and it got me thinking…"


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda** says hi.

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N**: This is one of the shorter chapters but one of my favorite to write. I really wanted to showcase early developments of relationships and flirting and I found myself digging through an old collection of hit songs from between 1970-73. I'm a person that is easily affected by music, so I decided that Mia and Sirius would be too as you'll see. **CheshireMouse** brought up a good point that Peter isn't in the story as often as he should be. I think that's because I really don't like writing him because I hate him and Mia hates him, but I will try and get him in there more often to show at least how his character is progressing. **kaida171** wanted to know whether or not I'm keeping Mia in the past for good - the answer is no. What happens to her however is my little secret, but I will say that at some point we WILL catch up with future Sirius and future Remus the night of Hermione's 19th birthday. Also congrats to **kaida171** for being our 300th review! You guys are all so awesome and I love you to death!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Just Scars

_"...Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel  
__Like you're less than fucking perfect  
__Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel  
__Like you're nothing, you're fucking perfect to me..."  
__(Fuckin' Perfect - Pink)_

* * *

**July 17th, 1973**

**Potter Manor**

Their summer before their third year at Hogwarts was filled with something that Mia wasn't familiar with until recently: _fun_.

Sirius had recovered from what would officially be labeled as a "Quidditch Injury", and despite Narcissa's insistence that Lucius _wasn't _behind her accident, Sirius had made a large fuss in the Great Hall on the last day of school where he punched Malfoy in the face and earned himself a months worth of detention come the following September. His last words to his cousin before he was pulled off of her fiance were, "You owe me a life debt, Narcissa Black!"

Sirius arrived at Potter Manor after a whole three hours alone with his family at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Apparently all it took for Walburga to let him leave was to threaten calling the Daily Prophet and providing them an exclusive interview about how the newly infamous Sirius Black came to his cousin's rescue while her own fiance was missing in action. He promised he would be sure to include a detailed description of what it felt like to be a hero, and that he had already forgiven Lucius Malfoy for not even bothering to say thank you. Several derogatory terms were thrown at him as well as a large antique vase before Sirius opened the Floo and vanished over to Potter Manor where he'd taken up residence the rest of the summer, though it was rare for James and Sirius to actually be seen as the two had played Quidditch non-stop out by the field near the orchards.

It wasn't until Mia grew bored enough to go searching for the boys in late July that she stumbled upon them taking a break from one of what was sure to be a dozen games. James had taken Sirius through the large orchards and came out on the other side of a large river that cut through the edge of the property line. It was secluded and beautiful and Mia cursed herself for not exploring the grounds earlier. She'd thought to ask Jamie why he'd never shown her the river before, but Sirius was there and it would look suspicious if Mia - who had supposedly lived at Potter Manor her entire life - didn't know where their land ended. Determined to make up for lost time and last year when she'd spent an entire hot summer sweating inside, Mia asked their parents if they could have friends over to go swimming.

James and Sirius were thrilled with the idea, but Mia wasn't happy with their planning.

"Peter's birthday is this Friday, we should have him over for a party!" James said excitedly and Sirius seemed to join in on the idea of surprising their young friend, but Mia had snapped out a quick, "No!"

"Why not?" James asked.

"I can't this Friday," she said before coming up with the worst excuse ever, but knowing it would put an immediate end to the argument. "Girl stuff," she said and forced a blush across her face to appear ashamed. Both boys nodded quickly and averted her gaze which was good because she rolled her eyes but smirked.

"How about the Tuesday after that?" Mia smiled.

"Why then?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "It just feels like a good day to be with family and friends. To celebrate," she smiled and walked away.

"Fine," James conceded. "Floo your friends and tell them to be here July 31st!" James called after his sister and then quickly added, "And make sure to invite Evans!"

"You think they'll wear bikinis like my motorcycle girls?" Sirius grinned, his grey eyes flashing in the sunlight as he stared after Mia who was on her way back to the Manor to arrange the party.

She'd always been small and skinny, but the years had been as good to the girl as they'd been to the boys. Of course Sirius had always found her eyes to be magnificently pretty. The color of chocolate. She was lovely looking when she laughed and even more when she was angry, especially with him. Her cheeks would turn red and her hair sparked. One morning a few weeks into the summer holiday, Sirius woke from a dream with the thought of burying his fingers in her mess of curls. He blamed the motorcycle magazines for putting thoughts into his head. Not that it mattered as he refused to stop reading them.

"Mia's looking fit," Sirius muttered out the side of a grin, leering at the brunette as she walked away from him, completely distracted until something hard hit him in the side of the head. "Ow!"

"My sister is _not _fit!" James snapped. "And she's certainly not going to wear a bloody bikini. That's a Muggle thing," the messy haired wizard scowled at his best friend who only seemed to laugh in response to his anger.

"Evans is a Muggle-born, maybe _she'll _wear one," Sirius pointed out and all at once the blood rushed out of James' face.

"Hypocrite," Sirius laughed.

oOoOoOo

**July 31st, 1973**

**Potter Manor**

"I can't believe you bought that," Mia laughed as she, Alice and Lily stood in her room at the Manor, while Mary stood with her hands on her hips grinning smugly while wearing her brand new pinstriped bikini.

"Where'd you even get it?" Alice gaped.

"Muggle part of France," Mary smirked and without any hint of modesty or shame, adjusted her cleavage. "You think Sirius will like it?" She winked and Mia seethed visibly. Immediately all the girls turned and looked at her as her face turned crimson.

"Oh my Godric," Mary beamed. "You fancy Sirius!"

"I do not!" Mia snapped.

"It's alright," Mary laughed. "Look at the boy," she grinned. "He's bloody perfection."

"Don't tell _him _that, his head is big enough as is," Lily rolled her eyes. "Mia, how come you never told us you liked Sirius?" She asked her curly haired friend, nervously wrapping her arms around her own pink one-piece swimsuit, feeling awkward and uncomfortable considering James Potter had already been staring at her that morning, and that was before she was practically naked. The only reason she'd even bothered to show up was that all of her other friends - except Severus - were going to be there.

"I didn't _say _anything because there's nothing to say," Mia huffed and moved into her bathroom, leaving the door cracked a touch as she fumbled her way into her solid black suit. She glared at herself in the mirror, frustrated that just when she thought she'd gotten over her awkward stage of life, she'd been thrown back in time to relive the damn experience over. "We're young and shouldn't be concentrating on boys right now," she glowered as she walked out of the room, pushing the door open for Alice who entered it to change.

"Why not?" Mary shrugged. "They look at _us _all the time, I say it's only fair that we look right back," she grinned and Mia blushed.

"They look at _you_," Mia insisted.

"Oh they look at you too, lovely," Mary giggled. "I caught Adrian Abbott trying to look down your blouse last year in Potions," she admitted and Mia's eyes widened.

"That's disgusting! He's a Slytherin!" Mia shouted.

"He's also fit," Mary grinned.

"You think everyone's fit," Lily rolled her eyes.

"I appreciate beauty," Mary nodded with a sigh as though she were reflecting on the great wonders of the world. Both Lily and Mia made eye contact and laughed at their friend. "So fine, you don't fancy Sirius," Mary shrugged. "That means you wouldn't mind if I snogged him today?"

Mia paled and her fists clenched tight and Mary immediately took notice.

"See?" She gestured with amusement. "Fine, fine," Mary grinned. "Sirius is off limits."

"_All _my boys are off limits," Mia clarified, a strange sense of possession coming over her. Visions of Lavender Brown eating Ron's face and Cho Chang breaking Harry's heart came into view and she shook her head. Not this time.

"You can't keep them _all _to yourself!" Mary laughed.

"Fine, Lily can have James," Mia agreed and Lily turned and looked at her friend furiously. Mia only smirked in reply, but refused to take back the announcement.

"_Alice _likes James," Mary pointed out.

Mia shook her head. "Alice can have Frank," she insisted and both Mary and Lily laughed. "What?" She looked at her friends. "Tell me they're not perfect for each other and I'll take it back," she promised, folding her arms over her chest defiantly.

"Wow, they really are," Lily rose a brow after genuinely thinking about it for a minute.

"Who's really what?" Alice said as she walked out of the bathroom wearing a flower covered suit.

"You and Frank, perfect for one another," Mary answered.

Suddenly Alice blushed to the tips of her toes and she covered her mouth. "How did you know?!" She squealed.

"Know what?" Mary's eyes widened. Now this was gossip to be heard. Alice shook her head and made to run for it, but Mary was too quick and nearly tackled the girl to the ground.

"No way, you're not getting away! You've got a secret and I will find out or die trying Alice Brown!" She flipped the girl over, straddling her waist and pinned her arms down to the sides of her head, thus preventing Alice from hiding the blush that crept over her cheeks and the silly grin form on her face.

"I kissed him!" Alice finally blurted out and the other three girls gasped.

"How about that," Mary sat back on Alice's legs and smirked. "Frank Longbottom, who knew?" She giggled. "There you have it, Lils," Mary smirked. "Our little Alice is all grown up and over James Potter. He's all yours."

"I do not want Potter!" Lily screeched loudly. "If I fancy _anyone _\- which I don't - it'd probably be Remus!"

Mary grinned as Mia's jaw visibly tightened.

"Like I said," Mia twitched. "My boys are off limits," she folded her arms.

"What about the rest of us?" Mary laughed, finally moving off of Alice and letting the girl up. "Are we to die as old spinster witches, just us and our Kneazles?" She grinned brilliantly and Mia couldn't help but dramatically give in to her beautiful smile.

"Fine, you can have Peter," Mia huffed.

"Eww, I don't want Pettigrew! He's always staring at me in Charms. It's creepy!" Mary shrieked and the girls all laughed.

oOoOoOo

"So," Sirius said smugly as he walked back down the long hallway to James' room where the boys had been changing into their swim trunks. "The sounds were a little muffled, but what I gathered is that Evans still hates James but might fancy Remus except she says she doesn't fancy anyone. Brown _used _to fancy James, but apparently Frank failed to mention that he's snogged the bird," Sirius' eyes fell on his pale faced friend.

"_She _kissed _me_!" Frank yelled as if defending himself.

"Good on you, mate," Sirius winked and continued. "Mcdonald wants me," he grinned. "Badly too, I'm guessing," he said as though that were obvious. "But Mia's hopelessly in love with me and determined to become the next Mistress of House Black," he grinned. "James, are you going to be my best man?" He asked and ducked as James threw a punch. "I'm just taking the piss out of you," Sirius laughed. "Mia wants Remus too," he laughed.

"What?" Remus' eyes widened.

"Stop talking about my sister!" James howled.

"I think it's only fair seeing that _she _was talking about _us_," Sirius barked a laugh. "Get over it, mate," he patted James on the shoulder. "We've got bigger things to worry about."

"Like what?" James narrowed his eyes.

"Like beating the shit out of Adrian Abbott when we get back to school," Sirius growled low.

"They say anything about me?" Peter spoke up from the corner of the room and Sirius frowned.

"Sorry Pete, bad luck."

oOoOoOo

A twenty minutes later and the nine teenagers stood at the river, half already in the water taking advantage of the perfect weather. It took picturing Cormac McLaggen in order to keep the blush off of Mia's cheeks as the boys made their way through the orchard, shirtless and practically glimmering in the sunlight. The other girls had not been so successful at hiding their looks of approval, though Lily had taken the high road by turning away and hiding her face entirely.

James spent his time diving off of the tree branches into the deeper parts of the river, doing back flips and cannon balls, each time surfacing in hopes that Lily had seen him - only to be disappointed but never relenting in his quest to show off further. Frank and Alice were on the other side of the bank, quietly talking and Mia couldn't help but smile when she watched her friend reach for Frank's hand and lace their fingers together innocently.

Remus was curled up beneath the giant oak, book in hand occasionally looking over to watch while Peter failed to keep Mary's attention as he told her the story about how he'd successfully brewed a Shrinking Solution even though it was a third year potion. Mary was polite enough to _not _tell the boy that she'd rather hear he could perform an Enlargement Charm.

"_This_," Lily said with a bright smile as she knelt down beside Sirius and Mia. "Is called a transistor radio," she explained as though she'd recently been hired as the new Muggle Studies professor. Mia watched with an amused expression on her face while Sirius grinned at the redhead, his arms folded across his chest. "It's a portable device that Muggles use to listen to music." She looked up and her green eyes glanced between Sirius and Mia and her smile fell. "And... and... you've got magic versions don't you?" She glared.

"Yes," Mia admitted with a chuckle.

"But do go on," Sirius encouraged her. "Tell me about this thing called music," he said sarcastically. "What is... mooseek?"

Lily glared and Sirius laughed.

"You're good fun, Evans," Sirius smirked as she shook her head, though she failed to keep a smirk off her face as she stormed away from them, rescuing Mary from Peter's stories. "Muggles are awesome," Sirius commented looking over the radio and turning it on.

"Have you ever listened to Muggle music?" Mia asked.

"Yes," Sirius nodded, fidgeting with the knobs and buttons. "Used to sneak into Muggle London when Mum took me to Diagon Alley," he grinned at the memory. "There was a record store I would hide out in."

"I never knew that," Mia said with a bright smile.

"Because I just told you," he said with a wink. "Oh bugger this," he said in a frustrating voice and reached for his wand, touching the top of the radio that was previously playing static but now played loud Muggle music, clear as day.

_"...I'm gonna need somebody to lean on..."_ The radio sang and Mia smiled.

"I love this song," she beamed. "It actually reminds me of you, Sirius."

_"...Please, swallow your pride...If I have things you need to borrow..."_

"Swallow my pride?" Sirius scoffed. "Unlikely, kitten," he tapped his wand on the radio again. "But since we're apparently making song dedications..." he said with a devious grin and the radio glowed purple when the tip of his wand touched it.

"_...Let's get it on…"_

"Absolutely not!" Mia scowled and tapped her wand on the top of the radio, letting the song change once more.

_"...Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me..."_

Mia laughed. "That's better," she said with narrowed eyes.

"Already on my way there," Sirius grinned darkly down at her and touched the radio again with his wand.

"_...Touch me in the morning, and then just walk away…"_

Mia scowled. "You're doing this on purpose."

"Am I?" He chuckled. "Is there a problem Miss Potter?"

Mia tapped the radio again.

_"...And they called it puppy love..."_

Mia burst into hysterical laughter loud enough that everyone turned and gaped at her. Sirius stood by, an amused expression on his face as he tried to understand what exactly was so bloody funny. Mia continued to chuckle, tipping over and holding her side tightly until Sirius charmed the song again.

_"...You'll be the queen of my highway...my motorcycle mama..."_

Sirius grinned and Mia rolled her eyes, charming the radio immediately.

"_...You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you..."_

"Are you two done doing... whatever is it you doing?" Mary scowled from the riverbank where she and Lily were laying out on their towels, sunglasses resting on their eyes.

"Fighting?" Mia asked.

"Foreplay?" Sirius chuckled quietly and it seemed only Mia and Remus heard him.

"Just leave the damn music on for more than five seconds!" Lily snapped, her green eyes flashing in the sunlight.

"Fine," Sirius shrugged. "But not _this _song. She doesn't get to win," he grinned at Mia and tapped the radio once more.

_"...And there he was this young boy...A stranger to my eyes..."_

Mia frowned. If he was still playing the game, it suddenly wasn't so much fun anymore. She'd known this Sirius for over two years and still anytime she looked into those beautiful grey eyes, all she could think of were the equally beautiful grey eyes of a man somewhere far in the future. Mia looked away from Sirius, something that was difficult to do since he refused to stop staring at her, or even step out of her personal bubble.

_"...Strumming my pain with his fingers...Singing my life with his words...Killing me softly with his song..."_

"What's wrong, kitten?" Sirius asked. "Weren't you just smiling two seconds ago? Want me to go tell McDonald and Evans to piss off and let us have our fun?" He grinned and reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

_"...I felt all flushed with fever...Embarrassed by the crowd..."_

"I'm fine, Sirius," she lied. "Just distracted. Thinking about school," she lied again. "It's only another month away and I'm going to miss this," she gestured to the river and the orchard. "It's nice to be outside without worrying about everyone else. My own little private world where everyone I want to stay safe stays safe," she admitted quietly.

"You worry too much, love," Sirius said and leaned back, dropping his head into her lap like he always did, though wearing nothing but a swimsuit the action suddenly seemed much less innocent than ever and Mia froze solid. "You bloody well need to relax woman. The world's not going to end just because we leave your little safety bubble," he pouted, reaching up and putting her hand on his head in silent demand that she play with his hair.

_"...He sang as if he knew me...In all my dark despair...And then he looked right through me...As if I wasn't there..."_

"You don't understand," Mia frowned and pushed him away, moving to stand up she immediately made her way over to Remus as though he were the only other person there at the river with her. She sighed and sat down beside him, instinctively leaning her head on his shoulder, still frowning.

"Do I need to drown him for you?" Remus asked with the smallest smirks, not even bothering to take his eyes off his book, though he tilted his head slightly to the side to gently rest it on top of hers.

"I'm sick of his optimistic view of everything," she rolled her eyes. "Just tells me to relax as though there's nothing wrong in the world. Like I'm supposed to ignore all the things I'm worried about."

"Sounds familiar," Remus raised a brow.

"Don't start," she sighed. "Sirius trying to cheer me up is in no way like me trying to do the same with you," she insisted. "He doesn't know me. Not like..." _like he's supposed to_. "Not like you."

"Fair assumption I suppose," Remus nodded. "Except that he _does _know you. Just because he doesn't sit around and talk books and dreams and fears with you on a regular basis doesn't mean that he doesn't care," he smiled sadly. "He's just acting out because he thinks you fancy him," Remus admitted and then watched her very carefully.

A blush crept against her neck and Remus' nose twitched at the sight.

"That's ridiculous," Mia shook her head.

"Not so," he shook his head. "You look lovely today, for the record," his eyes turned back to his book, not wanting to watch her reaction to his words, but he couldn't help but hear her breath catch in her throat and her heart rate increase. His own pattern changed to nearly match it and though he'd been terrified to say something like that after Sirius had made such an obvious display, Remus couldn't help but feel a little smug knowing that his comment had physically affected her.

"You look nice too," Mia smiled and Remus scoffed. "What?" She frowned and immediately noticed that not only was he the only one of them that hadn't stepped foot in the water the entire time, he was also the only boy who was still wearing a shirt. James and Sirius basked in their pale frames, and despite being exceptionally lanky and in dire need of suncream, Frank was bare as well. Even Peter had taken off his shirt, eager to show off that his leftover baby fat was edging away thanks to a growth spurt that summer.

"You're staring at me," Remus commented and raised a brow.

"You're still wearing your shirt," she replied and suddenly his eyes widened and his face flushed.

"You know why," Remus frowned.

"They're just scars Remus," Mia smiled sadly at him. _"'Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars_.'" She reached over and gently touched the side of his ribs where she knew three long deep scars rested on his skin. "You're beautiful."

Remus soft green eyes turned to her and his brows knit together in wonder and confusion at the girl who he couldn't quite figure out. He wanted to say something. Tell her that he thought she was beautiful too. But he couldn't bring himself to find the courage so instead he broke eye contact, cleared his throat and smiled down. "Who was that?"

"Khalil Gibran," she replied with a sigh. "Poet."

"Wizard?" Remus asked, playing their game.

"Muggle," Mia smiled.


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Everyone thank **Fluffpanda** who keeps my shift key in check.

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N**: I love that everyone enjoyed the last chapter with all the flirting and teenagers growing into those feelings. I think that Hermione missed out a lot her first time around considering she was always helping Harry fight Voldemort. She had a few small crushes, but then Ron kind of ruined a lot of those for her. Now she's surrounded by good looking boys who love her completely and without the constant threat of death on the horizon, she's able to reflect on how she feels about them. Now to answer a few questions: **kaida171**, July 31st, the day that Mia says is a good day to celebrate, is Harry Potter's birthday. **origami zombie**, I think at this stage Sirius is trying to find fun in everything, including his feelings for Mia. It's harmless flirting to him, and considering how he grew up, he's not one to be immediately tied down by the first girl that looks his way (like Frank or James LOL) so however Remus and Mia feel about each other, I think is okay by Sirius. He loves his friends more than anything in the world. **beautybrainsHG**, the question over whether or not the Marauder's Map will say "Hermione Granger" or "Mia Potter" will definitely be addressed in the future.

Enjoy this Remus-centric chapter. I wanted to explore the mind and problems of a teenage boy, and also address a lot of issues that Remus has to deal with as a werewolf. He's a stubborn one. Plus there's some good James and Sirius humor for you all to eat up.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Everyone's Dangerous

_"...I believe I can see the future  
__Cause I repeat the same routine  
__I think I used to have a purpose  
__But then again  
__That might have been a dream..."  
__(Every Day is Exactly the Same - Nine Inch Nails)_

* * *

**September 2nd, 1973**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

The first few days back at Hogwarts, Remus almost felt normal.

The full moon was still over a week away and he barely even felt it approaching. Shamed as he was to admit it, Mia had been right the year prior when she'd suggested that his transformations were getting worse because of a growth spurt. Though he'd grown another inch over the summer, his transformations weren't nearly as bad as last year - still agonizing to the point of wishing he could black out - but not nearly as bad. The aches, pains and nausea that came with the approach - and descent - of the moon, were dealt with in part due to a massive supply of chocolate that his friends had given him for his last birthday. Their supply ran dry within two months unfortunately, but thanks to James' Invisibility Cloak and a few unadventurous nights scouring the castle that led to what Sirius dubbed 'the most amazing discovery ever', Remus and the other three Marauders had found the most glorious secret that Hogwarts had kept hidden: a secret tunnel leading to Honeydukes.

Well plied with sugar and eager for the term to begin the following morning, Remus sank back into the pillows strew about his four poster bed, welcoming the night with a book in his hands while his three comrades were off sneaking in third and fourth helpings of dinner from the house-elves in the kitchens floors below them. It was only when he yawned and he caught a faint scent in the air that Remus was reminded of another unfortunate symptom of Lycanthropy that had until very recently remained dormant: arousal.

"Jamie?" Remus heard Mia whisper softly and he closed his eyes, letting the scent of her wash over him like the river behind Potter Manor had washed over his body once Mia had finally convinced him to jump in with her. The water then had been cold - which was helpful - but the scent in the air that now poured over him was warm. Much _too _warm. Remus swallowed and tried to remain quiet.

"Sirius?" He heard her whisper next and a part of him bristled as he heard her pull the curtains away from the bed across from him.

She'd come looking for her brother of course, and Remus had immediately assumed it was because of her nightmares, something that grew worse upon their initial return to Hogwarts each year. He felt terrible for her and wanted to help, but - despite the fact that Sirius' bed was directly next to James' - Remus couldn't help but bristle at the fact that once she'd found her brother missing from the room, she'd gone to Sirius next.

He heard footsteps and his eyes widened. He'd known she wouldn't find the raven-haired wizard in his bed, which only meant that she'd seek _him _out next, but he was yet unprepared as her scent grew closer and he clenched his eyes tight to try and focus on something else. It was a normal thing for a nearly fourteen year old boy to deal with arousal, especially in the general vicinity of the female population, but it was something entirely different for a nearly fourteen year old boy who had a nervously charged werewolf inside his head.

"Remus?" He finally heard her whisper, and he quietly groaned, forcing the sound back down his throat as he tried to forget that she'd called him beautiful a month ago with her hand against his scars, nothing but a scrap of cotton separating her touch against his skin.

"Yeah?" He winced and pulled the curtains back revealing a sad looking Mia with disheveled hair - which wasn't helping - fidgeting with her hands nervously. "You okay, love?" He questioned her, a look of deep concern in his eyes as he noticed dried tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Are _you _okay?" She asked worriedly. "Oh, are you sick? I thought it had been getting better. I'll go," she frowned and made to move.

"No, it's nothing," lie. "Not wolf related at least," lie. "I think I just ate too much at dinner," lie.

"Oh," Mia nodded and nervously chewed the side of her lip, toeing the floor.

"Nightmares?" He asked softly and she hesitated before nodding. "I don't know when James is due back. Those idiots ran for the kitchen the second we got back to the dorms," he admitted, a part of him annoyed that James hadn't been here to take care of his sister. The wolf in him was grateful that he'd been alone, the sole person left behind to care for the girl.

"Oh," she sighed, embarrassed. "I should just... Godric, this is ridiculous," she rolled her eyes. "I am this old and I can't sleep without my bloody brother," she sniffed and Remus knew for certain that she'd woken up in tears from whatever it was that plagued her.

"Do you..." he started before he had a chance to even think about the question, but too late. He had to ask now. "...need company?" He said, rephrasing his original, '..._want to climb in_?' with something he felt was more appropriate. It had been a year since they'd shared a bed, and then it had felt innocent, especially since James and Sirius were both there with them, encasing Mia between them all as though it protected her from her dreams. They were barely twelve at the time. Hell, most of them still drank their pumpkin juice from straws. But now...

"Is that alright?" She asked quietly.

"Come on," Remus scooted to the side, kicking back the covers and allowing her to slip beneath them. He set his book down on the bed, somehow using the pages keep her body from touching his as she made her way beneath the blanket and closed the curtains behind her, blocking out the light that the sliver of moon in the sky allowed into the room.

He was momentarily reminded of the many times she'd crawled into his bed in the Hospital Wing the morning after transformation once she'd finished healing his bloodied and broken body. At first it had been healing to his soul to have her there, willingly touching him and showing kindness, but after so long it became increasingly difficult to rely on her so much. Now, with her head cradled against him, he was suddenly the caretaker, his wolf gave an internal yip of approval. He remained absolutely silent, not wanting to question her about her nightmares or her dried tears. That was the comfort of their friendship. Words weren't necessary.

The moment she fell into a deep, deep sleep Remus couldn't stand it any longer. He leaned forward and nuzzled his nose into her hair and breathed in deep, hoping that if he grew accustomed to her scent that it wouldn't feel like a craving every time she walked into a room. He exhaled slowly with a frown. _Of course it wouldn't work_. The yearn to inhale her scent increased steadily and he gave in to it and buried his nose in her mane of curls again.

Just then he heard the door to the dorm room open and his three friends return.

"Don't take it personal, Pete," James said consolingly.

"Bloody house-elf called me fat," Peter bitterly grumbled and stepped into the bathroom to shower.

"She didn't look like she was trying to offend. Just said how no other wizard enjoyed her food as much. Ever," Sirius burst into a fit of laughter.

"Shh!" Remus scolded quietly, kicking the curtains around his bed aside.

"What's wrong?" James asked raising his wand defensively, squinting across the room into the darkness toward Remus' bed.

"_Lumos_," Remus whispered and held his wand up to look at James, then moved the glowing stick over the form of the sleeping girl next to him.

James raised a questioning brow and then nodded in understanding with a frown as he walked over to Remus' four-poster, tucking his wand in his back pocket and throwing the Invisibility cloak over the trunk at the foot of Remus' bed. James gave his friend and appreciative smile. "Thanks," he said before leaning forward and collecting his sister in his arms.

Sirius frowned as he watched Mia's hands subconsciously snuggle deeper into James' embrace. "Still bad?" He asked nervously, already knowing the answer.

He'd practically lived with the Potters all summer and had heard James get up at least once a week, disappearing down the hall to take care of a screaming Mia. Sirius had wanted to go with him most times, but the idea of waking up next to Mia was something that made him suddenly nervous. A year earlier there was no problem with the idea of waking up beside the girl, especially since James was always there too. Just friends. But now, even though he covered up his genuine thoughts with sarcasm and casual flirting, Sirius knew that something uncontrollable pulled him toward her and the lack of control scared the shit out of him.

"Still bad," James nodded and Sirius and Remus watched their friend bring his sister to his bed and tuck her in quietly. All three boys then shared a look of frustration and desperation. Wizards the lot of them, and no idea how to fix the one person they'd sworn to protect.

_Our job_, Sirius had said.

And they were failing.

oOoOoOo

**September 3rd, 1973**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Mia didn't know what she was thinking when she chose her elective courses for her third year. The classes offered were as usual: Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, and Care of Magical Creatures. She was absolutely _not _going to have an exact repeat of her original third year at Hogwarts. Her life was already upturned thanks to a time-turner and she was in no mood to use another one just to accommodate a full schedule.

It had been her plan to take on Ancient Runes with Remus and Lily - seeing that it was a subject she never tired of learning, as well as Arithmancy because it was the hardest and therefore she could use a refresher course. Despite what her friends were aware of, Mia had no need for Muggle Studies, and she'd laughed hysterically when she overheard the boys thinking about taking on Divination.

"You're not interested in predicting the future?" Sirius had grinned at her.

"Not in the slightest, Sirius Black," Mia scoffed, as though she were offended by the question. "In fact, I might already be a Seer," she chuckled dryly. "Which is why I don't need to take Divination." She smiled up at Remus who passed her morning cup of tea across to her as she refilled his glass of juice, their tandem breakfast routine never breaking momentum as they engaged in conversation with others.

"You're a Seer?" Sirius smirked. "That's sexy. Ow!" He winced and looked up to see James glaring at him. Sirius gave a laugh and turned back to Mia. "Come on then, love, give us a prediction."

"Fine," Mia agreed boldly in between sips of pumpkin juice. "I predict that a girl will smack you by the end of the day," she said sweetly.

"Ooo, I love it when girls smack me," Sirius chuckled. "Will it hurt?"

"I'll do my best," she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I bet you will," Sirius winked.

"Knock it off!" James groaned and hit Sirius again and Remus laughed quietly.

"Hey, she said she's a Seer," Sirius defended himself against James' attack, holding up his empty plate as though it were a shield. "I want her to tell me my future," he laughed.

Mia frowned and a cold chill filled her. She closed her eyes and she could see it so clearly. Their future, her past. Sirius and Remus standing in the Shrieking Shack, reunited after twelve horrible years apart, both looking broken and wounded beyond repair. Images of Sirius being attacked by Dementors. Of an older Remus sobbing in her arms after his first full moon in years without the Wolfsbane Potion. Images of pulling Sirius from the Veil and of Remus crying over the thought of his child being infected with Lycanthropy. A vision of them both being tortured by Death Eaters, and Voldemort with the Elder wand aimed at her.

And nothing of Jamie.

"Mia?" Remus whispered gently, reaching across the table to touch her hand. "Where'd you go?" He asked.

Mia swallowed. "Far away," she admitted sadly and then turned to look at James and Sirius who looked just as worried. "Stop," she insisted, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine."

She finished her breakfast and pushed her plate away from her but not before grabbing the last two pieces of bacon she didn't finish, and reaching across the table to place them onto Remus' plate. He looked up at her with a grateful smile but scowled when Sirius reached over and snatched one strip up for himself.

"You boys go ahead with Divination if you'd like," Mia mused. "Write down all your little predictions let me know what they are," she insisted, a part of her hoping to make a point even though she knew she couldn't. "I'll be more than happy to tell you how wrong they are," she laughed.

A part of her thought how amusing it would be to really pretend to be a Seer. She'd become the most famous Seer of all, considering how much she knew about the future. As laughable as the thought was, it was equally dangerous. Mia couldn't imagine what Voldemort would do to her if he knew that she had detailed knowledge of his eventual destruction.

In the end only Peter kept the course, which was fine with her as it was one less class where she had to look at him.

oOoOoOo

Despite standing firm on Divination, she'd still broken down when James, Sirius and Remus had guilted her into changing her choice of electives. While she kept Ancient Runes to stay close to Remus and Lily, she now stood outside the castle near the Forbidden forest where a large group of small pens had been put together to look like a Muggle petting zoo. A seemingly battle worn man leaned against a large post, looking grumpy as though someone had just rained on his parade.

"I'm Professor Silvanus Kettleburn," the old wizard grumbled. "Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures. Not that you'll _actually _be caring for anything of any real interest," he scoffed. "As the Ministry has seen fit to remind me that if one's leg is eaten by a dragon, one shouldn't then try to introduce said dragon to students," he gestured to his left leg which was missing just below the knee. Unlike Mad-Eye Moody who wore a wooden leg, Professor Kettleburn appeared content to hop. "It wasn't even really a dragon," he added with a pout as though it made all the difference.

"Merlin, _this _is where Hagrid gets it," Mia whispered to herself with wide eyes as the Professor, with his one remaining hand, scratched at the stump where his forearm used to be.

"Oh this?" He gestured to the elbow and nothing else as the students stared. "Chimaera," he grinned. "Cuddly little things," he smiled wistfully and Mia gaped. "They've got quite the appetite though," he chuckled softly as if he were remembering an old pet. "Right then, come on over and take a peek," he gestured to the pen. "We've got Nifflers right there, a few Puffskeins, some Nogtails, and a Knarl. Thought I'd show you lot a handful of little things to start with."

"These fluffy things are pets," James pouted. "Where're the dragons?"

"I want to see the Chimera that chewed his bloody arm off," Sirius whispered.

"I want to be in Arithmancy," Mia complained and Remus chuckled softly and patted her shoulder consolingly.

"Professor?" James asked. "Are we going to see anything... I don't know... _bigger _than this? I heard we've just got a herd of Hippogriffs brought in," he grinned. "And there are unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, aren't there?"

"Not for _you _lad," Professor Kettleburn shook his head. "Unicorns don't take much of a liking to young men. They wouldn't like you much."

"Evans must be a unicorn," Sirius chuckled and Remus joined in while James glared at them.

"As for the Hippogriffs, they're being evaluated before students are allowed near them. Temperamental, if you aren't respectful of them," he nodded and Mia quietly smirked, although the thought of watching either of the Carrow twins getting mauled by a Hippogriff like Malfoy made her beam inside.

"So nothing interesting then?" Sirius complained.

"You can ask me anything you want, I've basically seen it all," the Professor said and moved like he was going to cross his arms over his chest, except he was missing one of them. "I'd rather you see with your own eyes, but the Ministry has rules in place," he scoffed. "So you'll just have to trust your books there," he gestured. "And _my _expertise."

"What's the proper way to feed a werewolf?" Sirius asked and Mia turned and glared at him. Remus only seemed to shake his head knowingly as he approached the pen full of Nifflers. "Let's say," Sirius continued. "That you've got a werewolf. Cute little thing," he smiled as though he were talking about a beloved pet. "And your werewolf starts getting fat..." Sirius grinned and watched as Remus turned and narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"Mister Black," Professor Kettleburn stared at him. "Werewolves aren't _pets_," he stated as though Sirius was a complete idiot.

"They did this on purpose didn't they?" Mia asked as she approached Remus.

"Yes," he nodded.

"You knew?"

"Of course," he chuckled.

"Is this the entire reason that we're even in this class? Remus, _please _tell me that we did not sign up for an entire class based on the fact that Sirius wanted to make a werewolf joke." She glared and watched as Remus turned and smirked at her silently confirming the answer she already knew. "Wonderful," she rolled her eyes. "I could have been in Arithmancy right now with Lily."

"You _could _be in Divination with Peter," Remus teased.

"I don't need to read tea leaves in the bottom of a cup to know that I'm going to throttle Sirius Black when Professor Kettleburn is not looking," she growled and turned to glare at the black-haired wizard who was now asking about dragons as though purposely diverting attention from the subject of werewolves, despite the fact that he'd been the one to bring it up in the first place.

"I was never allowed to have a pet," Remus said under his breath as he looked down into the pens of the small animals all of which appeared to be as far away from him as possible. Some were quaking and looked terrified. Remus exhaled sharply at the reaction and he frowned.

"Don't take it personally," Mia placed a hand on his arm and smiled. "They can smell you just as easily as you can smell them," she explained. "They see you as a predator," she caught the immediate horrified look he gave at the words. "It's not a bad thing, Remus," Mia sighed. "Predator and prey is the way life is. It's the way animals work, even magical ones."

When he still refused to take the look of what she had previously figured out was self-condemnation off of his face, she went on. "Remus, do you know much about Hippogriffs?" She asked.

"Just what the book mentioned," he replied, gesturing to the tome in his bag. Mia smiled knowing that he'd already read the whole thing. Had she not known him well enough, she would have assumed he'd read all of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ in order to make sure his name and address wasn't listed inside, but she did know him better and was well aware that Remus took his studies just as seriously as she did.

"Tell me some defining characteristics of a Hippogriff," Mia insisted.

"Why do I feel that this is one of the life lessons you're always trying to teach me?" Remus let out a frustrated sigh.

"Humor me," she narrowed her eyes.

"Fine," Remus rolled his eyes. "Hippogriffs are proud, easily offended. You're supposed to take extra caution when approaching them, bowing and such even," he explained. "They're extremely dangerous, but can be fiercely loyal and protective of..." and he stopped and glared at her. "I am _not _a Hippogriff, Mia."

"No, you're not," she agreed. "Now, what do Hippogriffs eat?"

"Small mammals," Remus answered. "Ferrets and weasels usually."

"So Hippogriffs are predators?" She asked.

"Technically," he said slowly.

"And would you say that Hippogriffs are absolute bastards for being what they are?" Her chocolate eyes bore into him and Remus' jaw tightened. "Well look at _that_," she pointed at the way his nose was twitching. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you have been _easily offended_," she held her head high as she spoke, knowing how right she was. "Wounded _pride_?" She asked and Remus seemed to growl low in response. "You know that with that glare you've got in your eyes right now, you look _extremely dangerous_," she said, but without any hint of fear. "But I'm not afraid, because I know how _fiercely loyal and protective _you are."

"I am _not _a Hippogriff," Remus repeated. "Stop trying to convince me that I'm not a monster!" Remus growled out quietly, and his eyes flashed gold and amber, but Mia refused to back down. She met him, glare for glare, and leaned in close to his face.

"Stop trying to convince yourself that you _are _one!" She snapped and turned on her heels, storming away from him in a flurry of bouncing, wild curls.

"What did Sirius do now?" James asked as he approached Remus watching his sister stomp away from the rest of the class, her arms crossed over her chest as she hugged her book tightly.

"Sirius is still over there bothering Kettleburn," Remus gestured. "What makes you think _he's _the one that pissed her off?"

James shrugged. "He usually is," he laughed and for a moment Remus joined in. "So what did you say to get her that mad? She normally reserves that particular scathing look for Slytherins," he leaned casually against the animal enclosure and Remus took a step away from it, watching closely as the little Nogtails made their way back to the center of the pen, one even coming up to sniff at James' hand as it hung over the fence. Remus narrowed his eyes at the sight.

"She's pissed at me," Remus scoffed.

"That, is obvious," James nodded, gently scratching the Nogtail on the head.

"She tried convincing me that werewolves aren't monsters," he said, trying to take himself out of the sentence by referencing the species as a whole. It didn't do much for the conversation as James just shook his head and laughed.

"Oh, that would certainly set her off," he chuckled. "There are few things that'll anger my sister to the point where she looks lethal, and anyone talking poorly about you is near the top of that list. It's about tied with anything to do with Sirius' family, or me putting myself in danger. Remember at the river when I slipped on that rock and hit my head?" James laughed. "She yelled at me for hours after you all left."

"That's different," Remus insisted. "She's naive if she thinks that she can talk me out of being dangerous," he lowered his voice despite the fact that they weren't standing within hearing range of anyone except the little Nogtails and Nifflers.

"Get over yourself, mate," James said reprovingly. "_Everyone's _dangerous."

"Not like me," Remus growled.

"No, not like you," James agreed. "Mia's dangerous because she's too damn smart. Girl knows hexes and charms that we're not supposed to even learn until N.E.W.T. levels," James said with wide eyes. "Evans is the same," James said with a smile. "Sirius is dangerous because his temper's too short," he admitted. "The second years have a pool going around to see how many fights he gets into this year. It's a ten galleon buy in," he advised.

"I'm dangerous because I don't let people know how good I am at what I do," he said, a serious look suddenly crossing his face. "Everyone thinks it's ego and that I'm overcompensating," James grinned smugly. "I'm _not_," and there was no exaggeration in his tone. Remus understood. He, James and Sirius had practiced dueled a time or two the previous years and James always dominated the two.

"Peter's probably the only one of us who's not a danger," James laughed trying to break up the tense moment.

"Peter's dangerous," Remus nodded his head. "He's too unsuspecting not to be," he laughed and James followed suit.

"Hey!" Sirius ran over to his two friends. "Did you guys know that Chimeras purr if you scratch their belly," he grinned. "And they make the same noise when they're eating human flesh," he looked back to Professor Kettleburn who was absently scratching his arm stump again.

Just before class ended, Mia returned and without a word to Remus, she wound her hand back and hit Sirius over the back of the head. He let out a small yelp and turned to face her while James and Remus laughed behind his back.

"I must really be a Seer," she glared at him. "I predicted that you'd be hit by a girl today."


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda **edited like 15 chapters this week while I was busy procrastinating. At least one of us is working for the greater good.

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N**: This chapter proves just how much I adore parallels in the stories. I also miss the Weasleys a little and this was the next best thing. BTW, each DADA professor throughout this series is an actual character from the HP Books that would have been alive during this decade. Now for some Q&amp;A: **NeonDomino **and **kaida171**, I promise all of you lovely Remus/Hermione shippers, you will get your fill before the end! Also, yes Older/Future Sirius and Remus are aware that Hermione Granger is/was Mia Potter. As to when they find out the details... that's for me to know and you to find out. **ordinary vamp**, both boys are scared about how they feel in regards to Mia. If you think about it they both pose a danger to her. Remus because he's a werewolf, Sirius because of his family. But I think she understands them both because of how she knows they are in the future. ENJOY!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty: I Am Not Afraid

_"...Sometimes I wish I could save you  
__And there're so many things that I want you to know  
__I won't give up till it's over  
__If it takes you forever I want you to know..."  
__(Save You - Simple Plan)_

* * *

**September 2nd, 1973**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

After lunch, the Gryffindors and Slytherins made their way to the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class that year. Mia was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she walked into the room and took her usual seat beside Remus with James on the other side and Sirius and Peter sitting behind them. Lily sat with the Gryffindors as usual - though as close to the Slytherins as was permitted, with Snape doing the same on the opposite side. Lily was flanked by Mary and Alice who was offering a comforting glance to Frank who looked nervous as this was his worst subject.

"What has you in such a good mood?" Remus grinned at Mia, happy to see her disposition had improved since their last class. He had avoided talking to her directly throughout lunch, worried that she'd bring up the subject of werewolves again and they'd argue. There was nothing she could say to change his mind about his own condition, and she was too stubborn to back down. It was better to just not talk about it at all.

She'd eaten in near silence, only casually talking about classes from time to time, though never with him. It wasn't until Sirius asked what the next class was that Mia seemed to cheer up dramatically and her chocolate eyes met his soft green orbs and she smiled at him. "Defense!" She squealed with excitement at him from across the Gryffindor table. "Third year!" She added and everyone laughed at the way she stated the obvious as though none of them knew what year they were in.

A tall man with deep auburn hair stepped through the doors of the classroom, shutting them closed behind him before he made his way to the front of the room in just a few strides as his legs were so long. He had a familiar twinkle in his eye and when he aimed his wand at the board in the back, a name appeared on it: Professor Ignatius Prewett.

_Molly Weasley's uncle, _Mia smiled.

"Good afternoon," he smiled at them all. "Now, there's not much room in here," he frowned. "Everyone stand up," he instructed and the students all rose from their seats. With a flourish of his wand, one by one the desks in front of them shrunk down, transfiguring into wooden blocks. "Someone stack those in the corner," he said, pointing at Frank and Alice. "There will be no need for desks in this class! What you learn about Defense Against the Dark Arts is practical. You can only read so many books and write so many essays."

Sirius and James looked beside themselves with joy.

"That's not to say you _won't _have to write a couple essays," Professor Prewett chuckled and Mia stifled a laugh as she saw James and Sirius deflate instantly. "Just not while you're in the class. When you're here with me, you will be learning to wield your wands, focus your magic and defend yourselves properly."

Mia couldn't help but wonder what was happening out in the world right now. There had been reports in the Daily Prophet of Muggle muggings and a few attacks on Muggle-borns, and though the word 'Death Eater' hadn't been used quite yet, it was obvious who was behind it all. She speculated whether or not Dumbledore had formed the Order of the Phoenix yet, and if so she imagined that Professor Prewett was a member. She knew that his nephews Gideon and Fabian were, or would be at some point in the near future. Mia imagined that this immediate lesson on defense was for a reason. Things were getting bad outside the walls of the castle and they all needed to be on guard.

"Can someone tell me what the greatest disadvantage one can have when dealing with the Dark Arts?" Professor Prewett asked. Many hands went up in the air, and he called on Snape of all students. "Yes, Mister Snape?"

"Incompetence," Snape drawled, staring across the aisle to glare at the Marauders. Professor Prewett actually seemed amused by the answer and he gave a throaty chuckle, which seemed to irritate Snape as the boy scowled up at their teacher.

"Not quite, my boy, not quite," the redhead smiled. "No, fear," he explained. "Fear can be healthy when it's used properly. But fear can also be debilitating if not focused," he turned around and gestured to a black trunk on the floor. He kicked it once and the large chest began to shake from within. Some students gasped, others looked intrigued. Mia looked captivated with excitement.

"Who can tell me what a Boggart is?" Professor Prewett asked.

Four hands jumped in the air: Snape, Mia, Lily and naturally... Remus.

"Yes, Mister Lupin?" the redhead smiled and Remus puffed out his chest, suddenly in his element. Mia grinned from the side, looking up at her werewolf friend as though he hung the moon - the very one he hated - in the sky.

"It's a shape shifter that bases its form on the fear of others," Remus stated firmly with a proud smile.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," Professor Prewett grinned.

"I've always wanted to see one of these," Remus quietly admitted to Mia who beamed up at him proudly.

"Boggarts are usually found in dark spaces. Old dressers and wardrobes, inside cupboards or beneath the stairs," the Professor went on. "_This _little bugger," he chuckled and kicked the trunk again. "Was found by my nephews while they were cleaning out the attic of a friends house. I offered to take it off their hands. Now, when I let this creature out of it's cage, what will we see?"

Lily's hand flew up quickly.

"Miss Evans?"

"We don't know sir," she smiled. "If it takes the form of fear, then it will look differently to all of us."

"You're almost entirely correct," the Professor nodded. "The Boggart deals with individuals. So it will focus in on one of you at a time. If you're in a group, such as you are now," he gestured to the class as a whole. "Then it'll confuse the Boggart and give you a better chance of defeating it. But if it keeps it's focus easily, then it will conform to your worst fears, and everyone will be able to see them. Not just you."

Mia, Sirius and Remus paled.

"The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing," the professor went on. "We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please..._Riddikulus_!"

"_Riddikulus_!" said the class together.

"Miss McDonald, will you come and help me in teaching the class how to focus the charm?" The redheaded man smiled down at Mary who stood slowly and moved to the front of the class, staring down at the closed trunk. "Now, what are you afraid of?" he asked her.

"Rats," Mary mumbled quietly.

Sirius, James, and Remus all shared a look. Peter looked down at the floor, utterly devastated. Mia caught the look and quirked an eyebrow. _So the boys had finally started their Animagus training._

"Alright, now when I let this Boggart out and it turns into your fear, I want you to aim your wand and envision something funny in your mind. See it very clearly, focus and say, _'Riddkulus_!', alright?" He grinned down at the girl who nodded nervously.

"Everyone ready?" Professor Prewett asked.

Slowly the class moved away from Mary, but none faster than Mia, Remus and Sirius who stood with their backs pressed tightly against the back wall of the classroom. Professor Prewett flicked his wand and the latch keeping the Boggart in the trunk opened and the lid kicked backwards with a bang as a large rat, the size of a dog crept out with small watery eyes and long yellow front teeth. It turned and sniffed toward Mary who looked petrified.

"_Riddikulus_!" She finally shouted and watched as a large mousetrap appeared beneath the rat and sprung forward. Peter gave a loud yelp and turned to vomit in a nearby dustbin. Mia grinned vindictively at the sight but turned her attention back to the rat which had turned into a rubber toy rat that squeaked as the metal trap continuously squeezed it.

"Well done!" Professor Prewett said with a grin and Mary smiled. "Alright, everyone form a line!" They all did save for the three frightened Gryffindors at the back of the room.

"Miss Brown!" the Professor gestured to Alice.

There was a loud crack and where the rubber rat had once sat, now stood a large cockroach towering over young Alice.

"_Riddikulus_!" cried Alice.

The cockroach slipped on a banana peel that had appeared at it's feet and fell backwards onto it's back, unable to right itself.

"Mister Pettigrew!" The Professor called and Peter slowly stepped forward, nervously holding his wand in hand. With a crack, the upturned cockroach turned into a large cat that paced back and forth across the room, stalking with it's yellow eyes turned on Peter, licking it's jaws.

"_Riddikulus_!" shouted Peter.

The cat shrunk down quickly to the size of a Pygmy Puff with a large red bow wrapped around it's neck. It let out the smallest meow before the weight of the bow was too much and the little kitten toppled forward, smacking it's small face into the floor.

"Miss Evans, you're up!"

Lily swallowed and stepped forward just as the tiny kitten shifted and grew tall and large, taking the shape of a man with a white painted face, curly red hair and big floppy shoes. Lily winced at the sight and looked away.

"What the hell is that?" James gaped.

"A clown," Mia answered quietly and everyone stared at her. "It's a Muggle... thing," she shrugged her shoulders and then added. "I read about it."

"_Riddikulus_!" shouted Lily and the clown looked down at his chest as they all heard a ticking sound. He pulled open his large vest to reveal a clock strapped to sticks of dynamite stuck to his shirt. Suddenly the clown exploded right in front of everyone, raining down confetti upon them all.

Professor Prewett looked impressed. Lily looked proud. James looked besotted.

"Alright Mister Potter," the Professor gestured to James.

"Poor Jamie," Mia shook her head. "He won't admit it, but he's afraid of snakes," she frowned. "The Slytherins are going to have a fit," she sighed as she watched her brother approach the pile of confetti on the floor as it shifted in front of him.

Though instead of the large snake she expected to see, all she saw was a set of double doors. Mia's mouth fell open as she looked up at those familiar white oak doors. "Is that...?" She began with panic in her eyes and almost immediately she felt two hands on her shoulders, holding her back. One belonging to Remus, the other to Sirius. The looks on their faces said that they knew what was about to happen.

Mia looked on as Jamie stared at the silent white doors, and suddenly a sharp scream echoed from behind them.

Mia's scream.

James paled and for the first time, it seemed like the young Gryffindor didn't know how to react. Unlike the others before him who approached with wands raised high, James didn't look afraid of his Boggart. Instead, he began to panic.

"Go ahead James," Professor Prewett encouraged him as the door continued to hold back the screams behind it.

"_Riddikulus_!" James finally shouted and the scream behind the door turned to laughter. But instead of looking proud or even smug, James walked away from the Boggart with his head low and his brow furrowed in anger. Without a word, James turned and walked out of the room, not giving a passing glance to anyone as he left.

"That might do for now," Professor Prewett said as he aimed his wand at the Boggart, shouting a charm to contain the creature, sticking it back inside the trunk. "Read chapter one in your books and be prepared next class to dive into basic defensive spells," he added. "Dismissed."

Everyone turned to leave, none more eager than Mia and the Marauders who were determined to go after James, but unfortunately a voice called out. "Not you three," Professor Prewett said, eyes on them. "Misters Back and Lupin and Miss Potter, will you linger for a few moments." They each gave a heavy sigh.

"Sir, I think I should go after my brother," Mia turned once the rest of the students had left and the door shut them in the quiet classroom.

"Can I assume that the voice Mister Potter heard beyond that door was yours?" he asked.

"Yes," Remus and Sirius answered together, both looking stricken. Mia turned and stared at them with wide eyes, embarrassed.

"I have nightmares, sir," she admitted.

"Are these nightmares shared?" He asked and looked between the three of them. "Some fears are much worse than others Miss Potter," he explained. "I hadn't thought that a group of thirteen year olds would have more to fear than a few bugs, a ghoul or two, perhaps a Banshee if we were lucky," he smirked. "I made a mistake in my assumption and for that I apologize," he touched his hand to his heart in a gesture of true remorse. "I will say the same to young Mister Potter next I see him."

"Thank you, sir," Mia nodded.

"That being said, I refuse to allow my students to let their fears overtake them. It was the purpose of this lesson after all," he stood and moved to the trunk. "An important talent in learning to fight the Dark Arts is observing your surroundings. Do you know what I observed today?" He asked them and they all shook their heads. "When I spoke of my intentions to release the Boggart where everyone would see it, I observed a large group of curious but nervous students," he sat on the trunk which was shaking again. "And three," he pointed to each of them individually. "Three _Gryffindors _at that, were hiding in the back of the room, terrified."

Mia refused to break eye contact with the man while Remus and Sirius avoided looking at him altogether.

"Gryffindors aren't known to back down from their fears," he pointed out. "But with the bold bravery in being sorted into the house of Great Godric comes also weaknesses," Professor Prewett smiled softly. "Those include pride. I imagine each of you were not afraid to face the Boggart, but more worried that others would see your fears for themselves."

The three nodded.

"May I make a suggestion?" He offered. "I suggest that you face all of yours fears. Both the ones you believe that the Boggart will take the form of, as well as your fear of others seeing your personal phobia."

They each remained quietly contemplative.

Sensing their hesitation, Professor Prewett spoke again. "Miss Potter?" Mia looked up. "Do you trust these boys? Are they your friends?"

"They're my best friends," she whispered quietly and nodded.

"And do you trust them?"

"With everything."

_Except for the truth._

"And the two of you?" Professor Prewett turned to the boys.

"I trust them," Remus nodded solemnly.

"I don't want them to see," Sirius blurted out, a look of frustration and anger on his face. Intuitively, Mia reached out and took his hand and Sirius' anger melted into what looked like shame and guilt. He laced his fingers with hers and just silently nodded. "Fine," he let out an irritated sigh. "But I don't go first."

"I'll do it," Remus sighed. "They already know anyway," he muttered bitterly and stepped forward, gripping his wand.

Professor Prewett stood up, reaching for his own wand and aiming it at the shaking trunk. "Now, Mister Lupin, I want you to take your time with this. Don't just shout the charm quickly to get the Boggart to go away. If I'm right," he sighed as he looked at the boy. "You'll each need time to focus on the image, perhaps examine your fears closer in order to conquer them, instead of hiding them away."

Remus gave a curt nod.

Professor Prewett flicked his wand and the trunk flew open with a bang. Nothing happened at first which shocked Mia. She'd fully expected to see the image of a moon appear in the center of the room. She'd seen Remus' Boggart before, in this very classroom, during a lesson that he had been teaching. Of course now Mia knew where Professor Lupin got the idea of bringing a Boggart into the class in the first place.

A low growl could be heard inside the trunk and Remus held his breath, his soft green eyes wide as slowly a massive wolf crawled its way out of the trunk.

Remus turned and looked at their Professor in a panic, but the man only nodded. "I know, Professor Dumbledore explained your situation, and you're safe here. No one's going to find out anything that you don't want them to."

Remus seemed to only nod, a guilty look in his eyes.

The wolf's enormous paws hit the floor and Mia's mouth opened at the sight. She'd seen it before of course, though it had been at night with only the moon giving light to the scene. It had also been a blur of motion when she'd first seen an older Remus transform into the beast that now stood before them all. A blur of motion caused by a large black dog that had jumped in the way to defend herself, Harry and Ron from the approaching werewolf.

Almost as though history were repeating itself - at least _her _history - Mia could feel Sirius move closer to her, a protective look on his face. She couldn't help but smile inwardly at the familiar gesture before her attention was brought back to the large werewolf that now stood face to face with Remus.

The wolf growled viciously, it's golden amber eyes glared ahead at Remus who was shaking at the sight of it. Mia observed silently, examining the eyes of the large wolf and the color of it's fur, completely unaware that the wolf's jaws were drenched in blood, the crimson liquid dripped from it's mouth creating a pool on the floor at Remus' feet.

"It's alright, son," Professor Prewett said, holding his wand tightly in his hand just in case. "I'm here, take your time," he instructed calmly.

Remus stared at the beast, and fear turned to disgust.

"It's beautiful," Mia whispered softly to herself as she noticed the way that the light hit the wolf's fur. A lovely color of sandy blond, just like Remus' hair.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Remus turned on her, his own eyes flashing gold and amber, reflecting the wolf standing behind him. He glared at her as if she were stupid, because in this moment he was certain she was. "Do you know what this is?!" He shouted back at her.

"Yes!" Mia yelled.

"Do you know whose blood that is then!?" Remus growled. "Go on, Mia, take a fucking guess!" Sirius reacted quickly by standing immediately in front of Mia, but she pushed him away from her, never taking her eyes off of Remus who had just cursed at her, his eyes full of rage. As if to make his point further, the Boggart wolf dropped something from it's jaws into the pool of blood on the floor. Everyone turned to look and Mia gasped as she saw the glimmer of a goblin-made gold bracelet, engraved with the words of House Potter.

"I'm done," Remus shook his head, furious and aimed his wand. "_Riddikulus_!"

The Boggart wolf shrunk down much like Peter's Boggart cat had, into the small frame of a tiny wolf pup, the sight of which made Mia want to sob as she recalled that Remus had been bitten and turned when he was only four years old. The young werewolf glared at everyone before stalking toward the door.

"Oh no you don't," Mia said firmly as she stood in his way.

"Move," Remus growled down at her.

"I am _not _afraid of you," she said reaching up to touch his cheeks with her hands. He tried to pull away from her at first, but she held on. "No!" She insisted. "You would never hurt me," she promised him. "And I am not afraid of you."

"You _should _be," Remus whispered, the look of anger having fled his face as he looked down at her with grief, as though he'd already killed her, or worse infected her.

"If you're done having your pity party Remus," Sirius annoyed voice broke through the tension. "I'd like to get my own over with and forget this day ever happened," he said bitterly as he approached the front of the room and glared at the professor, angry for being put in this situation. "Just do it," he scowled.

Remus and Mia turned just in time to see the small wolf pup grow upwards, changing into human form. Mia raised a brow as she saw Sirius standing there, face to face with himself. She stepped close, followed by Remus who had gripped her hand in the process and the two lingered behind the real Sirius, staring into the visage of another.

"Merlin," Sirius shook his head. "Walburga would love this," he swallowed hard.

Mia immediately noticed the differences in the Boggart. The doppelgänger of Sirius wore green and black robes, the Slytherin crest embroidered on the lapel. His hair, while still long and black was neatly kept and tied back with a leather thong much like Regulus wore. He also had a permanent sneer on his face that immediately reminded Mia of a young Draco Malfoy, and the thought made her stomach turn. Memories of being called a Mudblood were still too fresh.

Then, the Boggart Sirius raised his wand with a vicious smirk and as the robes came up over his arm, Mia saw the outline of something dark and black against his skin. She gasped at the sight, realizing immediately what it was, but she had no time to say or do anything as the Boggart Sirius mouthed, "_Avada_-"

"_Riddikulus_!" Professor Prewett shouted and the Boggart exploded into a thousand wisps of smoke. Sirius stood there, staring ahead with wide, terrified eyes. "I'm sorry son," Professor Prewett shook his head. "Boggarts don't have the ability to cast spells, but," he sighed. "Habit I suppose, defending against curses," he explained.

Mia rushed forward and flung her arms tightly around Sirius, who unlike Remus immediately held her against him, burying his nose in her mane of curls and using the soft scent of her flowery shampoo to emotionally ground him.

"You boys did good work today," Professor Prewett offered. "I'd like to work with each of you individually over a few things," he admitted. "I think it's important," the man nodded firmly, saying that he wasn't taking no for an answer. Remus and Sirius merely gave a short nod in agreement. "As for you Miss Potter, I'll be on the lookout for a new Boggart so you can finish the lesson," he explained. "In the meantime, I hope you're able to talk about those nightmares to someone. It's not good to let fear fester."

"Thank you, Professor," Mia said, but certainly didn't mean the words.

As soon as the three friends left the classroom, Sirius muttered aloud, "Mia? What was your Boggart going to be?" He asked curiously.

She didn't want to tell them. But they'd both opened themselves up just now, letting herself see the weakest parts of them. Their deepest fears. Fears she knew were unnecessary. Remus was not a monster and Sirius was not a Death Eater. But she couldn't help but frown knowing their eventual fates. Remus would in fact be labeled a monster, cut off from society and forced into poverty because of his affliction. Sirius would eventually be labeled a Death Eater, framed for the murder and betrayal of his friends. Their deepest fears would haunt them for years to come.

"My Boggart would have been the two of you," she explained. "Telling me how much you hated me."

Sirius and Remus had equal looks of confusion on their faces and she could tell they thought her fear was stupid.

"That's..." Sirius began.

"Impossible," Remus finished. "Mia, you're my best friend. I could never hate you. I actually can't think of a single thing you could do to ever make me hate you," he reached forward, taking her face in his hands just as she had done to him earlier.

"He's right," Sirius nodded. "Why the hell would you be afraid of something so... so... stupid?" He finally blurted out and Remus let out a sigh of frustration at Sirius' choice of words. Mia didn't even flinch at them.

"Because you're _that _important to me," she admitted. "Because... because I'm terrified to think that in twenty years you'll both be gone, everything will have changed and you'll just... hate me," she shook her head. "Look, fine it's stupid, I get it," she growled.

"At least you realize that, kitten," Sirius offered a small grin.

Of course Mia wouldn't tell them the whole truth. Her Boggart _would _have been the two of them standing in front of her, but instead of the thirteen year old boys who now walked beside her, they would appear as near forty year old men, and laying at their feet would be the body of a twenty year old James Potter, eyes blankly open, - who Mia had failed to save.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda works harder than I do at this story some days.

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N**: Wow, no questions from the last chapter! I'm shocked, but assuming that everyone is busy with the holiday. But as I'm not one to single out the minority who might not be working on Thanksgiving, I'm still going to post updates for those who aren't stuck dealing with family over the holiday. Or maybe I'm posting for those who are stuck with family and need a good distraction LOL! As per request, here's a little friction thrown into the mix via a Ravenclaw and a few Slytherins! Enjoy!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty-One: Ours

_"...I'm goin' home, gonna load my shotgun  
__Wait by the door and light a cigarette  
__If he wants a fight well now he's got one  
__And he ain't seen me crazy yet..."  
__(Gunpowder &amp; Lead - Miranda Lambert)_

* * *

**November 3rd, 1973**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

It had taken days for the Marauders and Mia to get back to normal after dealing with the Boggart. None of them talked about what happened, especially James who had gone on pretending as though the entire class _hadn't _seen inside his deepest fears. Regardless of what had happened, Mia still quietly slipped into the boys dorm late at night, crawling into James' bed and holding onto her brother tightly to drive away her nightmares. Nightmares that now were plagued with visions of him dead instead of the usual images of Bellatrix Lestrange torturing her. Sometimes the nightmares would shift and she would see Sirius and Remus being tortured all over again in the Forbidden Forest. So she would get up quietly, so as not to wake her twin, and peek in to check on her other boys as if she needed to see them with her own eyes to make sure they were safe.

The mood carried with her for well over a month. The parallels of this year and her _original _third year that took place in 1993 were eerily similar. Sirius had spent his first month in detention with McGonagall, reminding Mia that it was in her _original _third year that the older Sirius Black escaped Azkaban. Remus put a great deal of effort into his studies, meeting one-on-one with Professor Prewett. The way the werewolf carried himself made her smile and think of the brilliant Professor Lupin she'd met long ago, who had taken her study of Defense Against the Dark Arts to a higher level than ever before. Anytime she looked at James, she would frown and the happiness in her life would be sucked out of her as if a Dementor was nearby. In fact, it was in Hermione's _original _third year when she'd first come face to face with the dark creatures. Mia sighed wishing that she could conjure her Patronus to cheer her up without anyone noticing.

"Hogsmeade!" Sirius shouted with a grin as he plopped himself beside James at breakfast the first weekend of November, which turned out to be a Hogsmeade weekend. "Alright mates," Sirius smirked. "Do we have our lists?" He asked.

"Do I want to know what you four are up to?" Mia raised a suspicious brow.

"Just a little project, kitten," Sirius grinned at her.

"Sirius found a secret passageway into Hogsmeade last year," Remus chuckled. "He wants us to go looking for more while we're down there today."

"Oi!" Sirius gaped. "That was a Marauder secret! Remus, you're the worst secret keeper ever!"

"He is not!" Mia snapped at Sirius, surprised by how the words triggered something deep down inside of her. "In fact," Mia breathed. "Remus should _always _be your secret keeper," she said eyeing Sirius first but then letting her gaze linger on James before turning her gaze onto Peter. "_Always_."

Peter whispered, "I'm good at keeping secrets". Mia internally grimaced, remembering the words that had been exchanged between Harry, Peter and Sirius that fateful night in the Shack.

"Oookay," Sirius raised a brow at the strange turn that the conversation had taken. "Back to the plan. Are you all in?" He asked.

"I've got something to do first," James said and stood up. Immediately the Marauders groaned at the movement, clearly knowing what the messy haired wizard was planning as he pulled his legs over the bench and began walking down the length of the table.

"This is going to be ugly," Remus shook his head and looked away. Sirius on the other hand was watching eagerly, a devious grin on his face.

"Who wants to bet he'll end up wearing whatever it is she's eating?" He barked a laugh and Mia rolled her eyes.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it Evans?" They could hear James declaring down the table. "Not _nearly _as beautiful as you," he added and Mia winced and covered her eyes. "So how about you let me show off that pretty face of yours in Hogsmeade, yeah?"

There was a loud crashing noise followed by a small round of laughter and applause as James walked back to his seat looking utterly devastated as a bowl of cereal rested on top of his head, the warm milk leaking down his face.

"Could have been worse," Sirius suggested.

"How?" James pouted.

"You could have asked her last night," he laughed. "She had soup for dinner." Remus, Mia and Peter stifled their laughs as James removed the bowl from his head slowly, and reached his wand up to Scourgify his hair which ended up looking worse once it was clean, sticking up straight in the back. "Now that your weekly emasculation at the hands of Evans is complete, can we go back to our Hogsmeade plans?" Sirius asked.

"You going to Hogsmeade, Black?" A sweet voice spoke from behind and Mia turned to spot a blond fourth year Ravenclaw grinning down at Sirius. Much to her annoyance, Sirius turned on his seat and grinned at the girl.

"What's it to you, McKinnon?" Sirius asked, letting his eyes look the girl over.

Mia clenched her fists tightly.

"Oh, I was just wondering who was going to walk me all the way down," she pursed her lips and Sirius' gaze immediately drew toward them. "It's an awful long way to walk by yourself. You wouldn't happen to already have a date, would you, Sirius?" She asked.

"Well I was planning on spending the day with these sad sods," Sirius gestured to his friends, all of whom now looked mildly offended. More so over the fact that he'd been an arse about this trip for weeks only to now ditch them for a pretty skirt. "But what kind of gentleman would I be if I let a pretty girl walk alone?"

"See you outside then," The girl winked at him and sashayed off.

"Change of plans, mates," Sirius turned back and grinned at them. "I've got a date!" He said excitedly and stood up from the table, patting James on the back before rushing out of the Great Hall, leaving a quiet table behind in his wake.

Every third year Gryffindor girl was staring at Mia. A few other tables had turned to gawk at the scene as well. It wasn't every day a fourth year asked a third year to go to Hogsmeade, but then again, this was Sirius Black after all. Even a few passing Slytherins had been watching from the sidelines.

"Who was _that_?" Alice whispered to Lily.

"Marlene McKinnon," Lily replied. "She clearly didn't know better."

"She obviously doesn't know Mia," Mary added.

"It's fine," Mia shrugged her shoulders, staring ahead at her plate but no longer having the desire to eat. "Sirius is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He's free to date whoever he wants. I would have just assumed he would have enough class to stick with someone his own age," she said but then quickly tried to bite back the hypocritical words.

"She's a slag," Mary muttered.

"I said it's _fine_," Mia scowled. "Sirius isn't my boyfriend or anything," she huffed.

"You should come to Hogsmeade with us girls," Lily smiled at Mia brightly. "We're going to go to the Three Broomsticks and get Butterbeer," she grinned. "And then maybe stop by Honeydukes. No Remus," Lily said as she noticed the boy suddenly turn in her direction. "You can get your _own _chocolate, you'll be down there yourself!"

"I'll think about it, Lily," Mia nodded.

"Okay, meet us out front if you're up for a girls day," the redhead smiled and stood up to leave. "I have to finish a Charms essay before I get ready. Meet you all back here," she said to Alice and Mary who smiled up at their friend as she walked away from the table.

"You sure you don't want me to smack McKinnon?" Mary whispered.

"Are you really that upset with Sirius going on a date?" Remus asked, a look of irritation in his eyes as he spoke to Mia. She looked up and rolled her eyes.

"I just think it's immature of him to make plans with his friends and then back out over a girl," she scowled.

"Trouble in paradise, Potter?" A drawling voice appeared behind Mia and she turned to see Snape standing there beside Regulus Black and a first year Slytherin that looked familiar.

"Piss off Snivellus!" James snapped.

"He wasn't talking to _you _blood-traitor!" The young Slytherin snapped and immediately the Gryffindors put their guard on as James stood from his seat.

"Back down Barty," Regulus laughed. "He's excitable, this one," Sirius' brother grinned and patted the boy on the back.

Mia scowled ahead at the use of the boys name. _Barty_. _This was the young Barty Crouch Jr_. Her hands were shaking as she glared ahead. This was not the best morning to come face to face so many future Death Eaters, regardless of the fact that two of them would eventual defect; they had been Death Eaters all the same. It didn't help that as teenagers they were incorrigible prats.

"What do you want, Snape?" Mia snapped.

"Just to see if you're alright," he smirked. "That looked rather uncomfortable from where I was standing," he chuckled and the noise grated on her skin.

"It's embarrassing, watching my brother panting after a Ravenclaw of all things," Regular sneered. "He should be put out of his misery. Next he'll be off snogging Mudbloods," Regulus spat.

Remus and James made furious moves forward, but Mia got there first - _CRACK!_

And it had felt just as good as it did when she'd hit Draco. She punched Snape across the face with all the strength she could muster. Snape fell backwards, black eyes wide as he cradled his left jaw in his hands. Regulus and Crouch looked gobsmacked at the sight and James and Remus were gaping at her.

"You rotten, hypocritical coward!" Mia screamed, glaring down at Snape.

"_I_ didn't bloody say it!" Snape shouted up at her.

"No! But you were content with sitting back and allowing the other Slytherins show your prejudice for you," Mia growled at the black-haired boy. "Besides," she narrowed her eyes at Regulus. "Sirius has already smacked _this one_ for being a little prick."

"Miss Potter!" Professor McGonagall wailed and Mia turned to look at the older witch. "Do you care to explain yourself?" She asked.

"No," Mia shook her head. "Won't make a difference," she snapped looking between Snape and Regulus who continued to stare at her with hate in their eyes.

_'Nothing you do will change what is meant to be.'_ Words from Remus' letter floated across her mind. It had been too long since she had read it but she needed the words now. She needed to remember her guide and her rules. To remember that he had told her she couldn't save lives that weren't meant to be saved. She couldn't stop a war that could not be stopped. And she could not redeem those who at this moment in time are irredeemable.

"Can I assume that I'm headed to detention shortly, Professor?" Mia asked. "And that I'm forbidden from attending Hogsmeade?"

"Absolutely, young lady!" McGonagall bristled. "And I still want a proper explanation for your behavior!"

"Very well," Mia almost smiled as she gathered her bags and turned to look at a very pleased looking James, Remus and Peter. She grinned at her brother and best friend before her eyes fell on the rat and she glared. "What can I say, Professor," Mia spoke but her eyes never failed to leave Peter's. "I just can't control myself when the people I love are threatened," her eyes were empty and cold, and her body language was eerily calm and collected, and Peter seemed to have stopped breathing only regaining the function of his lungs once her stare fell from him and she turned a scathing glare to the Slytherins before walking out of the Great Hall.

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Tower**

Sirius slipped through the portrait hole to the Gryffindor Common Room with a bright, smug grin spread across his face. His lips were slightly swollen and his hair was pleasantly disheveled. There were a few lingering first years on the couches, hunched over rolls of parchment, still in a panic trying to find the comfortable routine of homework and life that the older students had quickly sank into since the beginning of the year. Sirius practically skipped up the stairs to the dorms, and happily threw open the door, spotting Remus sitting on his bed with a large book open in his hands, his body surrounded by empty candy wrappers and discarded Chocolate Frog Cards.

"Hello my fine furry friend," Sirius greeted Remus, throwing himself onto his own bed and resting his hands lazily behind his head.

For as happy as Sirius appeared, Remus was the polar opposite. The young werewolf glared across the room at the wizard opposite him. "Where the hell have you been?" He snipped. "Curfew was an hour ago."

"You're going to make a wonderful - or really inconvenient - Prefect one day," Sirius chuckled. "I was in Hogsmeade," he bragged smugly.

Remus didn't look impressed. "This whole time?" He sat up and closed his book, giving Sirius his full attention. The raven-haired wizard should have known something was wrong. Remus and Mia didn't just close their books for the hell of it, especially since he appeared to be mid-chapter. "We went looking for you and couldn't find you anywhere," Remus said in an accusing tone.

"Marlene and I were out by the Shrieking Shack," Sirius waggled his eyebrows and frowned a little as Remus' nose twitched at the word. "Did you know that it's apparently haunted?" Sirius joked, hoping to bring a little humor to the all too serious looking boy. "Girls love it," he grinned.

"That's ridiculous," Remus rolled his eyes. Of course they'd all heard the rumors. Ghosts had been heard bellowing out of the Shrieking Shack, and the town of Hogsmeade had been urged to avoid the place like Dragon Pox. The Marauders knew the truth of course, and Remus didn't appear to find it amusing that couples were using the view of his 'dog house', as Sirius was prone to call it - to snog in front of.

"Ridiculous but true mate!" Sirius guffawed.

"So you've been out snogging a girl while staring at my... cage," Remus' eyes flashed gold and amber. "How romantic of you," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as they returned to their normal soft shade of green.

"If _you _had been snogged like _I_ was just snogged," Sirius let out a satisfied sigh. "You might see that place a little differently too."

"Unlikely," Remus growled.

"What's got _your _tail in a twist?" Sirius sat up and stared across the room at his friend. "I've had the best bloody afternoon of my life and you're acting all morose and shit," he frowned, disappointed. "You should be asking me for details and I should be bragging about those details over a couple bottles of Butterbeer with my best mates!"

"Then go find James and Peter, I'm not in the mood," Remus snapped and reopened his book.

"What happened?" Sirius frowned, but then trying to defuse the tense moment he continued. "Honeydukes out of Chocolate Frogs?"

"Mia's in detention right now," Remus replied quickly, slamming his book shut loudly.

"That's unlikely," Sirius said, not believing it. "What did she 'supposedly' do?" He asked.

"No 'supposedly' about it," Remus insisted. "She got busted in view of about fifty students and half the professors."

"Holy shit," Sirius was suddenly captivated by Remus' words. "What happened? What did she do?"

"Do you care?" The werewolf growled.

Sirius suddenly stood up defensively, his grey eyes darkening. He was officially done with Remus' pissy mood. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He snapped. "Is she alright? What happened to her!?" A panic flooded him all of a sudden. Had something serious happened to Mia? Did the Slytherins retaliate for the prank they played on them last year? Was she framed for something she didn't do?

"Well, once you'd sauntered off for your bloody date," Remus slowly stood from his bed, not at all afraid by Sirius' sudden stance. The werewolf still stood inches taller than the young Black heir. "Mia was being consoled by her friends over the fact that you're a blind idiot who doesn't deserve what he can't even see!" Remus struggled to control his temper.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sirius gaped in genuine confusion. His ignorance seemed to stoke the fire in an already incensed werewolf.

"Mia fancies you, dickhead!" Remus shouted and Sirius stepped backwards, caught off guard by the declaration and the slur, considering it took a lot to get Remus to insult someone out of anger and not just teasingly. "She was upset about you running off with McKinnon!" Remus went on. "And then Snape and your bloody brother came over and started making fun of her," Remus' eyes flashed again - the color change did not go unnoticed by Sirius. "Then Regulus called you a blood traitor and said you'd be bringing home Mudbloods next and I'm pretty sure he even threatened your life, mate.

"They made fun of her?!" Sirius snarled, his brow furrowing together in anger.

"That's not the point, Sirius," Remus scowled at his friend. "It wasn't about _her_. It was about _you_," Remus said, his voice lightly touched with envy. "She punched Snape across the face, made him bleed and everything and McGonagall saw it all." Sirius' eyes widened. _Mia punched Snivellus? _"She did it for _you_. And you were off snogging some Ravenclaw you'd never even met before today."

Silence blanketed the boys.

"I...I didn't know," Sirius quietly admitted, not sure how he felt about everything he'd just learned. Mia had been unlike any girl he'd ever known. She was James' sister, but nothing like a sister to Sirius. She'd always been his friend, but more than a friend. She'd been his safe place for as long as he'd known her.

"You don't even bother to try," Remus accused bitterly.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this, Remus?" Sirius asked, wide eyed. "She's James' sister... she's Mia... she's our friend... she's..." he stammered as he paced back and forth in the room. He'd been out in the snow not an hour ago locked in his first snog with a fourth year Ravenclaw that obviously fancied him. It had been one of the best nights of his entire life, and that didn't say much considering how shitty his life had been up until Hogwarts. Until he'd met James and Remus and Peter and...

_Mia_.

"She's _ours_," Remus said firmly. "_Ours _to take care of. _Ours _to protect," he went on, his eyes fierce. "_Our _job, remember Sirius?"

"I remember," Sirius whispered and nodded. It had been terrifying. He thought the Potters to be this perfect family with perfect children. Mia and James exuded joy and love. To hear her screaming in the night had terrified Sirius. He remembered watching as James crawled into her bed and pulled her tight against him and suddenly she'd calmed down. It had been like... _magic_. Sirius remembered feeling envious of his friend for having a power that felt so important. Sirius wanted that power. Wanted to be able to calm her screams, dry her tears. So he'd taken it upon himself to declare that she belonged to _all _of them. To James, Sirius and Remus.

It had felt right at the time. James was her brother and Remus had always been her best friend and Sirius was... was...

_Oh fuck._

"Then do it!" Remus yelled. "Bloody take care of the girl and stop hurting her by being an arrogant prat! James can't take care of her forever and if you don't man up and do it," he stared the young wizard down. "Someone else will."

"Oh like _you_?" Sirius turned his narrowed grey eyes up at his friend and suddenly they were no longer children. No longer little boys who played with toy dragons and talked about nothing but Quidditch. A girl was involved and not just_any _girl. A girl they'd _both _somehow taken claim of, even if neither was certain what that meant just now.

"_Someone _should!" Remus snapped back.

"What's going on in here?" A voice distracted both of them and the two boys turned to see James standing in the doorway, a worried expression on his face as he watched his two best friends looking as though they were nearly ready to start throwing hexes.

"Nothing," they both said at the same time and separated going to their own beds.

"Okay," James watched them closely, not wanting to further provoke either. After a few moments of silence, he made his way to his own bed and turned to look at his best friend. "How was your date, Sirius?"

"Fine," Sirius frowned. "It was... I don't think I'm going to see her again."

"Bad luck," James sighed. "You should have stuck around a while longer then. Did Remus tell you that Mia punched Snivellus?" James laughed. "It was hilarious. The only time I've ever seen her that angry before is when you were in the Hospital Wing last year."

oOoOoOo

Mia didn't get back to the Common Room until well after midnight. She was exhausted after spending her entire day helping Professor McGonagall organize first year Transfiguration essays, and then - because her offense had been of a violent nature - she'd spent her night polishing each and every candelabra in the Great Hall. Instead of making her way back up to her own dorm room, she collapsed on the couch in front of the fireplace and fell swiftly asleep.

Her rest didn't last long and soon she jolted awake, her heart racing. She covered her face with her hands and willed the tears to retreat as she forced the image of Voldemort from her mind. Forced the sounds of Sirius and Remus screaming from her thoughts. She stood and looked to the stairs leading to the girls dorms and hesitated. She hated dreams that involved her boys. It always made her worried that somehow, if she didn't see them with her own eyes, that they weren't safe.

Slowly and quietly she made her way up the stairs to the boys dorms and slipped inside the room her brother shared with the other Marauders. She quickly peeked in on a snoring Jamie who was in a deep sleep, sprawled out across his bed, one leg hanging off the edge. She smiled and ran her hands affectionately against his messy hair, making it a touch worse.

Her brown eyes then fell across the room where she could see Remus' silhouette framed against the moonlight, which seemed so heartbreakingly beautiful. She watched closely as his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. She made no closer move toward him, knowing that this close to the full moon he was a light sleeper.

Before she turned to leave - and despite the fact that she was annoyed with him - Mia turned and peeked behind Sirius' curtains to check on him. He lay on his side with one arm crossed over his chest, gripping the other gently. Her brows knit together as she remembered an older Sirius. This was how he slept in the bed in the tent when they'd been on the run. She remembered Apparating out of Godric's Hollow and how Sirius had been splinched. She'd bandaged and repaired his wound just as he had done to her months prior, and though he rarely complained about the injury that she took responsibility for, she had noticed that he favored the wounded arm in his sleep.

"You okay?" Sirius mumbled as his eyes opened and he saw Mia looking down at him.

She frowned.

"Sorry," Mia whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Need me to get James?" Sirius sat up and rubbed his eyes, turning to look to the side where James was out cold. "Oh well," he shrugged. "I could wake him up."

"No, don't," Mia shook her head. "I'm fine," she admitted, though Sirius could tell she was lying. Her eyes looked across the room hesitantly at Remus' bed and Sirius couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

"Come on," Sirius said and scooted backwards on his mattress.

"No," Mia insisted.

"You want Remus?" Sirius frowned.

"How was your date?" She pouted and suddenly Sirius didn't realize how he hadn't seen it before. Without answering, he reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her forward until she fell onto the mattress. She hissed but kept quiet not wanting to rouse the others from their slumber. By the time she righted herself into a sitting position on the bed, Sirius' head was in her lap and Mia let out a frustrated growl.

"Shut up and pet me," he insisted.

"Sirius," she groaned, ready to threaten and shove, but Sirius spoke and stopped her.

"Date was awful," he lied. "Should have just gone with my friends."

Mia frowned.

"I'm sorry you had a bad time," she said and suddenly her fingers were threading their way through his long, black hair. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't have the best day myself," she scoffed.

"I heard about that," Sirius smirked. "You know it's _our _job to defend and protect _you_, right?" He let out a quiet chuckle.

And just like that Mia was back in the tent on the run with Harry, Ron and Sirius. Only this time in her memories it wasn't Sirius in bed with a splinched arm, it was _her _in bed, the long scar of her splinched back slowly mending while she rested, The Tales of Beetle the Bard in one hand, the other gently stroking the black fur of the giant dog who slept with his head in her lap. Mia frowned as she gently brushed her fingers through Sirius' hair.

"Maybe we'll just agree to always take care of each other," she offered.

Sirius smiled.


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda **has overdone herself this week with all of the editing. I'm sure it was very difficult for her to spend so much time reading and re-reading all the future lemons LOL! I know it's just horrible for me. ;)

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** I've had a few reviewers desperate for some Remus/Hermione/Sirius moments as well as some Older Remus and Hermione. While I can't verify whether or not either of those things will happen in this story, I can give some fic recs for those who are in need of a fix! _Get Busy Living_ by **bluecurls **is one of my all time fan Remus/Hermione/Sirius fics ever! And for Older Remus and Hermione I recommend _Moonlight Made_ by **zimario**, and _Mine, Always_ by **bluecurls**. Now onto some questions and answers! **gypsyfurface**, so glad you love the past chapter references! I work really hard to put them in to keep perspective and show how history often repeats itself. **rlassie** brought up a good point? Why is Remus pushing Mia toward Sirius when he clearly likes her? Well looking at both Remus and Sirius' Boggarts will tell you a lot about the boys. They fear themselves, and they love Mia and are both afraid to put her in any danger. With Remus he feels that she would be safer with Sirius. How does Sirius feel? **Leafey**, I have not said yet when or if Mia ever returns to 1998.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was one of my favorite to write, especially the last half.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty-Two: Gasping

_"...You held me down, but I got up  
__Already brushing off the dust  
__You hear my voice, you hear that sound  
__Like thunder gonna shake the ground..."  
__(Roar - Katy Perry)_

* * *

**March 27th, 1974**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

Sirius didn't take another girl to Hogsmeade for the rest of the year. He also didn't take Mia but chose instead to constantly accompany his three best friends. Sometimes a girl or two tagged along, though usually it was Mia who clung to any one of her three boys. Despite not dating another girl after his one shot with Marlene McKinnon, the fact that Sirius had gone to Hogsmeade with the girl - only to ignore her the next morning - had earned him an immediate reputation. Regardless of the fact that he spent his nights in the Gryffindor Common Room playing Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap with James, rumors began to circulate the school about the young playboy who was often 'seen' snogging behind tapestries, in empty classrooms, and even apparently in McGonagall's office once.

It annoyed Mia more than it did Sirius, and suddenly she began to really understand why the older Sirius didn't have much concern when it came to being in the Daily Prophet so much. His infamous reputation had been filling the gossip mill since he was only fourteen years old.

Though the year seemed to have started out on a stressful note, by the time spring rolled around the Marauders and Mia were back to normal. She'd taken to reading Remus' letter again before bed every night and sometimes in the morning as well, it was necessary to remind herself over and over her number one rule:_ 'Live your life. Enjoy your life.'_

And so she did.

Once during the middle of March to celebrate Jamie's - and technically hers as well - fourteenth birthday, Mia had slipped into the laundry room of the castle late the night before and grinned when she spotted a fresh stack of newly laundered Slytherin robes. She was suddenly very grateful for the sewing charms that Molly Weasley had taught her years earlier.

The morning of Mia and Jamie's birthday, the students all gathered around their individual tables, and after James and Mia opened the gifts that the owls flew in from their parents as well as the few treats given to them from their friends, Mia smiled deviously up at her brother.

"I have a birthday gift for you," she grinned up at him and he smiled. "Does everyone know how to do a heating charm?" She asked. "And can you keep it subtle?"

"Did you do something bad, kitten?" Sirius grinned, knowing that mischievous twinkle in her eye. He'd seen it the year before when she'd locked all of the Slytherins out of their Common Room. Mia only smiled innocently up at Sirius in response.

"Oh, this should be good," he barked a laugh.

"Now, everyone aim your wands to the Slytherin table, and use a heating charm. Not hot enough to burn or scald, but... uncomfortably hot," she emphasized.

As one the Gryffindors swished their wands and uttered the incantation, putting focus on the green and silver table at the other end of the Great Hall. At first, nothing happened and Sirius looked disappointed. They kept on with the incantation and suddenly someone heard a quiet: _pop!_

Followed by several more.

_pop! pop! pop!_

Mia snickered as she watched Snape look up from his breakfast and cast a glance around the table. _pop!_ Amycus Carrow followed suit and soon even the older Slytherins were looking around, trying to find the source of the noise.

_pop! pop! pop!_

"What's happening?" James asked with a grin.

"Just watch," Mia beamed.

_pop! pop! pop!_

One by one the Slytherins stood from their seats, confused and shouting. _pop! _Some were struggling with their robes, trying to get them off as quickly as possible. _pop! _All of a sudden, freshly popped popcorn kernels began shooting out of the lining of the Slytherin robes, overflowing their pockets and collars, covering their table and blanketing the floors.

"Very clever, kitten," Sirius nodded with mild approval. "Not _quite _the most awful thing you could have done to them, but entertaining to say the least. What do we give her boys?" Sirius looked around the table.

"Exceeds Expectations," Remus nodded politely with a smirk on his face.

"I'll agree with Professor Lupin," James laughed and Mia stifled a chuckle at the moniker.

"I have to say, I'm only seeing Acceptable myself," Sirius admitted with a frown. "You need to learn how to get a little dirty with your pranks," he winked at her but Mia merely smiled sweetly at him.

"Do you know how long it took me to sew popcorn kernels into the lining of each and every Slytherin robe?" She scoffed. "You," Mia winked back at Sirius. "Need to learn patience."

"Wheeeee!" The voice of Peeves the Poltergeist was heard as he flew through the open doors of the Great Hall, a large bucket in his hands. "Sticky, slippery snakes!" He cackled as he chanted, hovering over the Slytherin table where he suddenly tipped the bucket in his hand, drenching each and every popcorn encased Slytherin in gallons of melted butter.

The boys all immediately changed her grades to Outstandings across the board, and spent the better part of a month trying to figure out how she'd been able to get Peeves to help her, but Mia was keeping her lips sealed on that deal. Peeves was a wild card that would ultimately be dangerous in the hands of the Marauders.

oOoOoOo

**June 20th, 1974**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

"Mia wake up."

"Mmm," Mia mumbled into her pillow.

There was only a few days left of school and Mia was already looking forward to sleeping in her large bed back home, back at Potter Manor. Exams were over and she'd done Outstandingly. Third in her year just behind Lily and Remus, tied with Severus Snape of all people. Mia of course knew that she could easily top them all, but she also knew that Lily and Remus were being looked at for future Prefects and the upcoming year would make all the difference for her friends. Mia had been a Prefect before, and something told her that doing so again would make it difficult to completely embrace Remus' instructions; her guide and her rules: _'Live your life. Enjoy your life.' _So instead of worrying about exams or future Prefect badges, Mia was dreaming about the orchard behind Potter Manor where she'd planned a summer of reading and watching her boys play Quidditch. Lazy mornings in the family library. Afternoons with Dorea in the garden. And maybe a repeat of last summers gathering at the river.

"Mia wake up."

One of her eyes cracked open and she groaned. "Sirius?"

"Wake up, kitten." Grey eyes sparkled down at her.

"Sirius how did you get up the stairs!?" Mia bolted upright in bed, gasping as she gathered her sheets around her body as though he'd never seen her in a nightdress before. Sirius chuckled at the action, clearly thinking the same thing. She'd slept in _his bed _once for crying out loud. Though when they two had woken the following morning, there was an awkward tension in the air. From that point on when Mia had nightmares, she went straight to her brother.

"You're kind of sexy when you're embarrassed," Sirius chuckled teasingly.

"Sirius! The stairs! How did you get up the stairs?!" She snapped. "They're charmed so boys can't climb up them."

"You're adorable when you underestimate me," Sirius grinned and Mia glared up at him, trying her darnedest to not let him see that she was in fact impressed that he'd somehow figured out how to get over such an old charm. "Now get up. You and I have a wedding to get to."

"A wedding?" Mia groaned and fell back onto her bed, pulling her blanket over her face.

"A wedding," Sirius nodded, yanking the blanket back down and smiling brightly at her.

"Are you proposing?" She teased. "Because it's been a few years since you've done that."

"I still maintain that buying me a Cauldron Cake is worthy of my eternal love," he declared remembering their first trip on the Hogwarts Express and how she'd showered them all with treats from the trolley. James graciously gave her the title of best sister ever. Remus and Peter thanked her for her generosity. An eleven year old Sirius implied that chocolate gifts were a traditional form of dowry, and then begged her to be his wife.

"Well you can earn _my _eternal love if you let me go back to sleep," Mia yawned.

"No," Sirius shook his head. "I have a wedding to go to and you're coming with me."

"You want me to be your date to a wedding?"

Sirius laughed. "If this is a _date_, then I am officially worthy of all the shitty rumors going around this year," he grabbed her hand, tired of waiting for her to get herself up. "No this is certainly _not _a date," he said, pulling her up into a sitting position and then grabbing her legs and moving them off the side of her bed as she glared at him. "I just have to go to this wedding, and well..." he hesitated. "I'd rather have you there than one of the guys."

Mia blushed as she remembered dancing at Bill and Fleur's wedding with an older Sirius. He had told her that he hated weddings because he'd been forced to go to so many as a child. _'Most of the weddings were for cousins, aunts and uncles of mine, all destined to marry one another, or married off to the worst type of people to ever exist,' _he had said to her. _'Like the Malfoys and the Lestranges.'_

Mia gasped at the memory. "Are you talking about _Narcissa's _wedding?"

"Yes."

She felt her heart still in her chest.

"Sirius..." she tried to blink away the images of a cold drawing room. "I... I can't go."

"Why not?" He grinned. "It'll be a laugh. By the way, how are your roommates still asleep? I expected to have three girls screaming at me by now. Or asking me to stay," he winked.

"I put a Silencing Charm around my bed before I go to sleep," she gave a curt reply. "Where's the wedding at, Sirius?"

"Silencing Charm?" He grinned. "Were you expecting me?"

"Sirius! The wedding! Location!"

Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically. "Malfoy's place. Big ass Manor that's as ugly and cold as..."

"I can't go," she stressed quickly, forcing the memories of a Cruciatus Curse out of her mind. The place where she'd been tortured. Where her friends had been imprisoned. Where Sirius had almost died - _again_. "And... I don't want you to go there."

"_I_ don't want to go either," he frowned. "But I _have _to go."

"Why?"

"Because Narcissa didn't used to be like this," he admitted sadly, running a hand through his black locks. "She's my cousin and I feel like... if it was _me _trapped in a situation like that, I'd really want someone to show up at the last possible second and offer me a way out." He had already been planning something of an escape in the event his parents tried to tie him to some rotten little Pure-blood princess. It made him gag to think of being engaged to Alecto Carrow. Elora Zabini wouldn't be so bad, but there was a rumor going around that her last boyfriend fell down the stairs in the dungeons and spent a week in the Hospital Wing with a cracked skull.

"She won't take it," Mia frowned. "I'm sorry Sirius, but she won't."

"Probably," he nodded. "In which case, you and I will drink the Malfoy's good Firewhisky and champagne then plant dungbombs inside the wedding cake."

"Godric, that might almost be worth it," Mia genuinely laughed. It was terrifying to think of returning to Malfoy Manor. She didn't _want _to go, but Sirius appeared to be set to leave and the thought of letting him go by himself made her blood run cold.

"It's settled then! Get up and get fancy looking!" He beamed.

"Wait," she paused. "How are we getting there?"

Sirius pulled from his robes a silver envelope with beautiful black script written across the front of it and the Malfoy Family Crest in the corner. "Invitations are set up as Portkeys."

"Sirius," Mia eyed the envelope. "That invitation is addressed to _Regulus _Black."

"Is it?" Sirius feigned innocence as he turned and examined the invitation. "Huh, I guess it is."

oOoOoOo

**June 20th, 1974**

**Malfoy Manor - Malfoy Residence**

"I'm going to be sick," Mia said as she slowly stood up after landing outside the large Manor. She hated Portkey travel. Her eyes scanned the grounds and she didn't know why she was shocked that it was still dark outside. Sirius had woken her from a deep slumber and insisted that she speed things along when she'd tried to tame her hair and he said it wasn't necessary. "Why are we here so early?"

"It's the Summer Solstice," Sirius said as he quickly threw James' Invisibility cloak over the both of them, knowing that they'd be spotted faster than a dragon in a Hippogriff herd.

"And?" Mia stared at him.

"And a new moon," he answered quickly as the two made their way into the Manor, the invitation tucked inside Sirius' robes granting them access through the security wards.

"Speak English!" Mia snapped.

"Sorry," Sirius winced. "I guess I forget that your parents don't observe most Pure-blood traditions. Today is the Summer Solstice and also falls on a new moon, which calls for a wedding at sunrise. The summer solstice represents fire and cleansing, the new moon is a time to plant seeds for the future, and the sunrise speaks of birth..."

"Ugh," Mia made a face. "You have Pure-blood mouth."

Sirius barked out a laugh and then immediately quieted himself when a few guests turned to try and find the source of the noise. "Sorry, should I have thrown in a few 'fucks' and 'shits' to Muggle it up for you?" He winked.

"You're so crude," Mia rolled her eyes.

"You love it."

Her cheeks flamed red. She would never verbally admit to enjoying Sirius' crass language. Language that had rubbed off on her when she was good and furious. Usually at _his _expense. "So, you're saying that they've chosen this day_specifically_?" She asked, changing the subject. "Is that why they pulled Narcissa out of school a few days before graduation? To get married?"

Sirius nodded. "Looks like the Malfoys and the Blacks think that this marriage will be the beginning of something big," he said almost sarcastically as they observed the gathered crowd. Most were older Wizarding families, Wizengamot members, Ministry officials and the highest of the Pure-blood society. Mia recognized Sirius' parents in the corner arguing and quickly tugged on his sleeve to get him to walk away from the crowd.

"The union of the Malfoys and the Blacks _is_ something big," Mia acknowledged. "It will create awful power. They plan on cleansing away inferior blood with fire, and using Lucius and Narcissa to birth and then lead a perfect Pure-blood world," she grimaced as she remembered hearing such awful Pure-blood propaganda in her other time. How Lucius Malfoy had used his own family to further himself with Voldemort, and how Draco had been branded a Death Eater because of it. Mia grinned as she recalled Draco's defection. "It won't work."

"Damn right it won't," Sirius nodded. "I'm going to stop the bloody wedding."

"Sirius, that's not what I meant," Mia frowned as they ascended a large staircase. She paused as she thought over the fact that they had passed the drawing room and she'd not even noticed it. _How had that happened? _It was the object of her nightmares and she'd just walked through it as though it were nothing.

"Here," Sirius whispered, breaking her concentration. "Stay under the cloak while I go in."

Before Mia could stop him, Sirius broke free of the Invisibility cloak and slipped through an open doorway. Frowning, Mia stepped up, keeping the cloak tight around her as she listened in and kept her eyes open.

"Cissa," Sirius said as he walked into the bridal room. His cousin sat at a large vanity, her beautiful blond hair plaited back with soft curls framing her face. The soft blue ribbon tied around her elegant white dress matched her eyes perfectly. She was a vision save for the missing smile a bride should normally be wearing.

"Sirius!" Narcissa gasped at the sight of her young cousin. "What are you doing here!? You weren't even invited!" She stood and ran to the door, peeking out to make sure no one had followed him.

"About that," he pulled the silver envelope from his robes. "I wouldn't expect to see Regulus today," he grinned. "He sends his apologies but the lad's lost his invitation."

"You have to leave," Narcissa insisted, in no mood for her cousins games. "Leave _now_." Her voice was bitter and cold, but there was an edge of panic to it.

Sirius shook his head. "Not without you."

"Are you out of your stupid little mind, Cousin!?" She snapped at him like a viper, quick and sharp. "This is my wedding day!"

"It doesn't have to be," Sirius dropped his casual attitude. "You can run. Go be like Andromeda. Find someone who actually loves you and won't treat you like a house-elf or a broodmare," he growled as the words left his mouth.

"I do _not _want to be like Andromeda," Narcissa said with tears threatening her vision.

"She's free," Sirius tried to smile. "Free from all of this Pure-blood supremacy garbage."

"She was Crucio'd by her own sister!" Narcissa argued, picking the sides of her dress up in her clenched fists as she began to pace back and forth in the room. "At my engagement party! And _you_, a fourteen year old _boy_, were the only one to try and stop it, Sirius! I am _not _Andromeda. I don't have the ability to walk away from this. My choice has already been made."

"Made _for _you."

"Yes, made _for _me," she agreed. "As yours will be for you. My sister ruined _both _of us by running off with that Mudblood," she spat, her eyes turning cold and distant.

"Don't call him that!" Sirius barked. "You've never called them that."

"It's what they are," her blue eyes narrowed at him. "They are Mudbloods and you're a blood-traitor!"

"And the blood-traitors are right!" Sirius yelled and stepped forward, meeting her eye to eye and willing her to break down and admit it. "Cissa, don't think I don't know what Lucius is up to. I overheard my parents talking to Abraxas last Easter. I know who they're following and what they're wanting to do," his grey eyes darkened and he reached for her arm to keep her from walking away from him.

"Don't..." Narcissa begged, her stony resolve cracking.

"Cissa..."

"Please..." She pleaded.

"You're marrying a fucking _Death Eater_!" He yelled and she fell to the floor, covering her face. Sirius stood there, watching his cousin as she sobbed into her hands. He'd crossed a line, but he wouldn't regret it. Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater and Narcissa needed to be reminded of that by someone who wouldn't say the words with reverence.

"You're going to be one too you know," she whispered up at him as her tears dried.

"Like hell!" He gaped.

"You're too young," she said quietly as she stood, reaching for the nearby dresser for a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. "That's the only reason they haven't done it yet. Don't you see cousin?" She turned to look at him sadly. "This is our life. Obey or die."

"Like _you _almost did?" Sirius scowled. "He Imperiused you, didn't he?"

She didn't deny it. She just stood there, her eyes blank of all emotion.

"_Didn't _he?!"

"I wasn't listening like a good wife," she conceded. "I told you. Obey, or die."

"I _saved _you," Sirius frowned. He'd saved her life and she was just throwing it away. He wondered if he could find the life debt ritual in time for the wedding. If he knew where to look and how to perform it, he could order Narcissa to run away. But then what would that make him? Just another wizard forcing her to do what he wanted.

"You _shouldn't _have," she sighed. "I would have been better off as some grave memorial plaque on the back of the Quidditch stands at Hogwarts. As is it, I'm the future Lady Malfoy," Sirius blanched at the words. "And you're the Black heir," she said firmly. "You need to forget about me, and start worrying about yourself, Sirius."

"Sirius!" Mia whispered from the door, pulling the cloak off to reveal herself. "Someone's coming."

"You brought a _Potter _to my wedding?!" Narcissa's blue eyes widened. "Salazar! Sirius, are you not planning on surviving the year?!" She shook her head and moved behind her young cousin, shoving at his back. "Get out, _both _of you!" She hissed.

"Cissa, come with me," Sirius said, one last plea.

"Go!" She cried. "Get out!"

oOoOoOo

An hour later Sirius and Mia stood at the back of the gardens outside Malfoy Manor beside the hired servants and house-elves. Sirius had used the Invisibility cloak to find Abraxas Malfoy's good stash of Firewhisky and he'd nearly drained half of it already. They remained quiet and unobserved, looking oddly in place with the 'commoners' who watched from the back of the gathered crowd as Cygnus Black placed Narcissa's hand into Lucius' before the presiding wizard tied their hands together with two cords, one black, the other silver to represent each House in the marriage.

General introductions were made where the wizard spoke of duty and honor, but never love. Sirius continued to drink and Mia eventually took the bottle away from him, swallowing a large gulp herself before passing it off to a server beside her.

"Narcissa of House Black," the presiding wizard spoke. "Turn to your new Lord Husband and make your vow."

The world seemed to fall silent.

"I, Narcissa of House Black, give to you Lucius of House Malfoy my virtue and my.. my voice. My body and my obedience," Sirius winced at the words and Mia reached out and took his hand in a gesture of comfort. "To take your name as my own and uphold it with honor and purity. I pledge to you my first born son, your heir who will carry on your legacy and the legacy of your fathers. I.. I.." Narcissa seemed to hesitate for a moment and Sirius stood at attention, watching eagerly.

"I willingly bind myself to you until death separates us, and swear this vow upon my magic. _Suscipiam illud vinculum_," she chanted, and the black cord around her wrist glowed before turning silver to match the other.

Sirius deflated and Mia held his hand tighter. She waited for Lucius to make his vows to his new wife, but when none happened, her brows knit together in confusion, especially when the presiding wizard said, "I now declare you, bonded for life!"

There was polite applause and the guests all stood at once to form a line and make their congratulations. Servants surrounding Sirius and Mia went immediately to work, carrying around silver platters stacked with flutes of champagne and small tumblers of Firewhisky.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Mia muttered. "He didn't vow _anything _to her. He's supposed to say _something_," she gasped, still shocked by what she'd just witnessed.

"Let's go Mia," Sirius frowned. "Suddenly crashing the party doesn't seem so fun after watching my cousin willing enslave herself." He tugged on her hand to leave, but she stood firm as though she were still waiting for the ceremony to continue. For someone to shout 'Stop! We forgot something!' but no one did.

"I've seen a wizard marriage before," she thought of Bill and Fleur who had been bonded with love and devotion, each making beautiful vows toward the other. "That... that wasn't..."

"Normal?" Sirius asked. "No. That was an old bonding ceremony," he explained. "Narcissa just tied her magic to Malfoy for life. And that wasn't even a proper _marriage _bond. Sounded more like..." he hesitated and a bitter expression fell over his beautiful features. "Like what happens when we get a new house-elf."

Mia grimaced. "There are different types of bonds?"

"What?" Sirius looked down at her with a raised brow. "Of course there..."

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A voice interrupted them and Mia froze on the spot, her brown eyes wide and frightened at the sight in front of her. She gripped Sirius' hand like it was her lifeline, and she silently began wishing that she was back in 1998, the day after her nineteenth birthday where she and Sirius were safe and alive.

"Bellatrix," Sirius glared ahead at the young woman that stood before them. She looked much the same as Mia recalled, though younger. Her black hair was as thick and shiny and missing the streaks of grey that she remembered. She shared the sharp, angular features that seemed to be a Black family trait, and her hooded eyes were identical to what Mia remembered of an older Andromeda. "I'd say it's good to see you," Sirius narrowed his eyes. "But since your very appearance makes me want to Scourgify my eyeballs..."

"You are pushing your luck little cousin," Bellatrix sneered at him. "You _dare _come here, step foot inside this house after everything you've already done?" She stormed forward and Mia wrapped her arms around Sirius' bicep, clinging to him tightly as the word 'Crucio' echoed in her mind. "And you've brought a Potter as your date?" Bella's eyes fell on Mia and she scowled downward with a look of hate that didn't seem to rival the one an older Bellatrix gave to a young Hermione Granger before setting the Cruciatus Curse upon her.

"It's tradition, didn't you know?" Sirius smirked defiantly, seemingly unafraid of the woman who he'd witnessed torture her own sister. "The official Bridal bonding with blood-traitors. It'll bring the happy couple wonderful luck for their marriage. Lots of blessings, many sons, yada yada..." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"You are nothing but an insolent little blemish on an otherwise perfect Noble House," Bellatrix took another step forward and Mia looked up at Sirius' determined face. Mia's eyes turned to look at Bellatrix who glared ahead at her cousin and she remembered seeing an older Bellatrix with a bound black dog hovering behind her, cackling with glee, _'I've just caught myself a wayward blood-traitor. Sirius Black, back from the dead.' _Something lit inside of Mia at the memory and she felt herself reaching for her wand.

"I'd love more than anything to rid our family of you for good myself!" Bella snapped and Mia shoved herself in front of Sirius, eyes blazing.

"You will not touch him!" She growled, wand raised in time to meet Bellatrix's own.

"Mia..." Sirius gasped and reached for her hand. He hadn't been afraid before. Not for himself, but he knew what his cousin was capable of, and he had brought Mia here, begged her to come only to put her in serious danger.

"Oh, _she's _got fire," Bellatrix grinned down at Mia. "I should smack that look off your face, little girl," her grinned turned into a scowl.

"I've had worse," Mia glared up at the older witch.

"You're lucky it's considered bad taste to spill blood on the morning of a marriage. Especially one so important," Bella's dark grin returned and she leaned in close to Mia and whispered. "Maybe another day, little girl. I look forward to it. Dealing with you, my little cousin here and all of your adorable blood-traitor friends," she chuckled. "It's rumored you even have a pet werewol-"

_Too far._

"You will not touch my family, you bitch!" Mia spat and lunged forward violently only to be held back by a gobsmacked Sirius.

"You _dare _speak to me that way?! Do you have any idea who I am!?" Bellatrix shrieked. "You filthy little blood-traitor, I will enjoy watching you die screaming!" Her hands shook with rage and her eyes were alight with fury.

Mia recalled the screams she had endured at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange right here in Malfoy Manor. She had screamed and screamed and yet she did not die. _But Bellatrix did_. Mia vividly remembered the sight of the great black dog launching on top of the dark witch, jaws clamped around her throat, ripping and tearing as the dark witch struggled for air.

Mia stood, unafraid as Bellatrix Lestrange looked down threateningly at her.

"And I will enjoy watching _you _die... _gasping_," she hissed. Before Bellatrix had a chance to raise her wand again, Mia tapped the bracelet on her wrist, the same wrist Sirius' was holding onto tightly, and chanted, "_Portus_!"


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda **spent her morning dealing with my random emails about my frustration over the casting choices of James and Lily in all the HP movies. This because I'm going on only 2 hours of sleep, and have been cooking since 6 am. I need a house-elf.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Happy Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating. I am thankful for Harry Potter, for magic and dreams, for the image of Sirius black in leather pants and of a golden-eyed Remus Lupin desperate for a little tender (or rough) lovin'. Most of all, I am thankful for you, dear lovely readers! To show me love and appreciation, this chapter is a gift to you all. A little Sirius/Mia, a little house-elf knowledge, and a lot of answers from one of my favorite Slytherins! Also for those who want to compare, enjoy the parallels from Chapter 12! Enjoy ;)

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty-Three: Provoked and Sealed

_"...Drench yourself in words unspoken  
__Live your life with arms wide open  
__Today is where your book begins  
__The rest is still unwritten..."  
__(Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield)_

* * *

**June 20th, 1974**

**Hogsmeade Village**

Sirius and Mia arrived in Hogsmeade Village under the view of a beautiful sunrise that pushed it's way over a lavish Scotland horizon. From the spot where they'd landed, they could easily see Hogwarts Castle in the near distance.

"Come on," Mia muttered as she began making her way up toward the castle.

"Mia!" Sirius shouted after her. "Mia, damn it," he growled and reached for her hand. "First, you can't just go back up this way and knock on the front door. We snuck out, we have to sneak back in," he sighed and tugged on her wrist, leading her through a large grouping of trees that eventually made way to an old abandoned cottage.

"What is this?" She asked curiously.

"Old hunting lodge. Used to belong to the Hogwart's Groundskeeper before they built the new one for Hagrid. James, Remus, Peter and I found it this year," he explained as he walked through the front door. "It's dangerous to walk through," he explained. "Pretty much condemned. But it's the cellar that we're after," he said and pulled lightly on her wrist, guiding her down a set of stairs that opened up into a small cellar, and in the back was a locked door.

"_Alohomora_," Sirius muttered, and the latch opened. "It leads into Hogwarts," he answered her silent question. "Now, are you going to tell me what the hell happened back there? How the hell do you know how to do a Portus charm?" He asked. "That's beyond N.E.W.T. level."

"Do you trust me?" Sirius nodded. "Then know that I can't answer your questions all the time, but I have my reasons." Mia sighed as they walked through the dark passage, her lit wand the only light to guide them by. The pair continued walking until it felt like they were climbing, up and up and over rocks and dips in the ground as the cave-like tunnel ascended higher.

"Of course I trust you," Sirius insisted. "Though I'm _seriously _doubting your level of sanity considering what I just saw," he muttered quietly and the two fell silent once again.

"You do know who you just threatened, right?" Sirius eventually asked her.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Mia nodded calmly. "And I didn't _threaten_. I _promised_," she insisted. "She threatened you, my family, and Remus," she growled. "And _that _I will not allow." Her voice was low and menacing. "Wait... this is..." Mia blinked and looked around as the secret passage finally came to an end.

"Just another passage," Sirius admitted. "Door right there opens up to a mirror on the fourth floor," he gestured casually. "Mia," he tried getting her attention, ignoring the fact that she stood in front of him, mouth open and eyes wide. "Mia! You can't just go around threatening Bellatrix Lestrange!" He snapped. "Godric, I thought... she had her wand and the last time," he frowned thinking of Andromeda. "She could have _killed _you!"

"She didn't. We escaped," Mia whispered, walking back to him and placing a gentle hand on his cheek. It broke her a little to see him so worried, so angry over something she'd done. She'd put herself in harms way. In the worst possible situation, but she couldn't help herself. She'd faced Bellatrix Lestrange, the object of her worst nightmares, and instead of being afraid of getting Crucio'd again, Mia had only thought of Sirius. Of Bellatrix sending Sirius through the Veil. Of their capture at the Manor and the witch's threats against her own cousin.

It was all for him.

Sirius stood there, eyes staring into hers and his breath heavy with leftover adrenaline. Mia frowned and stroked the skin of his jaw. "I'm alright," she promised him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I put myself in danger. But we're both fine," she reached forward and hugged him tightly. "We're fine. I'm fine. I'm alive," she nodded.

"You're alive," Sirius repeated back in a soft whisper.

Without a second thought to remind him of the fact that this was James' sister or that Remus would probably kill him for being so reckless with her, Sirius crushed his lips against Mia's, desperate to feel her, to taste her. He had assumed she would be frozen in shock by such a physical declaration, but he was pleasantly surprised when he felt her hands at the back of his neck, holding him against her. She whimpered against his mouth and Sirius groaned at the noise, savoring it with delight and vowing to bring it out of her again.

Sirius eagerly gripped her arms, holding her tightly, terrified that she'd escape and this moment would end - because it would have to eventually end. His hands roamed downwards as he kissed her, his fingers rubbing circles over her rib cage until she whimpered again. He gently traced the seam of her lips, silently requesting entrance and when she opened her mouth he gratefully took the opportunity to explore and when her own tongue touched his, Sirius felt his body stiffen as a thought passed over him:

_She tasted how Firewhisky felt._

She was warm and delicious and a burning sensation rose from deep inside of him. Suddenly he was terrified. He hadn't felt this way with Marlene McKinnon months ago in Hogsmeade. No, his first snogging session had been wet and awkward and all hands and mouths. He had so easily walked away from Marlene after snogging her and other than the feeling of pride in his chest and the desire to brag to his friends, nothing lingered.

But this...

This burned. Scorched him from the inside out and lit a fire in his lungs that soon sucked all the oxygen out of them. His adrenaline fueled passion turned swiftly to reverence and his bruising kiss softened as his hand came up to thread through her messy curls. He was certain she would hate him once he pulled away, so he needed to tell her how he felt right now, knowing that he would be unable to do so later with words. He worshipped every moan and whimper that she sighed into his mouth and for a moment he imagined that the sounds could sustain him forever, they could heal him and make him no longer Sirius Black. No Pure-blood supremacy, no expectations, no hatred or bigotry. No choices to make or future to face and certainly no dragging her down with him. He was pulled from his despairing thoughts when she nibbled on his lower lip and his eyes rolled in the back of his head.

"Mia," he whispered and felt his hands move to her hips, pulling her tight against him.

She felt like she could cry.

Her hands touched his chest and her eyes opened. In the shimmer of the lit wand that had fallen to the ground, her brown eyes sought inked flesh and scars but only found pale, beautiful skin. Her first kiss with an older Sirius had been passionate, desperate and deliciously punishing. This kiss, this younger Sirius lavished her with gentle hands and soft eager lips. A part of her wondered if they were in fact two very different men, but he tasted like Firewhisky and smelled like fresh cut grass. She kissed him desperately, running her fingers up the length of his neck and moaning when his hands graced her hips. She wanted to tell him. Tell him _everything_, to let him know the truth that she'd been hiding for years, but she knew she couldn't.

He touched her so gently that it drove her mad and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into his lap as she had years ago, or technically as she would twenty-five years from now. The taste of him brought her back to her own timeline and she fought back the tears that were surely on their way as he unknowingly plucked at the string of their bond and it vibrated through her, sending shivers up her spine. He'd apparently felt it too and as he broke the kiss with a loud gasp, he stepped away from her quickly.

_No, no, no._

What had he done?

He'd kissed her. He'd just kissed _Mia_, the twin sister of his best friend. And he hadn't just kissed the girl, he'd properly and thoroughly snogged her. Half of Sirius wished that the moment wouldn't end so he'd never have to face the consequences of his actions. The other half of him wanted to turn back time so he could take it all back and not have made such an unbelievable mistake.

"Mia..." Sirius finally spoke. "I'm so sorry."

She knew that look. A very specific type of panic.

She'd seen it only once before in her life, shortly after the end of the war when Sirius all but tricked her into befriending Draco Malfoy who was having trouble adjusting to his new blood-traitor status. The two had gone to lunch where the little ferret insinuated that she was getting fat. In the silence that followed a typical spat between the two, Hermione had looked up and offered him forgiveness. He blew it off immediately, having assumed she meant his most recent remark, but she clarified by telling him that she forgave him for the way he'd treated her their entire childhood. That after the war she understood at least a small part of what he might have had to grow up with, and she forgave him.

Draco had gaped at her the same way that young Sirius looked at her now. Like he'd been reminded of where he came from and what was expected of him. Like the history of his family just came crashing down around him and he was unworthy of the gift she was offering. Why would a Malfoy be deserving of her forgiveness? Why would a Black be deserving of her love? Draco had walked away that day and ignored her for a week. They'd never talked about it again.

Sirius would walk away now too.

"I won't tell Jamie," she nodded sadly, accepting that for some reason he needed to run. He wasn't ready to face this, whatever it was between them. _He would be one day._ The day after her nineteenth birthday he would be ready, and she would be willing. "You don't have to apologise," she whispered. "You know how I feel, but... but I'm going to live my life, enjoy my life," she repeated her rules. "I'd like to do that with you," she exhaled slowly.

Sirius stood there, staring at her and wishing he could look away. He wasn't worthy. Not of her. She'd defended him not an hour ago to the craziest witch that was ever born, and he had stood by like a first year Hufflepuff while she stood the daring Gryffindor, wand in hand and threat on her lips.

"You deserve better," Sirius admitted quietly and then with a sharp pain in his chest he added, "Remus is in love with you."

oOoOoOo

**July 16th, 1974**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Much like her conversation with Draco, she and Sirius didn't speak again about what happened in the secret passage. They also didn't speak about the fact that the passage was no longer a _passage _but instead, was a caved-in room due to the fact that after Sirius left Mia there alone post-kiss, she shot out an angry '_Bombarda_!' and the walls collapsed.

Everything seemed to go back to normal after that.

Sirius returned to Potter Manor with James a week after going home to Grimmauld Place. Mia had asked him how things went with his parents when they found out Sirius had stolen Regulus' wedding invitation, and as usual he responded with an, 'I don't want to talk about it.' But she caught the glimmer of something on the back of his hand where the words of House Black sat on his skin, a permanent scar. She wanted to press for information but knew better. Sirius rarely opened up about his family, and he certainly wasn't going to let himself become vulnerable like that with her, not after that kiss.

That kiss had rivaled her first. Very much the same but yet perfectly distinct in their own way. She frowned at the thought that she might not feel his lips again for many years, if ever. Mia was ultimately terrified that if the time lines ever caught up with one another, she'd vanish into thin air, into non-existence. She worried that since future Remus remembered her enough to send her back in time, that it meant she had perhaps died somewhere along the way. It had taken her days to push that unbearable thought from her mind, knowing that if she died here in the past, Remus would _not _have sent her back to face it.

Remus.

'_Remus is in love with you.'_

That's what Sirius had said to her in the dark passage. He apologised, said she deserved better and then stepped aside and showed her who he thought was just that: better. And better was Remus, and Remus apparently was in love with her.

Being around her boys was painful and confusing, so for most of the summer she retreated to the Potter family library, eager to research bonds in the hopes of getting answers about her and Sirius. She needed to know what she'd created when she brought him back from the Veil. She needed to know exactly what it was that tied them together, especially after witnessing that abhorring excuse for a wedding ceremony at Malfoy Manor.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you're hiding in here, my girl," Dorea Potter stood at the entrance to the large library, a smirk on her face and two cups of tea in hand. "Come sit, and take a break," she insisted as she brought the cups to a nearby table and sat down on the small sofa. "Now, tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing," Mia sighed.

"A true Gryffindor then? Incapable of lying?" Dorea tutted. "No, no, I think not. Try again."

"Does it matter?" Mia asked sadly.

"If it matters to _you_, it matters to _me_," Dorea smiled and sipped her tea quietly. "You've been in this library since the moment you returned from school despite the fact that your letters leading up to leaving spoke of nothing but the orchards and the gardens, and yes the library," she chuckled. "You wouldn't be my Mia without a book in your hands. But _this _is unhealthy," Dorea explained.

"I'm researching," Mia sighed.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Dorea offered. "It is _my _library after all."

Mia hesitated.

"I'm researching...bonds," she admitted and expected Dorea to be astonished by the word. As it was, Dorea didn't so much as lift an eyebrow, but the old witch did smile teasingly and reached for her cup of tea to again take a sip, letting the moment linger in the air before returning the cup to it's saucer on the table.

"Is this about Sirius, or Remus?" Dorea asked calmly.

Mia's eyes widened. "What?!"

"I said," Dorea spoke clearly. "Is this about your bond with Sirius, or your feelings for Remus?"

"How did you..." Mia gaped at her adopted mother.

"Tilly," Dorea explained, and at the call of her name, the little house-elf popped into the library with a bright smile on her face.

"Does Mistress and Young Miss need more tea?" Tilly asked, staring at the cups curiously. Before either could answer, Tilly snapped her fingers and a teapot appeared in her small hands and she began to refill the cups.

"Tilly, my daughter was just asking me how I knew about her bond with the young Master Black and her affections for the young Master Lupin," Dorea smiled. "Do join us for conversations dear," Dorea said to the elf. "Your opinions are quite strong on both matters after all."

Tilly nodded and took a seat across from Mia, a stern look on her face. "Young Miss made a bond," she said with narrowed eyes. "Tilly sees it with her own eyes, yes Tilly does. Young Miss used blood magic. Bound herself to the House of Black," Tilly said clearly and then quietly added, "Young Miss should have been bound to her _own _House."

"The Young Miss _is _already bound to House of Potter, Tilly," Dorea sweetly scolded the elf. "She wears our words upon her wrist," Dorea gestured and Mia consciously covered the gold bracelet with her other hand, her heart race accelerating at an alarming rate.

"And Remus? How did you know about Remus?" Mia asked quietly.

"Tilly has eyes," the little house-elf smirked. "Is that all, Mistress?"

"Yes, Tilly, thank you and as always I appreciate your discretion when it comes to the Masters of this House." Dorea's grey eyes looked almost threatening, but Tilly took it in stride and almost laughed at the look she received.

"Tilly does as Tilly does," she chuckled softly and then vanished with a pop!

"Now, may I ask my daughter a few questions in regards to this bond that she has apparently made with blood magic?" Dorea asked carefully, and her words almost seemed like a threat or blackmail, but the woman showed no malice in her face or demeanor. It put Mia on edge.

"I... I didn't... I can't tell you," she said, shaking and on the verge of tears.

"Calm down, sweet girl," Dorea reached a hand out and took one of Mia's shaking palms into her own. "I did not slip Veritaserum into your tea. Though I'm not above such things," she smirked. "I understand that you cannot tell me certain things as they pertain to the future, is that why you refuse to speak?"

Mia's brown eyes widened. "The future?" She gaped.

"Yes, dear. Where you're from."

"How did... I don't..." Mia paled at the words.

How had she messed up? Had she been talking in her sleep more than ever? Did Dorea use Legilimency on her without knowing it? Did Dumbledore break his promise to her? Had Madam Pomfrey been compromised?

"'_Every action we take is the causation of destiny, time travel won't change anything_.'," Dorea said, quoting Remus' letter. "I went through your belongings the first night you arrived here," she smiled sweetly and when Mia's mouth fell open accusingly, Dorea pointed at herself and said, "Slytherin."

"You've known this _whole _time? You read my letter?" Mia tried to catch her breath. "How have you not mentioned it until now?"

"Because it wasn't useful to bring it up until now," Dorea explained and Mia stared at the woman, never before seeing her more Slytherin than this moment. "I have no care to learn the future. As ambitious as Slytherins usually are, my ambitions were always specific. I wanted Charlus as a husband, and I wanted out of my hideous family. Both achieved," she shrugged her slender shoulders. "According to your letter and my own research," Dorea grinned as she noticed Mia sit up a little at this. "Yes, I have been researching," she chuckled. "Time cannot be altered regardless of your presence. According to your letter you were sent back for personal reasons, not to change the world or stop his heinous war that seems to be all too quickly upon us."

"What if I _could _stop it?" Mia choked. "What if I could end it? Change it?"

"Is the time you're from a good place?" Dorea asked.

"Yes," Mia admitted sadly. "But only after a lot of suffering."

"And if you changed something now, who is to say that there would not be _more _suffering?" Dorea stood and moved to sit directly beside Mia, taking both of her daughters hands within her own and sighing as Mia began to cry.

"You don't understand... people are going to die," Mia sobbed.

"People tend to do that," Dorea nodded. "Mia, sweetheart, we are all given a number of years to live our lives. The _content_, not the _length _of those years is what matters," she said softly, instructing her daughter. "You cannot cheat Death. If you were to change something now, save one life, Death would only take another."

"What if I didn't care who was taken instead?" Mia looked away, ashamed of her words.

"You've lost so much my girl, and we promised to never pry into your past," Dorea pulled Mia into her arms. "But _your _loved ones mean just as much to you as anyone else does to _their _loved ones. A life is a life, and you are not capable of being so selfish to risk one for another when you already know the outcome."

Mia continued to cry, heartbroken over the words. She didn't want to hear them, not from Dorea. She wanted someone to give her permission to fix the future, to save them all. The tears stopped flowing and Mia looked up at her mother and threw caution to the wind. Damn the consequences.

"What if it was Jamie?" She asked.

Dorea drew in a slow and calculated breath and genuinely pondered the question.

"My answer remains the same," she insisted firmly. "I have faith that however long my sweet boy's life is, it will be filled with meaning and love," she smiled softly.

"How can you know that?" Mia broke down again, wishing, pleading for Dorea to change her mind and let her confess everything. The burden was too much.

"Because _you _wear our words," Dorea whispered, touching the golden bracelet on Mia's wrist. "James is currently the last of the Potters," she continued. "Which means that in the future, he is either alive to give you this himself, or he has had children or grandchildren and they have placed this in your care," she smiled kindly. "Therefore the Potter name continues, and James lived with meaning and love in his life."

Mia didn't respond with words, but nodded as she continued crying.

"Now, enough with this sadness," Dorea cleared her throat. "I plan on helping with what I can in the here and now," she insisted. "Tell me about this bond. Are you married to Sirius in the future? Are you a Black?" Dorea asked with a grin. "Don't mind my smugness, but the idea of the son of Walburga taking to wife a Muggle-born is immensely pleasing to me."

"No," Mia admitted with a small smile. "At least, I don't _think _so," she made a face. "He... I..." she struggled to finds words. "I saved his life. He died," she cleared her throat. "I Called him back."

"A life debt ritual?" Dorea's eyes widened. "Sweet Salazar," she exclaimed. "Do they teach blood magic that powerful to children in the future?"

"No, well I, I..." Mia cleared her throat. "I stole restricted books from Dumbledore and found the spell." Dorea laughed and Mia gaped at her. "What's funny about that?"

"My sweet little Mia," Dorea beamed. "Who follows rules to the point where she refuses to divulge secrets about the future for her own selfish benefit, stole restricted books on blood magic from Albus Dumbledore. I can't think of anything funnier than that," Dorea chuckled softly and soon Mia joined in.

"So what does this mean?" Mia asked, finally wiping tears of laughter - no longer sadness - from her eyes. "Before I left Sirius said he knew what was happening with this bond that was created. And the Black house-elf recognized me as it's Mistress even though Sirius and I are not married. I thought the bond was gone when I came back here," she quietly admitted. "But he... Sirius..." she blushed. "Sirius kissed me last month, and I felt it again. Like a strong vibration, deep inside," she touched her sternum.

"That sounds to me like an unsealed bond," Dorea explained and then sat back. "There are several different types of bonds, and they exist in the world whether created or not. Only when prepared or provoked, are they visible to the eyes of creatures like house-elves, who have their own bonds that they are born into. That's why they can see them so well," she smiled softly. "It sounds like you added blood magic which strengthened a bond between yourself and Sirius that already existed."

"I didn't _create _it?" Mia stared.

"No one creates bonds, we merely accept and define, or decline them altogether," Dorea stated.

"What do you mean define?" Mia asked.

"There are four general types of bonds that exist. The first and most abundant is the familial bond. It exists between parent and child, brother and sister, and even extends through friendship. Most of those bonds are born finished and need no ritual to seal them. However because they are not sealed, they are easily broken, as the Black family often does by blasting us off the family tree," she rolled her eyes. "You have been bonded to House Potter," she went on. "By your acceptance of this bracelet," she pointed. "Though because no ritual was performed, it was as though you were born into the family."

"So I really _am _a Potter?" Mia smiled softly.

"If a Potter allowed this bracelet to be given to you with familial intent, then you are in fact a Potter. Bonds begin with preparation triggered by _emotions_. You were emotionally connected to the Potters in the future, yes?" the older witch asked and smiled when Mia nodded. "Good. The second step to a bond is provocation triggered by _actions_. Someone gave you this bracelet," she touched the beautiful item around Mia's wrist. "Finally, bonds are sealed through _intention_. When Charlus and I sent in your records to the Ministry and you were officially ours. Officially a Potter, thus sealing the familial bond," Dorea smiled. "Not that a bond would matter. You have been a Potter since you stepped foot into this home, merely because I willed it to be," she said firmly, with an air of arrogance.

"What other bonds are there?" Mia asked with a smile.

"The bond of servitude," Dorea stated and then sighed at the look on her daughters face. "Yes, I mean house-elves and no Tilly was not forced into one," she sighed. "To _this _House at least," she added. "Those bonds are a one-way vow, and unfortunately some older marriages use them similarly."

Mia nodded. "Sirius and I attended Narcissa's wedding," she flinched, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to tell anyone that. "Well, I mean... we snuck in," she just admitted.

"He took _my _daughter to a Black-Malfoy wedding," Dorea chuckled. "That boy always did have moxie. I bet Walburga was beside herself."

"She never saw us," Mia admitted. "We only spoke with Narcissa..." she almost told her that they'd seen Bellatrix as well, but Mia was not in the mood to deal with the possible outcome of that bit of information let loose. "Her vows were one sided, and they were all about obedience and loyalty," she frowned.

"That sounds like a typical Pure-blood wedding," Dorea frowned. "At least those who practice the old traditions," she sighed and shook her head. "Embarrassing. But it brings up the next bond which is marital. Marital bonds are sealed during a wedding ceremony, prepared by the interest of love or desire, and provoked either by a proper engagement or..." she cleared her throat. "Intimate matters."

"You mean a marital bond can be provoked," she clarified. "Just when two people... are intimate?" She gaped openly, wide eyed.

"Yes and no," Dorea explained. "When two people become involved romantically, the bond that already exists is manifested into defining itself, preparing itself for eventual sealing. If the pair do not eventually marry, the bond remains unsealed and essentially void," she shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing of consequence. "It is the marriage ritual that seals the bond."

"What's the difference between a sealed bond and an unsealed bond?" Mia asked.

"Sealed marital bonds can only be broken with death," she said clearly. "There is no divorce in the Wizarding world and the bonds are the reason why. If a man was bonded in marriage to his wife, and then left her for another, the new marriage would be rejected by his magic and by society," she explained. "Sealed bonds of _any _kind, amplify our magic. It's the reason witches and wizards live generally much longer than Muggles, and why when we're injured, we can tap into our magics, and our bonds to heal ourselves."

"I never knew any of this," Mia said, enthralled. "So, you think that Sirius and I have a provoked but unsealed marital bond?" She asked.

Dorea seemed to hesitate.

"No," she finally admitted. "I believe you have something very rare. A _soul _bond."

Mia felt something flutter inside of her chest. "What's a soul bond?" She nervously asked.

"It's a bond that extends beyond familial and marital," Dorea spoke softly. "It connects two magics together in a powerful way that can weave into the fabric of time itself."

"But that just sounds like what the life debt ritual can do," Mia explained. "The book I read said that people used to use life debt rituals to bind others to them in marriage or servitude," she frowned at the memory. "How is a soul bond different?"

"I believe that your life debt ritual added magic to your bond, strengthening it. If you knew Sirius in the future, then it stands to reason he remembered you from his own past," she explained. "Those memories and emotions from him would have prepared the bond, or perhaps your emotions for him here in this time began the preparation, I can't be sure," she sighed in frustration. "Time travel is quite bothersome." Dorea frowned in consternation. "Because the soul bond and life debt both extend beyond time, there's really no way to tell what the original catalyst was. However, the difference between the two is the fact that a soul bond cannot become a bond of servitude. A soul bond acts much like..." she tried to think of an example. "Werewolves," she said with a smile and immediately noticed as Mia stiffened at the word. "Werewolves have mates. Sometimes they find them, often they do not. It's very rare if I understand," she admitted her lack of knowledge on the subject. "However, when a werewolf is properly mated, nothing comes before their mate. Protection and happiness is key. The same is with a soul bond. Marital bonds can still exist through abuse, soul bonds cannot."

Mia tried digesting so much information. "And you think Sirius and I..."

"Yes," Dorea nodded. "It would explain how your bond exists in both time lines, and your behavior with one another," she smiled.

"What do you mean?" Mia feigned innocence.

"I mean James writes home just as often as you do," Dorea chuckled. "And I am not as blind as your brother and your father. While I haven't wanted to bring it up because I imagine it involves your past and I made a promise," Dorea sighed. "I know about your nightmares, Mia."

Mia frowned and looked away.

"I also know that when they happen, James takes care of you. But also, that Sirius does," she smiled softly. "I believe that is the bond calling him to you."

"So it's not his _choice_," Mia frowned. "It really is magic. He protects me because of the bond, he kissed me because of the bond," she looked away, suddenly angry at herself for allowing that glimmer of hope to creep in. She remembered being so worried in the future when older Sirius had kissed her and then didn't speak about it for months. They were supposed to talk the day after her nineteenth birthday. Was that when he would have admitted that he hadn't meant to do any of it? That he'd been forced into it all by magic.

"Stop that," Dorea scolded her daughter. "I can see the wheels turning," she pointed at Mia's head. "No, the bonds force you to do nothing. They merely make suggestions," she smiled. "A bond however, prevents harm. Sirius would never be able to harm you," Dorea emphasized. "Nor you him."

"I hit him all the time," Mia scoffed and Dorea chuckled.

"I mean true harm," she smirked. "Nor would either of you willingly let harm come to the other. It's all about intent."

Mia nodded as she remembered how Sirius had so openly protected her while she healed from being splinched, and how he'd come to her rescue while being tortured by Bellatrix. Likewise, it was Bellatrix's threats against Sirius' life that forced Mia's hand in threatening the witch. Mia began wondering how long the bond had been affecting them. Was it the bond that had originally called out to her in desperation to save Sirius' life from Dementors all those many years ago?

"For a soul bond to be fully sealed, on it's way to being sealed with a ritual both parties need to be all knowing of the situation and the bond, willing to openly accept the bond, and loving of their bond mate," Dorea continued.

"That makes sense," Mia nodded. "That's why the bond feels different here. In the future Sirius told me he knew about the bond, but here he doesn't. So it's different. Does that mean we're destined though?" She asked. "It gives us choice but..."

"But what if you wanted to choose another?" Dorea asked. "Perhaps a young Mister Lupin?" She smirked and watched as Mia flushed red.

"No," Mia shook her head. "I know Remus isn't meant for me," she insisted. The image of Tonks and a baby Teddy entered her mind. "It's just... I feel trapped," she admitted. "Sirius kissed me and left me and told me I should basically go to Remus instead," Mia frowned.

"Then why don't you?" Dorea asked. "Your soul bond is not sealed, Sirius has not proposed marriage, and meant to be or not, you are young," she smiled. "Mia, I grew up knowing that in the future my parents would choose my husband for me, I would be bound to him in servitude and marriage, and would be miserable all my life. But I chose to go against what I assumed was fate. I made my own and found love and happiness."

"Doesn't the soul bond existing mean that Sirius would _be _my happiness?" She asked sadly as tears began to form again.

"Not without both of you being knowing, willing and loving at the same time," Dorea wiped the tears from Mia's cheeks. "In the meantime I encourage you to follow your letter. Live your life," she grinned.

"Enjoy my life," Mia nodded. "Wait," she paused. "Did you basically just give your teenage daughter permission to rebel?" She laughed.

Dorea took in a deep breath. "Charlus is a sweet and naive Gryffindor, but I am not so trusting, even of my children," she smirked lightly. "I am not suggesting you make yourself a scarlet woman," she seethed the word. "But since we're on the subject, diverted from the original topic of conversation as we may be, do you know how to perform the proper contraceptive spells?"

"Umm... yes," Mia nodded. "From... from before. Not that I... cause I never... I have never... but I knew, because just in case," she stammered nervously.

"Good," Dorea exhaled gratefully. "That only leaves one last important thing."

"What's that?" Mia asked curiously.

"Do not tell your father or brother a word of what we've spoken about today."


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Thank Merlin for **Fluffpanda**.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** Hope everyone had a great holiday! Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews! I'm so glad you all liked the second Sirius/Mia kiss (or as rlassie has named them, Sirmia, LOL!) and I'm glad that Dorea's explanation of bonds was helpful! I love that everyone loves Dorea. She's one of my favorite characters to write. Showing off that Slytherins can still be loving and affectionate despite still being very much in control. Enjoy this chapter and have a great weekend everyone!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty-Four: Game On

_"...We're both looking for something  
__We've been afraid to find  
__It's easier to be broken  
__It's easier to hide..."  
__(First Time - Lifehouse)_

* * *

**September 2nd, 1974**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

Since the full moon fell on September 1st, Remus was not aboard the Hogwarts Express but instead had arrived at school a day early so he could be taken to the Shrieking Shack without bringing attention to himself due to the massive amount of returning students. Mia had taken her mother's advice to heart and decided to try and enjoy her life in the moment - _with Remus_. After the Sorting of new students and the Welcome Feast was over, Mia retired to the Hospital Wing to wait for Remus, something she hadn't done for a few years. Madam Pomfrey initially thought to send Mia back to Gryffindor Tower, but Mia had taken a page out of her Slytherin mother's book and feigned sickness in order to stay the night.

When Remus was brought in the following morning, Mia was glad to see that his wounds were not as bad as she remembered. She watched from her own bed as Madam Pomfrey healed his back and the few scratches he'd inflicted on himself, including a new one across his chest. Had he not been wounded, Mia would have blushed at the sight. Remus used to be very skinny, bordering on underweight, but it appeared that playing Quidditch with James and Sirius over the summer, not to mention the physical stress of his monthly transformations had put a little bulk on the lanky werewolf. When Madam Pomfrey stepped out of the room to let Remus sleep, Mia slipped behind the curtains, taking up space in the chair beside his bed and quickly took hold of his hand.

Soft green eyes slowly opened and looked down at her. "Morning," Remus yawned.

"Morning," she smiled sweetly up at him.

"How was the train?" He asked her. "Sorry I couldn't make it. Previous engagement," he joked and Mia couldn't help but chuckle quietly.

"A bit of a pain without you there," she admitted, still holding his hand, marveling at how much bigger it was than hers now that they were older. "Jamie asked Lily to sit with us since we had an extra seat, and she hexed him with a hair thickening charm." Remus winced at the tale. "I know," Mia laughed. "If anyone doesn't need a hair thickening charm, it's Jamie," she laughed.

Remus reached his empty hand up and tugged on one of her curls. "I think _all _Potters should avoid that particular hex," he grinned softly.

"Funny," she smirked, narrowing her eyes. "Sirius left the compartment an hour into the trip to go snog some brunette Ravenclaw," she rolled her eyes and immediately noticed that Remus' stare seemed to go cold at the words. "What's that about?" She pointed at his face. "Why the angry eyes?"

"Sirius shouldn't do that in front of you," Remus growled.

"I'm fine," she admitted. "Sirius made his choice, and I'm not going to sit around like some love sick puppy over Sirius Black of all people," she admitted confidently. "He told me I deserve better," she smiled sadly.

"You do," Remus insisted. "You never did tell me exactly what happened between you and Sirius."

"Does it matter?" She asked. "I just want to move on." When he didn't reply but continued to stare at her, Mia sighed. "We kissed," she admitted. "He went mental and told me I deserved better," she shrugged her shoulders, leaving out the part in the story where Sirius told Mia that Remus was in love with her. "It's for the best," she smiled and squeezed his hand.

Remus swallowed at the feel of her skin and he ran the pad of his thumb in small circles over her knuckles. "So," he inhaled slowly and caught her scent on the air, so near him and so close after the full moon it was overpowering, intoxicating; it took a moment for Remus to speak again. "Where was Peter while Sirius was off confirming poorly constructed rumors and James was being hexed?" He asked.

Mia frowned.

"What?" Remus' brows knit together in concern.

"He'll be in detention all this week," she scowled. "Peter was caught nicking things from the Trolley."

"Stealing?" Remus frowned. "Peter's got plenty of money to pay for things, and if he didn't he knows Sirius or James would lend him a few sickles."

"Caught in the act. Looking for attention I'm guessing," she shrugged her shoulders. "Let's not talk about Peter, please," she pleaded and smiled as she laced their fingers together. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good right now," he smiled softly at her.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "What's different? Did they give you a new potion or..."

"No, transformation was the same as usual," he winced at the memory. "The waking up part has been good so far," he grinned and Mia blushed.

"I thought you'd be mad at me for coming here. You told Madam Pomfrey to keep me out a few years ago," she frowned at the memory.

"I just didn't want you playing Mediwitch for me," he sighed, embarrassed still. "I don't like you seeing me like that. The only thing worse would be you seeing me actually transform," he frowned.

Mia kept her face blank at the words, knowing that she had in fact once seen him transform into the large werewolf. A large werewolf that had turned on her, Harry, and Ron. A werewolf that had chased her and Harry through the Forbidden Forest. "But you're okay with me here now?" She asked with trepidation.

"I'd be mental to say no to waking up next to a beautiful girl any day of the month," Remus smiled. Mia felt her cheeks warm and noticed that Remus' eyes flashed gold and amber at her reaction, which only made her blush more. She averted his gaze for a few moments, doing her best not to argue the fact that he'd called her beautiful.

"I know it's a while off," Mia bit her lower lip nervously. "But do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" She asked hesitantly, slowly bringing her gaze up to look at him. Remus lay there, pale and wide eyed at the words, his irises back to their soft green, the color of forest moss.

"You... you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" Remus asked, his throat suddenly dry.

"Yes," Mia smiled.

"We've gone to Hogsmeade," he clarified, quickly noticing that the hand she was still holding was getting sweaty. "You've never needed to ask me before."

"That was just as friends," she blurted out before she had a chance to think the words over. She realized her blunder immediately and looked away, humiliated, but Remus squeezed her hand again to get her attention and she drew her eyes back to his face.

"You mean... a _date_?" Remus asked, needed clarification. "With... with _me_?"

"If you don't want to, I understand... I just thought that..." She frowned.

"Is this because of Sirius?" Remus asked, his brows furrowed and his gaze suddenly dark.

"No," Mia answered immediately, much too quickly for his liking and she caught the look in his eyes. "No... I..." she frowned. "I don't think so. I'm not asking you because Sirius broke my heart or anything," she rolled her eyes. "Because he didn't. I didn't kiss him to begin with, _he _kissed _me_," she admitted, which was the truth - _both _kisses. "I won't lie and say that him running off didn't hurt a little, but..." she exhaled sharply, fighting through the awkwardness of the situation. "I... I like you, Remus," she declared quietly. "I have since I first met you."

Of course Mia was thinking of the first time she met an older Professor Lupin who'd saved her and her friends from Dementors. The first Patronus charm she'd ever seen. He was wise, kind, and powerful and a schoolgirl crush had developed rather quickly. It faded over time of course, only to resurface here in this time in the guise of deep, abundant friendship.

"I... I don't want to be a backup," Remus whispered.

"You are _not _a backup. You deserve better than to be anyone's backup," Mia said firmly but then frowned. Wasn't that what he was? She knew about her bond with Sirius, and knew that Remus would eventually find Tonks and have his own family. But a part of her didn't care. Remus wouldn't find Tonks for many, many years and she didn't want him to be alone that entire time. She also didn't want herself to be alone.

"I'm not like Sirius. I won't just take a girl to Hogsmeade, snog her and walk back up the hill alone," he growled lowly, remembering the night Sirius had returned from his date with Marlene McKinnon.

"So you're saying you want something serious with me?" Mia asked softly, her heart pounding against her chest violently. Remus apparently heard the change in rhythm and looked guilty over her reaction to his words.

"I'm... no... you deserve better than me," Remus admitted.

"I'm getting really tired of boys saying that to me," Mia narrowed her eyes.

"I'm serious, Mia," he scowled. "We could never... I mean," Remus swallowed and held her hand tighter, lifting their laced fingers from the side of his bed to her gaze. "This is it," he said firmly. "It's not fair to you. You deserve someone who can..." but he didn't finish his sentence with his words, merely raked his gaze over her body, lingering his stare on her lips and then licking his own. "I could never..." he winced and closed his eyes, unable to look at her as he said, "I could never kiss you."

"What?" Mia gaped. "That's ridiculous! Of course you could!"

"No I couldn't!" Remus snapped. "Mia you've seen my Boggart, my worst fear is hurting or infecting you."

"Your worst fear is you attacking me in your werewolf form," Mia argued. "If you think I'm thick enough to go snogging your muzzle in the Shrieking Shack then we have bigger problems than I thought," she glared at him, ignoring the twitch of his nose when she mentioned his 'muzzle'. She knew he hated it when she references specifics of his canine alter-ego, but Mia also knew that he needed to get over it.

"It's not happening in _human _form either," he vowed.

"Lycanthropy can only be transmitted through a bite wound, from a fully transformed werewolf on the full moon," she narrowed her eyes recalling a similar argument between an older Sirius and Remus at Grimmauld Place the night they all found out about Tonks' pregnancy. Mia sighed. If older Remus was still worried about his Lycanthropy being transmitted to others without a full moon bite, then she knew she was going to struggle with convincing him now. "Remus, I refuse to let you keep from enjoying every aspect of life because you're afraid of hurting people. Hurting _me_."

"I refuse to put you in harms way," Remus growled and tried to pull his hand away from her. "That's why you deserve better than me," he insisted. "It's _this_," he held her hand which she seemed to refuse to let go. "Or nothing. That's all_anyone _can have with me," he hesitated but then sadly added, "Ever."

"Fine," Mia scowled and stood up, releasing his hand. Remus watched her let him go and his eyes softened sadly, something tightening in his chest and somewhere in the back of his mind, another voice seemed to whisper, _'No! Ours!'_Remus pushed the feeling down deep and turned his eyes away from her, not wanting to watch her walk away.

"So I'll see you in class," Mia stated. "You should probably talk to Jamie before Hogsmeade. It's two months away, but still... he'll probably want to do the whole 'big brother' talk," she rolled her eyes. As if James had any room to tell her who to date considering the production he put on any time he asked Lily to borrow a quill.

"Wait... what?" Remus blinked confusedly and looked up at her. "But I thought..."

"You thought I'd embrace your condition for the past three years of friendship and then turn tail," she smirked. "The moment it became inconvenient to me?" She asked him. "I told you, Remus. I am not afraid of you. And I'm not afraid of your ridiculous rules," she stated firmly. "Though to make you comfortable - for the time being - I will abide by them."

He sat in silence, gobsmacked.

"Get some rest," she smiled sweetly and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. She would obey his rules like a good little Gryffindor, but the Sorting Hat almost put her in Slytherin, and if a Slytherin knew anything, it was how to exploit loopholes.

oOoOoOo

**September 3rd, 1974**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Gryffindors and Slytherins slipped through the dungeon doors to enter the Potions classroom. Cauldrons had already been set up at each station, and Slughorn stood at the head of the class grinning brightly. The look on his face was incredibly disconcerting to Mia who knew the man to never be happy without a self serving reason.

"Good morning! Good morning!" Slughorn grinned. "I'm very excited for today. Some of you over the years have displayed a fine aptitude for Potions," the wizard said, eyeing Snape, Lily, Damocles Belby, Adrian Abbot and Mia. "Others still need a bit of improvement," his eyes fell on the four Marauders; none of which looked more annoyed by the declaration than Remus. "Over the next few months, in addition to brewing pre-approved potions from the textbooks, I am assigning each of you one specific potion ingredient. I want to see your skills at discovery and invention!"

Mia's eyes widened. Depending on the ingredient, this could be an outright disaster. She could only imagine what Frank would do if given something like Alihotsy, the common ingredient in Laughter Potion was also known to cause hysteria.

Slughorn then went down the list. Alice received a Chizpurfle fang, Amycus Carrow meanwhile got Dandelion root, and his sister Alecto received Leech juice. Frank - _thankfully _\- took Eye of Newt, which was not known to explode in _any _form. Mary received Flobberworm mucus, and Elora Zabini took Baneberry. That just left the Marauders and the future members of the Slug Club - though Mia was determined to avoid it at all costs.

"Mister Black," Slughorn smiled and placed a small bottle in front of him. "Your ingredient is Fairy Wing."

"These are used in beauty potions," Sirius glared at the bottle. "Give it to one of the girls." Both Lily and Mia turned and scowled viciously at him. Slughorn merely ignored Sirius' outburst and moved down the line.

"Mister Potter, you have Onion juice," he smiled.

"The only thing you can make with Onion juice is a fungal removal potion," James frowned.

"And it's quite easy to make too," Slughorn grinned. "I hope you're up to the task," he added and James sneered at the Potions Master.

"Mister Pettigrew," Slughorn placed the bottle in front of Peter.

"R-r-rat spleen?" Peter paled. The Marauders all snickered audibly and Mia couldn't help but chuckle silently to herself.

"Yes, it's quite common in Shrinking Solutions. You seemed quite proficient at the brew, I assume you'll do just fine," Slughorn grinned and moved on. "Mister Lupin," he addressed Remus who still looked annoyed about being at the bottom of any class. Remus eyed his ingredient with a look on his face that said he was not amused in the slightest. He glanced between the other three Marauders as well as Mia, all of whom looked perfectly innocent.

"Moonstone, sir?" Remus rose a brow.

"Yes," Slughorn grinned. "When in powdered form it can create a lovely Draught of Peace. But be careful," the old wizard chuckled. "It's also known to be an active ingredient in love potions," he continued to give a good belly laugh, while Remus blushed red.

"Careful with that Moonstone there," Sirius laughed quietly. "_Moony_."

Mia's eyes lit up at the sound of the nickname and she turned to stare at the boys all of whom looked mildly amused at Sirius' joke, except for Remus who turned and punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up Padfoot," he growled.

Mia swallowed. She'd known that the boys had begun their Animagus training, and despite the many rat jokes at Peter's expense, she hadn't realized that they could be so far along in their instruction that they'd discovered all of their animal forms and already created the lifelong nicknames that would accompany them. She couldn't help but smile proudly at their progress, which only made her realize that she had originally wanted to follow their lead into Animagus training - on her own at least - and she'd barely even begun the meditations to start it.

Adrian Abbot was given Nightshade, and Lily was handed a bottle of Ashwinder eggs, leaving Snape, Mia and Damocles Belby.

"Mister Snape," Slughorn said the name proudly. "A vile of Moondew," he beamed and Snape looked smug as he reached for the ingredient. Mia rolled her eyes knowing that Snape was already planning on brewing a Draught of Living Death. _Predictable_.

"Miss Potter," Slughorn smiled and handed her a container of Lacewing Flies. She grinned at the sight of the main ingredient in the first advanced potion she ever brewed: Polyjuice Potion.

"Thank you, sir," Mia smirked.

"And finally, Mister Belby," Slughorn sat the bottle down in front of Damocles.

"Aconite," Damocles nodded curiously and Mia's eyes widened.

"Also called Monkshood," Snape chimed in.

"Yes indeed Mister Snape, five points to Slytherin!" Slughorn grinned.

"Also called Wolfsbane," Mia added.

"It is! Though rarely known as such," Slughorn smiled, impressed. "Ten points to Gryffindor!" Mia turned and smirked at Snape who glared at her in response.

She turned her attention back to Damocles with a kind smile. There were few Slytherins that could carry on a conversation without sneering or spitting slurs, and Damocles was one of them. "I'm excited to see what you come up with," Mia grinned. "I've read a lot about it."

"You have?" Damocles asked thoughtfully. "It's usually used as a pain reliever or a poison," he seemed to frown at the thought. "I can't help but wonder the properties it exudes when the stem, leaves and flowers are brewed or stewed separately," he commented quietly.

"The sprigs are an ingredient in Wideye Potion," Mia commented. "Perhaps it could be used as mind sharpening ingredient?" She proposed slyly and smiled when Damocles seemed to take hold of her suggestion. She turned in her chair to see James and Sirius staring at her with curious expressions on their faces.

oOoOoOo

An hour into class, everyone was working silently while Slughorn was asleep in his fluffy armchair that sat behind his desk instead of a proper seat. Mia was busy examining her Lacewing Flies to prepare for her Polyjuice Potion, though she was seriously considering making a few adjustments to it to see if she had it in her to invent something new. She'd always been terrific at creating and adjusting her own charms and transfigurations, but potions was something she always felt she needed to follow by the book. However, Snape - and therefore Harry in 6th year - was proof that potions could be altered for the better.

"What are you up to?" James said as he approached the table she shared with Snape, Damocles and Lily. Damocles had left his seat to dig through Slughorn's supplies, offering James his first chance to see what Mia had been talking to the Slytherin about.

"Nothing," Mia said innocently.

"I saw you talking to Belby," James whispered. "Still looking into Wolfsbane?" He asked and she turned and eyed him carefully, but quietly nodded. James smiled, clearly remembering that when he'd questioned her about the toxic plant on a list he'd found her writing on, she'd admitted that she was wanting to use it to potentially create a potion that could help Remus with his 'furry little problem' as Sirius was calling it these days.

"Speaking of," James said, tilting his head in the direction of Damocles' cauldron. "I heard a rumor that a certain sister of mine is trying to get involved with a certain friend of mine," James smirked up at her, expecting an explosive reaction to his words.

"Not a rumor," Mia stated firmly. "I asked Remus to Hogsmeade and he's not the type to be casual about such things. I told him to talk to you instead of you finding out and thinking that we were keeping secrets," she said to her brother, daring him to challenge her.

"You asked Remus to Hogsmeade?" Lily asked before James had a chance to say anything. Mia turned and her mouth fell open. She had known that Lily fancied Remus a few years ago, but had already forgotten, and now she felt bad for perhaps hurting her friends feelings.

"Umm... yes," Mia frowned. "I'm sorry Lily, I should have..."

"No," Lily smiled. "I think you two are well paired," she said sincerely.

"What do you care anyways?" Snape scowled, turning his attention to Lily.

"Because Mia and Remus are my friends, Sev," she frowned, scolding him quietly before reaching her hand up to stir her cauldron. James looked at her hand and his heart fell into his stomach.

"Evans," he gaped. "Is that... is that an _engagement _ring?" His bright hazel eyes looked on, horrified. Everyone at the table - and several others - turned and stared at Lily, shocked. It wasn't completely uncommon for witch's to be betrothed so early, at least among old fashioned Pure-blood families, but everyone knew Lily was a Muggle-born.

"What?" Lily gaped. "_This_?" She held up her hand. "This is a mood ring, you dolt," she rolled her eyes. "My parents bought it for me this summer. It's a Muggle thing," she shook her head and Mia laughed when James let out a loud sigh of relief.

"How do Muggles make rings that tell your mood?" James asked. "That sounds like magic."

"It's not magic," Mia answered. "There are crystals in the ring that react to changing temperatures thus altering the color of the ring," she explained and when she turned to see James - and several others - staring at her perplexed, she rolled her eyes. "Oh Jamie, honestly, read a book!"

"So what's your mood right now, Evans?" James grinned staring at the ring on her finger.

"Annoyed," Lily answered immediately and turned away from him, putting her focus back on her cauldron. Mia turned and shook her head at James and he frowned up at her innocently, genuinely confused over how he'd messed that up.

"So," Mia grabbed his full attention by snatching his chin in her fingers to prevent him from staring at Lily any further. "Remus. What did he say?"

"Not much. A lot of stuttering," James laughed. "Sirius is still taking the piss out of him for it," they both looked back to the Marauder table where Sirius was indeed whispering to a consistently red faced Remus who appeared to be trying to concentrate on turning his Moonstone into a powder.

"Be nice," Mia frowned.

"Absolutely not. He's a bloke that wants to snog my sister. Marauder or not, there's a process he's got to go through," James said firmly, the hint of mischief in his eyes.

"He does _not _want to snog me," she growled and gripped his face harder, and James' eyes widened at her volatile reaction. "He's a perfect gentleman and always has been. Much more than either you or Sirius could or will ever be," she huffed. "I will date whoever I please James Charlus Potter, and you _will _get over it!" She snapped and released him with a quick shove and he fell backwards to the floor, looking up at his sister with shocked - but also impressed - eyes.

Mia turned back to her cauldron and glowered down at it, resisting the urge to glare at Lily who was stifling her giggles after watching her friend literally put James Potter in his place. James stood and made his way to the back of the classroom to rejoin his table and Mia sighed, hoping that the awkward moment was over.

It wasn't.

"I'd go ahead and stop the _love potion _you're making there, Remus," James called out loudly. "I really don't think she needs it!"

The classroom burst into laughter, and Mia turned red with rage as she swiveled on her stool and narrowed her eyes at her brother who was amused and smug at the little scene he'd caused. Sirius was grinning next to him and Peter was laughing quietly, trying to avoid Mia's glare. Remus had his head buried in his folded arms, but she could see that his ears were a violent shade of red. Her brown eyes glared back at her brother and she smiled threateningly.

_Game on_.


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: So happy I have **Fluffpanda **to correct my spelling and to bounce ideas off of!

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** I normally don't post updates on the weekends, so you can ALL thank **glittergrrrl05** for this chapter, because it is a gift to her in exchange for her posting chapter 75 of Bespoke Witch which was the best Thanksgiving present I've ever received OMG! I've read it three times and I'm still losing my mind over it. Enjoy this chapter and the consequences of James Potter provoking our heroine. ;)

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty-Five: Satisfied

_"...Everywhere I'm looking now  
__I'm surrounded by your embrace  
__Baby I can see your halo  
__You know you're my saving grace..."  
__(Halo - Beyonce)_

* * *

**October 4th, 1974**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

She let James think he was safe.

He was not.

And his sense of self preservation was so off that he continued causing problems in all of their classes the month that followed the initial challenge between brother and sister in Potions. Poor Remus had been caught in the crossfire, and each class James would have something to say about the potential future relationship between his sister and werewolf friend. Remus, ever the loyal Gryffindor did his best to stay out of the fight itself, and to also respect James' wish that he not start anything with Mia without permission. Something that _thoroughly _pissed Mia off.

In Charms class, James would Accio things from Mia's desk, claiming that Remus wanted a memento to get him through the rest of the day. In Care of Magical Creatures, he would _loudly _ask Professor Kettleburn for details regarding the mating habits of werewolves. In Herbology he would transform Fluxweeds into Roses and pretend to be a Muggle delivery service on behalf of Remus who would stand at the back of the room, dirt on his face from hiding his embarrassment while simultaneously trying to plant his Puffapod. The only four classes that Remus and Mia got a break from James' antics were History of Magic (where James and Sirius napped), Defense Against the Dark Arts (James wasn't stupid enough to mess with their new Professor, Auror Proudfoot), Transfiguration (James and Sirius took seriously due to the nature of their Animagus training), and Ancient Runes (which Mia and Remus had without any other invading Marauders).

The two would sit beside one another with Lily in front of Mia, and often in the middle of class with their heads buried in a book of translation texts, Remus would reach over and take Mia's hand within his own and smile, lacing their fingers together. She'd breathe in deep and let the feeling of calm that he exuded wash over her, and somehow putting up with James was all worth it.

It was _especially _worth it the morning of October 4th.

"Just don't drink the pumpkin juice and you'll be fine, Lily," Mia whispered.

"How did you even slip the potion into the whole batch?" Lily asked as the two girls sat at the Gryffindor table, waiting for the rest of the student body to arrive for breakfast.

"I'm friendly with the house-elves," Mia grinned, happy to know that in this timeline she was able to make peace with the small creatures considering the elves at Hogwarts in the future were utterly terrified of her and her knitting habits.

"You sure it's going to work?" Lily chuckled. "It's brilliant, but you're going to get in trouble for it too," she laughed. "I'm not one to promote breaking the rules, but if you want Slughorn to give you credit for this, you'll have to accept responsibility for it."

"As long as I can still go to Hogsmeade when this is over with, I'll take whatever punishment if needed," Mia beamed brightly with excitement.

One by one students filled the Great Hall, taking their seats at their tables. Slowly, the four Marauders joined Lily and Mia, in various stages of exhaustion. Peter, James and Sirius looked worse for wear, but since they were in a post full moon week, Remus was looking better and better every day.

"Morning boys," Mia smiled brightly as she went into her usual routine of gathering a plate for Remus while he simultaneously fixed her tea and porridge. "What are you all so exhausted from?" She asked, assuming of course they were up late practicing their Animagus transformations. She'd been doing the same thing, though in the privacy of her dorm room seeing as she was only in the early stages of meditations to find out what her Animagus form would take.

"Up late snogging," Sirius lied, smirking at her while Mia rolled her eyes.

A month ago she would have been annoyed by his typical behavior, but she was already long over it. Sirius had fallen swiftly into confirming all the rumors about himself to be true. His reasoning was that he might as well _do _the things he was being accused of. Peter was in awe, James was amused, Remus was disgusted, and Mia was suddenly indifferent. She'd known that Sirius had a past when she, Harry and Ron would listen to an older Sirius and Remus talk about their shared history and the rebellious nature of youth. Mia should have known that she would be confronted with it at some point, and this was that moment in time. So she ignored it and focused on her rules: _'Live your life. Enjoy your life.'_

And she was about to enjoy it immensely.

"Eat up," Mia smiled across the table at Remus, offering a nod of gratitude as he passed her a jar of marmalade. She noticed his eye turn to a tall empty glass sitting in front of him. She normally filled it with pumpkin juice every morning for him, but today she made no move to do so. He reached out for the pitcher in the middle of the table, and silently Mia reached her hand out and covered the top of his glass with her palm, shaking her head slowly as she sipped her tea and gave him a knowing look.

Remus' eyes widened, realizing that something bad was about to happen, and he turned to the side and watched as James, Sirius and Peter guzzled their morning juice like usual.

"Do I even want to be here for the fallout?" Remus whispered.

"Oh yes," Lily laughed to herself.

Suddenly, all across the Great Hall each and every student partaking in their morning pumpkin juice experienced a bit of transfiguration. The hair on their heads shifted to various shades of bright colors. The Slytherins all gaped at one another and scowled at the varying shades of black and green that their hair turned. Ravenclaws were almost entirely filled with dark blue heads of hair, while the Hufflepuffs were a flutter with mixtures of yellows, bright greens, and various shades of purple.

Two of the three pumpkin juice drinking Marauders were sporting a _predictable _shade of sky blue hair. Mia grinned brightly, while Lily averted her gaze looking perfectly scandalized, shocked that Mia's prediction had come to fruition.

"What's happening?" James blinked and looked around the room. "What did you do?" He said, narrowing his eyes at his sister before grabbing a spoon and examining his reflection.

"Oh I just slipped a potion in with everyone's morning juice," Mia smiled innocently.

"Clever, kitten," Sirius chuckled. "Is _this _supposed to be a prank?" He rolled his eyes. "Random shades of color? Could have done that with a simple Colovaria Charm," he said smugly. "You wasted a potion on this? That's barely Acceptable in my book."

"Oh I _used _a Colovaria Charm," Mia grinned. "I used individual ones on each Lacewing fly that went into my modified Polyjuice Potion."

"So you slipped us Polyjuice?" James blinked. "I don't get it. Why'd our hair change and not the rest of us. Shouldn't we all look alike?"

"That's if you use the hair of any _normal _witch or wizard. But if you use the hair of a Metamorphmagus, you can allow the drinkers of the potions to essentially alter themselves," she explained with an amused look on her face, abundantly grateful for her past friendship with Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin who had once confessed that Metamorphmagi were immune to Polyjuice potion, as they could change the shape of their face and color of their hair at will. "Did you know that most Metamorphmagi hair changes color to depict their moods?" She looked across the table at an impressed looking Remus who was grinning at her. "I got the idea from Lily's mood ring," Mia stated proudly.

"Fine, fine," James rolled his eyes. "You're very clever. Brightest witch ever," he conceded while rolling his eyes. "Now what do the colors mean?"

"Well," Lily chimed in, amused. "The Slytherins are predictable black and dark green showing anger and envy. They're furious over what Mia's done, and angry that they didn't do it themselves," the redhead chuckled softly. "Ravenclaws are all dark blue, meaning that they're amused. And Hufflepuffs seem to be stuck between anxious, worried, and happy."

"And us?" Sirius pointed to his head of light blue hair.

"Oh that particular shade of blue is my favorite," Mia beamed. "It means satisfied."

Lily blushed and stifled a snort.

"Satisfied?" James blinked nervously.

"Yes," Mia grinned. "Tell me big brother," Mia leaned across the table, lacing her fingers together and leaning her chin on them as she stared at James, a wicked gleam in her eye. "In the half hour that you've been awake," she chuckled deviously. "What on earth could you have done to make yourself so amazingly _satisfied_?" She asked knowingly.

Remus' eyes widened and he turned and covered his mouth, hiding his laughter with a loud cough. The rest of the Gryffindor table wasn't nearly as subtle with their guffawing and giggles. James' face immediately turned bright red and his eyes lingered on Lily before averting his attention elsewhere. Sirius caught on quickly, but rarely ashamed of anything, he shrugged his shoulders and looked at James. "Well I don't know what _you're _so satisfied about, but I woke up and had a wank in the shower."

The table broke out into a roar of laughter and James slowly covered his face with his hands and waited patiently for the laughter to die down. In that time, his hair shifted from bright blue to a bright red to match his face before turning a slightly darker shade of teal, indicating acceptance. He smiled over at his sister, shaking his head.

"Well?" She asked.

"You win," he admitted, standing up and bowing before her dramatically.

"And Remus?" She asked firmly, her eyes narrowed as James' hair shifted to a brighter green indicating anxiety, while Sirius' turned dark green. Mia ignored both shifting shades.

"Remus, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, mate," James laughed and reached across the table, extending a hand to his werewolf friend. Remus blinked at the gesture and then smiled, taking it. Before letting the hand go, James gave a good tug and leaned forward, whispering. "You do realize though that if you hurt - or do anything unsavory with my sister, I'll be known as the famous James Potter, wolf slayer, right?"

"Got it," Remus nodded firmly, grinning.

"Now," James reached for the pumpkin juice. "Just to test a theory," he said and filled Remus and Mia's empty glasses. Both immediately looked petrified. "Go on," James insisted. "You want my approval? Drink up, Moony."

Remus cleared his throat and held his glass up to Mia, who merely flushed before toasting, "To us, I guess," and the two drank their juice.

It took less than five seconds for both of their heads to turn a brilliant shade of soft pink. Mia immediately looked down, her cheeks flush at the sight of Remus' hair, already knowing that hers would match it. Remus looked confused as he reached for a spoon to look at his reflection.

"What's pink then?" James asked, looking at Lily who smiled at Mia and Remus.

"Infatuated," the redhead replied beaming at her two friends.

oOoOoOo

**March 26th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Forbidden Forest**

"Ow! Fuck!"

"You're all still concentrating too much on the transfiguration portion and not enough on the meditative state," Remus instructed his three friends as they sat in a clearing out by the Forbidden Forest where the three almost Animagi practiced their training.

Remus sat on the ground leaning up against a large tree, his eyes tired and his muscles sore as the full moon was only the next night. Thinking about his own transformation that would take place the following evening only made him less sympathetic to the mild annoyances that his friends were currently going through. As it was, James had grown half an antler that he'd twice gotten stuck in the branches of the low hanging trees, Sirius was stuck with four big black paws but nothing else, and Peter had been able to grow a long tail and elongated teeth, but was unable to return to normal. Their ridiculous appearances should have kept Remus in high spirits all night, but he was more stressed than ever.

"Whaths wong Wemus?" Peter slurred through his gigantic teeth and Remus rolled his eyes at his rodent friend.

"Prongs, I still haven't bought Mia anything for her birthday," Remus confessed. "What should I do?"

Remus and Mia had officially been an item since the morning of what was now known as 'The Great Rainbow Explosion of 1974'. Mia had ultimately taken credit for the prank, which earned her a weeks worth of detention for drugging her fellow students, and an extra fifty points from Flitwick and Slughorn each, for impressive work in altering a potion with a charm. A few weeks later, she and Remus walked hand in hand down to Hogsmeade where he treated her to a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks and she lavished him with gifts of chocolate from Honeydukes before moving on to Tomes and Scrolls where the couple spent hours eagerly digging through old books. After finishing their purchases, they walked back up to the castle, stopping to embarrass Sirius who was snogging a third year Hufflepuff in view of the "haunted" Shrieking Shack, and then retiring in the Gryffindor Common Room where they snuggled together on the couch in front of the fireplace to read their new books.

It was a comfortable relationship built on friendship and common interests and most nights were similar to that first date. Mia leaning her back against Remus' chest while he draped his arm around her shoulders, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck while casually reading the book in his hand as she kicked her feet up at the end of the sofa quietly browsing through her own novel. James and Sirius eventually tired of teasing the couple, though the girls were constantly asking Mia details about the more amorous aspects of her relationship with the quiet Marauder. No details were ever given, because as per Remus' original rules regarding their relationship, no details were ever created. While he remained adamant that they not cross any lines where she could possibly be infected with his Lycanthropy, Remus was thrilled that she'd not slipped him anymore of what she now called 'Mood Juice', because _every _morning he would have walked to the Great Hall sprouting bright blue hair.

His friends naturally made things much worse. It was completely impossible to talk to James considering Mia was his sister, and his witch had been insistent that Remus keep Peter's nose out of their business. That only left Sirius who had - over the last six months - grown ten times worse in regards to the rumors that were going around the school about him. The young raven-haired wizard had almost come to his senses early January when he'd shown up in the dorms looking unbelievably guilty.

"What did you do?" Remus asked immediately. "And why can I smell Firewhisky all the way over here?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I fucked up," Sirius said, swallowing hard. "I fucked up bad."

"Padfoot, what did you do?" Remus' eyes flashed with worry as he stood to help his drunken friend to his bed.

"I had sex with McKinnon," Sirius confessed.

"Is that... not... normal?" Remus raised a brow, having believed most of the whispers exchanged in the Great Hall in regards to Sirius' nightly activities - though he was quite certain his friend wasn't the father of McGonagall's secret love child - all other rumors were never denied by Sirius himself.

"No, it's not bloody normal!" Sirius shouted. "It was the... it was the first time..." He muttered as he looked away. "Fuck, she's going to be pissed."

"Marlene?" Remus asked curiously. "Why? Were you that bad?" He snorted and Sirius looked up and glared at him.

"No, I was fucking fabulous, thank you, Moony!" Sirius snapped. "But I... I kind of... ditched her right after," he winced, covering his face which was painted with shame.

"You're disgusting," Remus shook his head.

"I know!" Sirius yelled. "It's not even _her _I'm worried about," he admitted. "You can't tell Mia," Sirius begged. "She'll hate me."

"Why would _my _girlfriend care who _you _shag?" Remus narrowed his eyes.

"Because she thinks Marlene's a slag," Sirius admitted. "And I don't... fuck, Moony, I know she's your girl but I still don't want her to look at me like... like everyone else does, okay!?" He fell back on his mattress, groaning over his mistakes.

Remus was jealous and annoyed, but a large part of him understood. He was territorial and possessive when it came to Mia, and he still didn't understand how Sirius could have run away from her when she'd clearly been so willing to open her heart to him. But he knew how it felt to look at the girl and think that the sun rose and set every day with her and that he'd never measure up. Remus was constantly fighting the wolf with in himself. A subtle voice in the back of his head that crept up every once in a while demanding that Remus take her, kiss her, pin her up against a wall and ravish every part of her. It was that _same _wolf that would peek out from time to time and snap at her bitterly when she'd say or do something he didn't like too close to the moon. Remus was in constant worry that he was on the verge of dramatically screwing things up with her.

So he understood what Sirius had gone through and had promised his friend that he'd keep his secret.

The secret of Sirius' virginity - or sudden lack thereof - didn't last long despite Remus' efforts. Once the final line had been crossed, Sirius seemed to throw caution to the wind as he buried his personal issues - and himself - inside any girl that would have him. When Mia had found out about Sirius' activities, she'd scolded him profusely about being disrespectful of himself and others. Sirius had then tried to crawl into her lap to have her pet his head - something that was now incredibly funny that the Marauders knew what form Sirius would take as an Animagus - but Mia had shoved him off of her, much to Remus' amusement.

They were quickly growing up, and Sirius was trailing a bit behind.

"What?" Remus blinked, brought back to the Forbidden Forest and his three friends.

"I _said_," James cleared his throat. "_You _would know better what to buy Mia than _I_ would."

"You still haven't got her gift? You're the worst boyfriend ever," Sirius laughed as he began using his massive paws to dig in the ground, a sight that actually caused Remus to laugh out loud.

"I meant to, but the last Hogsmeade trip was cancelled because of those Death Eater attacks," he sighed. "And I wanted this to be a good one. You're all going to have your typical party in the Common Room, meanwhile I'll be stuck in the bloody Shack," Remus growled.

"Bad luck that the full moon falls on our birthday," James frowned. "She'll understand."

"I _know_, that's what makes it worse," Remus sighed. "I'll wake up the next morning after not being around for _her _birthday, and instead of _me _doing something nice for _her_, she's going to be in the Hospital Wing, holding my hand while Madam Pomfrey shoves pain potions down my throat," he growled.

"Well, I know it goes against your instincts," James offered. "But maybe let her just take care of you."

Remus snarled at the suggestion and his eyes flashed gold and amber.

"Easy, Moony," Sirius chuckled. "Prongs is right," he nodded. "Girl's a caretaker and you haven't let her do a damn thing for you since first year," he shrugged his shoulders, shaking the dirt out of his paws and watching as they transformed back into hands easily. "Girls are all about the intimate stuff..."

"Watch it," James narrowed his eyes.

"Not _that_," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Come on Prongs, look at Moony and tell me that he's having sex," Sirius chuckled at the thought. "Obviously not. He looks like... like... like _you_," Sirius grinned and James threw a rock at him that Sirius quickly dodged, then proceeded to bury. "I mean, girls like the little moments where you let them in your head. Show the softer side and all that crap," he chuckled.

"And you know this from experience?" Remus scoffed.

"As a matter of fact I do. I know this because every girl I've ever snogged or shagged has complained about the fact that I don't do all of that mopey vulnerable bullshit," he rolled his eyes. "So do that and you'll get along famously."

"Not too famously," James eyed Remus carefully.

oOoOoOo

**March 28th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

"How was your birthday?" Remus winced as he opened his eyes in the Hospital Wing the morning after the full moon. It had been a particularly bad one. With no rest leading up to the transformation and stress of worrying about Mia's birthday, Remus had shifted and then immediately taken his frustrations out on himself. It also didn't help that she'd come to say goodbye to him as he walked to the Whomping Willow, and had hugged him so close and tight that he could still feel the warmth of her body by the time the moon was high. Frustrated didn't even cover it.

"It was sad without _you _there," she admitted, frowning at the deep cut on his right shoulder. She eyed it carefully, her nose twitching and her hands fidgeting.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Remus called.

"Yes, dear?"

"No offense, but... could you let Mia heal me this once? It's been a few years and I remember I liked the way she did it," he frowned, hoping to not upset the Mediwitch responsible for his monthly recovery.

"Of course," Madam Pomfrey smiled at the pair. "As long as you feel comfortable with that Miss Potter?"

"Yes," Mia said immediately. "Are... are you sure?" She nervously asked Remus.

"I'd rather you do it this once," he nodded, forcing the primal urge within him that said, _'No! We are the protector! Don't let her see us weak!' _"Please, Mia?" Remus looked up at her pleadingly.

She seemed to smile brightly at his request and she reached quickly for her wand. "Roll to the side," she ordered and frowned as he winced from the pain but did as instructed. She siphoned off the blood with her wand, knowing better than to clean him off the Muggle way by hand, considering he was so paranoid about her coming into contact with his saliva let alone his blood. She closed the wound with a smile that seemed to brighten when she saw the satisfied look on his face.

"Was _that _my birthday gift?" She eyed him with a smirk.

"James' idea," Remus shrugged.

"Smart boy, that James Potter," she smiled and took advantage of the moment by running her fingers through Remus' hair and grinning smugly when his eyes rolled back and he let out a relaxed moan. "You could just get over yourself and let me do this more often," she suggested. "It makes me happy to help you."

"It makes me uncomfortable," Remus admitted, his eyes still closed. "But if it makes you happy," he relented with a sigh. "I could learn to deal with a little pampering from time to time," he admitted, silently enjoying the fact that in this state she was so physically affectionate with him. He knew she wanted more, but he couldn't cross that boundary. Here however, post transformation he had little energy to fight her off, and he knew she'd never take advantage of him in a weakened state. Not knowing how important it was to him that she always be kept safe.

"_You _make me happy," she smiled and leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda **fills in all the blanks.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N:** I'm so glad you are all happy for Remus and Mia. Me too! I had a blast writing that last chapter with the 'Mood Juice' and I'm not sure when but I do hope to bring it back at some point just for fun if the plot allows. **rlassie**, yes, Mia could use her feminine wiles to break through Remus' intimacy barriers, but he's not Sirius (who would clearly fall for that) he's Remus and Remus reacts to different stimuli. ;) **apriljunemay**, thank you! One thing I was really firm on is that I didn't want Mia to spend her time brooding and pining heartbroken over either boy. I also didn't want the boys to destroy their friendship because of jealousy. Their love for Mia and her love for them goes beyond the petty. They are not Ron (and to a lesser extent, Harry). She's already had the immature/jealous type of friendship/relationships.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty-Six: Wait and See

_"...I miss that town, I miss the faces  
__You can't erase, You can't replace it  
__I miss it now, I can't believe it  
__So hard to stay, Too hard to leave it..."  
__(Photograph - Nicklelback)_

* * *

**May 25th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Room of Requirement**

_'I need a place that looks like the Forbidden Forest where no one can enter but me.'_

She concentrated on that exact thought as she walked three times while passing back and forth in front of the stone wall on the seventh floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls ballet. Slowly a circular wooden door appeared and Mia let a smile cross her face as she opened the door and stepped through. The view was incredible.

She moved through the created trees and undergrowth, feeling the soft grass on her bare feet as she kicked her shoes off the moment she stepped inside. Where there should have been a large wall to the left of her, extended out the view of the Black Lake, and to the right the shadow of Hogwarts Castle which was an odd sight considering she was _inside _said Castle right then.

The forest lay ahead of her and Mia smiled as she moved through the shadows of the trees, glancing upwards at what should have been ceiling, but instead she saw sky lit only by a perfectly circular moon, hung large against a black background. A full moon was her motivation for this, and she used it to calm her, to relax her as she wiggled her toes into soil. A part of her felt guilty that she was using the very thing that caused Remus pain, to take away her own anxieties. To persuade her guilt to leave, she reasoned that in the end this would make it easier for him.

It was one thing to know that Padfoot and Prongs - and yes even Wormtail for now - would be there for Moony during his transformations, but she longed to be there with them. With _him_.

It had taken months to get the meditations down correctly, to relax enough to allow herself to dip into her inner animal. An animal she had assumed would have been an otter, but was not. No sooner did she discover her inner Animagus did she try to summon a Patronus and saw with shocked eyes as the silvery otter she had come to know and love, morphed into a slightly larger beast with slender limbs, and a tail as bushy as her hair. It now made sense why an older Sirius had been shocked to learn that _Hermione's _Patronus was an otter - because _Mia's _Patronus was certainly not.

She closed her brown eyes and felt the wind cover her skin, felt the glow of the moon against her back and the dirt wiggle its way between her toes. She focused on her inner animal, but also reached out with purpose to Moony, to _Remus _who was at this very hour in the Shrieking Shack. She reached out to Prongs and Padfoot, knowing that the boys had followed Remus out the doors of the castle, and unable to join him in the Shack just yet, so they instead had retired to the _actual _Forbidden Forest to practice their own transformations. Something inside of her pulled and tugged in multiple directions and she realized quickly it was not _one _bond, but many. In her meditative state she could feel and see them clearly. A golden string that tied her to Sirius, a soul bond, prepared by emotions triggered by memories, provoked by kisses in two different decades, but unsealed. A lighter silver string that connected her to Jamie, a familial bond as Dorea had explained it, prepared by her sisterly love for Harry, provoked by her gift from Sirius and sealed by the Potter's official adoption. But there was a third string, something almost invisible as though it existed but had yet to be awakened, something that reached her out to Remus, far away in the Shack, but didn't end there as it extended back into the Forbidden Forest where she lost it once again.

_Another bond?_

Letting go of the thought took time but she released it with effort knowing she had to have a clear mind to complete the transformation. Mia let out a deep sigh of contentment and acceptance and felt her body shift beneath her. Hands became paws and she dug sharp black claws into the earth, feeling the way the dirt shifted under her touch. Her vision increased tenfold and she could see into the forest ahead of her as though she were looking through a pair of Omnioculars. Her brown eyes shifted to amber and she could feel her ears shift upwards and the sounds of nearby whispering voices were heard as though they were right outside the door.

_Outside the door?!_

oOoOoOo

"I _know _she came this way," Sirius whispered to James. "I saw her sneak off the other night and she disappeared up around the seventh floor."

"If we could just finish the Map this wouldn't be a problem," Peter sighed frustrated.

"I don't think she's up this way, Padfoot," James declared. "I'm starting to worry though. It makes me nervous that I'm more concerned that my sister is sneaking off in the middle of the night more than I'm worried about her dating a werewolf who happens to be my best mate."

"Hey, I thought _I_ was your best mate?" Sirius pouted.

"You are," James groaned.

"Hey!" Peter whined.

"Can we pretend that either of you have self esteem that doesn't revolve around me? I'm thrilled that I appear to be the center of you're entire world, but Mia's still missing!" James snapped.

"_Who's _missing?" Mia whispered as she grinned at the three of them at the end of the corridor. "Not _me_?" She said, acting innocent to the point of batting her eyelashes. "_I_ know exactly where I am," she chuckled.

"What are you up to?" Sirius asked her point blank.

"What are _you _up to?" She countered. "It seems all four of us are out past curfew."

"We at least have the cloak," James defended. "We're not going to get caught."

Mia rolled her eyes and tapped her wand on the top of her head, Disillusioning herself and very nearly disappearing into the stone background of the wall behind her. Sirius looked amused as usual, James looked mildly annoyed that once again she knew something he didn't, and Peter looked flustered and nervous. "What's wrong Pete?" Mia smirked to herself, her voice calling out to the boy from her concealed location. "Worried that you're being watched by someone you can't see?" She glared at him with a murderous look in her eye, glad that the other two boys couldn't see her.

"Very funny," James laughed. "Come on out, Mia."

She tapped her head again, breaking the charm and becoming visible once more.

"Seriously, what are you doing out past curfew?" James asked.

"I asked you the same thing," she put her hands defiantly on her hips.

"Mi-a!" James whined.

"Jam-ie!" Mia copied, matching his tone and pitch.

"We were looking for the Ravenclaw's lost diadem," Sirius blurted out and when Peter and James looked at him incredulously, he went on. "What? It's not _technically _a lie. We were doing that all week before tonight," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Good luck finding that," Mia smirked at him.

James shook his head and waited another moment for his sister to fess up. "Fine, we'll wait until the next time you go out and track you then," James said, mildly pouting that she wasn't willing to tell him whatever new secret she was keeping. He probably would have thought she'd gone sneaking around with Remus, but tonight was a full moon and James knew better. He also knew better than to assume his sister was sneaking around behind Remus' back.

"You won't find me," Mia smirked. "Your Map's not finished," she stated clearly.

All three boys swallowed and stared at her.

"What?" James gaped. "_What _Map?"

"The Map you four have created of Hogwarts and all the secret passages that lead into Hogsmeade," she chuckled softly and watched as their eyes widened.

"That lying werewolf!" Sirius snapped. "Leave it to Remus to bail on his mates and tell all their secrets to his bloody girlfriend," he scowled.

"Remus didn't tell me anything," Mia insisted. "You should _always _trust Remus, Sirius," she said with narrowed eyes. "Your secrets aren't being properly kept," she said pointedly, her eyes turning to Peter. "Because you have a _rat _in your midst," she smirked as Peter shrunk before her, looking terrified. "I've told you repeatedly, Peter's a terrible secret keeper. Very, very twitchy," she said, twitching her nose and pointing at it with a smirk.

James stared wide eyed at his sister while Sirius glared down at Peter. "Uh oh," Mia laughed. "Looks like I've accidentally put Peter in the _dog_house," she grinned at Sirius who suddenly paled at her words, his grey eyes widening.

"Mia..." James whispered.

She turned to her brother. "What's wrong _dear_?" She snickered. "You're looking at me like I've just sprouted _antlers_," she grinned but couldn't contain the laughter anymore as James began breathing erratically. "Oh calm down the lot of you!"

"How long have you known?!" Sirius yelled.

"About the Map or you three becoming Animagi?" She asked and then added. "_Illegally_, I might add," she stared at Sirius who seemed to be bordering on amused and furious.

"Both," James huffed.

"I told Sirius years ago that we should have a map of the castle. Plus, I _just _heard Peter talking about it a few minutes ago," she shook her head. "I assume the problem is you haven't figured out how to track everyone's movements?" She asked, and despite the fact that James and Sirius remained silent on the matter, Peter spoke up.

"Pretty much," he admitted and was immediately scolded by James and Sirius.

"Try a Homonculous Charm," she smiled sweetly at her brother, all hints of malice and devious mischief gone from her eyes. "I'd offer to show you myself, but it looks to be a Marauder's thing, so I'll let you three work it out with Remus when he's feeling better."

"Speaking of Remus feeling better," Sirius eyed her. "We're becoming Animagi to help him. You told me that he should be safe around other animals," he confessed, hoping that their noble reasons would help her understand and maybe not force them into properly registering with the Ministry.

"I know," she nodded. "I assumed as much."

"That's great, but how _did _you know?" James asked.

"I'm surprised _Sirius _hasn't figured it out yet," she admitted. "Remus either to be honest," she chuckled softly. "Though he might just be too polite to ask why my scent has changed," she grinned.

Sirius stared at her curiously and then inhaled deep and slow, his grey eyes darkening. "Canine," he said aloud. "How?"

"How'd _you _do it?" She smiled.

"How long?"

"Six months, give or take," she chuckled when Sirius glared at her.

"Bloody hell! It's taken us three damn years to get this far!" He shouted. "Are you at full shift?" He asked with bitterness, and Mia shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Fuck!"

"What's going on?" James blinked.

"She's a damn Animagus too!" Sirius snapped.

"Keep it down! What's the matter with you?" James glared at Sirius. "Filch could be just around the corner and if so we're all screwed!"

"You're having trouble with the final shift right?" She asked. "Keeping the form at will?"

"Yes," Sirius snapped, envious that she'd done something so quickly that he'd prided himself on for so long. He'd been the first of their friends to make any proper progress in the transfiguration, and the first of them all to fully shift into his entire form.

"You have to find something to ground you. An image to keep in your mind. Your reason for doing this," she offered politely.

"We use the Shack," James admitted.

"Not strong enough," Mia shook her head. "A shack can be knocked down. Also, outside of the shack, Remus is still the wolf. You need something permanent."

"What do _you _use?" Peter asked quietly.

"The moon," she admitted and all three boys grimaced as though they could sense how Remus himself would react. "It's morbid, I know," she looked down. "But it'll never go away and as long as it's there, he'll turn. He's connected to the moon, and we're connected to him _through _the moon. It's all tied together," she smiled softly.

"So what _are _you?" Sirius finally asked. "I smelled canine, but I can't tell what."

"I would have thought you'd be a cat," James chuckled.

"Why's that?" Mia narrowed her eyes. She had in fact worried about such a thing happening. It would have been irony considering she had accidentally turned herself into a cat during her original second year.

"Because you and Sirius fight like cats and dogs," James grinned and both Mia and Sirius rolled their eyes. "So what _are _you?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see," Mia grinned.

oOoOoOo

An hour later when the boys had returned to the dorms, Mia slipped from her bed and up into their room, pulling the Invisibility cloak from James' trunk and wrapping it around herself. She hadn't had nightmares often since her encounter with Bellatrix the summer before at Narcissa's wedding. She imagined it had something to do with facing her fears. Regardless, she struggled to sleep some nights, especially during the full moon when she knew that somewhere outside Remus was alone and in pain.

It hadn't occurred to her until she began her training inside the Room of Requirement, but one night just after Christmas, she sought out the Room of Hidden things. A part of her wanted to look for the diadem, which she ultimately found and immediately refused to touch. Another part of her wanted to look for other missing parts of history. She wanted to see the broken wardrobe that Draco fixed their sixth year that allowed Death Eaters into the castle. She wanted to see everything that the Fiendfyre might have destroyed. She wanted to look for old books and buried treasures that the Castle had kept hidden for centuries.

What she hadn't expected to find was a mirror.

A wondrous mirror standing taller than a wardrobe with beautiful gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. The inscription at the top made her gasp as she recognized from Harry's stories what this was_. 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi'. _The Mirror of Erised.

Very, very slowly, Mia approached the mirror.

She took in a sharp breath.

"Harry," she whispered, not realizing that she hadn't said the name aloud in over three years. But there he stood before her, or _next _to her really as she looked in the reflection and saw herself standing beside the Boy Who Lived. Harry looked just as she remembered. The spitting image of Jamie, with two exceptions: a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, and the most brilliant green eyes, the color of emeralds in direct sunlight.

Standing on either side of Harry were the two smiling faces of his parents, though not as adults. No, Jamie and Lily looked in the mirror as they looked to Mia right now. Fifteen and full of life. James looked like he could be Harry's brother. The Potters, all together again. Mia sniffed at the sight and wiped away a tear. She stood with them. Harry had thought of her as a sister, allowed her to wear the words of his House that provoked a familial bond and made _her_a Potter. Jamie, her brother in everything but blood. And Lily, quite possibly the only female aside from Ginny Weasley that Mia could ever consider a true friend. Mary and Alice were lovely girls, but Lily was more. Lily was... _family_. Ron stood close behind Harry, a hand on his best friend's shoulder and Ginny beside him making moon eyes at Harry.

To the left of Mia's reflection stood Remus, just as beautiful as he was right now. Perfectly fifteen and perfectly hers. But in the mirror his reflection changed and she watched closely as he aged right in front of her eyes into the Professor she'd originally met. But his _eyes_. Those were still the same eyes of _her _Remus. Only _her _Remus held a blue haired child in his arms and Mia smiled at the sight of little Teddy Lupin, and Tonks who moved to stand beside her husband. They were smiling brightly and Mia felt momentarily guilty and jealous at the same time. Until the reflection of Remus smiled at her with that loving expression she knew too well.

She wasn't his _mate_, but she was still his _memory_, and Mia knew better than anyone that the werewolf had a capacity to love that rivaled Harry Potter himself. There was room for her in his heart.

An older Sirius appeared in the mirror, slowly walking up behind her, his grey eyes boring into her as if they could liquefy her very soul. He approached her reflection from behind, but his eyes remained fixed on her as his arms wound themselves around her reflections waist, tenderly, _intimately_. Mia gasped and turned away from the mirror as quickly as possible.

She wasn't ready for this.

She remembered what Harry had told her about the mirror. It showed the deepest desires of our hearts. But Dumbledore had cautioned her friend. The mirror gave neither knowledge or truth.

And she needed both.

oOoOoOo

**May 26th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Dungeons**

"You're here early, Belby," Mia smiled as she walked into the Potions lab to find the young Slytherin hard at work, sweating over a steaming cauldron. "Still at work with the Aconite?" She asked, trying to hide exactly how curious she was about his investigations. While the rest of the class had finished their experiments anywhere from a week to three months into the year, Damocles kept digging, insisting that the longer he brewed, stewed or dried the Wolfsbane, the more properties it released.

"Found something new _you _might be interested in," Belby grinned. "Look what happens when I add scarab beetles to the brewed Wolfsbane," he smiled and dropped the beetles into the cauldron. Mia gasped when the liquid let off a faint blue smoke that she knew all too well to be the Wolfsbane Potion.

"What did you _do_?!" She squealed with excitement.

"Kind of got the idea from _you _actually," he smiled. "You mentioned that Aconite could be used for mind sharpening. I tried mixing it differently with a Wideye Potion, but then..." he rolled his eyes. "_Snape _suggested that I could extract more potency from the Aconite sprigs if I cut them _after _stewing for two weeks. Smug sod was right too," he chuckled.

_Son of a bitch. Was it really that bloody simple?!_

Mia had been working on the Wolfsbane Potion since the older Professor Snape had killed Dumbledore and ran off. They found his notes on how to brew the potion of course, but it had always said to stew _cut _Aconite sprigs, never to cut _previously _stewed Aconite sprigs. A part of her thought he might have done it on purpose in order to remain useful to Remus, to somehow keep him the werewolf indebted to him. Mia really wanted to punch Severus Snape in the face again.

"Then instead of the Wideye potion, I thought to mix it with a Wit-Sharpening Potion."

"Isn't that used to counter a Confundus Charm?" Mia asked.

"Yes," Damocles smiled. "Adding the beetles like you would to a Wit-Sharpening Potion not only sharpens the mind, but it clears it. Holds it in place. Unfortunately I can't think of many uses outside of maybe people who've gone mad under the Cruciatus Curse, and even then it would have to be administered immediately, and daily," he frowned.

"I'm sure you'll find a good purpose for it Damocles," Mia beamed. "You're brilliant. This will change lives, I just know it."

And another thing she _just knew_, was the proper way to brew a Wolfsbane Potion.

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Common Room**

Mia made her way back to the Gryffindor Tower with a skip in her step. She was surprised to find all four Marauders sitting around the fireplace, Marauder's Map in hand. As she stepped through the portrait hole, she laughed when they all jumped and Sirius quickly closed the map.

"Oh, it's just Mia," James sighed.

"Just?" She laughed and walked over to sit down beside Remus. "Hello, love," she beamed at him brightly, leaning down and kissing his cheek. The action seemed to light up his tired eyes and she too brightened at the sight of his reaction. "I thought you were going to be in the Hospital Wing for a few more hours," she admitted. "I would have come and seen you."

"Couldn't stay away," he grinned and put his arm around her, leaning forward and placing a kiss to the top of her head. "My friends have told me that you helped with our little project," he chuckled, pointing to the map. "A Homonculous Charm, I should have known."

"You would have gotten there," she smiled and cuddled gently into his side, trying to be careful knowing that he would have fresh wounds and deep bruises. "_You _had these three prats to distract you from your brilliance. _I_ was all on my own," she smirked.

"Prats?" Sirius laughed. "You think _Moony _there is the only brilliant one?" He handed her the map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Sirius stated and the Map came to life.

"Appropriate password," she nodded her head with amusement. "Very clever," she added as she looked over the familiar Map, immediately noticing that her name showed 'Mia Potter' and not 'Hermione Granger.' _That must be because of the sealed familial bond_, Mia thought to herself, doing her best not to be sad that her past self had somehow vanished further into oblivion.

"Watch this," Sirius grinned. "Mischief managed," he said and the Map vanished before her very eyes.

"Is your mischief ever _really _managed though?" She chuckled up at Sirius.

"That's not even the best part," Sirius handed the map over. "_You _try to read it," he insisted. "But without the password. You can use any other spell you want."

Mia rolled her eyes and took the Map, knowing perfectly well what would happen when she tried to break into it without the password, but she had to placate them now, especially Sirius who was so very eager to show off.

"_Aparecium_," Mia whispered, tapping her wand on the top of the map. Slowly, as though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the parchment in her hands. She chuckled softly at the sight and read aloud.

"_Mr. Padfoot offers congratulations to Miss Potter for her noble attempt at sneaking into such a brilliantly crafted magical object but offers his condolences over her failure. He understands she must feel very envious over her lack of such a creation. He also offers compliments to Miss Potter over her very shapely arse_."

Remus and James each punched Sirius at the same time and Mia laughed and continued reading as the words faded in and out of the parchment.

"_Mr. Prongs would like to remind Mr. Padfoot not to talk about Miss Potter's arse, which is most certainly not shapely_."

Mia continued to laugh.

"_Mr. Moony agrees with Mr. Padfoot over Miss Potters shapely arse, but he is too much of a gentleman to say such things aloud_." Mia fell over laughing and Remus held his hands up as James turned to descend upon him.

"You wouldn't strike an injured man!" Remus laughed.

"You're lucky she likes you so much," James smirked at his friend.

"Yeah, I am," Remus smiled and Mia blushed to the roots of her hair.

"I have a surprise for you," Mia whispered into Remus' ear, purposely getting close enough to let her lips linger against his skin. He let out a soft breath and she watched closely as he swallowed at her touch. "But it won't be ready for another three weeks," she admitted nervously.

"What is it?" Remus asked with a curious grin.

"Something... that will change _everything_," she admitted softly.

"You're really not going to tell me?" He raised a brow.

"You'll just have to wait and see."


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda**, who knows where I left my apostrophes.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Wow! Everyone had opinions on Mia's surprise and also what her animagus form is. I'm not going to say right now, you'll just have to wait and see. I won't linger too much in the Author's Notes, I know you all are dying to see what happens...

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty-Seven: In Control

_"...You can kiss me in the moonlight  
__On the rooftop under the sky, oh  
__You can kiss me with the windows open  
__While the rain comes pouring inside, oh  
__Kiss me in sweet slow motion  
__Let's let everything slide  
__You got me floating, You got me flying..."  
__(This Kiss - Faith Hill)_

* * *

**June 17th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

"Do you trust me Remus?" Mia asked him softly.

The full moon was approaching the following Monday and he was already a little on edge. It didn't help that exams were that week and Remus was determined to ace every class in order to secure the Gryffindor Prefect badge that he was hoping for. Only Mia knew about his ambition to become a Prefect. He'd confessed it to her late one night while the two sat in the Common Room, flames flickering gently in the fireplace in front of them while he lazily linked their fingers together with one hand, using his free one to draw soft circles on her shoulders.

He told her how he felt that he needed to prove he was a _real _wizard because the world would never see him as one. She'd frowned and tried to ease his frustrations as she was prone to do, making him promises that one day he would be a great duellist, able to fight off all manner of dark wizards and even creatures like Dementors. Remus had chuckled at her vivid imagination and insisted that he would be happy to have a calm life after Hogwarts; and a job if he was lucky. Becoming a Prefect and being one of the top students for now was his life goal. To show that being a werewolf didn't make him any less knowledgeable in magic.

He'd never told anyone else his worries like that. He trusted her with anything.

"Of course I do," Remus nodded with a nervous smile, staring at the goblet in Mia's hands as she held it out toward him. His green eyes looked down at the viscous grey liquid with blue smoke wafting out of the goblet. He trusted her, especially with potions, but that didn't mean she couldn't have something devious up her sleeve and Remus always liked to be prepared.

"Then take it," her eyes pleaded with him and he rose a brow at the genuine expression on her face. "Every day for a week before the moon."

_The full moon?_ Remus stepped back away from the potion, suddenly more nervous than before. It was one thing to maybe slip him a joke potion that turned his hair a different color, or even the time when she dared the Marauders to take a Laugh-inducing Potion in the middle of Transfiguration and then placed bets on who would get detention first (Peter). But to take a potion that she was hinting had something to do with the moon, and without details?

"Mia I know you're good at potions but..."

"Remus please," he could actually see tears forming in the corners of her eyes and the sight made his chest tighten. He really couldn't stand it when she cried. "I know it's difficult for you trust people when it comes to your Lycanthropy," she frowned and Remus furrowed his brows, wanting to reach over and force her to smile instead.

"Mia," he sighed.

"I know that you struggle in letting me help you," Remus scoffed. That was an understatement. He'd _barely _allowed her back into the Hospital Wing since they started dating at the beginning of the year, even then she'd only healed him the once. "But I want... I _need _you to do this for me. Please take this potion," she was begging him now, and something about the way the word 'please' fell off her lips sent a primal vibration through his chest. "This one tonight," she held the goblet out to him again. "And then again every night until the moon."

He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent to try and ground him. That scent used to send him into a frenzy, but now that he was allowed to hold her hand, to brush the hair from her neck and breathe her in whenever he wanted, it calmed him. It also helped that her scent was no longer mingled with Sirius'. Just his. He'd certainly lie about it if she'd ever asked him straight forward, but when she hugged him tightly, he'd rub his cheek against hers on instinct, scent marking her as his own.

"I trust you," he nodded and reached for the goblet, smiling as her eyes brightened so much that her irises changed from chocolate to a familiar shade of amber that caught him by surprise. And then she blinked and her eyes went back to chocolate.

"Thank you," she smiled sweetly and kissed his cheek. Remus nodded and brought the goblet to his lips and drank it down in one large gulp, figuring that if he got it over with quickly he'd have less of a chance to let his nerves get the better of him. The second the liquid fell into his mouth though, he almost gagged on it. Forcing it down his throat, he grimaced and swallowed and then turned to her like she'd just smacked him.

"Ugh, I _trusted _you!" He coughed, setting the goblet down as far away from him as possible. "That tasted like... like..." But there was no comparison.

"Like licking the inside of the Sorting Hat?" Mia offered and Remus' eyes widened and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that," she frowned at the empty goblet. "Can't seem to make it any better," she sighed and Remus shook his head. "But you still have to take it."

oOoOoOo

**June 24th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
Gryffindor Common Room**

"Where's Mia?!" Remus yelled as he burst into the near empty Gryffindor Common Room. The full moon had been the night before and after waking up in the Hospital Wing like usual, Remus had snatched three vials of Invigoration Draught and tossed them back like they were shots of Firewhisky before he darted out of the infirmary against Madam Pomfrey's instructions. The students were leaving Hogwarts for the summer that morning and he had planned to leave by Portkey later that afternoon once he was feeling better.

But this couldn't wait.

"Well look at _you _Moony," Sirius grinned as he walked down the stairs, his broom slung over his shoulder. Everyone else in Gryffindor Tower had left early that morning, trunks all packed and ready to go but James and Sirius wanted to have one more fly around the pitch to celebrate another year of winning the Quidditch Cup, though they'd still lost the House Cup by well over two-hundred points.

"You're all up and looking less like shit than you did last month," Sirius chuckled at Remus as he set his broom down at the foot of the stairs next to his trunk which had been covered by an assortment of stickers and logos of Muggle bands that Sirius had become obsessed with over the years. "Hey Prongs!" Sirius called up the stairs. "Come check this out! Moony doesn't look like he recently threw up."

James rushed down the stairs, broom in his hand and his robes hanging open loosely over his red and gold Quidditch jersey, his wand tucked behind his ear. "Wow," James nodded at his werewolf friend. "You look... more healthy, less sane?" He rose a brow at the near feral look on Remus' less pale face. "What's got your tail in a twist?"

"I've used that one before," Sirius muttered to James.

"Fine," James huffed. "What's got your paw in a..." he thought aloud.

"Pickle?" Sirius offered.

"Thank you, Mister Padfoot," James smirked.

"You're very welcome Mister Prongs," Sirius chuckled.

"Will you two idiots shut up," Remus growled. "Where's Mia?"

Sirius pouted. "Apparently morning Moony is a prickish Moony, Prongs."

"Indeed he is, Padfoot," James tutted while shaking his head disapprovingly.

Remus took in a slow deep breath, not having the patience for James and Sirius' typical antics. "Tell me where Mia is," he began slowly. "Or I'll go and tell Lily that you're the one who stole all of her books and wrote 'Mrs. James Potter' in them," he threatened his messy haired friend.

James laughed. "Nice try, mate, she already knows that," he said almost proudly as he pulled up the sleeve of his robes. "I've got the scar from her stinging hex to prove it," he smirked as he pointed to the long silvery patch of flesh that covered his entire elbow.

Remus growled and ran his hands through his shaggy hair in frustration. "Why are you two being so difficult?" He demanded angrily.

"Not sure," James admitted casually. "Might be your reactions if I'm being honest. I'm feeling very provoked into the need to fuck with your head a little right now," he chuckled and Sirius joined in. Remus turned and snarled at them, his eyes flashing gold and amber. They immediately stopped laughing, though neither looked incredibly intimidated. They'd been dealing with the temperamental werewolf for four years.

"Okay, okay," James conceded. "Why do you need to see my sister?"

"She's been feeding me a potion all week," Remus admitted trying to calm himself down.

"What potion?" Sirius asked curiously.

"I'm not sure," Remus sighed. "She didn't tell me what it was called."

"You took a _potion _from your girlfriend without finding out what it's called?" Sirius gaped at him and Remus refused to make eye contact.

"I know, I know," Remus grumbled.

"Better yet, you took a potion from _Mia _without finding out anything about it?" James would have laughed if it wasn't so potentially dangerous. "You do remember The Great Rainbow Explosion of 1974?"

"Or the Laugh-inducing Potion she dared us to drink?" Sirius chimed in.

"Or the Exploding Potion she flushed down the second floor girls bathroom?" James chuckled.

"Pretty sure that was us, mate," Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Oh yeah," James nodded. "What about the Babbling Beverage she slipped Peter last Valentine's Day?" James added. "He's still not allowed within ten feet of the Hufflepuff table..."

"Or the Prefects Bathroom..." Sirius continued.

"And MacDonald punched him in the face..." James nodded.

"Knocked out one of this teeth," Sirius laughed at the memory. "Remember how we told him we could fix it with a sticking charm, Prongs?" He chuckled and James started laughing again.

"But we put it in backwards!" The two black-haired wizards said at the same time.

"Hey!" Remus shouted. "Can we reminisce about Peter's miseries later?! The bloody potion... it kept me there!"

"Kept you where?" Sirius blinked, confused.

"Kept me..." Remus sighed and collapsed onto the large couch. He could smell her scent all over it. "It kept me present. I was, there, in control," he exhaled slowly. "For the most part."

"I don't understand," James said as he moved over and took a seat next to his friend while Sirius leaned against the empty fireplace, arms crossed over his chest, one foot crossed over the other.

"When I transform, I become the wolf," Remus explained. "The wolf takes over completely. I'm still there, but it's like watching from behind the scenes while someone else takes over control of my body. I barely remember enough each month because it's like I'm not even really present. But last night I was there," he looked up at his friends who both stared at him with wide interested eyes.

"Last night was..." Remus said in a whisper as he remembered.

He'd been taken out to the Whomping Willow like usual, and he turned back to see Mia smiling at him from the doorway of the Castle, a hopeful look in her eyes that made him feel genuinely nervous. She hadn't told him anymore about the potion the rest of the week, but still forced him to drink the nasty stuff each day leading up to the full moon, including that night. Slipping beneath the Willow, Remus made the stressful walk to the Shrieking Shack and once there he fell into his usual routine of undressing and taking in slow deep breaths as the moon began to rise.

His skin itched badly and it felt like he needed to scratch it all the way down to the bones. A heat washed over his body and he could feel the blood pumping through his veins, throbbing as it flooded his head, toppling him to the ground where his knees buckled and the shift began to take place. Pain. Always pain. Excruciating pain as his bones shifted, elongating until some of them broke, only to heal themselves back in place moments later. His muscles tore, adjusted and repaired themselves and the skin of his back split open to accommodate the shape of his secondary form. Fur, both soft and coarse pushed its way through his skin, and his face elongated into a snout at the same time as his hands fell onto the ground heavily, shifting into large paws.

Normally the wolf would take over and he would search for a way out. Search for something to kill, something to tear at, and _lately_, something to take, to claim, to fuck. Of course trapped in the Shrieking Shack there was nothing and no one, at which point the wolf would turn his frustrations on himself. It had been horrifying over the years to watch from behind the eyes of the wolf as its desires changed. It had been one of the reasons Remus insisted on not getting too physical with Mia. He worried that one day the wolf would take over completely and there would be nothing Remus could do to stop him from hurting her.

But _last night_... the wolf was in the back and Remus at the front. He'd sat there in the Shack, smelling the air and looking around, waiting for the wolf to begin tearing into his own flesh angrily when attempts to escape failed. But nothing happened. He stood up on his hind legs, reaching up to look through the cracks in a boarded up window where he gazed up at the moon that still called to him, but didn't dominate him.

"I was fully in control," Remus admitted quietly, reverently. "I mean I transformed and everything like normal, but it was like I could see with my own eyes, and move willingly."

"Merlin..." James whispered, shocked by the revelation. "And Mia..."

"I need to know where she is Prongs," Remus said looking up at his friend, desperately.

"She left early with Evans for the train," James answered immediately. "We stuck around to wait for you."

"Well I'm here now," Remus leapt from the couch and made for the portrait hole quickly. "Let's go!"

oOoOoOo

**Hogsmeade Station**

Mia smiled as she watched Lily help some of the first years with their luggage, purposely trying to get the attention of the current Prefects and Head Boy and Girl, as though their opinions mattered on who would become the Prefects the following year. Mia meanwhile stared over the horizon at the Castle in the distance, worrying her lip between her teeth as she nervously thought of Remus, praying to Merlin that she hadn't botched the potion. She'd left Hogwarts with Lily, Alice and Frank the moment she knew Remus was alive and resting in the infirmary, but hadn't waited around for him to wake up. She was terrified something had gone wrong and he would be furious with her for tampering with something so very sensitive. As long as he was alive, she could leave Hogwarts to go home and hopefully hear from him by owl over the summer.

"Mia I thought you said Remus wasn't feeling well today?" Lily muttered as she turned back to the curly haired witch who was busy helping a second year Hufflepuff try to wrangle his owl back into its cage.

"What?" Mia blinked, looking up at Lily. "He's _not _well," she insisted. "He was in the Hospital Wing last I heard."

"Well he's running toward the train right now looking not entirely sick," Lily pointed behind Mia.

"What?" Mia gasped and turned quickly.

Lily was right. Remus was at full sprint, James and Sirius trailing behind him unable to keep up with the werewolf despite it being just hours post full moon. Her brown eyes widened at the sight of him looking so well, and she wondered what the hell she'd done to the potion to get _these _results. Wolfsbane had never done anything like this to an older Remus. At least not that she knew of.

He continued to rush forward, his green eyes fixed on her and Mia swallowed nervously as he closed the distance between them, panting with sweat on his brow. He must have run the whole way down from the Castle. She worried that he'd yell at her, call her a know-it-all or tell her to mind her own business from now on. She was terrified that he'd say he could no longer trust her, break her heart and tell her how _dare _she stick her nose where it didn't belong.

"Remus, I can explain..." she began but he swallowed the rest of her sentence as he crushed his mouth over hers and kissed her soundly.

He hadn't waited patiently, silently requesting permission like Sirius had done. Remus took immediate advantage of the way her lips parted in a shocked gasp and he invaded hungrily, moaning and growling against her lips and the sounds vibrated in her throat, tickling and sending cold shivers down the rest of her body that quickly transformed into heated waves. His kiss was like throwing a rock into the Black Lake. A deep plunge in the center and then watching as the effects rippled outward, reaching the bank of sand and rocks the way that this kiss reached all the way to her toes.

She could scarcely hear the whistles and cheers from the students surrounding them and all of a sudden as her hearing fully returned to her, she blushed realizing where they were. She gasped for air the moment that Remus let her go, but he didn't move far, pressing his forehead against hers and gazing deep into her eyes.

"I love you," he said before she even had a chance to replenish the oxygen that he'd so desperately stolen from her lungs. Her heart swelled at the words and she had to blink away the forming tears in her eyes to make sure it was really him standing in front of her. She reached her hands up and touched his stubbly cheeks and relished the sudden feel of his hands buried in the thick of her hair. It really _was _Remus.

And Remus had _kissed _her.

"You are a brilliant and wonderful and absolutely perfect little witch," Remus grinned brightly, his eyes flashing colors. "And I _love _you."

"It worked?" She practically sobbed the question.

Remus laughed and kissed her again, this time shorter, less desperate and hungry but she could feel his smile against her lips. She wasn't surprised at all, but she couldn't help but return his smile when she realized that he tasted like chocolate, and she let out a laugh as he picked her up into his arms and spun her around joyfully.

"Ahem," James cleared his throat and Remus and Mia broke apart to turn red-faced at a slightly amused James, and a politely applauding Sirius.

"Took you long enough, Moony!" Sirius hollered.

"Lily," Remus turned and looked down at his redheaded friend with pleading eyes. "I would never under any other circumstances ask this of you, but..."

"Ugh," Lily frowned. "You want me to distract Potter, don't you?" She rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I can't guarantee he'll be returned with all present attachments," she emphasized as she reached for her wand and firmly gripped it as she pushed her way in between Remus and Mia to make her grand entrance in front of James who almost missed her while he was staring down his sister and Remus.

"Umm, Potter?" Lily said quietly. "Could... could you," she grit her teeth. "Could you sit with me on the train?" She closed her eyes tightly, unable to look at him as she spoke the words, "I'd really like you to explain Quidditch to me."

She cracked open one green eye to look at his reaction, and she gaped angrily with both eyes suddenly wide as James was now kneeling before her, looking up at her with deep admiration. "I knew it!" He grinned. "I knew if I just kept at it, you'd realize how much you love me!" He shouted and Lily winced.

"Shut up you great bloody prat!" She hissed. "I do _not _love you!"

"Marry me!" James implored, arms wide open as though he fully expected her to fall into them willingly.

"This day just gets better and better," Sirius noted aloud, a truly pleased look on his face.

Lily turned and glared at Remus, who was already halfway onto the train with Mia's hand gripped tight. He offered the witch an apologetic smile that silently declared that he owed her. She nodded in reply, her eyes already calculating the massive interest that was instantly accumulating on this favor for her friends.

Remus rushed down the center of the train, making his way back to the last compartment, generally reserved for the Marauders. Though they didn't have an actual stake of claim on the carriage, it was always empty after Sirius started a rumor that the boys had placed a Pimple Jinx on the compartment that would target anyone not entering it without Marauders permission. The couple entered inside and turned to find Peter already sitting there.

"Hey Remus, I didn't think you were going to be..."

"Get out," Remus growled.

Peter's eyes widened and Mia grinned at the sight, the look of sudden fear on Peter's face at Remus' intensity caused her heart to thump hard in her chest. Peter responded quickly by standing up and moving to the door, keeping his eyes on Remus the entire time. Remus broke for a few moments and sighed, "Just... just give us a half hour, mate," he softened his tone.

"An hour," Mia grumbled aloud, and Remus immediately reacted.

"An hour," he said with a grin. Peter flushed red and turned quickly, closing the door behind him before disappearing down the train to find James and Sirius.

The moment he was gone, Remus turned swiftly, cupping Mia's cheek in hand and bringing his lips down to hers, kissing her sweetly and gently, trying to communicate his gratitude without words. Her potion had kept him awake, alive and in control for the first full moon since he was four years old. He spent the night in silence, finding no need to howl or whimper. He'd wanted to sleep, but couldn't. He was finally able to experience his wolf form with purpose and control, and it was there in the Shack, bathed in the light of the moon that Remus knew he _had _to kiss her. Even if it was just the once.

But kissing her was addictive. She made him feel like a wizard, a human, like a _man_. The wolf lingered still in the background of his mind, urging him to grip her harder, hold her tighter and closer and devour her, but Remus held back. He was more man than wolf and she'd proven that to him. He did however whimper when she pulled away from him for a moment but she smiled at his complaint and then aimed her wand at the door.

"_Muffliato, Colloportus_!" She said before drawing down the window shades.

Remus swallowed hard. _A silencing spell and a locking spell?_

"Do you really think Lily can keep James distracted?" Mia asked, her cheeks pink.

"He proposed marriage to her in front of at least fifty other students," Remus chuckled. "I think she'll last maybe ten minutes," he admitted honestly. Telling Peter to take off for an hour had been highly optimistic and incredibly unrealistic.

"Ten minutes," Mia nodded and pressed her hands against his chest, letting the bench behind him buckle his knees forward until he was sitting and she was pulled down with him, trapped tenderly in an encasing of his arms, her legs draped over his and her feet kicked up on the edge of the seat. Remus grinned and leaned in pressing a soft and significant kiss to her mouth.

He placed gentle and sweet kisses along her jaw line, trailing down to her pulse point where he hesitated trying to fight off - but ultimately giving in to - the need to suck at her skin. He was gentle, placing an open mouthed kiss on her neck, letting his tongue linger on the skin and tasting her for the first time. He let a deep growl and it rumbled in his chest, he then groaned as a mewling sound escaped her swollen, parted lips. His hands roamed up her back, holding her tighter to him as he traced her collar bone with his mouth, a voice in the back of his mind urged, _'Keep going. More. Ours.'_

But that voice was drowned out when Mia leaned close, brushing her lips against the shell of his ear, whispering, "I love you too."

He paused as the declaration hit him and he vaguely recalled telling her the same thing just outside the train right after he kissed her. Remus hadn't expected to say it out loud, but the words wouldn't be contained. He certainly hadn't expected her to return the sentiment, and now that she had, he sat back looking at her in shock and awe, a part of him waiting for her to take it back and apologise immediately.

But she didn't.

She smiled at him and touched his face and looked into his eyes as though he were worth more than all the gold she had at Gringotts, and as a Potter he assumed she had a hell of a lot. She looked at him like he was worth something very important, like he was worth a damn. Like he was suddenly, somehow, miraculously worthy of her. He said nothing else, but kissed her once more, chastely and nuzzled his nose into the side of her neck and exhaling slowly to calm himself down.

"Are you okay?" She whispered softly at his sudden change of pace.

Remus smiled and pulled away from her to place a kiss on her brow. "I don't think I've ever been more okay in my entire life," he replied quietly, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. "You tip everything upside-down," Remus admitted. "I was never meant to have friends," he let out a shaky exhale. "You changed that," he smiled at her. "I was never supposed to be close to someone like this. Was never supposed to be properly conscious and in control under the moon," he whispered. "No one was ever supposed to..." he hesitated to speak but she understood.

"I _love _you, Remus," she repeated her words. "You are so _very much _supposed to be loved."

Remus smiled sweetly at her, pressing his forehead against hers gently and closing his eyes as if he were focusing on the moment, freezing it somewhere in the back of his memory so he could review it over and over again during times of stress and sadness. "You changed everything, Mia."

He felt her stiffen at his words and could hear her inhale sharply. Remus' eyes opened to look up at her brown orbs staring down at him as though she were looking for something specific inside of him. "What is it?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head frantically, almost looking like she would cry at any moment.

"Mia?" he frowned. "Did I... did I do something wrong?" He was beginning to panic but let out a small sigh of relief when she shook her head again and smiled, though tears seemed to still linger in her eyes.

"I haven't changed _anything_," Mia admitted. "You can't change what's meant to be," she began to worry her bottom lip between her teeth. "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to Remus. I have to enjoy my life. I ended up being very lucky that you're such a big part of that life," she brushed the hair from his forehead affectionately. "Please always be a part of my life," she begged.

"Breaking up with me already?" He joked, but a part of him was terrified. "Am I that bad of a kisser?"

Mia threw her head back and laughed.

"Remus you are _such _a good kisser that I could probably snog you for the next thirty years, but it would eventually get awkward," she admitted, and Remus rose a confused brow that she shrugged off quickly. "I'm just saying... we never know what the future has in store, and I want to make sure that no matter what, you'll always be in my life. My best friend."

"So you're _not _breaking up with me?" He asked seriously this time.

"No, you prat!" She gently smacked his chest. "I just want you to know that what I feel for you, that I love you... and it goes beyond this relationship," she smiled sadly at him. "You are a part of me and that started long ago, long before I ever met you on this train," she admitted, leaning down to feather her lips lightly against his own.

"I promise," Remus nodded. "Always in your life."

She let out a long sigh of relief.

"Now that we're _not _breaking up," Remus chuckled. "I need to lay down."

"My lips too much for you?" She chuckled.

"Your lips are a great many things, and I look forward to discovering them all. Unfortunately the full moon was last night," he said, shifting her from his lap and then tipping backwards to lay down on the bench. "And I'm needing at least another six hours of sleep."

"I meant to ask about that," Mia said curiously. "The potion was meant to keep you alert and in control, but you look - or at least you did until just now - like nothing happened at all."

"Oh your potion did what it was supposed to I guess," he admitted, yawning. "But I needed to see you today, so I snuck out of the infirmary after downing three vials of Invigoration Draught," he mumbled the last part before falling unconscious.

"Three?!" She blinked down at him, wide eyed. "Remus Lupin!" But he only snored softly in response. She let out a frustrated sigh, making plans to scold him later for self medicating. Just then there was a loud bang on the door and Mia sighed and aimed her wand at it, "_Finite Incantatem_!" removing the silencing and locking spells.

James was the first to burst through the door, a dangerous look in his eyes, his hair standing on end more than normal as though he'd been recently electrocuted. Mia gaped at him as he walked into the compartment followed closely behind by Sirius who grinned looking down at Remus.

"Wore him out did you, kitten?" He chuckled until James punched him.

"What happened in here?" James asked with narrowed eyes.

"What happened to your hair?" Mia countered with a raised brow.

"Let's just say Evans is going to take some time to think about Prongs' proposal of marriage," Sirius cleared his throat, holding back another laugh.


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: So much **Fluffpanda**.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occassional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** So glad you all enjoyed Remus and Mia's first kiss! So many feels! I also love that you're all still guessing Mia's animagus form. Keep guessing! You'll get your answer this week! This is a shorter chapter, but filled with lots of angst and humor! I'm particularly proud of all things Lily/James. PS: As we're getting into the later years of Hogwarts and the actual relationships, let me know if anyone has any suggestions for scenes that you feel are absolutely needed! I'm already collecting the PMs from several readers, and I am taking many into consideration.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Load of Rubbish

_"...Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live  
__Maybe one of these days you can let the light in  
__Show me how big your brave is..."  
__(Brave - Sara Bareilles)_

* * *

**June 24th, 1975**

**Kings Cross Station**

"My Dad wants to take me camping for the next few weeks," Remus said as he held Mia's hand, helping her off of the train with a smile.

He'd slept for six hours of the ride, just as he had said he needed and looked well rested for it. Mia had sat in her seat during the trip back to Kings Cross Station, Remus' feet in her lap which forced James, Sirius and Peter to sit on one side of the compartment together. She'd finished reading a book that Remus bought her on Ancient Runes, while James and Peter played a game of Exploding Snap - which Remus slept through soundly - and Sirius flipped through an old subscription of a Muggle motorcycle magazine.

"Owl me when you get home then," she pleaded with him. "I'll start brewing the potion the minute I get to the Manor and you can come and take it home with you. Or," she smiled. "Take it at our house. We could set up some strong wards in the orchards by the river," she offered brightly. "You wouldn't be stuck in a..." she frowned.

"I'm used to cages," he shrugged his shoulders. "And I wouldn't want to risk being so close to you," he pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her temple. "But I will _absolutely _take you up on that potion again," he chuckled and she could feel the vibrations in his chest.

"James! Mia!" The Potter parents called.

"Come on," Mia tugged on Remus' hand. "You'll have to come to our place first anyways since you skipped your Portkey," she insisted and watched as Remus winced. "Already forgot about that?" She asked and he nodded.

"My dears!" Dorea Potter grinned at her children and Sirius who was right beside James, whose hair still hadn't calmed down after Lily had zapped him with something. "Oh my goodness," she stared at the mess and winced as she tried to pat it down on his head. "James, sweetheart, how is the young Miss Evans?" Dorea asked, as though she knew the culprit behind James' recent hairstyle.

"That's the future Mrs. James Potter," James declared, not deterred in the slightest.

"How bad was it?" Dorea asked Sirius, Mia and Remus.

Sirius laughed loudly.

"He proposed," Mia explained.

"Again?" Charlus frowned.

"This time it was in front of the train," Sirius continued laughing. "She hit him with a hex I've never even seen before."

"Static Charm," Mia answered. "She invented it herself," she chuckled softly, ignoring the way Charlus was watching as she gripped Remus' hand.

"Muggles are great," Sirius grinned.

"Remus," Dorea smiled and leaned in to kiss the boys cheek affectionately. "Can't tell you how happy Charlus and I are about this," she gestured to Mia and Remus' hands with a bright smile on her face.

"We _are_?" Charlus raised a brow but then immediately looked properly scolded when Dorea turned and narrowed her grey eyes at him. "Oh yes, certainly," he cleared his throat. "Good match. Shall we be off?" He said quickly, gesturing to the line for the Floo Network.

"Remus!" A voice called from behind.

"Dad?" Remus and Mia both turned and with wide eyes spotted Lyall Lupin who looked haggard and dressed in what looked like hand-me-down robes, a stern look on his face. Remus instantly let go of Mia's hand the moment his father's eyes fell on them. "I'm sorry," Remus frowned. "I know I was supposed to take the Portkey, but I ended up on the train and there wasn't a way to owl and I fell asleep so..."

"It's fine," Mr. Lupin said roughly. "Let's go, your mother's in the car."

"You have a car?" Charlus and Sirius both said at the same time with bright interested eyes.

"Erm... yes," Mr. Lupin answered with a frown. "My wife is a Muggle," he explained as though he were waiting for someone to belittle him for his choice of spouse. When the Potters all smiled at him as though his announcement of bride were less interesting than the fact that he owned an automobile, he seemed to relax a little.

"Thank you," Mr. Lupin cleared his throat. "For looking after the... the boy," he gestured to Remus but refused to make physical contact with him. Mia growled quietly to herself at the sight, watching as her recently confident boyfriend seemed to shrink in the shadow of his father. It reminded her far too much of seeing Lucius and Draco, though she knew Lyall Lupin wasn't any sort of Death Eater. Rather just a confused man who didn't understand how wonderful his son was.

"Say goodbye to your friends, son," Mr. Lupin instructed. "Professor Dumbledore already sent your things back to the Cottage."

Remus nodded and turned to quickly clasp hands with James and Sirius, smiling kindly as Dorea leaned in and hugged him gently, and then Charlus held out his hand to the boy and Remus nervously took it with a sad smile. Before he had a chance to think about it, Remus smiled at Mia and leaned down, placing a chaste kiss to her lips and hugging her tightly. "I love you," he whispered in her ear and she smiled brightly at the words.

"I love you too," she admitted, her eyes drifting to Remus' father who stood behind them, looking positively horrified by either what he had just seen or heard or both.

"Remus, let's go," the man insisted and Remus nodded politely to his father, giving a regretful glance back to the Potters before following as Lyall Lupin quickly departed Kings Cross Station through the Muggle exit.

"Soo..." Charlus cleared his throat as he looked at his daughter nervously. "The Lupin boy hmm?" He asked with a raised brow that made him look far too much like James when he was trying to be serious in an awkward situation. Mia chuckled at the sight as she realized Harry did the same thing.

"He's a perfect gentleman," Mia insisted as she grabbed her trunk and began following after her family.

"Yeah, he very gentlemanly snogged her in front of the train," Sirius smirked and his grin only widened when Mia glared at him.

"Was this before or after James proposed to the Evans girl?" Dorea asked as though this were common conversation, her relaxed face the very opposite of Charlus' who seemed to be nearing a coronary as he followed behind his wife and children.

"Before," Sirius smirked. "Pretty sure Evans was a strategic move on Remus' part," he chuckled. "Mate loves Wizard's Chess and he knows how to handle pawns."

"Evans is not a pawn!" James snapped.

"I didn't say _she _was the pawn," Sirius snickered.

"I don't like it," Charlus pouted.

"Charlus," Dorea scolded, not even looking at her husband. "Mia dear, make sure to owl Remus and his parents when we get home. We'll have them all over for dinner sometime this summer. Get to know them."

"I will," Mia smiled sadly. "They're going to be camping for a few weeks though and then Remus has... a prior engagement," she thought of the next month's moon. "So I wouldn't expect anything until July or August," she sighed.

oOoOoOo

**July 14th, 1975**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Though she'd not expected to see Remus for another month or so, she _had _thought he would have owled her or Floo called her at the very least to let her know that he and his family had made it home. He'd done so every year since meeting her, so when Mia woke each morning and no letter had arrived, she became more and more worried. She tried placing a Floo call to the Lupin Cottage she would later know as The Den, but their Network seemed to have been blocked. James and Sirius constantly tried to cheer her up, insisting that there was no way Remus would just ignore her and that he was probably in some far away wilderness with his Dad on an extended camping trip with no access to owls or the Floo Network.

Lily's letters helped some.

_Dear Mia,_

_Before I ask for details regarding your movie (it's a Muggle thing, I'll show you sometime) worthy kiss with a young Mister Lupin, I need to let you know that your brother mentioned something about wanting to give me his mother's ring, so please watch him. I will not be the motivation behind his theft of your family's heirlooms._

_Now, about my favorite two bookworms. I was under the impression that you two kept your displays of affection in private, but that was something else! The whole train was talking about it. I tried to keep the gossip to a minimum, I promise. Mary is staying with me for the summer and she's begging me for details too inappropriate for me to even ask._

_Let me know if we're still coming to your house this summer to have another river picnic. I'll bring soda for you to try. It's like cold, fizzy Butterbeer._

_Love,_

_Lils_

oOoOoOo

_Dear Lily,_

_First of all, my mother offers you thanks in regards to the whereabouts of Grandmother Black's opal ring that did in fact go missing the first day we got home. James is now missing his broomstick which was confiscated from him and is being held ransom until he writes you a letter of apology. So let me know when that happens._

_Tell Mary that the details of my private relationship are just that - private. Also, the only details of said relationship were in plain view in front of the train. That was in fact, our first kiss. Followed swiftly by our second and third, and then our fourth, fifth and so on once we actually boarded the train. Thank you for your great sacrifice at distracting my brother. I know it was a bother to you, but it did give me the opportunity to tell Remus that I loved him without a pestering older sibling ready to poke fun at our expense._

_Speaking of Remus... he hasn't written. I think something's wrong. His Dad met him at Kings Cross and looked so very angry. I don't think he knew about our relationship and he's upset._

_Not sure about the river this year. If Remus doesn't write me soon, I doubt I'll be in much of a mood to celebrate anything._

_Love,_

_Mia_

_PS: I know what movies and soda are._

oOoOoOo

_Dear Mia,_

_Your brother's letter arrived this morning. Please tell your mother he can have his stupid broom back, but I am enclosing his "apology" so that perhaps your parents can see the type of ludicrous things I have to put up with on a daily basis from him. And though you would be a wonderful sister (and I would love to replace you with my own) my answer to his continual proposal is still a resounding: over my dead body!_

_I'm sorry to hear about Remus. Has he written yet? I'm sure it's nothing. He told me before that he goes camping with his Dad a lot and I doubt they'd bring an owl along unless for emergencies. We've all known that you both were in love for a long time, but it's so sweet to know that you finally admitted it to each other! Mary is positively beside herself and wants to know when you'll get married and start popping out lots of little Lupins! I told her that our Mia was going to have a proper career and not end up someone's little house witch._

_Let me know immediately when he writes you._

_Love,_

_Lils_

oOoOoOo

**July 24th, 1975**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

The Potter family - currently sans Sirius who was eventually demanded to return to Grimmauld Place at the beginning of July - was comfortably enjoying the late evening, listening to the Wizarding Wireless radio that played instrumental music. Charlus and James were engaged in a game of Wizard's Chess while Dorea and Mia each had a book in hand. When the green flames burst through the fireplace, everyone turned to spot a disheveled looking Remus step out, not bothering to dust the soot from his weathered robes.

"Remus!" Mia yelled and rushed forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tight. "Where have you been? Why haven't you written me?" She cried, pulling away to examine his face as though she were looking for injuries - a long term habit she'd kept after being in a war. Remus, for some reason seemed to be doing the same to her.

"You're _okay_?" He panted, panic in his tired eyes. She could tell he hadn't slept in some time. Mia had known that the full moon was the night before, and she had been so worried because Remus hadn't even written to collect the Wolfsbane potion she'd brewed for him. "You're not hurt?" He asked, touching her cheeks and looking over her shoulders and her arms. "You're not... you didn't..."

"I'm fine, love," Mia whispered, a terrified look in her eyes.

"Thank Godric," Remus said and he fell to the ground, his knees colliding with the floor and he buried his head in his hands to cover the shame on his face.

"Remus?" Mia whispered and moved to touch his shoulder, but he flinched away from her.

"Mia, darling, let's go fix some tea for our guest," Dorea said politely as she stood and ushered her panicked daughter out of the room. She turned her grey eyes back to her husband who looked concerned and confused, and her son who looked knowingly sad. As each of them looked up at Dorea, she gave them a sharp look that said, 'Take care of this!'

"Moony," James whispered and kneeled down beside his friend. "Moony... Remus what happened, mate? Mia said you were supposed to write her over a week ago. She's been beside herself, a right nightmare worrying about you." James placed a hand on his friends shoulder, shaking him a little and forcing him to drop his hands from his face.

"I... I couldn't... my Dad," Remus frowned and looked up at Charlus who stared down at the boy with concern written on his face. "Sir, I..." Remus swallowed. "I'm sorry to just burst into your home like this, it was very... very impolite of me," he turned his green eyes down.

"He really _is_ a gentleman," Charlus chuckled. "Come sit down, son," he nodded to the chair that Dorea had left unoccupied. "Let's have us a little chat about my daughter and why you were so worried she'd been hurt in your absence."

Remus turned a panicked eye to James who nodded at him. "You've _got _to have more than us in your corner, Remus," James frowned. "You have to learn to trust people, mate."

"Is this about the werewolf business?" Charlus asked and both boys turned and looked at him utterly astounded. "What?" Charlus shrugged his shoulders. "You think Dorea and I didn't know?" He chuckled. "Son," he patted Remus on the back. "I read the papers and I might not leave the house too often, but I still have Ministry contacts. I remember hearing about your attack. They kept it out of the Prophet sure, but I remember hearing rumors and stories," he shrugged. "Plus you're on the registry," Charlus sighed. "It's a right load of rubbish, but it's there for those who go looking for it. Dorea goes looking for _a lot_ of things," he said with an amused smile.

"But I... but you..." Remus started taking in short quick breaths.

"But you thought we'd come chasing after you with lit torches and pitchforks?" Charlus raised a brow. "Slow and deep," he patted Remus on the back. "You'll pass out soon if you don't calm down. Might be a little embarrassing if Mia comes back in here and sees you out cold on the floor," he smiled. "She'd think one of us did you in," he gestured to himself and James who looked incredibly proud and amused.

"With all due respect sir, how could you let your daughter date a werewolf?" Remus turned suspicious eyes on Charlus.

"Didn't know she was dating one until we saw the two of you at Kings Cross," he answered clearly. "Course Dorea seemed to know," he muttered. "Cheeky witch," he grinned.

"And now?" Remus asked. "Now that you know?"

"Son, I'm more concerned with you being a teenage wizard than I am about you being a werewolf," Charlus admitted and felt a little pleased when Remus had the sense in him to blush, clearly understanding his meaning. "Now before I get to deliver a speech I've been preparing for the day my daughter brought home a boy," he sat up straight with a look of mild excitement. "I still want to know why you came Flooing into my house in a right panic."

Remus looked down, shame crossing his features once again. "My Dad saw me... saw me kiss Mia goodbye," he confessed. "I was stupid and foolish and selfish," he winced. "Last night was the full moon and I came over as quick as I could. I had to wait until my parents..." he cleared his throat and whispered. "Until my parents let me out," he swallowed hard.

"You thought Mia'd be a werewolf?" James gaped at his friend. "Why? Did you bite her?"

"No!" Remus shouted, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, horrified by the suggestion that he'd do such a thing. "But I... Prongs, you saw what I did!"

"You kissed her," James blinked. "No offense mate, it was right disgusting to watch," he chuckled. "But last I checked, a little snogging does _not _a werewolf make," James laughed, but Charlus seemed to grimace a little at the news of his daughter being snogged by the boy who was practically sobbing in his drawing room.

"My Dad always told me..." Remus frowned. "That I couldn't... and he worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, he would know, _wouldn't _he?" Remus asked aloud.

"Did you know that there are some Pure-blood families that think Muggle-borns actually have mud in their veins?" Charlus asked.

"That's preposterous," Remus scoffed.

"It is _just _as preposterous to think that a werewolf can infect someone every other day of the month save for one," the man insisted. "And that's for less than twelve hours. Not even half a day," he smiled. "I'm sure my daughter could tell you the actual percentage of when you're actually dangerous..."

"Roughly 1.643835616438356 percent if we're basing it on a year of three-hundred and sixty five days," Mia said, standing in the doorway beside her mother, cups and teapot in hand. "Although I'd have to also factor in leap years and the occasions of Blue Moon occurrences," she looked up at her mother. "Do we have any Arithmancy books I haven't read yet?"

Remus let out a laugh as though he'd been holding one in for a long time.

"I've told you constantly," Mia sighed as she placed the cups and teapot on a nearby table, kneeling down in front of Remus, taking his hands within her own. "I am not afraid of you. You will not infect me. You will _not _hurt me," she frowned. "How was last night?" She asked sadly.

"Worst moon of my life," he admitted and turned to the side, showing a new scar that ran the length of his cheek. "I was worried about you," he exhaled slowly, frowning at how tiny her hands were in his. _'Our _job,' Sirius had said. _'Our_job to protect her'. And Remus thought he'd failed.

"Alright ladies," Charlus stood up. "Back out," he insisted. "Now that this sad business is over with and the boy is on his way to being happy again, I need to make sure he's not ever _too _happy," he narrowed his eyes down at Remus who immediately dropped Mia's hands.

"Charlus," Dorea rolled her eyes. "You're being a little ridiculous."

"I already gave him a good speech, Dad," James grinned. "Besides, it's not like he's anything like Sirius," he laughed.

"Thank Merlin for that," Charlus laughed and Mia paled. Dorea chuckled softly in the corner and Remus turned his eyes on Mia looking smug as though he'd won some male dominating victory over his friend.

"That reminds me," Mia said with a mischievous smirk as she stood and pulled an envelope from her hands, passing it over to Dorea. "Lily wanted me to show you the kind of letters that Jamie writes her."

"Mia no!" James jumped from his seat and dove for the envelope, falling short as Dorea held it over her head at the last minute, allowing her son to collapse face first into the red and gold carpet.

"Oh James, darling," Dorea frowned as she read the letter her son had apparently sent Lily Evans, who then sent back to her daughter. "Your spelling and penmanship are atrocious. And as," she glanced back at the letter. "_Alluring _as Miss Evans' eyes are, no girl wants to hear that her stare reminds a boy of the grass beneath a Quidditch pitch." Dorea sighed shaking her head. "Take this," she handed the letter to her son who was utterly mortified. "And try again."

"What?" James blinked.

"I said go to your room, get out some parchment and try again. Leave out all comparisons of her attributes and sports, and learn more than one way to tell a girl she's beautiful," she shook her head in disappointment. "And stop talking about yourself," she scolded. "Humility is a virtue in young men who all too often appear overly confident."

"Sirius is overly confident and he _always _gets the girls," James pouted.

"Oh darling, Sirius lucked into the Black family features. You have Potter hair," she smiled affectionately and ruffled her sons head. "Remus," she turned and smiled at the boy. "Please Floo your parents and let them know where you are. As upset and _ignorant _as they may be," she sneered, her Slytherin slipping through. "They love you and will likely be concerned if they wake and find your bed empty."

"Yes, ma'am," Remus nodded.

"That's not to say you're not welcome here with their permission," Dorea smiled and then caught a look from Charlus. "Yes darling," she rolled her eyes and turned back to Remus. "So long as you permit yourself to remain within your own room at night. No wandering," she winked at him and chuckled when the boy flushed bright red and her daughter joined to match his shade of crimson.


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda -** Take twice daily for writer's block.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** So many comments on the last chapter! Wow! You guys are amazing! Alright, onto the Q&amp;A: **SableUnstable**, I think that despite his former job, Lyall Lupin is a victim of his own prejudices. Plus, we all know that in the Wizarding world, just because you're in a position of power doesn't mean you know squat about that position (ie: Lockhart, Umbridge, etc) at least that's where I wrote him from. **corvusdraconis**, I personally blame James' ego on Tilly. But as we all know, Tilly does as Tilly does. **believerofmajick**, does she have to go back? Hmm... we'll see. LOL! **CheshireMouse**, Wow! You're right that song is so spot on! Everyone should go listen to Dead Hearts (by Stars) it's such a good representation of this fic.

Reminds me, should I put together a playlist? Anyone interested in that?

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Calm Before the Storm

_"...Without the mask, where will you hide?  
__Can't find yourself lost in your lie.  
__I know the truth now,  
__I know who you are..."  
__(Everybody's Fool - Evanescence)_

* * *

**August 25th, 1975**

**Lupin Cottage - Lupin Residence**

The rest of the summer somehow broke down into lazy relaxed days previously unheard of. After Flooing into the Potter Manor late July, Remus' parents came to collect him and the Potter parents took it as an opportunity to reach out to the younger couple on behalf of the children. Hope Lupin was easy to persuade in regards to the new relationship that her son had with the young witch, but Lyall seemed pessimistically nervous about it all until Dorea produced old books from the family library on werewolves.

"Where did you _get _these?" Mr. Lupin had asked her, wide eyed. "I've studied everything and I've never seen these before."

"Sometimes it can be helpful to be associated with a family who has a history with dabbling in the Dark Arts," Dorea had shrugged. "It's my understanding that werewolves have been used in past wars by Dark Wizards blackmailing them with promises of freedoms," she shook her head. "Unfortunately it's a likely thing to reoccur. I assume you've heard the rumors?" She asked the couple.

"Death Eaters," Lyall nodded. "That's what they're calling themselves."

"You think whoever is behind these attacks on Muggles and Muggle-borns will be after wolves next?" Hope gasped.

"We can't say," Charlus shook his head. "But we will offer you and your family any knowledge we have. Your son has become quite a fixture in the lives of our children," he nodded politely. "My daughter especially has a fondness for your boy."

Hope smiled. Lyall stiffened.

Eventually however, the Lupins learned to relax a bit and after witnessing for themselves the following full moon and the effects of Mia's Wolfsbane potion, Lyall Lupin began to dramatically shift his perspective on werewolves. Mia had made them all promise not to speak about the Potion, and she admitted that she hadn't been the one to discover it and would not take credit for another wizard's brew. She did however assure the family that she would provide Remus with the Potion each month until it was made available to everyone.

Four days post full moon found the Marauders and Mia at the Lupin Cottage, enjoying the large expanse of woods behind the small home. Sirius had nicked a bottle of Mr. Lupin's Firewhisky from inside and had convinced each of his friends to partake with him in celebration of the upcoming year which Sirius declared would be the best ever. He had been visibly stressed on and off all summer. Any time he returned from Grimmauld Place to either Potter Manor or Lupin Cottage, Sirius appeared to have new bruises and scrapes and a sour attitude to go with it. Sirius drowned his worries in Firewhisky and had taken up a habit of smoking Muggle cigarettes, much to Mia's disapproval.

"Come on, let's go fly," Sirius said, reaching for his broom and looking down at his four friends as they sat around a clearing in the woods behind the Lupin Cottage.

"Absolutely not," Mia shook her head. "Never mind that I wouldn't fly completely sober," she scoffed. "But I will not sit on a broom after any amount of drinking."

"Lightweight," Sirius grinned at her.

"Please be careful," she frowned as James stood up to join Sirius, reaching for his broom, followed behind by Peter who couldn't stand not doing everything that James and Sirius did, even if it was phenomenally stupid. Mia couldn't help but hope that the little rat fell off his broom intoxicated.

"You two behave," James said with a smirk, pointing at Remus who had his arm securely wrapped around Mia's shoulders as he leaned back against a large tree. Remus grinned and saluted James, but confirmed nothing as the three Marauders took flight, leaving the witch and the werewolf behind on the ground.

"I thought they'd _never _leave," Mia grinned and turned, cupping Remus' face in her hands and placing a searing kiss to his mouth. Remus, a little less burdened with the idea of potentially infecting her, responded in kind by threading his long fingers through her mane of wild chestnut curls, holding her mouth firmly against him as he greedily robbed her breath from her.

"Amazing," Mia whispered as she pulled slowly away from him, looking down at the smug grin on Remus' face and the twinkle of gold and amber that speckled his eyes. He pulled away one hand from her hair, placing it on her exposed neck and following it upwards as he traced the flushed line of her throat with a smile that clearly told her he knew he was the reason for the change in the color of her skin.

"You should always look like this," she beamed down at him, her breath catching momentarily as he ran his thumb across her jaw line, boring his eyes into hers in a predatory way that thrilled her.

"How's that?" He asked.

"Smug," she laughed softly. "Confident," she added with a sweet smile.

"Hard not to be when you react the way you do," Remus leaned forward to kiss her but she pulled away from him teasingly. His nose twitched and he let out a low, needy growl before his hands gripped her around the waist and pulled her into his lap where her knees fell on either side of his legs, straddling him. Mia whimpered softly as warmth pooled in her belly, fanning outward across her rib-cage and settling against her hips where he branded her skin as he deftly slipped his hands beneath the hem of her blouse and ran his fingers along her shivering flesh.

"Just like that," he grinned and kissed her again, deep and hard and Mia moaned into his mouth.

Purely out of instinct, Mia rolled her hips forward but before she could feel what she inevitably came into contact with, Remus had her off of his lap and a good five feet away from him, sitting in the middle of fallen leaves and dirt. She looked up at him, surprised as she tried to catch her breath and noticed that Remus seemed to be doing the same thing, though his eyes were clenched tightly.

"Are you okay?" She asked him. "Don't hyperventilate on me," she couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Remus, _seriously_, breathe through your nose. You look like you're going to pass out."

"Can't," Remus said, shaking his head.

"Don't be ridiculous of course you can," she leaned forward and began crawling back toward him to make sure he was okay. While she knew their snogging was amazing, she never thought it would bring him to a state of unconsciousness.

"Mia, please don't..." he winced a little and cracked an eye open. "I can..." he paused, looking embarrassed. "I can _smell _you," he finally admitted. "And if you don't stay right where you are, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

She rose a confused brow at his words. "What do you mean you can _smell_..." and understanding washed over her. She flushed bright red and covered her mouth. "Oh Godric," she muttered, consciously sitting back on her heels and tightening her thighs as if it would help. She struggled to make eye contact with him over her momentary humiliation.

"Please don't be embarrassed," he frowned. "It's not like I'm over here without my own problems," he grimaced and Mia's eyes widened and she looked skyward as if doing so would make it so that she would absolutely not make eye contact with what she so briefly felt moments ago when her hips rolled forward against his trousers.

"This is ridiculous," she admitted. "We're both normally functioning young adults," she cleared her throat. "And shouldn't be embarrassed by our mutual... attraction."

"Only _you _can make so many three-syllable words sound sexy," Remus gave a throaty chuckle. "But no, we're _not _both normally functioning young adults," he clarified. "You're a devious little witch who seemed bound and determined to bring an overly sensed werewolf to his knees."

Her eyes finally drew back to him and she noticed that there was no hint of soft green in his irises now. She was looking at the wolf behind the man, and his stare was penetrating and burning her up inside. "Remus..." she said and he continued to just stare at her, so she swallowed and whispered, "Moony."

Remus grinned darkly at her and lunged forward, pushing her back against the dirt and the leaves, his mouth devouring hers. It was melting, drugging, and she keened when he tore away from her lips and placed a wet kiss to the hollow of her throat. Her eyes rolled and she arched her body, watching as Remus took in a sharp breath through his nose and his body quaked above her. Her face flushed with heat when she realized what was happening, and she reached a hand out to touch his cheek. "Remus," she called him. "_Remus_, I love you."

His eyes connected with hers and slowly they shifted back to green and he very nearly collapsed on top of her. "I'm sorry," he admitted softly. "It's... I can't seem to control..."

"It's okay," she smiled and ran her hands through his hair gently. "If it makes you feel any better, I have a hard time controlling myself around you too," she admitted, her cheeks tinted pink by the confession.

"It does in fact, _not _make me feel better," he answered with a sharp laugh as he leaned his forehead against her shoulder to steady himself. "I really am sorry. I don't mean to go so... fast," he pulled away from her and looked down, his brows furrowed together, his eyes pensive.

"Remus, we've been dating for almost a year and our first kiss was only two months ago," she giggled. "I think you've got pacing down fairly well. If anything, _I _should have cause to complain about your lack of affections until recently. I've been a very patient witch you know," she grinned and her eyes softened when she saw him smile in return and then bring his lips to her cheek.

"I just don't want to... to hurt you... it's foolish of me to not be in complete control," Remus whispered.

"'_First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity_,'" Mia quoted with a smile that deepened when Remus looked down at her and brushed the hair from her eyes.

"Shaw?" He asked with a raised brow, playing their game. "He was a Muggle," he nodded knowingly.

"Yes," she grinned and leaned up to kiss him. "A very, _very _smart Muggle."

"So are we foolish or curious then?" Remus asked her as he fell to the side, leaning his head against a propped arm while his free hand laced it's fingers together with hers. The setting sun behind them cast a glow over their bodies, and Remus smiled at the sight of her brown eyes shifting momentarily amber, her skin shimmering softly, reflecting the reds and golds in the evening sky.

"We're foolish to think that our curiosities are dangerous," she looked at him. "At least one of us is," she poked his nose and he narrowed his eyes in response. "'_Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey_,'" she smiled sweetly.

"Quoting Lord Byron to me now?" Remus raised a brow. "Now you're not even trying," he scoffed and sat up but Mia reached for his collar to tug him back down. Remus laughed and pushed her hands away. "Absolutely not," he grinned. "I'm not rewarding you for an easy fallback on the one line in _The Giaour _related to wolves," he shook his head. "It's a poem about _vampires_."

"Would you like me to quote Little Red Riding Hood?" Mia chuckled.

"Cheeky witch," Remus narrowed his gaze.

"Cheeky witch who thinks her wizard is being a little dramatic," Mia shrugged.

"Cheeky witch who forgets her wizard is a dangerous _werewolf_," Remus said, his eyes suddenly serious. "'_It needs but slight provocation to make the wolf devour the lamb_.'" He stared down at her hard.

"I am _no _lamb!" Mia snapped at him and he seemed to grin suddenly with amusement.

"No, you are a lion," he chuckled.

"Yes, '_Now the hungry lion roars, And the wolf behowls the moon_...'" Mia began but was interrupted.

"No Shakespeare," Remus frowned. "I _hate _Shakespeare."

"You take that back," her eyes widened. "He's is one of the greatest poets and playwrights in Muggle history!" And the entire reason she was named Hermione - at least in the other timeline - as Helen Granger was always a fan of 'A Winter's Tale', by William Shakespeare.

"Well _first_, he was a wizard," Remus clarified.

"What?!" Mia gaped.

"And _second_, he was a wizard who was tried and convicted for stealing the works of Muggles and Obliviating them afterwards," he explained clearly, suddenly very amused that he knew something she did not, which was surprising considering how passionate she seemed about the subject.

Mia fumed, pouted, and then finally resigned herself to ignoring Remus' most recent declaration until she had a chance to research it herself. She reached out and tugged on his collar, placing a firm kiss to his lips before whispering against them, _"'A wolf is handsome in the eyes of a lovesick girl_.'"

"You're incorrigible," Remus mumbled against her skin before returning her kiss, his lips moving slowly, gently like the peaceful calm before a raging storm.

oOoOoOo

**September 20th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Whomping Willow**

Mia and the Marauders returned to school the following September each with something on their minds. James, more than ever was determined to properly woo Lily Evans who herself was more determined than ever to _avoid _James Potter at all costs. To repay her efforts for being a good distraction the previous June, Remus promised Lily - by swearing on _both _of their new Prefect badges - to do his best to deter James from the worst of his public declarations of love. Peter came back to school with a chip on his shoulder and not one day into the new year, he was put into detention for hexing a group of first years. Mia was livid, the rest of the Marauders were concerned for their friend.

Sirius had met his friends on the Hogwarts Express looking nervous and smelling like he'd just _eaten _an entire carton of cigarettes. He fidgeted the whole trip to Hogwarts, and when Mia casually brought up his family, he'd snapped at her and told her not to worry about him. Remus and Mia, strangely the most calm of the group had nothing on their minds but one another, and Mia was steadfast in keeping to her rules: _Live your life. Enjoy your life._

And she was _very _happy to enjoy every bit of the current moment in her life with Remus.

Remus however seemed to be more tenacious than ever at trying to control himself. That first kiss had opened a floodgate for the young werewolf who - despite the Wolfsbane Potion each moon - was struggling with his inner wolf at all times. Mia insisted that it wasn't the wolf, but the man inside and suggested he talk to Sirius about it. James was certainly a no-go when it came to talking to anyone about his sister, but Mia figured if anyone knew how to help Remus let go a little, it would be the Black heir wild card.

But that could wait for another day, because the Marauders and Mia were up to something and Remus couldn't figure out what it was. The morning of the full moon, Mia overflowed his plate with extra portions knowing he would need his energy for later that night, and surprisingly instead of her morning tea, she was drinking pumpkin juice. Remus also noticed that instead of their typical drinks for dinner, his three friends and his witch were drinking coffee with their evening meal, and he was sure he saw Sirius and James each take what smelled like Invigoration Draught.

He tried to put the thoughts from his mind as he made his way to the Whomping Willow, and just when Professor Sprout left him alone, familiar scents assaulted him. He turned and looked wide eyed back at his friends and girlfriend who all stood with smirks on their faces as they faced him and the recently frozen tree.

"What are you four doing here?" Remus raised a brow.

"Thought we'd keep you company, Moony," James grinned.

"What?" Remus glared. "Are you... wait..." he looked at Sirius, James and Peter. "You mean you're finished? You actually bloody did it?!" He shouted out of both excitement and fear. Sirius' suggestion that the three Marauders become Animagi to keep Remus company during the full moon was based on a theory that they wouldn't end up hurt in the end. Of course with the Wolfsbane Potion there was a better chance, but he was still on edge about the idea.

"We had a little help," Sirius rolled his eyes as Mia nudged him in the ribs.

"Mia?" Remus blinked at her.

His four friends looked around to make sure no one was looking and then they shifted into their Animagus forms. Remus' eyes went wide at the sight. Prongs, the stag, stood tall and large, massive bone-like antlers jutting from the top of his head, short brown fur covering his body. He toed the soft grass below with a heavy hoof and a small rodent took notice of the movement. Wormtail, the rat, crawled up Prongs' leg and over his shoulder to perch on one side of the large stags antlers, watery eyes staring ahead at Remus.

As calm and collected as Prongs and Wormtail appeared to be, the two other canines of the group seemed less so. It was the official first meeting of Padfoot and Mia in her Animagus form and the two were _not _seeing eye to eye. Padfoot, the large bear-like black dog, was growling low and trying to pin down a smaller vibrantly colored creature to the ground as a sign of dominance. Mia, in the form of a fox, struggled against the massive paw of the black dog, and when she'd finally had enough of his antics, she sunk her tiny, sharpened teeth into his leg, her long bushy tail a blur as she darted away from him.

"Ow!" Sirius snapped as he shifted back into his human form. "What the hell, Mia?" He winced and looked over his right arm which was punctured but not bleeding.

"You keep your filthy _paws _off of me Sirius Black!" Mia yelled as she shifted back into her own human form. The two stared at one another, mere inches between their identical scowls.

"I can't help it," Sirius smirked. "It's the beast in me," he laughed. "It's a strong need to dominate and create a little hierarchy in this... pack," he chuckled.

"If there is any hierarchy in whatever this is," she hissed. "You better believe I am above you!"

"You like it on top, do you?" Sirius winked.

"Ahem!" Remus snarled as he made his way back away from the Whomping Willow, glaring at Sirius.

"Sorry," Sirius shrugged. "Girlfriend, right, got it," he nodded. "To be fair, she did just have her mouth on me," he said, showing Remus his bitten arm. Remus didn't seem to care as he made a beeline right for Mia.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," she smiled nervously. "Can I come with?" She pleaded.

Remus could already feel the pull of the moon as it began to rise, and his eyes shifted first to the gold and amber color of the wolf. He grinned and cupped her face gratefully, crushing his lips to hers and diving in for an instantly deep kiss. Sirius looked away with a smirk while the stag to Remus' left seemed to be glaring, and soon Remus felt an antler nudge him sharply in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Remus snapped and then looked up chuckling at Prongs.

"We better hurry," Mia said, gesturing to the tree. "Peter, a little help," she said and watched as the rat jumped down from Prongs' antlers and scampered through the patch of grass to touch the small notch on the tree that stilled the violent branches. "Let's go," Mia said but before she had a chance to move forward, Remus kissed her again.

"You did this for _me_?" He asked her.

"I'd do _anything _for you," she beamed up at him.

"So before she has a chance to say no, I'm voting that Mia's new name is Foxy," Sirius grinned.

"Absolutely not!" Mia snapped as she took Remus' hand and the two passed by Sirius beneath the tree. Up ahead James had shifted back to human form in order to fit through the tight passage on their way to the Shrieking Shack.

"How about Vixen?" Sirius called after them.

"How about I bite you again?" Mia threatened. "I hate nicknames."

"It's not a nickname, it's a Marauder name!" Sirius countered.

"I am not a Marauder," Mia insisted.

"Then what the hell _are _you?" He barked a laugh.

"Mine," Remus grinned brightly and walked into the Shrieking Shack with a smile on his face for the first time in his life.

oOoOoOo

**The Shrieking Shack**

The four friends allowed Remus his privacy to undress in the Shack while they waited outside, listening closely as he transformed on the other side of the large door. Despite joking not ten minutes earlier, when they all heard the harsh sounds of Remus screaming beyond the barrier that separated them from the wolf, Mia let out a quiet sob and Sirius pulled her into a tight, comforting hug.

"I didn't know," James mumbled, a frown etched on his face. "I didn't know it was this bad. He sounds like... Godric, it sounds like..."

"It sounds like someone's Crucio'ing him," Sirius answered knowingly.

Mia wiped the tears from her face and turned to face the door as the screaming stopped. "Come on, Padfoot goes in first, followed by me, then Prongs and Wormtail," she instructed carefully. James seemed to not like the order but Mia insisted. "We're both canines, predators. Sorry big brother, but you're prey," she said with wide eyes. "We need to be careful with our approach here."

And they all shifted.

The little fox pawed her way into the room slowly behind Padfoot, her amber eyes looking immediately for the wolf who - just as she remembered - was beautiful. The massive beast stood looking down at the black dog in front of him, and Padfoot was smart enough to lay low to the ground, ears back and tail tucked as a show of passive submission. Mia likewise followed his lead, laying low to the ground though she kept her eyes trained on Moony who caught her gaze and slowly stepped back, nodding his head.

Remus was still there.

_Thank Godric for Wolfsbane Potion_, Mia thought.

The little fox stood up and made her way over to Moony, nuzzling her head against the large paw of the wolf, her puffy red tail wrapping around it's leg. Moony leaned down and brushed his snout against the fox's face before moving forward and doing the same to Padfoot. Scent marking them both. The door opened again as Prongs stepped forward and Moony growled at first sight, but the little fox nipped him in the leg reproachfully, bringing him back to attention and the wolf huffed out a short breath before rubbing his snout against the stag and the rat.

Submission established, the five animals spent the night rough housing in the Shrieking Shack. A constant blur of black and red as the large dog tumbled over the little fox, one always desperate to pin the other and create the hierarchy that Sirius had mentioned earlier. Only once did things get out of control.

oOoOoOo

In the very early morning when the moon still hung in the sky, the little fox curled up against the giant wolf, her head rested between her paws and relaxing at the feel of the rush of breath coming from the wolf against her face as their snouts lay side by side. On the other side of the wolf rested the big black dog, snoring with his head leaning against the shoulder of the large stag that slept soundly with it's legs folded beneath him. The little fox's ears perked up at a noise, and her amber eyes opened to look across the room where she spotted the rat skittering about.

And suddenly the sight of him brought back a vivid memory.

The shack. Sirius. Remus. Harry. Ron.

_"Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for..." _her older, wounded Sirius had demanded. _"You -you've got to hear me out. The rat - look at the rat -"_

_"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died,"_ Professor Lupin, with those same soft green - heartbroken - eyes said, glaring at a short man.

"_THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!"_ roared Sirius. _"DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"_

The little fox glared at the rodent in front of her, the memory fueling some powerful rage deep within her. Something primal, something predatory that she'd not felt before in her Animagus form. But she felt it now as her amber eyes stared ahead.

Rat. Peter. Scabbers. Wormtail.

_Traitor!_

There was a loud, shrill barking sound followed by a sharp squeaking noise and suddenly the three largest animals awoke instantly as the little fox dove over the large bed in the corner, chasing the rat who buried itself into the mattress. With a snarl, the fox dug down, snapping and lashing forward, trying to grip it's jaws around any bit of flesh it could. Soon something clamped down on the scruff of the fox's neck and she was lifted, looking up confused as the black dog gently carried her away from the bed, placing her down in front of the stag and the wolf who eyed her curiously. The rat reappeared on the floor, staring ahead, and the fox turned and hissed viciously before the black dog lowered himself to the ground in front of the rat and growled at the little fox.

_No! Let me... let me... _Mia thought, and tried to plead with her amber eyes to Padfoot, who looked down at her like she'd lost her mind. She could feel Moony's breath on her, coming from above, and a sideways glance showed Prongs staring into her eyes.

She let out a slow breath, and turned away from them all, curling herself into a ball in the corner of the room, tucking her face into the fur of her tail and closing her eyes against the light of the moon, the eyes of her friends, the squeak of a traitor, and the harsh memories of the future.

oOoOoOo

They woke the following morning, and Mia turned away to allow Sirius and James to cover up a naked and sleeping Remus who miraculously lacked any wounds at all save for a few bruises from the actual transformation.

"Want to tell us what that was all about this morning?" Sirius asked, his arms folded over his chest.

"Instincts," Mia replied quietly. "I guess I'm not used to controlling them in Animagus form."

"That's understandable I guess," James shrugged, running his hand through his already messy black hair. "But I still think you owe Peter an apology."

Mia inhaled sharply and looked at her brother like he'd just asked her to kiss a Dementor. "I will _not _apologize for acting on instinct," she growled low.

"Mia," Remus moaned from the corner. "Please..." he begged. "I don't want anyone to fight."

She turned bitterly away from them all and then slowly brought her gaze up to Peter who looked at her with watery eyes. It was hard now not to see him for what he really was. Stealing things from the Trolley, bullying younger kids, spying on his friends - which she'd caught him doing twice already this year. Now that she was an Animagus she could see it all. See Scabbers the rat with his missing toe. A toe missing because he'd lost it while defending himself against Sirius. Sirius who had thought Remus was the spy, when all along it had been Peter. Peter who betrayed his friends, rather than die for them as they would have done for him. Peter who got Jamie killed.

"I'm sorry, Peter," she said through clenched teeth.

James, Sirius and Remus all smiled in relief at her words.

Peter stared ahead at her, as terrified as he _should _be.


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: I dedicate this chapter to **Fluffpanda**, my Beta who helps get me through writer's block on a damn near weekly basis.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occassional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Chapter 40! Wow. I'm so excited that I've made it this far and you all seem to still love it. Makes my every single day awesome! Thank you! Congrats to those who guessed Mia's animagus form correctly! Have to admit, I was damn tempted to go with cat, but it just seemed too easy and I also wanted to go with canine. Considering how Slytherin Mia is, I thought fox was that perfect balance between her Gryffindor and Slytherin self. **SableUnstable**, or she could up and vanish the moment the timelines became one, or she could die, or she could change her name and move to America. Who knows Muahaha! As for Remus worries vs teenage hormones, we'll see who'll win that fight. LOL! **Katsumi-phoenix**, no I don't think that Peter is already involved with Death Eaters. I do think he's a little shit who's dying for attention and searching for it in all the wrong ways. One day that'll bite him in the arse as we all know. **corvusdraconis**, I've said it before and I'll always continue saying it: I think Peter and Neville are cut from the same cloth. Given all the same opportunities for greatness, and while Neville made all the right choices, Peter made all the wrong ones. **Grovek26**, I don't think Mia is ever _not_ keeping a little bit of a watch over Peter and his actions.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty: Soon

_"...You think the only people who are people  
__Are the people who look and think like you  
__But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger  
__You'll learn things you never knew you never knew..."  
__(Colors of the Wind - Vanessa Williams)_

* * *

**October 1st, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

The curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors continued. Their first year instructor, Professor Fenwick didn't even last the whole year as he was called away on some emergency that Mia assumed related to Order business. Second year Professor Dearborn made it all the way until Easter holiday where it was suspected he was almost poisoned by his own house-elf. Professor Prewett, the best DADA teacher they'd had so far had been terminated at the end of the year due to so many complaints from parents - all Slytherin. Last year Professor Proudfoot was in an unfortunate accident where an Incendio spell got out of control and set the entire classroom on fire. Professor Proudfoot spent a month at St. Mungos and by the end of September the position of Defense Professor had not yet been filled.

So when a notice was put up in the Common Rooms informing all students that Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were resuming the following Wednesday, most were thrilled at the prospect of once again indulging in a favorite class, and soon the betting pool for the new Professors longevity was re-activated at the hands of Sirius and James who had previously been deemed worthy to continue the 'noble tradition' by Fabian and Gideon Prewett who graduated a few years before.

Mia was strangely nervous as she walked to Defense alongside her brother, Sirius, Peter, holding tight to Remus' hand. She did not have many good memories of Defense Against the Dark Arts from her previous fifth year. If there was anyone in the history of magic that Mia thought she hated just as much as Bellatrix Lestrange, it was Dolores Umbridge. Though she had no clue what the troll was doing during this timeline, Mia couldn't help but be reminded of her cruelty anytime she looked into Remus' beautiful eyes and remembered that it would be Umbridge who would draft the anti-werewolf legislation that would make it difficult for Remus to find work in the future.

"Aren't you guys excited?" James said as the five of them entered the room and immediately took their usual seats near the front of the class, the only class that James and Sirius didn't linger in the back somewhere.

"I guess," Mia said, bouncing her knee beneath her desk anxiously as though she were expecting a flurry of pink to walk through the door followed by an annoying high pitched, 'Hem hem!' But no pink burst through the door. Quite the opposite in fact.

A tall, lanky man with obvious sharp Pure-blood features on his face - though not at all handsome like the Blacks, the Potters, or even the Malfoys. His chin came to an actual point and his cheekbones were as high as the level to which he held his nose in the air, and when the man turned, Mia was not surprised to see pale silver judgmental eyes looking down at them. _Typical Pure-blood_. What she _was _surprised to see was that instead of wearing typical Professor's robes, this man wore the colors of what she could only assume was his former House at Hogwarts. A green dress shirt worn with a striped silver tie, covered with black robes with a dark green lining. The Slytherins in the class were beside themselves with amusement.

The Gryffindors all wore matching looks of disgust and horror on their faces.

"I am Professor Higgs, welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said in a sharp pitched tone, his brows furrowed with an expression on his face that said he was not happy to be there. "Get out your books," he ordered and turned around to the chalkboard in the front of the room.

"Still excited?" Mia murmured to James who was already pouting as he pulled 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection' out of his bag followed by a roll of parchment. Knowing that all of the boys except Remus would forget, Mia produced extra quills for James, Sirius and even Peter who she'd been trying to appear nice to since her near mauling of him in the Shrieking Shack the prior month.

When the five of them looked up at the chalkboard to prepare taking notes, all four boys paled at the words on the board and Mia audibly gasped. Written in beautiful script in front of their eyes was a short list - similar to one found in the books on their desks. Numbered one through five they read: Werewolves, Vampires, Hags, Veela, and Zombies. And just above the list was written: 'How to Kill'.

"Professor?" Mia's hand went up immediately. "I'm sorry, but are you _honestly _advocating murder to your class of teenage students?" She gaped at the man who immediately narrowed his eyes at her.

"Of course not Miss..."

"Potter," Mia seethed.

"Miss Potter. Murder is defined as the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another," he sneered. "As the beasts on this list are _not _humans, I am therefore not advocating murder. You may call it hunting, if you like," he said with a roll of his eyes and and airiness to his voice that said the words meant little to him.

"It's murder," she glared ahead.

"Are zombies humans, Miss Potter?" The Professor asked clearly.

"No sir, they are former humans, technically considered undead or living dead," she grit her teeth. "Though, it has been thought that they might be related to Inferi."

"And would you ask a zombie to politely not eat your flesh, or do you perhaps think that the beast incapable of human thought and the ability to develop conscientious decision making skills?" He said with a look of arrogance that rivaled a grown Lucius Malfoy, something that only pissed her off further.

"No sir," she said, her hands clenched tight and shaking. "But werewolves, vampires, hags and Veela are otherwise..."

"Harmless?" The Professor stared at her with a smirk toying at the corner of his lips.

"No, of course not," she scowled. "But..."

"So I should allow my students to leave this classroom without the proper knowledge to defend themselves against such horrid creatures?" Higgs glared.

"They are _not _horrid creatures!" Mia snapped. "The Ministry in fact classifies them all as 'Beings', under that definition, a being is any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws," she nearly quoted the classification legislation of 1811 verbatim.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your tone, Miss Potter," Higgs snipped. "And while you are correct in your Ministry classifications, said classifications fall under the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical..." he paused and looked at her as if waiting for her to finish his sentence, but before she had a chance to, he continued. "Creatures."

"I don't think Professor Dumbledore would want any students to know how to _kill _someone," James chimed in, a look of righteousness on his face. "Mia's right, killing is just another word for murder."

"Very well," Higgs rolled his eyes and with a wave of his wand, the word 'Kill' on the board behind them changed to 'Defend Yourselves Against'.

"That's hardly necessary now that we know the original intentions," Mia pointed out. "Werewolves and Vampires are not born, but made, and should _not _be treated any differently than the rest of us. They are no more deadly with their conditions than an overly arrogant wizard is with his wand," she narrowed her eyes. "Or a Muggle with a gun," she added.

"That may be your opinion Miss Potter," Higgs began.

"It's fact, professor," she growled.

"Ten more points from Gryffindor for insolence," he glowered down at her.

"Mia!" Mary hissed at her from behind, begging her to shut up so they'd stop losing House points. Mia turned around and glared at her friend fiercely indicating she had no intentions to lose this argument.

"I was going to save this for next week's lessons, but since Miss Potter's bleeding heart is under informed on the consequences of dealing with dark creatures," he walked back to the desk and reached inside an expensive looking dragonhide briefcase, retrieving a stack of photographs. "These were leant to me by a friend who works in the Auror department," he explained and dropped the stack of photos in front of Mia. She refused to look down, already knowing what they were.

"Care to tell me what you see, Miss Potter?" Higgs asked.

"No sir," she tightened her jaw, still refusing to look down.

"Mister Black," he looked down at Sirius who seemed to be glaring up at the new Professor just as much as James was next to him. "And _Mister _Potter," he added. "Pass along the photos. These are taken of victims of vampire attacks and werewolf maulings. While Mister Potter is correct in assuming that Professor Dumbledore would potentially not approve of my lessons, the Ministry has found you to be of appropriate age to learn what is out there in the world," he pointed to the window overlooking the Forbidden Forest.

As the photos were passed around, most students gasped at the sight, others looked away horrified, and Frank was in the corner vomiting into a rubbish bin. The Slytherins even looked a bit taken back by the sights. James, Sirius, Mia and surprisingly Lily all refused to look down. Peter however did, and his watery eyes went wide and his face paled at the sight. He was also the only one to draw his attention to Remus who sat quietly with his head down beside Mia, shame covering his face.

"There are _some _witches and wizards who like to think that dark creatures can be assimilated into _civilized _society," Higgs said, purposely glancing down at Mia. "They are wrong. You need to be prepared to defend yourself. This class is called Defense Against the Dark Arts, and dark creatures are covered in your books for a reason," he explained coldly. "Mister Lupin," Higgs turned to Remus who nearly jumped out of his seat, bringing his eyes up to look at the Professor nervously.

"Sir?" He said quietly.

"You are the son of Lyall Lupin, yes?" He asked.

Remus slowly nodded.

"Good," Higgs nodded. "If I recall, Lyall Lupin was well known for his work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," he smirked. "He did wonderful work there," Higgs nodded. "Can you please inform your friends what your father - a man familiar with the classifications of beings and beasts," he said pointedly looking down at Mia. "Had to say in regards to... what was his division?"

"Werewolves," Remus whispered, looking down at his desk.

"Yes, what did he have to say in regards to werewolves?" Higgs asked.

"I... I..." Remus hesitated. "I don't remember word for word, sir."

"Try," Higgs insisted. "If I recall he was quite _famous _for his declaration," he chuckled.

"Werewolves..." Remus again hesitated. "Are nothing but soulless, evil creatures," he paused and took in a slow, shaky breath before finishing. "Deserving nothing but death."

"Fuck this!" Sirius stood up, kicking his chair over. "I did _not _leave my shitty prejudiced family to come to Hogwarts to learn how to be shitty and prejudiced!" His cold grey eyes stared into the face of their new professor as if challenging him.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for language and insolence, Mister Black," Higgs glared. "And detention with me every friday for the rest of the month."

"Like _that's _new," Sirius scoffed. "I'm out of here," he reached for his bag and tore out of the classroom, stopping only once by the door to look back knowingly as James stood to follow him and shockingly Lily followed after James. One by one each Gryffindor stood and made their way out of the classroom, leaving behind only Peter, Mia and Remus.

"I'm going to Professor Dumbledore," Mia insisted as she reached for her bag. "Remus, come on," she held her hand out but he suddenly hesitated to take it, not meeting her gaze. "Remus," she said in a harsher tone, trying to snap him out of whatever horrible thoughts he was stuck in. Eventually he stood to follow her, but did not take her hand.

"Peter?" She looked back at the short boy who shrunk in his seat and made no movement to leave. "Figures," she swore under her breath as she followed the rest of her House out of the classroom, letting the door slam shut behind her.

oOoOoOo

"That fucking prick!" Sirius was out in the corridor screaming when Mia and Remus joined them. James had a hand on Sirius' shoulder trying to calm him down. "Where's Peter?" Sirius asked, looking up as Mia and Remus walked out.

"He stayed," Mia huffed.

"That little shit," Sirius said as he tried walking back to the class to fetch him, but he was held back by James.

"Leave him," James insisted. "You walking back in there would only make things worse," he cautioned his friend.

"Where's everyone else?" Mia asked, looking around and only seeing a select few Gryffindors.

"Frank went to the Hospital Wing, and Alice went with him," Lily frowned. "Mary stormed off to find Professor McGonagall and let her know what happened to see if we can get some of our points back," she rolled her eyes and Mia understood that Lily didn't care about House points. "I'm on my way to see Dumbledore," Lily insisted. "That was a nightmare," she shook her head. "I don't care what that wizard thinks of werewolves, vampires or hags... those photographs should not have been shown to a group of fifth years."

"Maybe they... maybe we _should _know what could happen," Remus muttered. "Naivety isn't safe," he added, his hands stuck in the pockets of his robes.

"Excuse me?" Mia turned and gaped at him but it was _Lily _who was instantly in front of Remus, a hard glare in her bright green eyes.

"Absolutely not!" She snapped. "That man wasn't teaching us how to be naive, Remus, he was trying to teach us how to hate. All creatures and beings have the ability to cause harm to another. Even unicorns can trample you to death if you startle them," she insisted. "People like him hate Muggles, because, historically, Muggles were known to burn witches at a stake, or sink them in a river..."

"That's stupid," Sirius rolled his eyes. "They could just use a Flame-Freezing Charm or a Bubble-Head Charm," he scoffed. Lily however continued, ignoring Sirius entirely.

"...And they hate Muggle-borns because they think we steal magic," Lily shook her head. "Should my name be up on that board too?"

"Absolutely not!" James shouted.

"Shut up, Potter, I'm not talking to _you_," Lily hissed and turned her attention back to Remus. "Are you all naive in trusting me? Maybe I'm just waiting around to steal all your magic!"

"Of course you're not," Remus glared down at his fellow Prefect.

"So are we okay then? Can I go and complain to Dumbledore now? Or maybe I should walk back into the classroom and learn how to murder people," her eyes shone brightly with purpose and Mia was immediately reminded of Harry.

_This is where he gets it_, she thought with a smile. _This is where Harry gets that fire_.

"I think we should _all _go talk to Dumbledore. Maybe the more complaints he gets, the faster that tosser gets fired," James chimed in and Lily seemed to nod in approval, though she didn't bother looking at him.

"You go ahead, Lily," Mia smiled. "We'll all be right behind you." Lily nodded, giving each of them a last glance before taking off toward Dumbledore's office. Once she was out of sight, James turned to the rest of them.

"So Evans knows huh?" He asked.

"Clearly," Mia nodded.

"Wait, what?" Remus blinked. "She knows? As in about _me_?"

"Unless she's secretly dating a vampire, I'm pretty sure that little speech was all about you, mate," Sirius smirked. "I'm going to talk to Dumbledore later, I need a cigarette," he said as he turned and headed down the hallway toward the Quidditch Pitch.

"I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble," James offered before Mia or Remus insisted and soon he followed after his raven haired friend.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked Remus, reaching up and placing her soft palm against his cheek. At the touch, Remus seemed to flinch, which caused Mia to frown. "Don't do that," she pleaded. "Don't let one horrible person ruin what you've worked so hard for. I don't care what _he _said, or what your father once said before he changed his views," she leaned up and kissed him gently, frowning when he seemed to refuse to return the affection. "Remus you are the very embodiment of goodness," she promised him.

"I'm still a werewolf," Remus swallowed.

"And you're a wizard, a brilliant one at that," she smiled. "And I'm going to prove it to you," she grinned as a sudden thought occurred to her. "In fact, you're going to help me with a project. We're going to learn Defense this year, properly, and not by that awful wizard," she glared at the closed door.

"I don't like that look in your eye," Remus said, raising a nervous brow. "You look like Sirius when you get that look in your eye. It's dangerous," he added with a tiny smirk.

"Kiss me and I'll make it go away," she grinned up at him.

He hesitated only a moment before leaning down and gently brushing his lips against hers before slanting his mouth against her and molding to her form tenderly but purposefully, as though he were using this moment with her to remind himself he was human. Mia didn't mind. A part of her wanted him to use all of her if it would bring him back to that confident wizard she'd snogged all summer. It was a gentle and loving moment until Mia smiled and pulling his bottom lip into her mouth and gave it a soft nip. Something primal inside of Remus ignited and suddenly Mia found herself being pulled down the hallway and into a broom closet.

"We shouldn't be here," Mia said teasingly as she wrapped her arms around Remus' neck.

"Who's going to miss us?" Remus grinned and pulled her tight against him, losing himself in a kiss that rivaled their first. Unlike the sweet, gentle movements they'd committed just moments earlier, this kiss was filled with passion, desire and a powerful, needy hunger and the magic between them thrummed pleasantly as though it were trying to merge into something entirely new.

Remus broke away from her mouth to place tender kisses along her jaw line, tracing it back until he was gently sucking on a sensitive spot behind her ear and she let out a quivering mewl at his touch. Her hands released from behind his neck and traced their way down the front of his chest, pulling away his robes to reveal the simple red cotton shirt beneath it. Mia tugged at the fabric, pulling it from it's tucked place in his trousers, and once freed, she dipped her hands under the hem and placed her palms on the hot, hard skin beneath and ran them quickly up his chest.

At the sudden feel of skin on skin, something in Remus snapped. Still green-eyed and human, his hands reached down, cupping her arse and lifting her up against him, pressing her against the wall behind her for leverage as her legs wound themselves around his waist. Mia pulled her hands free of his shirt to weave them through his shaggy hair, tugging once when his tongue trailed against her collarbone and she felt the echoing tremors of a growl that came from deep inside his chest.

"Remus," Mia moaned his name and at the sound, his grip on her arse tightened._ Leave a bruise_, she couldn't help but think. She leaned forward, sweeping her lips against the shell of his ear as she whispered, "I want you."

"What?" Remus breathed, pulling away from her skin and looking straight ahead into the lust filled pool of chocolate that stared at him. "You mean...?" He began and Mia nodded frantically. He stood, suddenly nervous and the gears in his head began to move at a frenzied pace. Seeing his hesitation and knowing that it had everything to do with his Lycanthropy, Mia tilted her hips until she felt the most exquisite contact with him. The sensation hit him all too quickly and Remus fell forward, holding her still against the wall, his hands now gripped firmly around her thighs as he panted against her throat, whispering, "Fuck," softly across her skin.

"No," he finally said on the edge of an exhale.

"No?" Mia blinked. "No," she repeated the word. "You're saying _no _to me?"

"I'm saying..." Remus groaned as the previous pleasure began to turn into uncomfortable pain. "I'm saying... not _yet_," he finally admitted. "I'm saying not here," he looked around. "Not with canisters of Mrs Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover on shelves behind us," he let out a laugh and soon Mia joined him. Slowly he released his grip on her, but moaned at the contact her body made as it slid back down against his until her feet touched the ground.

"Soon," Mia whispered and after a moment of seeming to weigh the pros and cons in his head, Remus nodded and repeated, "Soon."

oOoOoOo

**October 7th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"I still can't believe she knew about this room and never told us," Sirius pouted in the corner of the Room of Requirement next to James who had his hazel eyes staring at the back of Lily's head while she talked with Remus and Mia. "A whole room that magically changes to whatever you want," he continued to shake his head. "I bet this is where she did her Animagus training, don't you think?"

"Probably," James nodded. "We caught her up here right outside that one time, remember?" James looked at Sirius. "It is awesome though," he grinned looking around at the room that had formed itself into a new Defense class with books of all kinds layering shelves that wrapped around the edges, and a raised dueling platform in the center of the room.

"It would be better if there was a stripper pole," Sirius gestured to the platform. "Right _there_."

"Shut up Pads," James laughed.

"Alright," Mia cleared her throat. "You all know why you're here. We've had terrible instructors in the way of Defense and this year..."

"We have a prejudiced prick," Sirius commented.

"Well, er... yes," Mia sighed. "None of you are stupid and I know some of you read the Prophet. It's not just Muggles and Muggle-borns that are being targeted. You hear how the Slytherins talk. Blood-traitors," she pointed to herself, James and Sirius. "That's what we are," she said clearly. "And we're called that because sides are being chosen. A war is coming and I'm not foolish enough to think that we're safe because we're teenagers," she admitted.

"Do you really think war is coming?" Frank asked with a frown.

"I think it's already here, but we're not being told anything about it," Mia admitted. "I can't say much, but I've heard my parents talking," she sighed.

"Me too," Frank nodded. "My Mum had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore over the summer. After he left she came and told me to start taking my Defense classes more seriously, and Potions," he added. "I think she's wanting me to go into Auror training when I graduate."

"That would be amazing," Alice said with excited eyes.

"We need to be able to protect ourselves," Remus spoke up, standing beside Mia at the front of the group. "I'm sure you've all heard about Death Eaters by now. We need to know how to fight them if necessary."

"Not _just _Death Eaters," the bitter voice of Mary spoke up, her arms crossed over her chest. Her normally flawless beautiful skin was marred by a sickly black and purple bruise that started at the bottom of her left hand and flowed upwards against her shoulder and collarbone, ending at the edge of her jaw.

"No," Mia frowned. "Not _just _Death Eaters. I think Slytherins are being recruited here," she admitted. "Everyone saw what Mulciber did to Mary last week," she frowned. "That was dark magic but since they can't prove anything, he's getting away with it. Slytherins are learning dark magic," Mia said clearly, not missing the look of sorrow that crossed Lily's face as the redhead drew her eyes to the ground.

"It's also why none of them are allowed in this group. And why you've all signed a secrecy pact," Remus held up a parchment with all of their names on it.

"I should probably also inform you that this parchment is jinxed," Mia admitted, though she hadn't the first time around, not in depth. "If you speak about this group or it's location, your face will break out in pimples that spell SNEAK across your face. I will _not _remove it," she stated firmly. "So keep your mouths shut."

"We should have a name for the group," Lily chimed in trying to brighten the otherwise suddenly tense moment.

Mia smiled. "I agree."

"How about..." Sirius stood up and grinned. "the Disillusioned Invisible Circle of Kids?" He offered. Mia glared at him, and after a moment of thinking about the name, James burst into laughter with Peter snickering beside him.

"No," she glared.

"Cultivation Of Combative Knowledge?" Sirius grinned.

"Sirius!" Mia hissed at him.

"Training Wands Against Tyrants!" Sirius bellowed and at this one, even Remus broke into a short burst of laughter, doing his best to cover it up with a series of coughs.

"I'm warning you Sirius Black," Mia glowered ahead at him.

"Fine, fine, all in favor of Club of United Novices..."

"Jamie get him out!" Mia screeched.

"It's called Assisted Defense," Lily quickly chirped to put an end to Sirius' behavior. "And that's it!" She looked up at Mia. "I mean, if that's okay."

"That's fine. The A.D.," she nodded.

"Who exactly is going to teach us though?" Peter asked.

"Remus and I," Mia answered quickly and there were whispers and murmurs all around the room. "Is there a problem?" She asked.

"No offense," Otto Bagman from Hufflepuff spoke up. "I know you two are some of the smartest in our year, but... what makes you qualified to teach the rest of us?" He asked, and the few Ravenclaws in the room seemed to nod their heads in agreement.

"Disarm us," Mia challenged. "Any of you," she insisted, but gave a stern look to James and Sirius who had been told to keep their wands holstered as the Gryffindors had already agreed that Mia and Remus were the most qualified students who also had the ability to lead with responsibility. Sirius and James, while talented duellists, were too easily distracted.

"Go ahead," Remus repeated the challenge. "I'll even accept a few hexes or jinxes, that is, if you can _land _any," he smirked.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Someone from the back shouted.

"_Protego_!" Remus called back, his wand still tight in hand.

"_Expelliarmus! Glacius_!" A Ravenclaw shouted, aiming her wand at Remus in the hopes that he wouldn't expect to be targeted twice.

"_Protego! Levicorpus_!" Mia called and watched as the witch lost her wand and then flew up into the air by her ankle. She saw in the back of the room James and Sirius' eyes light up, and she winced realizing what she'd just done. She'd used a jinx created by Severus Snape, one that she knew for a fact James and Sirius would later use against him. Possibly that very year if she remembered correctly. Damn. "_Liberacorpus_," she said, and lowered the Ravenclaw to the ground.

"Are we done?" Mia asked. "Or would any of you like to see what a Stunning Spell feels like?"


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda** puts up with my writer's block and my inability to properly place apostrophes.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I've fallen down the rabbit hole of Harry Potter Fanfic (also known as the Snape/Hermione genre) and I've spent most of this week battling writer's block because I lack the ability to draw inspiration from those stories (even if they are terribly addictive). Hopefully I will be back to reading Dramione and Sirius/Remus + Hermione fics like a good little witch and will continue to be able to post daily updates for everyone. Now, a few Q&amp;As: **SableUnstable**, no, Sirius has not yet run away from home. Books tell us that he leaves Grimmauld Place sometime after he turns sixteen. Also, I am going by a mixture of movies and books. For instance Hermione DOES have the Mudblood scar (though currently Mia does not thanks to the De-Aging Potion) however Harry was the only one to be affected by the Blood Quill in the original timeline. **Katsumi-phoenix**, I think between "Mia" and "kitten" she's got enough nicknames, especially since she hates them. I think that if Mia were to take on a Marauder name, then she would feel she's associating with the official Marauders, which includes Peter, and she just can't bring herself to that level. I also left out the nickname because in the few time-turner fics I've read where Hermione becomes an animagus, they give her a nickname, and I wanted to do something different.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty-One: Cue to Leave

_"...Let's go all the way tonight  
__No regrets, just love  
__We can dance, until we die  
__You and I, will be young forever..."  
__(Teenage Dream - Katy Perry)_

* * *

**October 24th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Room of Requirement**

"I don't _have _a happy thought, Mia!" Sirius snapped as the two faced off against one another inside the Room of Requirement a week before Halloween.

The Assisted Defense group - which Mia was still struggling not to mentally refer to as Dumbledore's Army - had excelled at Disarming, though it took some of the Hufflepuffs a little longer than the rest. Remus helped everyone catch up with spells they should have perfected during their first four years at Hogwarts, and James and Sirius had been helping Mia handle the pairing for duels, which both boys shined at.

Mia had taken it upon herself to begin teaching the Patronus charm.

"Try harder, Sirius," she sighed. "You have happy memories, I know you do," she insisted and watched as the raven haired wizard struggled to maintain the smallest silvery wisp at the end of his wand.

"I do _not_!" He said, admitting defeat. "Fucking Higgs has me in detention every bloody Friday, which means I'm not allowed to go to the Halloween Ball."

"Girls everywhere must be devastated," Mia said dryly, rolling her eyes.

"They are!" Sirius said, pouting like a child as he moved back into the corner to sit down beside James who was taking a break from duelling with Frank, who'd actually become quite quick on his feet over the weeks of training exclusively with James who was well known as the best dueller of the group.

"You doing okay, Lily?" Mia asked as she approached her redheaded friend, the young Muggle-born struggling with her Patronus. So far no one had been able to create a corporeal one save for Mia, whose silvery fox danced around the room playfully interacting with everyone, except Peter who nervously shied away from it.

"Having a hard time thinking of happy thoughts," Lily frowned. "Everything from Hogwarts feels blurry," she admitted. "Like time going too fast so it's hard to focus on one thing. And everything before Hogwarts..." she looked down shamefully.

"Severus?" Mia whispered.

"He was my best friend, Mia," Lily looked on the verge of tears. "How could he be friends with Mulciber and Avery?" She asked. "After what they did to Mary, he still hangs around them. And I'm not naive to think that he doesn't know when the Carrows are up to something," she looked away and wiped her eyes.

Mia frowned. She knew how this story began and ended. A lonely half-blood boy and a confused Muggle-born girl met and became friends. Hogwarts separated them into different Houses and somehow the influence of others ruined everything. The boy grew up bitter and dark, the girl remained bright and joyful. There would be a great deal of hurt, pain and love lost, and by the end of the story, the main characters would be dead.

"Do you want to know what I think?" Mia asked.

"Of course, Mia," Lily looked back at her friend. "I trust your advice."

"I think just because a boy can be cruel, hurtful and unbelievably stupid doesn't mean he won't grow up to be a good man," she immediately thought of Draco - her own bullying wayward Slytherin. "But," she hesitated. "He's _still _a boy, and therefore _can _be cruel and hurtful and unbelievably stupid, and you're my friend and I don't want you to be the one he hurts," she admitted softly.

"Thanks, Mia," Lily nodded.

"Don't be afraid to make new happy memories," she grinned down at the redhead.

"Easy for _you _to say," Lily chuckled. "I'm not the one who has the lusty green eyes of a werewolf staring at me," she whispered and Mia's eyes widened. "Don't worry," she chuckled. "I've known since first year," she admitted. "Kept his secret this long, haven't I?" She grinned.

"Thank you," Mia smiled kindly. "About keeping the secret, _not _calling my boyfriends eyes lusty," she laughed and turned around to spot Remus staring at her intently.

"Go," Lily urged her. "See if you can't help Remus find his happy thought," she giggled.

"You're awful," Mia rolled her eyes and stood to walk over by Remus.

"It's getting there," Remus said, stubbornly staring at his wand as it struggled to hang onto the silvery wisp it was emitting.

"You thinking of something happy?" Mia grinned.

"Can't think of anything _too _happy," Remus chuckled. "Prongs is right there," he gestured to James who was in the corner, consoling a bitter Sirius who was still pouting with his arms folded over his chest.

"What's your happy thought?" Mia asked, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and snuggling her cheek into his back, breathing in his wonderful scent of parchment and grass. The scent was calming, grounding, and she was sure she could summon a Patronus just by breathing him in.

"Happy thoughts? Well there's Hogsmeade Station, the woods out behind my house," Remus grinned. "Broom closets," he gave a throaty chuckle and she smacked him lightly on his arm.

"_Happy _thoughts, not... frustrating thoughts," she clarified.

"Oh, are you frustrated Miss Potter?" He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her flush up against him.

"You have no idea Mister Lupin," she blushed. "Now stop flirting," she pulled away from him. "Do the charm. Focus on something less... anticipatory," she chuckled. "Something from the past," she said with a sweet smile.

"That's easy then," Remus said quietly and then looked ahead. "_Expecto Patronum_!" He called out and unlike the struggling wisps everyone else was having trouble with, a silver wolf fluidly formed out of the end of Remus' wand to stand tall and regal in front of the group.

"Woah!"

"Did you see what Lupin did?"

"That's amazing!"

"It's... it's a _wolf_," Remus said seeming to struggle with the image.

"A Patronus is a manifestation of who we are. The purest part of us," she placed a hand on Remus' arm and watched as he struggled with her words and the image of the wolf in front of him. "This is who you are, Remus."

"That's _not _who I am," he shook his head and withdrew his wand, the Patronus vanishing into mist.

"You are the wolf the same way I am the fox," she explained. "I imagine James and Sirius' Patronuses will echo their forms as well," she told him firmly. "Stop trying to separate the two of you," she pleaded, taking his face into her hands and staring deep into his beautiful green eyes. "I love the wizard _and _the wolf," she promised.

"I love the witch _and _the fox," he replied with a silly grin on his face.

"As long as you don't call me Foxy," she smirked and kissed him quickly.

"As long as you go to the Ball with me next week," he replied with a grin.

"One condition," Mia looked up at him, her cheeks flushed red. "We come back here at the end of the dance," she whispered softly.

"Here?" Remus raised a brow. "Are you wanting to duel your date?" He smirked.

"This room can turn into _anything _we ask it to," Mia swallowed, her eyes focused and serious as she stared up at him. As if he immediately understood, Remus slowly nodded, but his lips formed a nervous tight line and she could see the wheels in his head spinning quickly.

"Stop thinking too hard," she scolded him.

"You're one to talk," Remus scoffed. "The only reason I don't get to lecture you on over thinking things is because I'm sure you do all your stressing in private, collect yourself so you can impose your thoughts on my unexpecting brain," he laughed.

"I just like the way you blush, love," Mia smiled sweetly. "What memory did you use?" She asked him. "To conjure the Patronus?"

"The river," Remus smiled. "That first time with all of us out behind your orchards. Perfect day, all of my friends," he let out a relaxed breath. "You in a swim costume," he chuckled as he pulled her into a hug. "Everyone seemed happy."

"It was a good day," Mia nodded.

"Plus," Remus shrugged. "Sirius was eavesdropping while you girls were getting ready and he heard you telling the girls that you fancied me," he chuckled and fought her when she struggled to get out of his grip.

"I'll kill him," she glared across the room at Sirius.

oOoOoOo

**October 31st, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Common Room**

Her flowing lilac colored dress hung in soft layers around her legs, the bodice was soft and loose and the multiple straps holding it in place were thin, showing off the golden hue of her shoulders. Unlike the Yule Ball she attended in her original fourth year for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Mia let her hair go, held only halfway back by a ruby encrusted golden comb. Remus loved her wild curls and often expressed how he felt in control when his fingers were buried in their depths, so Mia was all too willing to forego the Sleekeazy Hair Potion for the night.

She walked down the stairs from the girls dormitory and smiled at the sight of her boys in the Common Room. Sirius was missing of course, forced into detention with Professor Higgs as he had been every Friday that month, writing lines, washing chalkboards and even polishing the Professor's shoe collection. James and Remus turned from their place at the foot of the stairs to look up as Mia descended toward them.

"Merlin," Remus whispered as he looked the witch over.

His green eyes and lingering gaze burned against her skin. She was certain that if she broke eye contact and looked down, she would see a brand somewhere on her flesh, anywhere he was looking. She blushed under his intense stare, and almost entirely missed the fact that her brother was staring open mouthed at something behind her.

Mia turned and smiled sweetly as she watched Lily walk down the stairs after her, wearing a brilliant shade of green to match her eyes. Her long red hair had been curled at the ends and pulled to one side, tied with a simple gold ribbon. "We'll see you all down there," Lily smiled to Mia as she linked arms with Mary; Alice having already left on Frank's arm.

James stared after the redhead.

"You really aren't going to attack her verbally? Embarrass her over how she looks?" Mia asked, and James just shook his head side to side slowly, his hazel eyes following Lily long after the portrait closed behind her. "Jamie? You're not going to go and tell Lily how pretty she looks?"

"There aren't words," James whispered. "They should have sent a poet."

"Ugh," Remus groaned. "Knock it off mate, you're upstaging me here," Remus chuckled, nudging James in the ribs before turning and pulling Mia close to him, his hands tenderly resting on her waist. "You, my witch," Remus grinned. "Are a vision," he smiled brightly. "Lilac is a good color on you."

Mia's smile dropped for a moment and her breath caught as she remembered dancing with an older Remus at Bill and Fleur's wedding, wearing another lilac dress and hearing him tell her those same words. She couldn't help but wonder if she picked this dress out specifically because of that. She let out a shaky breath and her smile returned to her as she looked him over, trying to push the past - or future as it were - from her mind. "And you," she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "My handsome wizard, are simply dashing in dress robes."

"Ahem," James cleared his throat.

"Oh Jamie," Mia rolled her eyes. "You are the very definition of dapper," she chuckled as James seemed to preen a little under her compliments like a peacock. "In fact, if you weren't my brother..."

"Ugh!" James grimaced and flinched away from her like he'd been scalded, Mia giggled at his reaction. "You always take things too far, Mia," he growled and stormed away from her to the couch where he lifted something from the cushions of the sofa.

"Where's your date, Jamie?" Mia asked, leaning into Remus' embrace, relishing the warmth of his arms around her shoulders.

"No date," James grinned. "I'm going _stag_."

Remus and Mia both groaned as Jamie grinned at his pun.

"That was funny," James insisted as he walked back to them, a large bottle in his hands. "Courtesy of dear Padfoot, who shall be with us in spirit tonight," James chuckled as he summoned three shot glasses and poured them each a drink.

"Leave it to Sirius to cause problems and not even be there for it," Mia shook her head but accepted the shot of Firewhisky. "Ugh," she stared at it. "I still don't know how he can drink this stuff," she said before tossing it back and shivering as the liquid burned its way down her throat and settled in her stomach, warming her body instantly.

"It'll be easier when it's mixed in with punch," James grinned.

"You will _not_," Mia scolded him.

"I'm under a Marauder's Oath to do as much damage in my best friend's stead," James shrugged his shoulders and then patted Remus on the back. "Don't worry my perfect, pristine Prefect," James grinned. "I'll do it when you're not looking. Your reputation will remain intact."

"Unfortunately so will yours," Remus snickered. "If Lily sees you spiking the punch, you're going to wake up with missing bits."

"If I wake up next to Evans, I'm willing to risk it," he said, waggling his eyebrows and leaving the Common Room through the portrait hole.

"Is it sad that I almost hope he succeeds?" Remus chuckled. "Poor Lily."

"He won't succeed," Mia replied. "Not yet."

"You really do look lovely," he smiled and nuzzled the side of her neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses along her skin that felt like fire in his wake. Mia whimpered under his touch, certain that she would be a pile of ashes come morning. When his lips touched her pulse point she felt the Firewhisky in her belly ignite while at the same time Remus breathed in deep and let out a vibrating growl against her skin that only made the fire burn hotter. Her cheeks flushed when she realized he had smelled her.

"Do you want to skip the dance?" She whispered. She could feel Remus' movements still and she knew he was trying to collect himself and calm down.

"No," he winced as the words fell from his mouth. "You... looking like you do and," he paused. "_Smelling _like you do," his eyes flashed gold and amber as he swallowed. "I'm going to need a few cups of James' special punch to dull a few of my more primal senses," he admitted. "Plus," he leaned in and kissed her cheek before taking her hand. "I want the whole of Hogwarts to see how pretty _my _witch is," he grinned.

oOoOoOo

**The Great Hall**

When they arrived in the Great Hall, Mia smiled at the decorative pumpkins that lined the walls. As usual, candles lit above them, hovering mid-air, and though the Weird Sisters were not in attendance - or born yet for all Mia knew - there was a nice instrumental band playing in the corner of the room.

Before she even had a chance to wonder about being asked to, Remus had swept her out on the dance floor, wrapped in his arms and swaying to the music. She laughed at his bold move and smiled sweetly up at him as he draped one hand around her waist, the other laced with her fingers. The moment their eyes connected, he brought their entwined hands together and brushed his lips against her knuckles. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes wondering why every moment of life couldn't be this wonderful.

"Don't mean to cut in," Lily said as she approached the couple. "But _we're _supposed to dance next," she gestured to Remus and herself before offering an apologetic look to Mia. "Professor Dumbledore's idea. The Head Boy and Girl and then each set of Prefects."

"Go ahead," Mia smiled. "I'll go find Jamie and see how much trouble he's getting in," she chuckled as Lily rolled her eyes, taking Remus away by the hand.

Mia made her way around a few round tables that had been set up around the large dance floor. She saw Alice and Frank dancing close together, and Mary was being adored at the other end of the hall by a small group of Hufflepuffs from the A.D. Otto Bagman, Amos Diggory, and Davey Gudgeon, who was wearing an eye patch after he'd gotten too close to the Whomping Willow a few days ago and nearly lost an eye, all surrounded her in attempts to get onto her dance card. Alecto Carrow was on the arm of Mulciber and Amycus was missing after he'd been caught hexing a third year by Professor Sprout and was banned from attending the dance like Sirius had been. Elora Zabini was being scolded by Professor McGonagall for snogging her current boyfriend Adrian Abbot, her third 'victim' that year. She was still wearing a locket given to her by her last beau who was nursing a broken arm after someone cursed his broom, knocking him off of it mid-Quidditch practice.

Snape sat alone in the corner, pouting and glaring at the dance floor while Remus whispered something in Lily's ear and she tilted her head back laughing. The sight made Mia smile, knowing that the two were just friends, but the hateful look on Snape's face made her pause on her way toward James who was lingering suspiciously by the punch bowl.

"Are you even going to bother asking her to dance?" Mia asked Snape.

"I don't know what you're referring to," Snape drawled.

"Oh please," Mia rolled her eyes. "You can't even answer that without taking your eyes off of her. You have no right to sit back and pout that she's not with you when you don't have the courage to get up and ask her to dance yourself."

"Perhaps it's not jealousy in fact that lights my anger," Snape turned and glared at her. "Lily is more than free to dance with whomever she pleases," he sneered and then added. "I do however have a problem with her dancing with..._whatever _she pleases."

Mia's eyes darkened. "I would be very careful if I were you Snape," her jaw twitched. "I have no problem smacking that sneer right off your face... _again_."

"Careful, love," someone said and suddenly she felt a tug on her hand and she spun around and hit something hard. She looked up at the grinning face of Sirius Black who moved quickly to the dance floor. "Sorry, you looked like you needed a save from Snivellus over there," he smirked looking her over. "I'd hate for his greasy self to stain your pretty dress."

"What are you doing here? You're going to get in so much trouble," Mia laughed as he dipped her dramatically.

"I came to dance with the prettiest girl in the whole school," Sirius explained. "But seeing as Remus seems to be keeping her occupied, I settled for you," he laughed as she slapped his shoulder. "You really didn't think I'd miss this, did you?" He chuckled. "I can't stay long though. I'm almost done writing one thousand lines of 'I will not be taught by stupid snakes'."

"You didn't?" Mia gaped.

"Oh he's not actually going to read them," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Do I smell Firewhisky?" He grinned. "Prongs _actually _did it?"

"No," Mia laughed. "Well, probably," she admitted and looked over her shoulder as she watched her brother consume a large cup of punch and then subtly walk away from the table, disappearing into the crowd. "We actually all had a drink before we came to the dance," she admitted and laughed again as he spun her.

"Sweet little innocent Mia, drinking Firewhisky and shagging werewolves," Sirius tutted. "What is the world coming to?"

"What?" Mia blushed. "We aren't... we haven't..." she gasped.

"I'm just teasing love," Sirius smirked. "That's a pretty color on your cheeks though."

"Sirius..." Mia frowned.

"I have my moments you know," he continued talking, ignoring the strangely serious look on her face. "Moments where I think, 'now how did I fuck that up?'," he chuckled softly. "Times where I watch you looking at him and wonder if you'd have looked at me that way."

"I did," Mia admitted sadly. "But you ran, and I told you I wasn't going to wait around for you."

"And I'm glad you didn't," Sirius smiled. "You're happy, he's happy. How can I be pissed about any of that? Jealous, sure," he nodded. "Which is why I took this little moment of your time. I'm nothing if not a little selfish. Needed one quick dance to keep me going," he grinned at her.

"And what happens when you need another fix?" She asked him, frowning.

"Ah, kitten, I didn't take Divination," he shrugged. "At your recommendation I skipped the very class that could have foretold the future, let me know how this whole story ends."

"Divination is rubbish," Mia rolled her eyes.

"There're those claws we're all so fond of," he barked a laugh.

"Am I interrupting?" Remus voice spoke from behind Mia and she went to separate herself from Sirius, but instead he dipped her again.

"Moony, you're looking suave and sophisticated," Sirius grinned. "Care to cut in?" He asked, pulling Mia back up to a standing position. "Little witch can't keep up with me," he grinned and reached for one of the cups in Remus' hands, downing it quick and then laughing a little. "Oh Prongsie," he snickered. "Poor boy dumped the whole bottle in. Better get your fill now before McGonagall has a taste. Now if you two are done occupying my very limited amount of time, I have a Defense Professor to pester," he said and then slipped quickly out the doors of the Great Hall.

Mia turned back to look at Remus who was coughing a little after sipping the punch. "Oh, he's right, this is awful," he winced and handed her the cup to let her have a taste, smiling when she mimicked his expression.

"We better follow his advice and drink up before it's too late," she laughed and dragged him back over to the punch bowl where several others had quickly gravitated toward, filling and refilling their cups. Two dances later, and James was spotted in the corner of the room being yelled at by an irate Lily who was pointing at the punch bowl. James held his hands up innocently, but Lily grabbed him firmly by the collar of his dress robes, dragging him through the center of the dance floor and over to where Professor McGonagall was sitting.

"That's our cue to leave," Mia said, swiftly grabbing Remus' hand and rushing toward the exit before a slightly intoxicated James could accidentally admit that they'd known his plan all along.

oOoOoOo

**Seventh Floor Corridor**

Giggling thanks to the help of Firewhisky punch, Mia and Remus ran up the large marble staircase, making their way around the long corridors on their way to the seventh floor in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Before Mia had a chance to ask the Room of Requirement anything, Remus had her pinned to the wall, lowering his mouth to hers. Soft and warm and tasting of citrus, sugar and Firewhisky, Mia melted in his grip, shivering as she felt his hand press against the outside of her thigh, hiking her leg up over his hip and pressing firmly against her.

"Room," Mia moaned against his lips.

"Hmm?" Remus replied, still kissing her.

"The room, Remus," Mia begrudgingly pulled away. "I need to create the room."

"Fuck the room," Remus growled and broke away from her lips, to suck at the place behind her ear that made her give off the sweetest little sounds. When she mewled quietly, Remus chuckled against her skin and moved in to taste her once more, grinning when she repeated the noise.

"Remus," she moaned and he moved from her neck to capture his name as it left her lips, grinning against her as he dug a free hand through her hair, using the leverage to deepen the kiss while his other hand lazily stroked her thigh through the soft silk of her dress.

Mia playfully nipped at his lower lip, and the reverberating sound he made against her triggered something in her body and she felt a rush of warmth cover the skin of her cheeks and then rush south, bathing the flesh of her chest, stomach and thighs in heat. Something deep beneath her navel began to tighten and coil and she fought tooth and nail against the voice in her head that was screaming out, begging for friction.

"Remus, we have to stop," Mia breathed.

"Did I do something wrong?" Remus pulled away immediately, looking at her worriedly.

"Godric, no," Mia exhaled. "_Too _right," she admitted. "But there is no way I'm ending this perfect night by being caught shagging my boyfriend by Filch," she laughed.

Remus suddenly paled at the confession, picking out only one word in the sentence that fell from her lips. "O-okay," Remus nodded, his recent confidence suddenly failing a little. Mia noticed his reaction and her cheeks flushed again, realizing what she had said.

"Do you trust me?" Mia asked him after a long pause.

"Of course," Remus nodded. "Do you trust _me_?" He hesitantly asked.

"With my life," she whispered and kissed him lightly again before she closed her eyes and paced back and forth in front of the stone wall.


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**:

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** So from what I can gather from all the reviews of the last chapter... you all LOVE cliffhangers? *evil Slytherin grin* I have to admit, a part of me (the Slytherin part) REALLY wanted to leave everyone hanging over the weekend, but there's a little Hufflepuff in me I guess, because I felt slightly bad for making you wait. So without further adieu...

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty-Two: Moonlight

_"...Deep in the dark  
__You'll surrender your heart  
__But you know  
__But you know that you can't fight the moonlight..."  
__(Can't Fight the Moonlight - Leann Rimes)_

* * *

**October 31st, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Room of Requirement**

"I don't understand," Remus said as he walked into the Room of Requirement which was no longer a room, but what looked to be the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Everything felt so real. The smell of the grass beneath his shoes, the breeze he could feel and also see moving through the leaves in the trees ahead of them. Even the bright moon reflecting off of the water on the Black Lake.

_Moon?!_

Remus took in sharp breath as his green eyes turned up, and painted across a sky of black velvet was the brightest, fullest moon he'd ever seen. Something tightened in his chest as he waited for the itching, the aching, the pain to come, but instead of sharp stabbing against his skin, he felt something soft, pliable and warm.

"Love, look at me," Mia whispered and Remus opened his eyes, still breathing heavy. A hazy mixture of chocolate brown and amber looked back at him and he could read the love in their depths. Her soft hands touched his face, beckoning him toward her where she placed a kiss full of promises against his mouth, chaste and sweet. His eyes looked skyward again and only then did he realize he was still shaking against her, a hand firmly gripped on her arm as if he were needing it to steady himself.

"I don't understand... Mia what did you do?" He asked, wide eyes still on the moon.

"This is where I trained to become an Animagus," she told him. "I asked the Room of Requirement to place me in the forest where I could see the trees, touch the dirt and smell the air. I asked to be able to see the Shack," she pointed to the shadowy silhouette in the distance. "And for the brightest full moon it could summon," her eyes were full of guilt at the fear she had brought out in him, but something told Remus she knew that this would happen, at least initially. "I wanted to be connected to you during my training. To remind myself why I was doing it."

"How am I not..."

"Transforming?" Mia smiled. "That's not a _real _moon."

"Why did you bring me here?" He asked, his eyes still fixated on the orb in the sky.

"I..." she hesitated. "I wanted to give you something," she said, swallowing hard. "I wanted you to see it. With those beautiful _green_ eyes. See it and not fear it," she frowned as she traced her fingers along the lines of his mouth and then leaned in, capturing those lips tenderly with her own.

He closed his eyes and let the light of the moon wash over him - real or not - and the feel of the girl in his arms warm his skin. Remus turned away from the brightness in the sky, still not entirely sure about what she'd done, but suddenly very grateful that she had, and he was desperate to show her his gratitude. He kissed her deep and slow, reverently running his hands over the silk of her dress, feeling the outline of her waist, the dip in her lower back and the curve of her hips that made him keen at the touch. She responded in kind, her small fingers playing at the clasp on his robes and when she unhooked it and began to push the fabric over his shoulders, Remus pulled himself away from her as he opened his eyes and looked down.

"Here?" He whispered.

"Couldn't think of anything better," she admitted with a shy, nervous smile. "You, me, the earth and the sky."

Remus held her in his arms and dipped her backwards as Sirius had done earlier that night while they danced, but instead of a smug grin, Remus smiled softly, and instead of bringing her back to her feet, he placed her gently there upon the soft grass. Kneeling close beside her, he brushed a lock of hair from her face and drank in the image of her, bathed in the light of the moon - something he might never see again, not with his _own _eyes; not in _this _form.

"Would you think less of me if I admitted that I was scared?" He asked her, his brow furrowed and his eyes set with worry. She looked so small laying beside him, beneath him as he leaned over her frame to kiss at her cheeks. She looked too fragile, too tender, too breakable. Much too easy to devour.

"I am not afraid of you," she whispered up at him words that she'd been repeating for years. "I'm a little scared too," she admitted. "Not of _you_..." she added quickly and he noticed she was shaking. Desperate to comfort her, Remus leaned down and kissed her slow and soft until he could hear the beating of her heart calm down as she relaxed against the ground. He pulled away from her, not entirely sure what to do, and she seemed to notice his hesitation because she spoke up, quoting Sylvia Plath of all people.

"'_If the moon smiled, she would resemble you_,'" Mia smiled up at him, stroking his cheek with her small fingers. "_'You leave the same impression_...'"

"'..._Of something beautiful_,'" Remus breathed in deep as though her words began to set him on fire and he needed to finish them or burn up from the inside out. "'_But annihilating_.'"

He moved forward, claiming her mouth with passion and drive, rekindling the slow burn that they had ignited outside the Room of Requirement, up against the stone wall of the castle. She eagerly pushed the robes from his shoulders, completely this time, but he refused to break the kiss when she'd deftly played with the buttons of his shirt until they all opened to expose the skin of his scarred chest to her. He hesitated when she pulled away from him, tugging the sleeves off his arms to draw the shirt away from his body, before her hands traced the outlines of the scars that ran across his ribs. He frowned and closed his eyes tight, unable to watch her touch him, fairly certain she'd find him lacking if she looked too close. His eyes were still closed when he felt her lips brush against the scar that cut across his chest, and the sudden contact seemed to spark something deep and primal, something old and feral but new to him all the same.

He found himself suddenly above her, wedging a knee between her thighs, and he breathed her in deep setting his lupine senses aflame. Her scent lingered in the air and he could taste it in the back of his throat. She smelled like a forest after a rainstorm. She tasted like honey and something he couldn't put into words, something that felt like hope burning inside of his chest. He bent forward and captured her lips once again, trying to remember that last, lingering taste until he found it on the tip of her tongue. He pulled away and whispered, "You taste like the sunrise."

His erection grew more uncomfortable in his slacks as her hooded eyes lifted to meet his and her words whispered against his lips, "You taste like moonlight."

_Now!_ A familiar voice in the back of his head called, and suddenly he was unable to hold the wolf back any longer.

Capturing her mouth once again in a bruising kiss, Remus reached down and touched the skin of her ankle, then slowly followed the trail of flesh upwards until his hand met creamy thigh, the silk of her dress bunched up against his forearm. The tips of his fingers brushed against lace, he shivered and tucked his knuckles beneath the band of fabric, tugging down at the same time her hands found the buckle of his trousers, unwilling to break the kiss or open his eyes in worry that he'd look into hers and see fear. He was moving on instinct now, each move he made fueled by the whimpers, mewls and soft cries escaping her throat.

He moved forward, settling into the cradle of her thighs and finally broke their kiss to look down at her, waiting for silent confirmation, trying like hell to stay out of his head like she always told him to. He worried that if he questioned himself and hesitated now, that she would assume it was because of her, and Remus couldn't bare to have her think of herself as anything but absolute perfection, so he kept quiet and waited, watching her eyes closely, inspecting her gaze for any hint of anxiety.

"Please," was what she finally cried and the wolf inside him howled a victory, and Remus pressed forward until he felt a wet warmth encase him, a tightness that was so suffocatingly perfect it made him dizzy. His body begged him to move forward, and so he did, and just as he heard a short gasp escape her throat he felt something give way beneath him.

His eyes opened wide the moment he realized what had happened, and he looked down at her terrified. He'd _known _what would happen, but had forgotten in the moment and cursed himself for being so ignorant. Her face and body were tense and Remus breathed deeply, pleading with her eyes for forgiveness.

_Our _job. _Our _job to protect her. Not to hurt her.

_Never hurt her._

"I..." he spoke, choking on an apology.

"Yours," Mia breathed.

He looked down at her confused until he remembered her words earlier when he'd questioned her about the moon in the sky above them. _'I wanted to give you something_,' she had whispered to him.

"Yours," she repeated, touching his chest.

_Ours!_ The wolf inside of him keened.

When her body eventually relaxed against him, Remus swallowed hard before moving once more. Pulled into her eyes that were filled with love and acceptance, Remus felt a flood of emotions fill him. The girl beneath him, covered in silk and moonlight loved him, loved Remus and accepted the wolf inside. She'd given him everything he'd never thought he deserved and more, and he felt honored that she'd somehow found him worthy of this moment. This painfully beautiful moment bathed in the light of a moon where he was more man than monster.

"Remus," she moaned and it fueled him further, pushing him, edging him ever further to something he'd never known, not like this.

She smelled like a rainstorm, she felt like heaven, she tasted like honey and a sunrise and... and...

_She tasted how Firewhisky felt._

He felt her undulate beneath him and he captured the cry of her lips with his mouth, drinking in her pleasure until his own broke inside of her. Remus let out a low growl against her lips, quivered when she kissed him lightly and collapsed into her arms beneath the brightness of the moon above them. It was absolute, utter, infinite, complete, and outright perfection.

_Almost, _a voice whispered in the back of his mind.

Almost perfection.

But not quite.

Just in case, Remus tried again.

oOoOoOo

Hours later the moon still hung in the faux sky above them, covering their sweat soaked naked forms.

"That was..." Mia panted.

"Yeah..." Remus breathed heavy against her, his hot breath dampening her collar bone where his face had landed. He inhaled and moved up, hissing a little as he pulled out and away from her, landing next to her on his back.

"Wow," Mia exhaled.

"Really?" Remus turned and grinned at her.

"Not wow for you?" She frowned, her swollen lips almost pouting.

"No, wow, _very _wow for me," he promised with a chuckle as he continued to try and catch his breath. "I just didn't think wow for _you_."

"Oh _very _wow," she nodded and joined in the laughter until they both fell into a strange silence as they stared up at the sky. There was a heaviness to the air, and after a pregnant pause, Remus broke the silence.

"But?"

"I'm not your mate," Mia admitted.

"How do you know that?" He stared at her.

"Don't _you_?"

Remus thought for a moment, remembering that very near perfection. "Well . . . yeah, I guess," he nodded.

"You guess?"

"Okay, I _know_," he answered, the wolf in his head had been repeating the words _'Not Mate' _over and over again since their first coupling despite the primal need for release that it continued howling. "But I didn't want to hurt your feelings by saying it."

"Why would that hurt my feelings?" She frowned at him, leaning over on her side and resting her head on her open hand. "If something's not meant to be, it's not meant to be."

"You sound like someone who buys into Divination."

"There's a difference," she would have scowled at him had he not just brought her to near unconsciousness. "Werewolves have mates, there are studies that prove it."

"You're not upset?" He asked her.

"Are _you_?"

"A little," he confessed.

Mia reached over and brushed the sweat soaked hair from his forehead. "Tell me why."

"Because I..." he turned and stared into her eyes, reaching out to stroke his knuckles tenderly against the skin of her cheek.

"I love you too, Remus," she smiled.

"I _do _love you," he promised.

"I know."

"And you're my best friend."

"You're more than that to me," Mia pulled herself forward, melding her body against his and sighed as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead. "You're . . . I don't know. _Mine_," she said possessively and Remus chuckled. "You belong to me," she insisted. "At least until you find _her_."

"What if I don't?" He whispered into her hair.

"You will," she promised as the vision of a pink haired woman and a blue haired baby came into her mind.

"You don't know that, Mia," he sighed. "Do you know the chances of someone like me finding their mate? Rare. _Beyond _rare. I thought you..." he sighed sadly. "You've always been good to me. You've never been afraid to touch me. I just assumed..."

"You'll find her. I promise."

"You don't regret it?" He asked hesitantly.

"Honestly I'm having a hard time feeling guilty enough to _not_ want to do it again," Mia laughed, tracing her fingers over his ribs, following the lines of scars down to the taut muscles of his stomach. He was beautiful and she could stare at him all day and night.

"Why would you feel guilty?" He blinked down at her.

"I don't know," she lied. "It feels like . . . like I'm helping you cheat on her."

"A future mate I might never meet," he shook his head in disbelief.

"You'll meet her, and then what?" Mia frowned. "What will _I_ be? How can she not _hate _me?" She asked and gasped at the very real thought of a very real person waiting for Remus in the future. Tonks. His mate. His _wife_. Mia covered her face. She'd slept with Tonk's husband! And Remus, he _knew_!

That was how time worked. He said it in his letter. Anything she did had already been done, which meant that when the older Remus sent her back in time, he knew _exactly _what was going to happen. He knew that on Halloween their fifth year, she'd take him into the Room of Requirement and they'd make love beneath a full moon. He'd known that she'd been his girlfriend, that they'd been _in love_! Mia suddenly remembered a conversation she overheard the day before they'd gone into the Ministry to fetch Sirius from the Veil.

_"But you know I love you, right?" _Remus had said to his wife.

_"Yes, Remus, you love me, you'll never leave me, I'm your mate, I get it,"_ Tonks had laughed.

_Tonks knew everything, _Mia silently gasped at the thought.

"You'll be my best friend," Remus kissed her temple. "You're mine too you know," Mia calmed at the words of claim to her. "You belong to me. It's like . . . if I were an alpha wolf, you'd be my beta," he smiled and Mia chuckled, always happy when he referenced his wolf without words of self defamation.

"What about Sirius, James, and Peter?" Mia asked.

"They're in the pack too," Remus nodded. "But you're... I don't know. Is there a word that mean soul mate but doesn't?"

"Ever the poet," Mia beamed up at him. "Kindred spirit," she answered.

"Yeah. You're _mine_," Remus nodded. "It's like you're my heart but not... not my soul. Does that make sense?" He asked feeling guilty, but felt his remorse ease a little when she smiled up at him and nodded her head. "And if I meet my mate, she'll understand that. If she doesn't, then she's not really my mate."

Mia smiled. If that didn't describe the conversation she'd heard Tonks and Remus have, then she didn't know how else to describe it.

"So you don't feel bad?" Mia asked. "Like you don't think you should be out there looking for her?"

"Why?" He rose a brow. "What other person our age starts any relationship thinking, 'Wow, this is it. I'm going to marry this person and if it's not meant to be, then I'm out of here'?"

"Jamie," Mia laughed.

"James is a special case," Remus chuckled.

"You're saying you'd rather be like Sirius?" She frowned a little.

"Isn't there a safe and less horrible middle ground between James and Sirius?" He smirked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I call that safe middle ground 'Remus'."

"I'll never get used to you thinking of me as safe," he shook his head but kissed her lips soundly as a way to thank her for the trust she always seemed to so freely give him. Trust that brought them both there beneath the moon in the Room of Requirement. It was her trust that kept him more man than animal when he very well could have lost control.

"You'd never hurt me."

"You say that like someone else would," he replied. When she didn't answer, Remus sighed and pulled her tighter into his arms. "I'm not _your _mate either."

"No," she frowned.

"But you _know _who is."

"I don't want to talk about it, Remus," Mia sniffed.

"He'll figure it out. He's just..."

"Stupid?" She scoffed.

"Oh, incredibly," he nodded with wide eyes. "But I was thinking more along the lines of ignorant. Sirius needs to grow up first. You've always been more mature than the rest of us, and I know I'm different too because of my condition," he shrugged. "James, Sirius and Peter are the ones who get to cling to their childhood a little longer than us."

"Please don't mention my brother or Peter while we're naked," she pleaded with him.

"I can mention Sirius though?" Remus smirked down at her.

"I'd prefer it just be the two of us, but considering I brought _your _future mate into the bedroom," she ran her hand along the grass between them. "Figuratively," she chuckled. "I suppose you have the right to push my buttons when it comes to Sirius."

"You love him," Remus whispered.

"Ugh," Mia groaned. "You suck at pillow talk."

"Ask the Room something for me," Remus insisted.

"What?"

"Tell it to take the moon away," he smiled. "Make it disappear. I want to show you something."

Mia silently agreed, closing her eyes and making the small request of the Room. When she opened her eyes, the brightness of the forest was gone and they lay on the grass under a blanket of open black sky speckled with stars.

"_You're _the sky, Mia," Remus whispered. "And we've just established that you can't have the moon," he gestured to himself.

"Okay," she nodded.

"What do you see?"

"Stars," she whispered, already knowing where he was going with his point, but she let him anyways because when it came to her, Remus got away with anything. The man - and boy - could just do no wrong. Everything he ever did was for her benefit.

"And what star do you see first?" He asked.

"The brightest," she pointed straight ahead. "Alpha Canis Majoris," she said the technical term for the star stuck inside the beautiful constellation. "Also known as the 'dog star'," she sniffed.

"But we like to call that star..."

"Sirius," she breathed. "The brightest star in the sky is Sirius."

"So what now?" Remus asked, leaving the conversation about his best friend right where he wanted to. "What about us?"

"What do you want?" Mia asked, looking up into his soft green eyes.

"I don't want to be alone," he confessed sadly. "But I don't want to stand in your way of anything that could happen."

"So no dating each other?"

"Might get complicated."

"I agree."

"But..." He asked, hearing hesitation in her voice.

"But there's no reason _not _to take advantage of the fact that we're physically compatible?" She laughed a little, leaning forward and kissing his neck.

"You don't think I'm just a randy bloke looking to get a girl in the sack?" He rose a brow.

She laughed. "You already got the girl in the sack."

"Three times," Remus said the words through a cough, and then pretended like he was clearing his throat but she looked up and saw the amazingly smug look on his face that could rival that of James during a Quidditch match.

"Yes, well done, you," she laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I think I earned an OWL," Remus shrugged.

"Lose the ego and I might consider you for a NEWT," she smirked.

"So we're really okay?" He pulled away from her to look into her eyes. When she smiled, he leaned forward and kissed her sweetly. "No weirdness?" He asked, hoping that he hadn't done anything to ruin their friendship or whatever it was now.

"No weirdness," she smiled. "Strangely no weirdness. I think in twenty years we'll look back and laugh at the fact that there's no weirdness," she could just imagine that awkward conversation. The fact that he would grow up to become her Professor would certainly add to the tension in the room.

"You do that a lot," he said observing her while running his knuckles up and down the flat plain of her stomach, watching closely as her skin shivered in response.

"What's that?"

"Say 'In twenty years...' like it's some goal you've got in your head. Where exactly do you think you'll be in twenty years that you add everything up to it?"

"I'll be with you, and Sirius, and . . . everyone else," she smiled sadly. "Family, friends," she nodded thinking of everyone back at Grimmauld Place in the future. "I see the war over, and you with a wife and family, and Jamie's family..." she frowned as the thought of Harry came into her mind.

"_You _don't have a family?"

"_You're _my family," she smiled.

"I love you, Mia."

"I love you, Remus."

"Round two?"

She burst into laughter and he leaned over, snatching the noise right from her lips with his own before rolling over and pinning her beneath him, grinning when her leg hitched itself up against his hip.

"Don't you mean round _four_?"

"Semantics," he chuckled and leaned down, placing a kiss to her throat and smirking when he heard her gasp.

"How are you _not _exhausted?" She said through short breaths.

"Wolf thing," he whispered against her skin, slowly moving south, placing kisses against her collarbone and in the valley between her breasts.

"I thought you were very . . . animal," she chuckled, at the thought and then whimpered as his lips reached her navel, her fingers moving immediately into the depths of his shaggy hair.

"My wolf likes you," he mumbled against her stomach.

"I like your wolf," she admitted with a grin, licking her lips as her eyes closed.

Remus sighed and she felt his head rest on her hip. "Why can't _you _be my mate?" He whined. "You're perfect."

"No," she smiled. "Your mate will be perfect. I just happen to be a close runner up."

"Close?" He grinned and she she felt him move lower once more, his hot breath on the skin of her thighs.

"Mmm," she whimpered. "Very close."

"How close?" He growled and Mia quivered against the grass.

"Very close!"


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Honeydukes gift certificate for **Fluffpanda**!

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I'm so happy that the reviews for the last chapter has been positive. I was really nervous about posting my first lemony scene. For the record, please check the warning. From this point on all chapters have the potential to include limes and lemons. I do not change the warning for each and every chapter so keep that in mind when reading. To answer a few questions: **PhoenixChanger**, no Mia will not feel the effects of the scars as they reappear, but they will still cause problems for her. **ordinary vamp**, James will eventually find out about the specifics of Mia and Remus' relationship, but when... who knows? Oh, I do. LOL!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty-Three: Just Enough

_"...Heart beats fast  
__Colors and promises  
__How to be brave?  
__How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?..."  
__(A Thousand Years - Christina Perri)_

* * *

**December 19th, 1975**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

"What do you want for Christmas?" Remus groaned the question into a pillow on his four poster bed. The full moon was the night before and he was extremely sore and exhausted even though it was nearing time for dinner and he'd been in bed all day.

The night before had the four Marauders and Mia in the Shrieking Shack. Though James and Sirius had suggested letting Moony out a little to run through the forests, Remus had been insistent that they keep him properly shut away until he felt in complete control, which he admitted might not _ever _happen. Drinking the Wolfsbane Potion the week prior helped him stay in control. Having four Animagus friends around him during the full moon kept him calm. Knowing that once recovered from the Hospital Wing, he would have a naked girl waiting for him in his bed made the full moon nearly worth it.

Though they'd officially put an end to their romantic relationship the night they'd lost their virginity to one another, Remus and Mia didn't tell a soul. It certainly made it easier when the pair of friends were occasionally caught snogging on the couch in the Common Room, or sneaking off to empty classrooms and dark corridors by their friends - with the exception of James and Sirius of course. Despite knowing that their stories ended with different people, Mia and Remus had found a safe solace in one another. He would use her during his more aggressive moments as the full moon approached, allowing him to wear himself out a bit which helped control his temper. She would use him to fulfill the most important rule in the guide that his older self had left for her, enjoying life.

The day after the full moon was a day of recovery. After his potions and healing in the infirmary, Remus would return to the dorms requesting the need for sleep. His understanding friends - who had all caught up on their lack of sleep during the morning hours - would vacate the room to allow the werewolf to recuperate. The moment the other three boys were off to the Quidditch Pitch where they always ended up, Mia would slip into the boys dormitory and sneak into Remus' bed where they would shut the curtains and put up the strongest of silencing and locking spells.

The days before the moon, anyone searching the dark alcoves of Hogwarts would find Mia pressed up tight against some rough surface as she coaxed the animal out of Remus, nipping at his lips and neck and roughly pulling at his hair while he drove into her, growling behind gold and amber eyes as she moaned, "Harder," into the shell of his ear. He still hadn't lost control with her, and Mia almost wished that he _would_. It was hard to say no to Remus ever, but his aggressive side was becoming addicting and she felt guilty that Remus would feel anxious and worried after the rougher moments they shared together, nervous that he'd end up hurting her. She didn't dare tell him how much she enjoyed it.

The day after the moon found them lazily making love beneath the comfort of clean sheets, tracing the lines of his scars, kissing away the new scrapes, and falling asleep in one another's arms with whispers of, 'I love you' on their lips. Remus and Mia were the perfect safety net for one another. The ability to express and feel love in a way that kept them free from heartbreak. Remus didn't have to be alone while he waited decades for his mate to suddenly show up in his life. Mia didn't have to force herself to deal with the issue of her bond with Sirius and the future where she knew he was waiting for her the day after her nineteenth birthday.

They could use each other to escape their entwined futures with other people.

And they used each other well.

"You _still _haven't gotten me a gift?" Mia scoffed teasingly as she sat straddled over the back of Remus' bare legs, her soft hands gently rubbing his strained muscles, sore from the transformation the night before. His taut back muscles were littered with various scars that she found surprisingly beautiful as though they told the story of his character. Mia leaned down and pressed her lip to each one affectionately. Beneath her Remus smiled, his eyes closed as he let out a satisfied sigh.

"Haven't had a chance to do much shopping," he admitted. "I'll have to stop by Diagon Alley sometime before Christmas. That is unless you just want your present to be a repeat of today," he chuckled.

"I hardly think I can open _that _in front of my parents and brother come Christmas morning," Mia smirked and squeezed his shoulders, smiling as the look of pain crossed his face for a moment but then edged away swiftly and he relaxed further under her touch.

"Do you want something..." he thought for a moment. "Boyfriendish?" He asked with a raised brow. "We haven't told anyone. I don't want your parents to think poorly of me, like I'm inconsiderate enough to buy you something ridiculous like candy."

"You're _not _my boyfriend," Mia shrugged. "You are under no obligation to do anything of the sort," she all but insisted. "Just because we didn't take out a page in the Prophet announcing our torrid breakup," she rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean we're hiding our sudden lack of relationship."

"_Aren't _we?" He rolled over and looked up at her, his soft green eyes met her chocolate brown ones, and despite their abundant lack of clothing, he kept his gaze on her face.

"Not exactly," she frowned. "I mean, we're not correcting people when they still assume we're together but..."

"I think you're scared," Remus admitted. "You're worried that if we start telling people that we're not together that they'll..."

"Find out we're still shagging and think I'm some scarlet woman?" She said sarcastically with a mocking tone that sounded oddly similar to Mrs. Weasley.

"No," Remus chuckled. "I think you're afraid that once Sirius knows we're not together, that he'll be forced to make a decision about you, and no matter what choice he makes, it terrifies you."

"I'm a Gryffindor," she glared down at him as though the accusation of her being afraid was the lowest thing he could ever say to her.

"You told me that the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin," Remus challenged her.

"It was just trying to rile me up," she snarled. "That's besides the point. I am _not _afraid of Sirius." To try and change the subject, Mia rolled her hips over him and grinned when he let out a low keen. She could feel him stirring beneath her and she smirked over the thought that she could so easily silence the werewolf with such a simple gesture.

"No, you're in love with Sirius," he countered, fighting back the urge to take her again so soon.

Mia sighed. Maybe she _wasn't _so talented at shutting Remus up.

"You're worried that he'll find out we're not together and he won't tell you that he loves you as well." He could see it in her eyes when he said the words. Truth. "And he probably won't," Remus said bluntly. "Because he is _just _as terrified as you are."

"I'm pretty sure we made a rule to not talk about Sirius while we're naked," Mia said firmly and Remus rolled his eyes.

"_I_ have sex with you to work out pent up aggression. _You _have sex with me because you're hiding," he accused her.

"I have sex with you because I _love _you," she stared down at him.

"And I love you, but you know it's different. It would be different if I were Sirius," he glared at her.

"Jealous?" She teased, trying to ease the tension.

"Hardly," Remus laughed. "_I'm _the one you're on top of, aren't I?"

"And what if it was suddenly Sirius?" She asked him point blank. A part of her worried that Remus wasn't being entirely honest with her. This was their safe place, here in the arms of one another, and she knew that Remus would be alone for years. A part of her didn't want to pursue anything further with Sirius because she didn't want to leave Remus by himself. She didn't want her friend, _her heart_, to be alone.

"I would be happy for you," he promised and she frowned as she saw the sincerity in his eyes. "I would be cautiously watching him, making sure he wasn't screwing up. Your happiness would bring me happiness."

"You'd be alone," she frowned.

"Not that our time together isn't anything short of well... mind blowing," he smirked. "But I _did _manage to get along before we started shagging," he chuckled. Mia smirked down at him seeing the wonder of a confident Remus who would have blushed at this conversation not two months earlier.

"He's wounded," Mia finally broke eye contact with a sigh. She hated how easily Remus saw into her during times like this. When the two friends-turned-lovers were caught in a moment of passion, it was helpful that he knew her so well. He paid close attention to the way her eyes clouded, the slightest gasp on the edge of her lips or the small twitch of her nose. But in the aftermath when she felt vulnerable and exposed, he saw right through her and brought everything to the surface forcing her to address her issues.

"So are _you_," he reached up and took her hand within his own, tugging it forward until she fell on top of his chest where he then wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I don't know why you are, or what you're always holding back, but I can see it. Smell it," he sighed.

"I don't know how to deal with him at _this _age," she admitted, hoping to change the subject from her own apparent wounds that he could see. Mia worried what would happen when the scars of her past began to _literally _come back to haunt her. How would she explain them, especially to Remus who had seen all of her perfect, unblemished flesh?

"You're the same age," Remus pointed out.

"No we're not, you said so yourself. You and I are different. Sirius is... a child right now," she said bitterly. "He's spoiled and thinks he can get away with anything, he pouts when he doesn't get everything he wants, and he refuses to open up to me - or anyone - about his problems," she turned and looked up at him. "I could never be intimate with him, not now, not like..." and she gestured to the small space between them. "Not like _this_."

"Do you know what you're problem is?" Remus asked her, tracing his fingers up and down her spine. "You try to get everything right on the first attempt," he nodded. "You're so brilliant at Charms you can alter them to create your own. You brew Wolfsbane with ease, and from what you told me about it, one mess up and _I'll _be the one that suffers. You became an Animagus in six months while it took Sirius, James and Peter three years. And for a Pure-blood that's never taken Muggle Studies, you're astoundingly knowledgeable about things that I don't even know, and _I've _got a Muggle mother. Everything is easy for you."

"Are you saying Sirius wouldn't be easy?" She rolled her eyes.

"To get into bed? You'd barely have to blink your eyes at him," Remus scoffed. "But to break through those defensive barriers he puts up around him? It could take years," he admitted. "And you don't like that he doesn't just open up to you. That it's not as easy as magic."

"Not _everything _comes easy to me," she pouted, arguing with him in order to avoid the real issue. "I'm rubbish at flying."

"Maybe you should challenge yourself then."

oOoOoOo

**December 24th, 1975**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Christmas Eve at Potter Manor found everyone in wonderful spirits. The Potter parents had decorated the entire house, much to the great displeasure of Tilly who wanted to do it all on her own. James and Mia were happy to be home from Hogwarts, enjoying the company of family and friends, as Sirius was a very near permanent guest at the Manor, and the entire Lupin family had come by to enjoy the festivities with the few friends they had left in the Wizarding world.

Presents had been exchanged with bright smiles around the largest Christmas tree in the whole Manor. The Potter parents as per usual doted upon their children, as well as their guests who all - save for Sirius - struggled with the lavish gifts that were given to them. By the end of the night Remus had more chocolate than he could possible carry, which was helpful that Mia's gift had been a new school bag with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Remus gift to Mia had been a beautiful Phoenix feather quill and new rolls of parchment, and as usual James and Sirius got new broomstick servicing kits. James had the A.D. communicating Galleon that Mia had made with a Protean Charm turned into a necklace for his sister, and she in turn - as a gift - offered to allow him to teach her how to fly. Sirius also presented Mia with jewelry in the form of mismatched earrings. The left, a sterling silver silhouette of a cat; the right, a golden image of a fox. Mia in turn presented Sirius with a gift of her own creation. A plain, but beautiful, silver chain that had been charmed as an emergency Portkey.

"Touch it and say Portus," Mia instructed. "And it'll bring you right back here," she smiled at him. She knew Sirius had issues with his family, and after their encounter with Bellatrix at Narcissa's wedding, she realized that at some point in the future, Sirius was going to need a safe escape. She frowned at the thought that he could have used this gift while in Azkaban.

"It's great," Sirius had smiled softly at her. "I'll wear it always," he promised and slipped the chain around his neck. "If it's for emergencies though, what if I don't have a wand to activate the charm?" He asked curiously and Mia grinned.

"What do you think we'll be working on in A.D. when we get back to school?" She said with a devious smile.

"You don't know wandless magic," Sirius whispered incredulously.

"A little," she shrugged. "A very powerful wizard taught me," she smiled at the memory of her and an older Sirius standing in front of a tent late at night. Harry slept on inside, the Horcrux locket around his neck while his godfather and best friend stood out, side by side in front of a fire, the young witch desperately trying to freeze the flames, and the wizard doing so with great ease, all wandlessly.

"Does anyone want some more pumpkin cider?" Mia asked as she stood to go into the kitchen, excited because for her Christmas gift from the house-elf, Mia had asked Tilly to take the night off. Begrudgingly Tilly agreed, allowing Mia a bit of free run of the kitchen.

"Thank you dear," Dorea smiled at her daughter and a few other hands were raised.

"I'll help," Sirius said as he stood to follow her. Before either could make it toward the kitchen however, they appeared suddenly stuck in place.

"What the..." Mia blinked, a slight look of fear crossed over her as she realized she was trapped in a near two by two box next to Sirius.

"Uh oh," James laughed and pointed up.

Hanging above the pair was a hovering charmed mistletoe.

"Who did it!?" Mia turned and glared at James.

"To be fair," James held his hands up. "I set several mistletoe loose back before you told me Evans changed her holiday plans and wouldn't be coming over."

"Tricking a girl into kissing you won't win her affections darling," Dorea amusingly reprimanded her son while Charlus couldn't help but stare at Sirius and his daughter.

"Take it off, James," Charlus instructed.

"Can't," James shrugged. "Only one way to get out of it," he almost laughed and then looked over at Remus who seemed to be preoccupied with seeing how many things he could fit inside his new bag.

"Sorry Remus," Sirius shrugged his shoulders at his friend with a smirk. "You heard Prongs, only one way out." He seemed amused at the clever tactics of his best friend and he wrapped his arm around Mia, brushing the hair from her face with gusto. "You might want to look away while I ravage your woman, Moony," Sirius teased.

"It's fine by me," Remus shrugged with a smile as he looked up at Mia and Sirius. "She's a free witch," he said and Sirius blinked as he turned and watched as Mia's eyes widened, glaring at the werewolf.

"What do you mean, free witch?" Sirius asked, and suddenly everyone's attention was on Mia.

"We broke up," Mia admitted, casting a scathing look at Remus.

"What did you do?!" James turned on his friend, glaring him down.

"Jamie!" Mia snapped. "He didn't do anything, other than out my single status just now," she huffed. "We broke up months ago. It was perfectly amicable," she insisted.

"We're better as best friends," Remus smiled up at her. "Not meant to be."

"How come you didn't tell anyone?" James blinked, confused over the fact that he'd never even noticed a change between his sister and friend.

"Wasn't your business," Mia shrugged. "Plus there was no drama and we knew once it got out there would be rumors going around," she rolled her eyes. "I had no desire to fight off the stories that would certainly reach my ears declaring that I'd broken the heart of the handsome Gryffindor Prefect."

"How come _you'd _be the heart-breaker?" Remus asked with a laugh.

"The girl is _always _to blame," she shrugged her shoulders. Mia knew from experience that when it came to rumors and gossip, she would always be the one in the wrong. She was surprised that her face wasn't plastered across the Daily Prophet by now. Then again, Rita Skeeter wasn't a reporter for them yet. "Can I get out of this please?" She asked Sirius who still had his arm around her as she pointed up at the mistletoe.

Somehow, he'd lost the confidence he'd had only moments earlier when he thought Mia was safety taken. Now single and leaning comfortably in his arms beneath an enchanted mistletoe, Sirius swallowed his anxiety over the thought of kissing her now. He released her frame, and cleared his throat, leaning in and brushing his lips lightly over hers. It was feathery to the touch, barely ghosting over her skin and it still left her breathless. Neither bothered to close their eyes as it happened so fast, but she gazed into the storm grey irises in front of her, seeing as they momentarily bled silver. She inhaled the moment he came so close and she smelled it all... parchment and grass - like Remus smelled - but also Firewhisky, leather and the lingering hint of tobacco that should have disgusted her had she not grown so accustomed to his scent.

It had been enough to break the charm.

It had been enough to leave her painfully wanting more.

It had been enough to reignite something deep inside of him.

It had been_ just enough _to pluck a tiny gold string that connected their magic.

Walking away from one another was painful but Mia forced herself to pretend nothing was amiss. Bringing the cider back to her family and friends, only two pair of eyes caught the mild distress in her face. Remus, who shook his head and looked away from her, and Dorea who seemed to be examining her daughter, searching for answers without asking. Slytherins could be intimidating when they wanted to be.

oOoOoOo

**January 6th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

The new year brought with it a new world it seemed.

James and Mia returned to Hogwarts both wearing matching slings. She'd fulfilled her gift to James and the moment the two of them mounted his broom everything went south. Both Potter siblings ended up crashing into the orchards, each breaking an arm. Despite repairing the breaks with potions and magic at St. Mungos, they were forced to wear the slings under the insistence of Dorea and Tilly, until they were both fully healed.

Peter came back to Hogwarts looking sickly and haunted. They'd read in the paper that his father, Evan Pettigrew had been arrested for suspicious behavior in Knockturn Alley, and though he'd been released later on for lack of evidence, Mia knew that this was the beginning of the end for Wormtail. If Peter hadn't been involved in the dark arts before, he was now connected to them through his father.

Lily stepped off the Hogwarts Express in tears after Mulciber and Avery called her a Mudblood to her face and Snape stood by, averting his gaze in front of his friends. Lily wasn't prone to emotional outbursts like that, but Mia knew this had been building over a long period of time. Soon Snape and Lily would break permanently, and everyone but Lily would have seen it coming since the Sorting Hat had placed her into Gryffindor.

Sirius returned to school with a new nervous habit - though he'd certainly kept up with the smoking and drinking over the holidays - fidgeting with the silver chain around his neck whenever he was anxious or worried. He'd not sent one owl to his friends since leaving Potter Manor Christmas morning to return to Grimmauld Place, but Mia could tell something was severely wrong. Instead of stepping off the train and fighting his brother Regulus, the two Black siblings had scarcely looked at one another, and when they did, Mia could see something almost close to worry in Regulus' eyes.

It unnerved her to an extreme level, and when she found Sirius sitting alone in the Common Room the night they'd all arrived back at Hogwarts, fiddling with the chain around his neck as though he were already contemplating using it to escape back to Potter Manor, Mia took a seat beside him and smiled. He hadn't rolled over into her lap for well over a year, not since she and Remus became serious, but he looked like he needed comfort, and so silently she tugged on his arm, letting him tip to the side to lay his head against her thighs as she ran her fingers through the black silk of his hair.

Instead of returning to the Common Room with his friends the night after returning to Hogwarts, Remus had been pulled into the Headmasters office to speak privately with Dumbledore. Mia worried of course that perhaps the two had been caught in one of their private moments and someone had outed their torrid affair, but when Remus met up with them the following morning, they didn't need him to tell them what was wrong once the owls brought in the morning paper.

_'WEREWOLVES ON THE MOVE IN SCOTLAND - IS HOGWARTS SAFE?'_

"It's not me," Remus promised his friends, a look of shame and sorrow on his face.

"We know that, Moony," James insisted, putting a comforting hand on his friends shoulder. Mia reached across the table and took Remus' hand in her own and from the corner of her eye she could see Sirius fiddling nervously with his silver chain.

"We're with you every moon," Sirius finally muttered. "You've never even left the Shack once."

"You... you can't be with me anymore," Remus whispered. "Not for a while at least," he looked down at his empty plate and when Mia moved to get him food, he held up a hand and shook his head. "Not hungry," he mumbled and Mia frowned. "Dumbledore knows it isn't me, but some of the staff know about my... my condition and they're nervous," he huffed. "So they'll be watching me over the next couple of months. At least until the other wolves are caught."

"Are they sure it's werewolves?" Peter asked. "I mean, there's been... D-death Eaters spotted lately," he cleared his throat nervously.

"It's wolves," Remus nodded. "There've been maulings," he frowned at the word and Mia squeezed his hand tighter. Remus swallowed hard and his face seemed to pale. He stared ahead at his and Mia's connected hand, deep in thought, and he winced a little as he subconsciously scratched at his shoulder where she knew the deepest of all his scars rested.

Mia's eyes widened as she realized that Remus wasn't worried.

He was afraid, and Mia gasped as an image crossed her mind.

_Fenrir Greyback._


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda** gets an Outstanding on her NEWT in Beta-ing

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I know we left on a dark note last chapter, so here's something a little light-ish. **Leafey**, everyone wants her with both Marauders I think (hands? LOL). **catchmydrift95**, glad to have another Bespoke Witch fan with us. I think we need a name for ourselves! **apriljunemay**, Remus will still get his Wolfsbane. If Hermione can brew Polyjuice in a bathroom in second year, Mia will definitely not let Remus go without Wolfsbane. Unfortunately, the four animagi won't be with him in the Shack for a few moons I think.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty-Four: Besotted

_"...Ring the alarm  
__I been through this too long  
__But I'll be damned if I see another chick on your arm  
__Won't you ring the alarm?..."  
__(Ring the Alarm - Beyonce)_

* * *

**February 14th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

"Where the hell have you two been?!" Sirius called out as Remus and Mia approached the breakfast table that Saturday morning. Remus looked terrible despite having taken his Wolfsbane all week. The full moon was the following night, but knowing that his friends wouldn't be able to be there with him had taken a toll on the young werewolf. Despite Mia's multiple attempts to help him relieve some tension together, Remus was still strangely distant.

"Hospital Wing," Mia muttered. "Remus had a... headache," she said quietly realizing that they were in mixed company as Mary, Alice and Frank had joined the Marauders. Lily was surprisingly missing, but the sorrowful look on James' face at the end of the table told her that something had happened. "What did he do?" She asked Sirius with a frown.

"Broke his hand," Sirius chuckled.

"What?!" Mia shouted and rushed to her brother. "Jamie, are you okay?"

"What? _This_?" James looked up at her with sad eyes, gesturing to his hand. "Hurts a hell of a lot less than my completely shattered heart," he moaned and flopped his forehead flat against the table with a loud thud.

"What did he break his hand on?" Mia looked up at Sirius who was still laughing.

"Diggory's face," he answered.

"Amos?" Remus rose a brow. "Aren't Hufflepuff's generally a little on the... pacifist side?"

"They are," Sirius nodded as he filled his plate with an assortment of breakfast items, and then being the doting friend that he was, did the same for James, pushing the plate in front of his sorrowful friend. "But Prongs asked Lily to go to Hogsmeade."

"So? That's not unusual. He asks her to go to Hogsmeade anytime he's allowed to, and any other time he's not," Mia shrugged her shoulder, taking a seat beside her brother and affectionately ruffling his messy black hair, smiling a bit as she could just imagine a bird taking up residence right in the center of it.

"He bought her a gift," Sirius said, gesturing to the small velvet box on the table. Mia gasped at the tiny, unwrapped gift.

"Jamie please tell me Grandmother Black's opal ring isn't in here?" Mia winced and reached for the box. "You know Mum said if you tried to steal it again she would put a hex on it and all your hair would fall out," she shook her head, unable to think that the hex might be an improvement. When she opened the small box, she couldn't help but smile a little at the sight.

A pair of silver earrings similar to the ones that Sirius had given to her for Christmas, only instead of a fox and a cat, the silhouettes were of a stag and a doe. Mia's heart warmed at the sight. Though she'd known what Lily's Patronus would be long before her redheaded friend ever actually cast it, she couldn't help but smile brightly in the Room of Requirement the moment Lily completed the charm. A brilliant silver doe emerged from the tip of her wand and pranced around the room, exciting the eyes of every member of the A.D. but no one more than James whose heart leapt at the sight before immediately casting his own Patronus, a noble stag.

James had been beyond elated at the pair. Lily had looked positively confused and took extra steps to avoid James at all costs in every A.D. meeting as well as class. Mia knew the gesture James was trying to send Lily was amazingly sweet, but she couldn't help but understand why Lily could react poorly.

"Oh Jamie, these are beautiful. But you should have known how she'd react," she frowned.

"She didn't _get _them," James mumbled into the table followed by a string of curses and other unintelligible words that Mia struggled to make out.

"What?" She looked up at Sirius for clarification. He seemed to speak fluent 'pouting Prongs' better than anyone else.

"While the earrings _are _beautiful," Sirius smirked. "Though highly unoriginal," he said, winking at Mia when he noticed she was wearing his gifts. "She never _got _them," he shook his head. "Poor Prongsie got up, asked the lovely Evans to go to Hogsmeade..."

"I was going to give them to her in Madam Puddifoot's," James bellowed as he sat up, a large red mark on his forehead from hitting it against the table. "She would have loved them," he said and then put his forehead back down. Sirius sighed and patted him on the back.

"She said no," Sirius continued. "As usual," he added. "And when Prongs tried to be a little more convincing, Evans said she already had a date."

"Amos?" Mia asked with wide eyes and Sirius nodded.

"That explains the broken hand," Remus muttered as he leaned the side of his head against the table, listening to the conversation while nursing his headache and sore muscles thanks to the approaching moon. Mia frowned at the look on his face and looked up to Sirius, nodding at him and gesturing to a large plate of muffins sitting next to him. Sirius silently understood, reaching for the chocolate one on top and passing it over to his werewolf friend who managed to grunt out a thank you before picking the treat apart.

"So Jamie punched Amos?" Mia asked.

"Pretty much," Sirius shrugged. "Then Evans slapped him in the face and called him a hotheaded cretin. Then she told McGonagall what Prongs did, and the poor old boy's banned from Hogsmeade for the rest of the year."

She couldn't help but think of Harry and how he'd clearly gotten the trait from his father. Harry always had a short fuse, and while not nearly as bad as Ron, he never had the ability to let things go. He was always so quick to take the bait when provoked by people like Draco, or in some cases, his own friends. Mia was just glad that Sirius and Remus didn't ever play on her brother's weaknesses.

"Oh Jamie," Mia frowned. "That temper of yours is going to get you into trouble."

"It already _did _by the looks of it," Remus muttered.

"So just the three of us then?" Sirius asked.

"Three of us what?" Mia looked up, smiling as poor Remus - despite being so ill - still shoved a bowl of porridge in front of her. She gently patted him on the head in thanks for the effort, silently telling him there was no need.

"Hogsmeade," Sirius answered.

"I'll be in bed," Remus answered. "Not feeling up to sitting up let alone walking all around the village. You two go," he insisted, and Mia caught a sudden change in the tone of his voice. She turned and looked at him and couldn't help but wonder if he was up to something.

"How about it, kitten?" Sirius smirked. "Come to Hogsmeade with me?" He winked.

"Umm... okay," Mia answered, a bit on edge considering he was in such a good mood which was drastically different from how he returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays.

"It's a date," Sirius grinned.

"You sure you don't want to go?" She turned and looked back to Remus who was smiling softly, picking chocolate chips out of his demolished muffin and eating them by themselves.

"No, no," Remus replied. "You two go and have fun... by yourselves. Enjoy the holiday."

"What holiday?" Mia asked, but before anyone could answer, the owls flew into the Great Hall carrying an assortment of envelopes, boxes and packages. A few letters fell in front of Remus, but he pushed them aside, ignoring them immediately. At least ten envelopes and three small rectangular boxes were dropped in front of James, a few landing on his head and falling to the floor, but he didn't appear to even notice. Then one by one over a dozen owls hovered over the Gryffindor table, showering Sirius with letters and boxes of all shapes and sizes - most of which were pink or red.

"Oh no," Mia paled.

"Yes," Remus smirked up at her. "You my dear Mia, just agreed to go to _Hogsmeade_, on a _date _with _Sirius Black_... for _Valentine's Day_."

"I didn't _mean _to," she hissed down at Remus quietly while Sirius collected his many deliveries, separating them into stacks. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" She glared at Remus. "Is that why you've been... avoiding me?" She asked him curiously.

"I figured if he was going to smarten up, this weekend would be an opportune moment," he shrugged.

"Do I look like the kind of girl who can be swept off her feet by roses and candy hearts?" She sneered.

"I'm being as considerate as I can be right now, but don't try my patience by asking me what kind of girl you look like," Remus stared at her and she quickly noticed the change in his eye color. "I of all people know what it takes to sweep you off your feet," he sat up for the first time since sitting down at the table just to whisper into her ear. Mia did her best not to blush, but was failing. "But you'll notice, Sirius presented you with neither roses or candy hearts, just the request that you accompany him to the village."

Mia huffed, silently admitting defeat.

"What is all this anyways?" She asked Sirius who now had two stacks of what clearly appeared to be Valentine cards, and over thirty assorted boxes of candy.

"The usual," Sirius shrugged. "Alright, are we ready?" He asked. "Peter get over here," he motioned to the short friend. "Prongs, I know you're heartbroken and Moony's under the weather, but I really don't think Frank isn't going to be enough if this gets bad."

Mia watched curiously as both Remus and James sat up, moving from their seats to relocate on either side of a very nervous looking Peter. Frank sat beside an anxious looking Alice and an amused looking Mary.

"Am I missing something?" She asked.

"Oh that's right," Mary giggled. "You and Remus went down to Hogsmeade early last year and missed the deliveries," she grinned and looked up at Sirius who managed to find a perfect balance between smug and annoyed. "Sirius got a load of gifts last year on Valentine's Day too, only he wasn't smart enough to inspect them all," she burst into laughter.

"What happened?" Mia blinked. "I remember last year. Remus and I were running an errand for Dumbledore and were supposed to meet you three," she gestured to James, Sirius and Peter. "At the Three Broomsticks for lunch but you never showed."

"That's because they were locked in our dorm all day long wrangling Sirius," Remus smirked and Sirius turned and gave him a scathing look in return. "He was still completely nutters by the time I got back."

"What happened?" Mia repeated the question and everyone turned and looked at Sirius.

"Someone slipped me a love potion," he scoffed. "It was no big deal."

"No big deal?!" James yelled wide eyed, the first lively thing he'd done that morning since Mia had arrived. "You punched Peter in the face because you said he was keeping you from your true love, a third year Hufflepuff you'd never even met!"

"You tried transfiguring a bag of Galleons into a diamond ring so you could go and propose marriage," Peter glared at him, clearly still not happy about being punched a year earlier.

"They're exaggerating," Sirius pouted.

"Am I exaggerating when I say that when I walked in the dorm room, James and Peter were trying to get your clothes back on you because you said that you couldn't possibly wait a minute longer to ravish your blushing bri..."

"Exaggerating!" Sirius snapped. "Can we please ignore the past and get a move on?" He growled under his breath and his three friends all shared a laugh at his expense. Mary and Alice were giggling, and Frank was shaking his head at the sight. Mia looked annoyed.

"Poor you," she rolled her eyes. "It must be so awful to have girls literally throwing themselves at your feet," she glared at the envelopes and boxes. "Or on our breakfast table as it clearly appears to be."

"Green is a good look on you, kitten," Sirius leaned across the table and smirked at her.

"You are incredibly presumptuous," she narrowed her eyes. "So what's your little plan of getting through all your fan mail?" She asked.

"Peter tastes tests all the chocolate," Sirius shrugged. "James and Remus keep him in check to make sure he doesn't end up accidentally betrothed to some Slytherin strumpet on my behalf."

"And you're willing to do this?" Mia stared at Peter who simply shrugged. She rolled her eyes. _Of course Peter would do this. _He had no backbone whatsoever. She couldn't believe his Animagus form wasn't an earthworm. "Why don't you just throw the chocolate away?" She finally asked.

"Because it's not _all _tainted," Sirius answered, with a tone that had an underlying 'duh' to it.

"And it's worth all this trouble?" She queried.

"It's not for _me_," Sirius shrugged and turned to look at Remus who appeared slightly abashed by Mia's sudden stare. She rolled her eyes so hard she nearly went cross eyed in the process.

"Really?" She gaped.

"It's a _waste _to just throw it all out," Remus snipped.

"You lot are utterly astonishing," she shook her head. "Fine, let's get on with this nonsense," she waved her hand as if she were giving her express permission for the four boys to continue.

The first box was opened by Peter since Sirius refused to even touch it, James was wounded and Remus was still ill. The long red box wrapped in paper with tiny pink hearts on it was tied with a golden ribbon that reminded Mia a little too much of the crimson box she'd been gifted by Remus for her nineteenth birthday. The box containing the time-turner. Naturally, the reminder made her nervous as Peter opened the top of the present, revealing an assortment of chocolates inside.

"Any sign of evil tampering?" Sirius asked, peeking over James' shoulder as though he were waiting for the box to explode. James in turn retrieved a card attached to the box and opened it carefully, watching as nearly a pint of glitter mixed with tiny pink and red paper hearts fell out of the envelope and onto his lap.

"I wouldn't eat _any _of these," James cautioned. "This letter is... graphic," he blushed and made to hand the letter to Sirius, but Mia reached out and snatched it from his grasp with narrowed eyes.

_My Handsome Black Lion,_

_Come to Ravenclaw Tower tonight. The answer to our door's riddle is 'Water'. My bed is up the stairs, fourth on the right. I'll be wearing nothing that you can't lick off me._

_Callista Hitchins_

"Who the _fuck _is Callista Hitchins!?" Mia snapped viciously as she finished reading the letter, her face reddening. The Marauders all went wide eyed, but Remus seemed to have an amused grin on his face knowing how unbelievably territorial the witch could be with _him_, let alone someone she knew she was supposed to be with.

"The future Mrs. Peter Pettigrew, that's who!" Peter shouted and made to stand up, his eyes glazed over and chocolate smeared on his open mouth as he began frantically searching Great Hall. Both James and Remus reached up and took a hold of one of Peter's shoulders, holding him down.

"Told you this one was tainted," James chuckled. "Bin it," he said, passing the box down to Frank whose job it was to toss the poisoned pile.

"Are any of them anonymous?" Mia seethed.

"No," Sirius shook his head. "They all seem pretty intent on making sure I know who they're all from," he chuckled in amusement.

"Mary, do you have a quill and parchment?" She asked. "I've left my bag in my room."

"Umm... sure," Mary said nervously, reaching into her bag and pulling out the requested items for her friend. "Do I even want to know?" She asked. "You've got that scary look in your eye, Mia."

"I _love _that look," Sirius grinned, his grey eyes darkening.

Despite being completely distracted, Peter was given another box to unwrap as they had little time to get through the large stack of gifts seeing that Sirius fully intended on taking Mia down to Hogsmeade, but he wasn't going to miss watching Peter humiliate himself just a little for the sake of being on time.

"Do you think Callista would like these?" Peter asked, his eyes misty as he chewed on one of the chocolates.

"Sorry mate," James grinned. "These are clean and therefore belong to Mister Moony," he smirked and passed the box to the side where Remus began a small collection, replacing Peter's empty plate with a new box.

"Ooo," James chuckled. "Another card. Aww, Pads, she wrote you a poem."

Sirius grabbed the card before Mia had a chance to and he chuckled, reading it aloud after clearing his throat, "_Roses are red, violets are blue. Meet me in the Dungeons, for a right seeing to_." The entire table - sans Mia - burst into laughter.

"Who was that?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Umm," Sirius looked at the bottom of the card. "No idea. Kathleen Birchgrove. Name doesn't ring a bell," he admitted, handing the card over, watching curiously as Mia passed the envelope over to Alice while writing the name down on her list.

"Well this one's not so bad," James smirked, passing the box of candy over to Peter who immediately began eating it while James looked over the card. "Seems like something _you'd _write, Mia," he teased and Sirius grabbed the card.

"_This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath_," Sirius smirked. "_May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet_."

"THAT!" Mia shrieked. "Is Shakespeare!" She snatched the card violently out of Sirius' hands. "It is uncreative, pretentious and I wouldn't be caught dead quoting some thieving wizard imposing as a Muggle poet!" Her eyes lit up and her hair sparked in fury.

Remus immediately burst into laughter so loud that he had to bury his head in his folded arms and lean forward on the table, one arm eventually going to grasp at his side as he continued to howl.

"Shut up, Remus!" Mia snapped.

By the end of breakfast, Peter had confessed his eternal love for seventeen individual witches from three of the four Houses in Hogwarts. It seemed Gryffindors knew better. He attempted to propose to ten of them, and began trying to take his clothes off during the last three boxes of chocolates he was forced to sample. By the time Frank had thrown every last tainted treat in the bin, Remus had Peter in a full body bind, and for the sake of their friends dignity, James had placed a strong Silencing Charm on him to keep him from singing sonnets to a few confused Ravenclaws who'd come over to take a peek at Sirius' Valentine's stash.

Mia had a list of seventeen girls that had tried to slip Sirius a love potion. In addition to Callista Hitchins, nearly eight other Ravenclaws joined the stack including Sophia Buckley, Mirabella Ellis, Abbie Snow and Adelia Chapman. A small collection of Hufflepuffs - who Mia thought too sweet to do something so devious - included Heather Hopkirk, Ophelia Shaw, and Lavinia Sheppard. There were even some Slytherins including Bonnie Penrose, Kathleen Birchgrove, Ambrosia Mablethorpe and even the infamous Elora Zabini.

Mia was fuming and she was very much lacking the strict sense of morality that Hermione Granger had once possessed. The Sorting Hat _did _try to put her in Slytherin after all.

"Give me all the cards," Mia instructed. "All the ones that tried to poison him," she reached her hand out fiercely to Alice who had been collecting the pink and red envelopes.

"I'd hardly call it poisoning," Sirius rolled his eyes. "A little pushy, but..."

"Pushy?!" Mia growled out the words, hair sparking leaving small scorches on the Gryffindor table. "Give me the cards, Alice!" She shrieked and took the small stack.

She placed the pile of envelopes in front of her and glared down at them, muttering a silent incantation and waving her wand over the bundle. They glowed dark red for a moment before disappearing from sight.

"Mia?" James stared at his sister. "Do I want to know what you just did?"

"Better yet, do you need an alibi?" Remus rose a brow.

"I just returned them to the sender," she shrugged her shoulders.

One by one, each letter magically appeared before the girls across the Great Hall. The Gryffindor table fell eerily silent as they watched and waited for any sign of explosion as the cards had been returned and re-opened. Upon opening, instead of the original Valentine inside, there was a small untraceable note that read: '_Love Potions are Immoral and Banned at this School'_.

But as if the notion of being caught sending love potion tainted chocolates weren't enough, one by one seventeen girls began screaming, their shrieks of horror echoing off of the surrounding walls and vaulted ceiling. Covering their faces, the girls dashed toward the exit, but a few stopped, tears in their eyes to turn and look in the direction of the Gryffindor table where they met the shocked expressions of James, Peter, Remus, Frank, Alice and Mary. Mia however looked full of righteous anger, and Sirius sat wide eyed.

"You're horrible!" One girl screamed, running out of the Great Hall in sobs and Mia growled, her eyes turning a bit amber as her inner Animagus stirred.

The formerly beautiful brunette Ravenclaw, along with sixteen other girls had their faces horribly disfigured by a series of red and purple pustules spread across their foreheads, spelling out clearly the word: 'SLAG'.

Those who were in the A.D. knew exactly who had set the jinx upon the many girls, so Mia knew her time was limited if she wanted to stay ahead of the rumors - true or not - that she had cursed her fellow students. "I'll be going to the Hospital Wing," she explained with a calm tone of voice as the rest of the Gryffindors stared up at her in silence.

"I'll collect an antidote for Peter," she said, and the struggling boy seemed to dislike the idea of being forced out of love with one Elora Zabini. "Don't worry," she rolled her eyes. "I'll tell Madam Pomfrey how to take the jinx off of them," she sighed a little, irritated that she needed to. She knew back in her original timeline, the _sneak _Marietta Edgecombe still bore the scars of her betrayal of Dumbledore's Army. But this, Mia could admit, had been a little extreme. She merely needed to make a point.

No one messed with what was hers.

"We still on for Hogsmeade?" She asked Sirius.

"Fuck yes," Sirius said, an excitement in his tone as he grinned up at her. Mia smirked and turned away, walking out of the Great Hall toward the Hospital Wing. James turned slowly and glared at Sirius.

"Can you calm the hell down?" He snapped. "That's still my sister!"

"I've never seen her so furious. I can't help that her hair sparking turns me on," Sirius smirked, looking completely besotted.

"Knock it off, Padfoot!" James growled and punched Sirius in the arm with his broken hand. "Ow!" He yelped loudly, and Remus chuckled, reaching into his bag and pulling out an extra pain potion, handing it over to his messy haired friend.


	45. Chapter 45

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Do you love **Fluffpanda** too? You should.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. I really wanted to bring up the whole Sirius Black obsession that the girls of Hogwarts have gone through, while at the same time showcasing Mia's darker side. I've always been a believer that Hermione would have done well in Slytherin. She's so damn cunning and volatile. I love that you all seem to agree with me and love the jealous and dangerous side of Mia Potter. Posting this chapter early because I have an old friend coming to dinner tonight, an ex actually who happens to be best friends with my husband (yes, I had my own rebellious youth and my own versions of Remus and Sirius, though not nearly as lemony LOL) so I won't be able to post the chapter tonight. Lucky you! **multipass22**, this will be a very long fic. To give you an idea of how long, I am currently in the process of writing Chapter 72 and that's still in Part Two of the story, barely touching into their 7th Year at Hogwarts. There are still quite a few chapters after that and then there's Part Three to get into. I'll be with you lot for a while.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty-Five: Incredibly Stupid

_"...Are you aware of what you make me feel, baby  
__Right now I feel invisible to you, like I'm not real  
__Didn't you feel me lock my arms around you  
__Why'd you turn away?..."  
__(Losing Grip - Avril Lavigne)_

* * *

**February 14th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

"Am I incredibly stupid?" Mia frowned as she stood in front of the full length mirror in the dorm room she shared with Lily, Alice and Mary looking over her outfit of choice.

She had yet to fully adjust to the Muggle attire of the 1970's, and it was rarely a concern considering she wore her robes and uniform at school, and at home all of her clothing was made by Tilly. However, the older she got, the more she was forced into shopping trips with her female friends which always seemed to land them somewhere in Muggle London. Over the summer Lily had all but insisted that Mia purchase the tightest pair of denim bell bottoms that possibly ever existed. Mia paled at her reflection, shaking her head and laughing at the fact that she looked almost identical to old photos of her Muggle mother. Her ensemble came complete with a flowy blouse, the only jewelry she ever wore was the charmed Galleon necklace James had given her, the earrings from the younger Sirius, and the goblin forged bracelet from the older Sirius.

"Stupid for what?" Lily asked. "You look amazing by the way," the redhead grinned as she slipped herself into a dark blue pantsuit, her long red hair curled slightly and hanging over her shoulders.

"I look ridiculous," Mia frowned. "These are too tight. Why do trousers have to be this tight?"

"It's the Muggle fashion," Lily explained with a smile. "You Pure-bloods are so much fun," she chuckled a little as she helped Mia with her belt, ignoring the withering glare Mia was sending her. "Besides, I never see you complain about tight pants when boys are wearing them."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mia blushed.

"Oh please," Lily laughed.

"Now..." Mia sighed. "Am I incredibly stupid?" She asked again.

"Are we talking about you cursing twenty girls in the Great Hall this morning for hitting on Black?" Lily asked her using her Prefect voice. Mia rolled her eyes.

"It was seventeen," she scoffed. "And they didn't hit on Sirius, they tried to poison him!" Mia sighed and smoothed down her blouse. "Besides," she took in a slow deep breath to calm herself. "I already gave the counter-jinx to Madam Pomfrey. They'll be fine." Properly cautioned, but fine.

"So your self imposed stupidity must be in regards to your rumored date with the infamous Lothario?" Lily asked with a raised brow, trying to be playfully teasing, but she frowned when she saw the hurt look on Mia's face. "Oh Mia, I was just kidding," she grabbed her friends hand and pulled her over to sit on the bed beside her.

"I'm not good at this, Lily. I can't look at him and not think about..." Mia frowned.

"His past?" Lily winced.

_The future_, Mia thought, but said nothing.

"Does it upset you? The gossip about him?" Lily asked.

"No," Mia said, surprised by her answer, but then again she'd known the older Sirius' reputation long before she'd ever been sent back to the 1970's. "What bothers me is that he's unreliable. I can't trust that he'll tell me the truth. He's all sarcasm and jokes and while it's endearing - slightly," she rolled her eyes. "He's not open about anything. It scares me."

"You dated a werewolf for a year," Lily pointed out.

"Yes! And I'm more afraid of bloody Sirius Black!" Mia shouted. "What the hell does that say about me?"

"Probably that you really like him," Lily frowned. "And you're afraid of getting too close and getting hurt. Do you think he'd hurt you?"

"He can't," Mia frowned thinking about what her mother had told her about the soul bond and how she and Sirius would be incapable of truly harming one another. Although, she knew that's not what Lily meant. "I've known Sirius for years," she said, avoiding the specific number. "And he's always bordered this strange line between protector, friend and... and something else."

"Is he the reason you and Remus broke up?" Lily asked, her brows furrowed.

"Yes," Mia admitted. "And no. It's complicated," she sighed and put her face in her hands.

"Uncomplicate it," Lily smiled.

Mia stared at her friend. "I don't think I can," she almost laughed at the idea of confessing her secrets to the redhead. Telling her all about how she was sent back in time by an older Remus who had a wife and child, but never mentioned that he'd dated her in the past. How Sirius was dead, and how she'd brought him back to life thus provoking an ancient and rare bond that tied the two of them together. _Oh and you're also my best friend's dead mother, and his father aka your husband is my current brother_, Mia thought and laughed a little. "Let's just say that Remus and I weren't meant to be."

"Do you really believe in soul mates?" Lily smirked.

"Lily, there are some things that as a Muggle-born you're going to need to open your mind up to," Mia said and then silently laughed, realizing how pissed off she would be if someone had said that to her. "Werewolves have mates. I am not Remus'," she stated clearly. "If I was, believe me, I would be with him."

"Oh," Lily frowned. "Does he know..."

"Who his mate it?" Mia shook her head. "It's rare that werewolves ever find them. I believe she's out there, but he's not so sure."

"So that means he can't be with anyone else?" Mia could see the sadness in Lily's green eyes and she couldn't help but smile at the pure empathy in their depths.

"He can, it's just... I don't know. He's described it as knowing that perfection is right there, but not being able to reach it. Like trying to scratch an itch on your back. You can stretch and contort yourself all you want, and it might feel good, but if you can't reach that one spot, then it's a little frustrating," she winced at the thought, wishing she could tell Remus the truth so he didn't have to worry about his future and think that he'd never find his true mate.

"That's awful," Lily shook her head. "Poor Remus. But how does Sirius fit into this?" She asked.

"You could say... our magic is compatible," Mia shrugged not knowing how else to explain it without confessing too much. Dumbledore had cautioned her to keep her secrets for the safety of others, and if there was anyone she wanted to keep safe just as much as her boys, it was Lily Evans. She knew of course in the end what would happen, but if there was one thing Mia wasn't going to chance it was the eventual birth of Harry Potter.

"I think you should give it a chance," Lily blurted out. "If the only reason you're holding back is because you're scared, then that's not very Gryffindor of you," the redhead stated firmly. "So..." she took in a deep breath and Mia couldn't help but smirk at her sudden gusto. "Suck it up! Get your tiny little arse in those tight little trousers downstairs and have fun on your date!"

"Your optimism is both infectious and incredibly irritating," Mia smirked. "Speaking of dates, how's Amos?" Mia chuckled a little and Lily glowered.

"He'll live. Your brother on the other hand..."

oOoOoOo

**The Entrance Hall**

Downstairs, James was pouting by the front doors of the castle as the other students began filing out to leave. Remus was already upstairs in his bed resting up for the full moon tomorrow night, and Peter was in the Hospital Wing - apparently seventeen love potions required more than one simple antidote. James would have been on the Pitch, except he had come to see Mia and Sirius off.

"Do _not _snog my sister," James said fiercely. "Do _not _touch my sister's arse. Do _not _touch my sister's waist. Do _not _touch my sister's..." he huffed. "Do _not _touch my _sister_," he demanded.

"What if she slips and falls and hurts herself?" Sirius smirked. "You expect me to just leave here there on the ground? That's not very gentlemanly of me."

"You are not a gentleman, Padfoot," James glared. "Hence this little speech."

"I remember the speech you gave to Moony, I think I can switch out my name for his and we can be done with this," Sirius chuckled.

"You get a different speech, arsehole," James snapped. "My sister will not be another notch in your bloody bedpost."

"So little faith in me, Prongs?" Sirius said with a light hearted voice, but his grey eyes had narrowed.

It was moments like these that made him regret every one night stand and quick shag in the broom closet he'd ever taken part in. Sure when it happened it was helpful in burying the shitty feelings he felt inside of him. Shagging Muggle-borns and half-bloods always made him smile a little as though he were somehow ruining the Black family name in the process. The short sweet moments he shared with random girls helped to make him forget that he'd eventually have to go home where he was constantly reminded of his duties to his family. His family who did nothing but tell him what a worthless piece of blood-traitor trash he was. Good for nothing. Well, Sirius knew that there was at least _one thing _he was good for, and he had a list of girls to verify it.

Over Christmas holiday his parents sat him down and told him they were in the process of looking for his future bride and suddenly the scandalous nights with random Ravenclaws stopped being fun. He'd turned sixteen in November, and his mother had bitched and moaned about how Sirius should have been marked for the cause over Christmas, but their guest of honor had business elsewhere. Sirius didn't want to know who they were talking about, but he knew _exactly _what they meant when they said the word 'marked'. Most nights he struggled to sleep, dreading summer holidays when he knew he'd have to go home. Ridiculous days like Valentine's Day made him live in the moment, forget that he would have to face expectations of his family soon. He could be a stupid, impulsive teenager for now.

But James was quick to remind him that he could be neither stupid nor impulsive with Mia.

"Fine, I won't fucking touch your bloody sister," Sirius glared at his best friend.

"Wow," Mia scowled from the bottom of the staircase behind them. "Lovely way to start off our date," she said scathingly as she stormed past both boys, shoving Sirius in the shoulder as she moved. Lily, just behind her, gave James a burning glare as she pushed her way through the door, linking her arm with Amos Diggory as she reached him.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Sirius groaned. "Thanks for that, mate." He patted James on the back before rushing out the door to catch up with Mia. "Mia!" He called after her, but she didn't seem to be stopping. "Mia, fuck," he hissed as his dragonhide boots seemed to not have much purchase in the snow. "Kitten, will you wait up!?"

"Careful," she turned and glared at him. "Don't get too close. Wouldn't want to accidentally touch me."

"You know that was because of your bloody brother," Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'm apparently good enough to be his best friend, but a far cry from being worthy enough to even hold your damn hand."

"Do you really think Jamie is capable of just forgetting your reputation?" She asked him sharply.

"Considering how often he asks me for details, I'm pretty certain it's impossible. Unless you know how to Obliviate him for me," Sirius suggested with a smirk. "Look, you don't want this to be a real date, you let me know right now, kitten."

Mia said nothing.

oOoOoOo

**Hogsmeade Village**

"Why'd you and Remus break up?" He asked, splitting the silence between them that had lasted the whole walk down to Hogsmeade. The High Street was flooded with other students, mostly couples rushing off to Honeydukes or Madam Puddifoot's. Mia rolled her eyes at the sight and Sirius took notice and let out a laugh. "I'd have thought you'd be the romantic," he admitted. "Aren't you and Moony always quoting poetry at one another."

"Not always poetry," Mia argued, turning back to look at him. "And as for our breakup, I told you. We made better friends," she shrugged her shoulders.

"But you're willing to come on a date with _me_?" Sirius asked. "Does that mean _our _friendship isn't worth saving?"

"Where do you want to go first?" Mia asked, ignoring his questions.

"You lead," Sirius shrugged and began following her through the street. "So if you and Remus are better as friends, why do the two of you still sneak off together?" He asked bluntly.

"What?!" Mia turned, gaping at him.

"You and him are keeping something," Sirius stared at her. "I know you are. He sneaks off in the middle of the night sometimes, comes back into the room smelling like the soaps from the Prefect Bathroom."

"I imagine, he's leaving to shower then," she rolled her eyes. "What does that have to do with me?"

"You smell like the same soaps," Sirius pointed out and he felt a growl deep inside his chest aching it's way out when he noticed the skin of her neck flush at his words. "Taking trips together up to the private baths for a little post-breakup snog?"

"Green is a hideous color on you," she turned and snarled at him.

Sirius glared at her. "I don't share."

"I'm not _yours_," she countered.

"Funny, the way you cursed all those girls this morning seemed to say otherwise," he smirked at her, a smug look plastered across his face. It angered her. While he looked like her beautiful Sirius from the future, his cocky attitude made him look seem more like Draco Malfoy and the idea of that made her want to punch him.

"I would have done the same thing for Jamie or Remus," she insisted. And it was the truth. She just wouldn't have been so furious while doing it.

"So let's get some things in the air, kitten," he said as he continued following her, casting a dirty look at Snape while he watched the young Slytherin enter Dervish and Banges. "Are you pissed at me because I kissed you a few years ago and then walked off, kissed you last Christmas and then walked off, or because I told James that I wouldn't touch you?"

"None!" She snapped. "All!" She huffed.

"Godric, you're bloody frustrating," he sighed irritably. "When did you and I stop being able to just... I don't know? Talk?" He asked, reaching for her hand and pulling her around to face him. "We've been friends since we were eleven, Mia. And you seemed just fine with me for the most part the whole time you dated Remus. And now you're either pissed off at me all the time, or... petting my fucking head in the Common Room."

"Want me to stop?" Mia scowled.

"Being pissed? Yes!" Sirius yelled. "What the hell do you want from me?"

"I don't know!" She snapped. "I don't know," she repeated her words, this time in a whisper.

"Can you try and figure it out?" He asked sincerely.

"Learn Occlumency," she blurted out. "Learn Occlumency and I'll tell you everything."

"You're keeping secrets?" He asked with a mildly amused grin.

"All girls have secrets," she chuckled quietly.

The two made their way into the Three Broomsticks and Sirius tossed his usual charming smile up at the young bartender. "Rosie," he grinned. "Two of your best Butterbeers for me and the lovely lady," he said, ushering Mia into a booth with his hand rested on her lower back. Madam Rosmerta smirked at Sirius, rolling her eyes at his flirtatious nickname and charismatic words as she brought the teenagers their drinks.

The couple ate in virtual silence while Mia seemed to contemplate their situation in her head. Sirius gave her the time she needed, though he'd never offer such peace to any other girl who appeared to be all but ignoring him while on their date. After a long while, she looked up at him and smiled and the sparkle in her eyes had returned. It lit something inside of Sirius and made him grin at her. Not his usual flirtatious act, but a true grin. A genuine smile, and he gave it to her because in this moment he was actually happy.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Mia admitted. "I just... I feel like I'm having trust issues lately," she tried to explain but knew it was completely insufficient. Sirius smiled in return, not placating her with audible forgiveness as they walked back up the street. "Do you care if I stop in at Honeydukes? I promised Remus I'd get him some Chocolate Frogs," she smiled.

"Getting the ex presents while on a date?" Sirius teased. "You're not doing much for my ego here, kitten." He chuckled, and she smirked at him, knowing that he was only kidding. "Go on," he gestured. "I was thinking about heading into Zonko's myself."

"I'll just be a few minutes," Mia smiled and squeezed his hand, rushing off into the candy store.

"Was wondering if you'd show up," a light voice spoke behind him and Sirius turned to see Marlene McKinnon approaching him.

"McKinnon," Sirius nodded.

"You didn't answer my card this morning," she pouted, her blue eyes flashing. "Hurt my feelings," she smirked flirtatiously, tossing a hand through her long blond hair.

"If you didn't notice, I had quite the pile up of mail," Sirius chuckled. "I'm a popular guy."

"I see that," she looked around, noticing he was alone.

"My date's in Honeydukes," he explained.

"New girlfriend?" She asked.

"You know me better than that," he laughed. "When have I _ever _had a girlfriend?"

"I thought _I _came a little close," she leaned in, touching the collar of his robes. "Wouldn't you say? I thought what we had was pretty special."

"Special, sure," Sirius acknowledged, not wanting to hurt the girls feelings. "Fleeting, though. I'm not good with the commitment stuff. You know that," he shrugged his shoulders, hoping that it would shrug her off of him, but she seemed to hold on tight.

She stared hard into his eyes and Sirius groaned in irritation. He knew that look. It had been the look she'd given him the morning after he'd left her in front of the Shrieking Shack after their first snog. It was the same look she'd given him later when she saw him after their first shag - where he'd also up and left her. It was determination. Marlene McKinnon did not take rejection well and Sirius did not like needing to give a firm no to the girls that got a little clingy, but the Ravenclaw was pushing it as she leaned in much too close for his liking - at least for his liking while he was on a date with another girl. He tried to pull away, but pulled away much too late as Marlene leaned in and kissed him.

"Sirius?"

_Fuck._

He turned quickly, shoving Marlene off of him as he spotted Mia standing outside of Honeydukes, glaring ahead at the scene in front of her.

"_She _kissed _me_!" Sirius shouted, pointing at Marlene who looked pleased to have caused the scene. He turned back and glared at her and noticed a strangely vindictive look on the blond's face. "You planned this?" He snarled at her. "What the hell Marlene?!"

"See how _you _like being left alone!" Marlene huffed and then turned to walk away.

When Sirius turned back, Mia was gone.

oOoOoOo

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Room of Requirement**

Remus was too restless to sleep. Always before the moon he was exhausted and wide awake at the same time. The headache from that morning had edged itself away, but the lingering symptoms of unease continued to plague him. If there wasn't three feet of snow on the ground, he might have thought to go outside and run the energy off. As it was, he tried to force himself to relax, until he felt something hot in the pocket of his trousers and curiously reached down to retrieve the charmed Galleon that Mia used for their A.D. meetings. Looking at the coin, Remus raised a brow.

_'RoR? - MP'_

She wanted to meet in the Room of Requirement now? Worried that something happened, Remus stood and made his way over to Peter's bed and dug through his friends trunk, knowing that Peter never kept the Galleon on him - always afraid of accidentally spending it. When he found Peter's charmed Galleon in a pouch in his friends trunk, Remus noticed that there was no message on it. So Mia wasn't calling a group meeting. This message was specifically for _him_.

_'Your Date? - RL'_

Remus asked, charming the Galleon to relay the question to her.

A moment later he got a reply.

_'Need you - MP.'_

Remus sighed, shaking his head, already running through the list of how many ways Sirius had fucked this up.

Mia sat in the Room of Requirement while she waited for Remus. Sitting on the grass of the fake Forbidden Forest she made the room create for her, Mia tugged her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly, swallowing the emotions that had threatened to show since the moment she stepped out of Honeydukes. Or maybe before that. Before when they'd walked the High Street screaming at one another. Would that be her life? Fighting with Sirius?

"It's day," a voice called behind her and Mia turned her brown eyes to see Remus looking curiously around the room. "Normally when you turn the room into the forest, you make it night."

"I didn't want to remind you of the moon right now," Mia lied. The truth was, she couldn't bare to look at the stars.

Without another word she stood and rushed forward, running into Remus' arms that opened on instinct for her. She clung to him tightly and sighed with relief when she felt him nuzzle her neck and breathe her in. _Safe_. Here in his arms she was safe. No speaking necessary, Mia turned her chin up and pulled him down to meet her lips, trying to convey her need to the werewolf. This close to the full moon and their lack of affections all week, she knew that he would break easily and a part of her felt bad for it - but Remus didn't fight back in the slightest as he responded to her immediately, delving into the warmth of her mouth while his rough hands took her by the hips - hard - and tipped her backwards until she fell to the grass with him on top of her.

"Remus, please," Mia moaned as he pulled away from her mouth to stare down into her eyes. His eyes were gold and amber, and for a moment so were hers. She was dipping into her Animagus instincts. Remus knew that meant she was trying to escape something, and the human part of him wanted to help her work it out by talking, but the wolf was too strong and so he did what she requested. Tearing his fingers into the unbelievably tight denim surrounding her arse and thighs while she simultaneously pulled her blouse over her head, Remus shivered at the feel of her bare skin beneath his hands and grinned as he removed each and every last scrap of fabric from her form, leaving himself fully clothed in the process. She looked vulnerable, submissive, and the wolf growled, desperately pleased at the sight of her.

Mia looked up at him eagerly, and despite his amber eyes, the growl in his throat and his flaring nostrils - all the obvious signs that the wizard shifting above her was more Moony than Remus - Mia felt safe. She tried to reach for him, but he smacked her hands away as he undid his own buckle, taking full control. With no preparation or warning, Remus sheathed himself inside of her to the hilt and Mia cried out at the intrusion that caused a lustful mixture of pain and pleasure to churn inside of her body.

She closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the moment, ignoring the fact that she was doing exactly what she'd always accused Sirius of doing - using sex as a way to distract from pain and hurt. Despite the fact that her body was growing more tense with every thrust, Mia tried to relax into Remus' hands that were gripping her hips so tight she knew she'd be bruised come morning. There was nothing but the two of them and the sky and earth, save for the noises they both made. Remus was rarely one to speak during sex, especially this close to the moon when he offered to her his primal grunts and growls, but between her own gasps and building moans of ecstasy she heard him lace words between each thrust. Words like 'tight' and 'wet' and 'deep' and a very possessive tone when he groaned out, "Ours."

He hitched her leg over his hip and the new angle let him drive deeper, hit harder, and when he bottomed out inside of her, Mia fell over the edge gripping his shoulders and digging her nails into his flesh, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist and holding him against her and bringing him down quickly in the aftermath of her shattering, relishing the muffled sound from his lips that he cried into the crevice of her neck as his body went rigid above hers.

The moment she came down from her high, reality flooded back and somehow the intense physical pleasure she'd brought her walls down for, left her open and vulnerable and unable to stop herself, Mia burst into tears. Remus, naturally, reacted immediately. Pulling away from her and looking down into her face with guilt, Remus gasped. "Mia? Oh Godric, I didn't mean to... are you okay? I'm so sorry if I hurt you..." he tried to apologise but a look of confusion crossed his face when she shook her head and tried to snuggle further into him.

"Mia?" He asked, a tone of worry in his voice. "What did he do?"

She couldn't tell Remus the reason she was really crying. She had been upset at seeing Sirius kiss another girl - or as he claimed, another girl kissing _him_. She'd been angry over their fight and bitter about the way he always seemed to treat whatever relationship they had with such frivolity. But she wasn't angry with _him_.

She was angry with _herself_.

It was easy to be with Remus in this time, to be open with him because she had his letter to guide her. A letter where he begged her to not blame herself for what the future had in store. Remus didn't blame her for her not changing the outcome of the war. He didn't blame her for not saving his friends. He didn't blame her for leaving him alone for decades.

But Remus wasn't Sirius and it was hard to look at the raven haired wizard, to see the pain he was quietly suffering through because of his family. He was already turning cold and hard, and anytime he pulled away from her, closed himself off to her all she saw was a cold, angry face. Waxy skin and sunken eyes, and the long matted hair of escaped murderer Sirius Black. The man she met in the Shrieking Shack.

By not changing the future she would leave Remus alone and he forgave her for it.

But by not changing the future she would leave Sirius broken; twelve years in Azkaban.

Who could forgive her for that?

"Mia?" Remus asked her again, drawing her back to him. "Mia what did Sirius do?"

_Nothing_, she thought. _He's an innocent man._

But she had to tell Remus something, so she whispered, "McKinnon," knowing it made the most sense right now.

"That arsehole," Remus sighed and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, love. I pushed you into this too soon."

"Remus? I... I think something bad is going to happen to Sirius. And I don't know how to stop it," she frowned thinking of everything in the future. Sirius blasted off his family tree, framed for the murder of his friends, losing everything and everyone and trapped for twelve years.

"Mia, it's not your job to fix the world," he whispered softly, rolling off of her and immediately wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close up against him, moulding her back to his chest. "Sirius needs to figure out how to take care of himself," he insisted. Just then something burned in his pocket and Remus reached into his trousers, removing the Galleon and glaring at it.

_'Where's Mia? - SB'_

Remus remained silent, not wanting to disturb the girl in his arms who had finally stopped crying.

_'Our job! - RL'_

He sent back to his friend, reminding him of the oath they'd taken years ago. When Sirius didn't reply immediately, Remus sent another message to further his point.

_'You fucked up. - RL'_

It was several minutes before the Galleon grew hot in his hand again and when Remus looked down he saw the reply:

_'I know. - SB'_


	46. Chapter 46

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda** for Minister of Magic!

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I think it's hilarious how many of you wanted to slap Sirius after the last chapter. Just made me giggle a little. Don't worry, he was well punished for it but in a very James Potter in the moment kind of way that I've noted in the following chapter that takes place a month after the Valentine's Day meltdown. Now that I'm so far ahead in writing, I do have a question for you lovely readers... what sort of Lemony scenes should be added to the story? We've already had RoR moments twice, and I do have several other classic scenes written up, but I want to know what YOU want to read in the future (regardless of who Mia's partner is). Let me know either in a PM or in the reviews. I'm making a list to try and get some inspiration going because I don't want to repeat scenes and let things get boring.

Now, enjoy one of my favorite chapters in the entire story! The scene at the end of the chapter was planned all the way back when I was still writing Part One, so to finally be able to upload the finished product of a random thought in my head is awesome. I hope you all like it!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty-Six: Firewhisky and Honey

_"...Cause I may be bad  
__But I'm perfectly good at it  
__Sex in the air  
__I don't care  
__I love the smell of it..."  
__(S&amp;M - Rhianna)_

* * *

**March 13th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Room of Requirement**

It had taken a plethora of promises, pleadings and many called in favors to get Lily to look the other way when the Marauders brought in Firewhisky for Remus' birthday party, but the redhead finally relented after Remus pulled the 'sad lonely werewolf who only turns sixteen once' card. The only things she insisted was that the party take place on the weekend so that the preparations for upcoming O.W.L.s would not be disturbed, and the party take place in the Room of Requirement so that no younger years walked in on the older Gryffindors setting terrible examples for the future of the Wizarding world, especially the Prefects.

"A toast!" James shouted, pouring the first of what would surely be many shots of Firewhisky for the gathered group that consisted of only the fifth year Gryffindors. "To Remus," James grinned down at his friend. "Happy birthday, and many happy returns to you, Moony!" The crowd toasted to Remus and downed their Firewhisky, though Lily, Alice and Frank were more than happy with the Butterbeer that the Marauders had brought into the castle courtesy of Madam Rosmerta.

"I have a question," Mary asked. "I've wanted to know for a while now. What's with the nicknames?"

"What nicknames?" All four Marauders said at the same time, smirks on their faces. Mia began to chuckle quietly.

"Moony," Mary said. "Why do they call you that, Remus?"

"One time during summer holiday third year, Remus pulled his pants down in front of a group of Muggles," Sirius joked. James burst into laughter and Remus turned and punched Sirius in the arm, yelling, "I did not!" Everyone laughed.

"Okay," Mary snickered, red faced. "And Padfoot?"

"I have very delicate feet," Sirius said, winking at her as though stating the texture of one's foot soles were the ultimate pickup line. Mary in turn rolled her eyes and moved onto Peter.

"Wormtail?" She asked. "Honestly, how do you even _like _that name?"

"I'm not exactly a fan," Peter shrugged. "_They _picked it."

"Why?" Alice asked.

"Peter was born with a tail," James announced. "They had to cut it off when he was born. His Mum keeps it in a jar on the mantle," he snickered and both Remus and Sirius bellowed with laughter while Peter, wide eyed, denied the story in it's entirety.

"Care to know why we call James, Prongs?" Sirius asked Mary, a strange seductive tone in his voice as he waggled his eyebrows.

"Not with _that _look on your face," Lily scoffed. "It's probably just as equally disturbing as the rest of your stories, and there'll be just as much truth to it," she rolled her eyes. "Honestly Mary, you can't believe a word any of them say. Nothing but sarcasm, arrogance, and exaggerations."

"I exaggerate nothing, Evans," James grinned at her, the Firewhisky already helping him turn his love struck attitude into more genuine flirting. However, neither appeared to work on Lily, as she folded her arms and scooted closer to Mary, distancing herself further from James who only scooted closer to her in response.

The Room of Requirement was turned into a replica of the Gryffindor Common room, as Remus said it was one of few places in his life where he felt at home. Mia had been the one to work on the room while the girls collected treats from the kitchen and the Marauders snuck into Hogsmeade to acquire drinks. The only difference in the faux Gryffindor Common Room was a distinct lack of other students, and no stairs leading to dorm rooms that didn't even exist. A large table was provided in the center of the room where gifts, - all from Honeydukes - drinks, and food were laid out like a feast.

"I take offense at being called a liar," Sirius declared. "If _anyone _here is a liar, it's Mia," he smirked. "She almost ended up in Slytherin, do you know?" He chuckled and was glad when Mia smiled back at him, though her eyes were slightly narrowed.

After their epic failed date on Valentine's Day, Sirius had returned to the castle to find Mia had disappeared somewhere with Remus. Once the two had returned to the Common room, Sirius had apologised profoundly for what happened with Marlene, and Mia forgave him, hugging him tightly and apologizing as well, though she wasn't specific as to what _she _needed to be sorry for. They both admitted that a first date on Valentine's Day had been a bad idea, and that in the future they would just try to be casual about whatever it was that was happening between them. Remus had given Sirius the cold shoulder for a week. When James found out what Sirius had done on his date with Mia, being the good brother that he was, he broke Sirius' nose. Being the good _friend_ that he was, he escorted Sirius to the hospital wing where Sirius, being the good friend that _he _was, concocted an amazing story about a Fanged Frisbee flying into his face, the culprit having mysteriously escaped.

"You were almost a snake?!" Mary gasped at Mia.

"Yes," Mia smirked. "It's not a bad thing. My _mother _was a Slytherin for crying out loud and she's one of the best witches I've ever known," she insisted. "But that doesn't make me some sort of liar," she said, glaring at Sirius teasingly.

"There's one way to find out," he smirked. "I suggest we play a game!" He shouted enthusiastically, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small vial.

"You were serious?" Remus gaped at his friend.

"Aren't I always?" Sirius smirked.

"What's he talking about?" Mia asked.

"Veritaserum or Dare," James chuckled, pouring himself another shot of Firewhisky and then leaning over to refill a few empty glasses within reach. "A game the Prewett twins taught us. You put Veritaserum in a shared bottle of Firewhisky. Each round begins with someone issuing a dare to everyone. Each person can choose to perform the dare, or if they don't want to, they choose to drink Veritaserum. The person who issued the dare _then _gets to ask the table of drinkers _any _question."

"Any question _except _the truth of how we all got our nicknames," Sirius added quickly. "Those are absolutely off limits," he smirked. "The stories are better, trust me."

"Where did you get Veritaserum?" Lily asked, tossing a scathing look at Sirius who was already reaching for the second bottle of Firewhisky in the center of the table, opening it to add drops of the truth potion.

All four Marauders answered Lily simultaneously:

"I _brewed _it," said James.

"I _bought _it," said Remus.

"I _found _it," said Peter.

"I _nicked _it," smirked Sirius.

"I'm in!" Mary said with a delighted look on her face. "Come on Alice," she urged her friend. "There are things I've been dying to know about these boys," she giggled deviously.

"There are things I'd rather remain in the dark about," Lily admitted. "I don't want to play."

"Come on Evans," James grinned. "Are you afraid I'll ask you how often you dream about me?" He winked at her and Lily scowled in response.

"Fine," Lily accepted the challenge. "I'll play just so that I can set the record straight, once and for all. Then maybe you'll get off your bloody high horse."

"High horse?" James rose a brow. "Is that like a Pegasus?"

"Muggle phrase," Mia muttered to him.

"So we're all in?" Sirius grinned.

"I think this is a bad idea," Remus said, shaking his head.

"No you don't," Sirius insisted. "This is your birthday and therefore you think it's a brilliant idea. I promise," he grinned, adding the necessary drops to the bottle, following the instructions left to them by the Prewett twins. Too much and they'd all end up confessing their deepest secrets without provocation. Too little and it left room to sneak in a lie or two. "Now, each shot glass will have enough Veritaserum to answer one question, so each round you have to drink another shot."

"You realise we're both Prefects, right?" Lily asked, looking at Remus who only shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"I'll go first," Sirius grinned. "I dare everyone to take off their shirts!"

"So we're just easing into this then?" Remus asked sarcastically.

"How is _that _fair?" Mia snapped. "We've seen all you boys without your shirts on!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

"Then take the Veritaserum, kitten," Sirius smirked.

Mia hesitated. She knew this was a dangerous game. She knew too many things and had too many secrets that she could never divulge. A part of her imagined that in the worst case scenario she could easily stun them all and then ask Professor Dumbledore to Obliviate their memories, especially since she was pants at memory charms. However, she imagined that nothing too life altering would come out of this game since Sirius' intent was apparently just to see the girls topless.

"Fine," Mia agreed, pouring herself a shot of the laced Firewhisky.

"I'll take the drink," Lily said, reaching for the bottle after Mia, followed swiftly behind by Mary, Alice, Remus, Peter and even Frank. By the time all the drinks were poured, Sirius and James already had their shirts off, both grinning.

"You completed your own dare?" Mia scoffed at Sirius.

"Something tells me it's going to get hot in here," he winked at her and she rolled her eyes. "Everyone drink!" Sirius ordered, and one by one they all took their shots. Mia, Remus, Peter and Mary were used to the feel of Firewhisky by now, but Lily, Alice and Frank all started coughing as the liquid burned a path down their throats.

"Answer truthfully," Sirius smirked, as if they had a choice now. "Why didn't you accept the dare?"

"_That's _your first question?!" James looked at him wide eyed. "You can ask them _anything_, and you want to know why they didn't take the stupid dare?"

"I'm curious," Sirius shrugged. "Plus the good questions will come once we're all good and sloshed. Now answer the question."

"I don't want Jamie to see me topless," Mia answered immediately, realizing that she could have also included others in her answer, but the Veritaserum seemed to provoke the top most reasoning.

"I'm shy," Alice answered.

"I thought it was a stupid first dare," Mary replied.

"I didn't want Potter to pass out," Lily answered, glaring at both Sirius and James.

"I was just doing what everyone else was doing," Frank answered honestly.

"Same here," Peter answered.

"I don't want people to see my scars," Remus replied, mirroring Lily's glare at Sirius who suddenly seemed apologetic.

"Sorry mate," Sirius winced, looking at Remus.

"What scars?" Mary asked.

"I fell off a mountain," Remus answered immediately, glad to know that the Veritaserum had already worn off. Sirius was right, it only lasted the one question.

"My turn!" James said with a grin, staring at Lily beside him. "I dare you all to kiss the person to your left," he smirked as he spoke the dare, looking directly at the red head Prefect.

"Veritaserum," Lily answered immediately, glaring at James who instantly pouted.

One by one they all turned and looked to the person to their left. Mary laughed and leaned over, planting a quick kiss on Lily's lips before she had a chance to think twice. Alice, next to Mary blushed and reached for the bottle, muttering, "No offense," under her breath to her friend. Frank however was beside Alice and grinned, blushing as he leaned over to kiss his girlfriend who giggled at their rare public display of affection.

"You're really not my type, Pete," Remus said, staring at his friend with a smirk and then immediately reaching for the bottle.

"Sorry, Frank," Peter chuckled and grabbed his shot.

Mia looked to Remus who sat to the left of her and smiled. She had no problem with this dare, and she proved it by leaning over and kissing him gently and sweetly, _nothing _like what they'd done earlier that week when Mia and Remus had celebrated his _actual _birthday in the Prefect's bathroom. When they broke apart, Mia heard someone clearing their throat behind her, and she turned and looked at Sirius who was smirking at her.

"Hello lady on my left," he chuckled and Mia rolled her eyes, motioning with her hand to silently tell Sirius to get it over with. Sirius leaned in close to Mia, closing his eyes. Before their lips could connect however, James blurted out the question.

"Why don't you like me?" He asked, looking directly at Lily.

None of them had taken their drinks yet, so the table fell silent. Sirius groaned and sighed, knowing that this could get ugly since James had taken a fun game and made it instantly personal. Mood officially ruined, he leaned over and kissed Mia on the cheek to fulfill his part of the dare before turning back to his friend. "Ask a different question, mate."

"No," James insisted, his eyes a little glazed from drinking so much already. "Drink up, Evans," he gestured to her glass.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him and then took her drink, wincing at the burn of the Firewhisky. "I don't like you because you think you're better than everyone else. You never talk about _anything _but yourself unless you're embarrassing me. While you _are _talented at many things, you lack any form of humility, you're spoiled and refuse to take no for an answer, and you're mean to my friends!" She snapped.

The room fell silent as Remus, Peter and Alice drank their shots and both whispered something along the lines of, "I actually like you, James."

"Alright, someone else go and lighten this suddenly shitty mood. It's Remus' birthday for crying out loud!" Sirius snapped.

"I'll go," Mary grinned.

They all watched as Lily turned away from James, her arms folded across her chest and an angry look on her face. James meanwhile looked completely shocked, his face blank as he processed everything that Lily had said. Mia frowned at her brother, knowing that Lily's words were the truth, but considering how much James was drinking, she worried that he wouldn't remember enough in the morning to make necessary changes.

Half an hour later they were sufficiently plied with Firewhisky. Mary had still ended up topless at one point, much to the delight of Peter who had been a little sad when she'd refused to snog him on a dare. Alice and Frank were passed out in another corner, but not after confessing - under Veritaserum - that their shared worst fear was not surviving the war. Mia had swallowed back the bile in her throat, promising her friends that they would live - though she wasn't certain she could call the fate of Frank and Alice Longbottom really living.

The rest of the group - now sans Peter who too had reached his limit and collapsed into a large fluffy armchair in front of the fireplace - began repeating old dares knowing everyone would take the Veritaserum instead, finding that digging into one another's secrets was far more entertaining than watching Mia give Remus a lap dance at Lily's amused suggested dare. James informed Lily that her dares were uncreative and disgusting, and Sirius strangely agreed.

"Who was your first kiss?" Mary asked the group.

"Mia," Remus smiled at her.

"Amos," Lily admitted shyly and James did his best to ignore her.

"Sirius," Mia whispered.

"James," Sirius answered at the same time that James said, "Sirius."

"What?!" Everyone else turned and looked at the pair of boys.

"I don't want to talk about it," Sirius replied swiftly, pouring himself another shot of the untainted Firewhisky. James seemed to agree with the sentiment and poured himself another shot while the rest of the group laughed at the sudden discomfort between the two friends. It didn't last long as Sirius and James toasted glasses before downing their individual drinks.

Eventually the dares stopped altogether and the questions turned personal.

"Why did you curse all those girls on Valentine's Day, Mia?" Mary asked her friend with a smirk. "You've always been clever with your pranks, but that was just... something else," the girl laughed.

"Because it was sick that girls were trying to trick him into loving them," she rolled her eyes. "And if _any _of my boys choose to fall in love with a girl, that girl needs to be approved by me," Mia stated, trying her best to work around the truth serum without revealing her truest feelings for Sirius.

"So you're okay if Remus falls in love with someone?" Mary asked.

"Absolutely, but only if she's perfect for him," Mia smiled. "Until then, he's still _mine_," she chuckled as Remus pulled her into a hug, whispering, "Damn right," in her ear and making her blush. His hot breath on her ear sent a shiver down her spine and a familiar warmth pool in her belly. She was too caught up in something Mary was saying to her that she didn't catch the scathing look on Sirius' face as he watched Mia and Remus, nor the way his nostrils flared a bit, inhaling sharply.

"I dare Potter to go ride his broom around the Quidditch Pitch!" Mary declared, suddenly excited that she'd come up with a new dare.

"I've done that a thousand times," James stared at the girl, one eye half closed. "And for the record, I could still do it in my current state," he insisted, taking another sip of his drink, not even noticing that ten minutes earlier Mia had charmed James' glass to refill itself with water.

"I dare you to do it... naked," Mary smirked.

"Done!" James said with a determined look on his face as he stood up. "Evans, come on, you'll want to see this!"

"I _really _don't," she rolled her eyes. "You and Mary go ahead, I'm heading off to bed." She smirked at Remus, Sirius and Mia, leaning down to kiss the top of Remus' head. "Happy birthday, love," she smiled kindly before heading to the door, ignoring James who was still under the impression that Lily was coming to watch him fulfill his dare. As the door closed behind them, the three remaining friends sat beside a near empty bottle of Firewhisky. Sirius leaned forward and poured them each another shot.

"You're not going to watch Prongs?" Remus asked.

"Not this time," Sirius shook his head. "As funny as it'll be if he falls off, even _I_ don't want to see what'll happen if he gets splinters. Besides," he handed the glasses to each of his friends, watching closely as they drank. "I still want to play."

"I think we're done with the game," Mia admitted as she moved to sit up, forgetting that the drink in her hand that she was sipping still contained Veritaserum.

"How long have you two been shagging?" Sirius asked Remus and Mia, his grey eyes narrowed.

"Since Halloween," words spilled out of her mouth before she even realized the question and openly glared at Sirius.

"I _knew _it! I fucking _knew _it!" Sirius shouted and stood up, kicking the small ottoman over he had been resting his feet on, his eyes glaring at Mia as though she had betrayed him. "I could _smell _him all over you. I've been smelling it for months!"

"So what?!" Mia shouted. "_You_ go around shagging every Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and possibly Gryffindor that bats their eyelashes in your direction! I've never been with _anyone _but Remus. Is _that _your problem?" She snarled. "That I chose _him _and not _you_?"

"You _did _choose me!" Sirius snapped.

"And you didn't want me!" Mia yelled. Sirius could see her eyes glistening as tears threatened to overflow. He jerked his head back as her hair slapped him across the face as she spun on her heel and ran out of the room.

"You're such an arsehole," Remus stood and growled at Sirius.

"You told me you broke up on Halloween!" Sirius stared at Remus.

"We _did_," he answered, glaring at Sirius for tricking them. "Right after the first night we were together," he said. "But she's the closest to perfection I'll ever see until I find a true mate and..."

"And that makes it okay to fuck her without actually being her boyfriend?" Sirius glowered. "You're _using _her!"

"And _she's _been using _me _too!" Remus snapped, his eyes turning gold and amber. "She uses _me _to forget about _you _because you're too stupid to see that she wanted you first but you fucked it up!"

Remus had recently hit his growth spurt and now towered over Sirius. Stepping forward, he forced the Animagus to take a cautionary step backwards as Remus took over his ground. "So I go to her and I'm with her and I take care of her while she waits for _you _to figure out what it is that you bloody want from her! _I'm _there so she doesn't have to be alone, cause Merlin knows _you _never have to worry about that!"

"I haven't even touched another girl since..." Sirius tried to defend himself.

"Since Marlene on Valentine's Day?" Remus growled. "Yeah, Mia told me about that. Came to me crying her bloody eyes out. You are not supposed to hurt her! It's _our _job to protect her!"

"I _know _that Moony!" Sirius yelled, throwing his glass down on the ground and feeling a sense of short lived enjoyment when it shattered. "I'm trying!"

"How are you trying?" Remus glared at him.

"I'm screwed up, mate," Sirius sighed. "I'm... I'm protecting her from _me_," he admitted. "But fuck, I can't keep away from that damn girl. It's like she's... like she's _mine _and my body and soul know it, but my brain keeps telling me that I'm never going to be good enough for her. So I try and keep away because it's better. I wouldn't have if I knew she was just going to go running to _your _bed!"

"You stupid mutt," Remus snarled.

"Bloody fucking wolf," Sirius turned and glared up at Remus.

"Sort your life out, mate," Remus ordered his friend, a challenging look in his eye. "Get over this jealousy because until you make a final decision about Mia, _I_ am going to be there. _Anytime _she wants me..." Remus leaned in close and Sirius could see the wolf behind his friends eyes. "And she wants me... _often_," he growled low, his voice purposely provoking; a night of drinking doing neither wizard any favors to control their tempers.

"She wanted _me _first," Sirius declared. "She _wanted _me first, and she _kissed _me first," he grinned at the memory. "And I can still remember every detail. I bet her lips still taste like Firewhisky, don't they?" He smirked, attempting to ruffle the fur of the werewolf in front of him.

Remus merely grinned at the statement. "The _rest of her_ tastes like honey," he whispered and watched as Sirius' nostrils flared and the Animagus stormed away from his friend and out the door in a flurry of anger.

oOoOoOo

**Fifth Floor Corridor**

Sirius' plan was to track Mia down in the Gryffindor Common Room and give her a piece of his mind. He was angry with her and way too drunk to know that he didn't have any right to be, so he let his emotions carry him through the corridors. He didn't even make it back to the Gryffindor tower before he caught her scent on the air and turned, spotting her sitting in the corner of a dark alcove in the back of a corridor on the fifth floor.

She was crying and he could see the reflection of moonlight on her tear streaks as a large window cast down on her face. Sirius frowned and slowly made his way over to her, no longer determined to yell or scream, instead intended on apologising. Godric, he hated it when she cried. He swallowed hard as he approached her quietly, his grey eyes softened as he looked down at her.

"Mia..." he whispered.

When her brown eyes looked up at him, he didn't see the sadness he expected, he saw righteous anger flashing in the depths of her stare and he was so shocked at the sight and far too inebriated to react when she slapped him hard across the face, turning his head to the side from the strength of it. His head turned back slow and deliberate, a dangerous growl crawling its way out of his throat as he turned his storm grey eyes - now flashing silver - upon her.

She took in a sharp breath, a flurry of angry things on the tip of her tongue ready to fling at him, but she didn't have the chance to say a single one of them as he swooped in, stealing the words from her mouth and the breath from her lungs as he covered her lips with his own, lifting her in the process with his hands on her waist and slamming her up against the stone wall behind them. He ravaged her mouth almost violently, all lips and tongues and teeth, drinking in every bit of her. A part of him worried that the lingering drops of Veritaserum on her tongue, mingled with his own, would force him to confess his deepest secrets to her. Confess that he loved her, that she terrified him. Confess that he was worried she'd be used against him by his family, but it was painful _not _to touch her - to taste her at every waking opportunity.

But when she bit his lower lip hard enough that he tasted blood, and subsequently moaned his name he was reminded of who he was. Sirius Orion Black. And Sirius Black was selfish, impulsive, reckless and greedy, and damn the consequences! He needed the girl to know what she was doing to him and everything that he wanted to do to her.

Frantically, his hands glided down her ribcage to her arse, lifting her hips upwards, he pushed himself between her thighs and letting them wrap around his waist as he pinned her firmly against the stone wall behind her. Breaking his territorial marking on her lips, he gently pressed kisses against her neck as he tilted his hips forward, pressing his hardness against her core and whispering, "Do you see what you do to me?"

She whimpered in reply, Firewhisky and arousal coursed through her veins. She raked her nails through his scalp, grabbing a hold of his black, silk locks of hair and tugging, trying to pull him back to her lips, but Sirius resisted and the harder she pulled his hair, the tighter he gripped her hips and the harder he ground himself against her.

He let a hand wander away from her side, over her bare thigh, pushing the hem of her skirt up around her hip and he drew patterns across her skin, watching with egotistical amusement as her lips parted and she held her breath as though she were waiting for him to keep going. Snaking his fingers beneath the edge of her knickers, Sirius groaned and rested his forehead against her collarbone, breathing down against the lush skin of her breasts, which he was desperate to see but currently lacked the additional hands necessary to divulge her of her clothing while still touching her.

"Fuck," Sirius moaned, stroking his index finger softly over her slit, marveling at the silky, wetness that coated his fingertip. "Tell me, kitten," he spoke with a low, gravelly voice. He pulled away, pressing his forehead against hers to look into her eyes. "Is this for Remus? Or _me_?"

She didn't answer, and he chuckled. She was always so defiant, never the one to be bossed around. He wanted the answer she refused to give, but he relented in hearing it for himself when she mewled as he stroked the pad of his thumb upwards, circling her swollen and soaking nub of nerves. Her eyes opened wide and she gasped, her lips parting when he dipped a finger inside of her, curling it and stroking her from the inside.

"Fuck, you're so tight," he groaned, adding a second finger and grinning when she whimpered in response, her hands tangled in his ebony hair.

"Merlin, your eyes are the color of chocolate," he whispered, refusing to break his gaze. "But I bet they look like Firewhisky when you come."

And they did.

Something inside of Mia snapped and Sirius stole the cry from her lips as it tried to escape, taking it, claiming it as he'd claimed her climax for his own, feeling her tighten and pulsate around his hand, her nails digging into the back of his neck as he kissed her deep and hard. When he finally broke away from her, they were both gasping and he lowered her legs to the ground, but she refused to remove her hands from around his neck, her breath hot against his mouth.

Sirius slowly, deliberately, and without breaking eye contact with her, brought his fingers to his lips and watched her flush as he took one into his mouth, sucking her essence off of the digit, his eyes rolling in the back of his head.

_Fuck, if Remus wasn't right_, Sirius thought.

_She tasted like honey._


	47. Chapter 47

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: So much thanks to **Fluffpanda** who constantly corrects my errors.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Am I relieved that the last chapter was for the most part well received! Whew! Below you'll find the aftermath of the Sirius/Mia fifth floor corridor confrontation. Now to answer some questions: **ObsessedWithHP2012**, an extra chapter this week? We shall see. It all depends on what chapters I have ready to go and if I think it'll be a good one to start the weekend with. I'll look into it! As to why I'm not published, I'm guessing because I write fanfic and not my own fic. I do have my own memoirs that I wrote for NaNoWriMo several years ago that I haven't touched since they were finished. Should look into that eventually. **gypsyfurface**, I imagine that being through one war then another, and puberty twice has left Hermione/Mia with just as much baggage as Sirius at this point for certain.

There was also a guest reviewer who brought up the fact that (while being drunk is not an excuse) Sirius kind of took advantage of Mia in the situation in the last chapter. I honestly have to agree (though not in a... harassing or assaulting type of way) and that at this point in the story, Mia would be settling for the worst of Sirius Black. We have to remember that only is Sirius a hormonal teenager, he's also incredibly damaged, spoiled, very selfish, and incredibly confused. As is Mia who let's face it, is still in love with the idea of a future Sirius Black and struggles to see the two versions of the same wizard in her head and heart. It's all very complicated and no where near done! ;)

As we're approaching some formative years for the Marauders, try to remember that while some events would have been fun to see and read in other ways, I wanted to try and take different approaches to this time-turner story. Sometimes I fall terribly into cliches, and sometimes I take the long way to a destination. Hopefully my choices pay off in the end.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty-Seven: Supposed to be a Good Man

_"...Regrets collect like old friends  
__Here to relive your darkest moments  
__I can see no way, I can see no way  
__And all of the ghouls come out to play..."  
__(Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine)_

* * *

**March 13th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Fifth Floor Corridor**

"I'm not apologising for sleeping with Remus," Mia stated as she sat with Sirius in the dark alcove on the fifth corridor, the lingering scent of arousal hung in the air.

After he'd touched her, tasted her and brought her to blinding rapture with only his talented hands, Mia and Sirius fell to the ground, disoriented thanks to Firewhisky and the heat between them. He leaned to the side and dropped his head into her lap, ignoring the fact that he wanted to turn around and pet her some more instead of letting _her _pet _him_. But he kept his face forward, smiling when her fingers ran through his hair, softly this time, not pulling passionately as they had minutes earlier.

"Can you blame me for being jealous?" Sirius asked.

"No," Mia admitted. "But you still don't have a right to be."

"Do you hate me?" He asked her, a worried tone to his voice. "I know I got a little carried away there. Okay, _a lot _carried away. I didn't mean to… take advantage," he frowned feeling sick with himself.

"I think _I_ took just as much advantage as _you _did. I wasn't exactly complaining," she admitted. "And do I hate you after that?" Mia chuckled softly but then sighed. "A little. But not because of what we just did. I hate you a little because I know it meant nothing."

"What do you mean nothing?" Sirius sat up and stared at her, offended. "I came chasing after you. I tried to apologise before you bloody hit me and then..." he shook his head. "Merlin, Mia you know how I feel about you!"

"How?" She asked point blank.

Sirius froze.

"See?" She shrugged her shoulders. "_You _know how you feel, I know how _I_ feel, but you can't say the words."

"I have my reasons," he admitted sadly.

"Your family?" Mia asked and knew her answer when Sirius didn't reply and broke eye contact with her.

"I... I have to keep you safe," Sirius whispered. "It's like there's something inside of me... the deepest part of me that needs to keep you safe. It's always been there," he looked down, suddenly feeling vulnerable. "Since the first time I even saw you Mia. When Snivellus shoved you down, I just... I felt anger, something new trigger inside of me and I needed to make sure you were okay," he looked up at her. "That sounds ridiculous right?"

"No," Mia shook her head. "You've always kept me safe. You're my constant protector, Sirius," she whispered. She thought of a big black dog watching over her in a tent while her splinched shoulder healed. Of the same ebony furred beast leaping on top of the body of Bellatrix Lestrange, tearing at the witch's throat.

Mia reached out and gently touched his face. He looked like he was in pain the moment that her fingers grazed over his cheek. Mia knew he never received a gentle hand at home with his family, and she couldn't help but wonder if he bothered to intimately, gently touch all the girls he slept with over the years - or let them touch him like this. She thought of her older Sirius who spent twelve years in Azkaban, another on the run. One year trapped inside Grimmauld place and then alone, dead inside the Veil. Did he ever know kindness and gentleness the way that only Mia had shown him?

It broke her heart to think about.

"I have to keep you safe too," she cried quietly when Sirius turned his face into her hand, kissing her palm. She thought of Sirius falling off his broom over the edge of the Quidditch stands, laying broken in the Hospital Wing. Of an older Sirius trapped in a cell, waiting for the Dementor's Kiss. Pulling Sirius from the Veil and feeding him potion after potion to make sure he'd survived the ritual. She thought of throwing herself over his body while Death Eaters Crucio'd him and Voldemort turned the Elder wand on her.

"You don't understand, Mia," Sirius sighed. "I have to keep you safe... even if it's from me."

"You would never hurt me," Mia admitted aloud.

"No, but my family would," he looked up at her. "And until I know that they'd never be a problem... I don't know what I could ever be to you. I'm not good for you. I'm not good much at all."

"You are a good man, Sirius Black!" Mia snapped, pulling his face into her hands and kissing him soundly on the mouth as if she could force him to take back his words. He kissed her lovingly, gently worshipping the lips connected to his.

"One day maybe," he admitted as he pulled away from her. "But in the meantime... I can't..." he winced as he tried to let the words pass through him, struggling when they didn't.

"So then what was tonight about?" She asked.

"Me lacking any form of self control," Sirius laughed sadly, putting his head in his hands. "Merlin, it's like the same something deep down inside that makes me need to keep you safe also makes me need you. Fuck," he shook his head. "Mia you have no idea the things I want to do to you."

She took in a sharp breath that hitched in her throat and her cheeks warmed over.

"_That's _not helping by the way," Sirius groaned. "The sounds you make and the color of your skin, bloody hell I could smell you all night."

"I really wish you and Remus would stop doing that," Mia rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't act like you can't do it too. You're as much canine as I am," Sirius scoffed. Mia had the decency to look away from him, but didn't deny his accusation. "Is he the only one?" Sirius asked after a long moment of silence.

"Yes."

"Can you keep it that way?" He asked. "I don't have a right to ask, but I trust Remus, no one else."

"That depends," Mia shrugged. "Are _you _going to want me too?"

"Yes," he admitted right away.

"I'm not sleeping with both of you," she narrowed her eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that," Sirius scowled but then added. "Not _exactly _like that," he conceded as the thought rolled in his head momentarily. "Remus told me why the two of you are still shagging. He keeps you safe, not alone. Makes you forget about me."

"He shouldn't have said that," Mia frowned.

"I'm not going to have sex with you," he stated firmly. "It's too... it's crossing a line for me that I don't think I could ever take back. So, I don't want you to wait around for me if you... I guess, need someone," he frowned. "Be with Remus. But _only _Remus."

"No Gryffindors," Mia blurted. "Do what you have to do," she said with a bitter tone. "I'm not naive to think that you're not going to go off and keep shagging the school," she rolled her eyes. "At least until it's safe, like you say," she sighed. "But no Gryffindors. I don't _ever _want to hear about you with other girls in my own Common Room," her eyes narrowed.

"Done," Sirius nodded.

"And no McKinnon," she growled.

"Fuck, I will make an Unbreakable Vow over that crazy bitch," he promised her.

"And you need to apologise to Remus," Mia frowned. "I don't even want to know what the two of you talked about after I left."

"No, you don't," Sirius tried to rub the shame away from his face. "And I will. I promise. He's not going to stop being one of my best mates simply because he's shagging my..."

Mia stared at him.

"_Our _girl?" Sirius offered with a small laugh. She rolled her eyes in reply and Sirius laughed harder. "You know it's pretty much the truth. You've been ours for years, kitten," he smiled sweetly. "Mine and Remus', and to a lesser and not at all sexual extent, James."

"Thank Merlin for that," Mia blanched and then took in a deep breath, exhaling and letting the stress from her shoulders release after a long moment. "This feels like we're creating terms for some sort of pre-engagement," Mia chuckled at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Aren't we?" Sirius smirked. "We basically just created a short list of people we're each allowed to shag while the world rights itself creating a perfect situation for the two of us to finally be together," he shook his head. She was right. Ridiculous. "Which may or may not ever happen."

"It will," Mia smiled. "Even if it's not for another twenty years, it'll still happen. You think tonight will hold you over until then?" She laughed quietly.

"Fuck no," Sirius barked a laugh. "Speaking of which," he looked up at her. "You wouldn't be terribly inclined to return the favor, would you?" He smirked up at her.

"Absolutely not," Mia laughed, shaking her head as she moved to stand up. "I'll consider what you did an apology for tricking Remus and I into confessing our secret to you. We're currently even, Padfoot," she smirked and began walking back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Wait!" Sirius called after her. "We need to include one last, very important thing in regards to our... arrangement," he said, finding no other proper word for the relationship he shared with Mia.

"Never tell Jamie?" Mia rose a brow.

"Never," Sirius nodded.

oOoOoOo

**March 16th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Despite the regular meetings of the Assisted Defense group in the Room of Requirement - where the advanced students began learning basic wandless magic courtesy of Mia - they still had to attend official Defense Against the Dark Arts classes with Professor Higgs. The former Slytherin hadn't toned down his prejudices against creatures and beings he referred to as 'half-breeds', but thanks to enough complaints from everyone except the Slytherins, the Professor was no longer allowed to show graphic photographs of attacks, nor was he to refer to defense against any creature as 'killing'. Other than that, Defense class still felt less like Defense and more like a preparatory course for future Death Eaters. Mia would have bet money that had she not looked like a toad and both were incapable of human emotions, Professor Higgs would have fallen madly in love with Dolores Umbridge.

"Pair up!" Higgs announced the moment they arrived to class one Tuesday mid March. "Separate Houses," he added, eliciting groans all across the classroom. When the students refused to barely acknowledge one another save for Lily who out of pure habit gravitated toward Snape only to have him shake his head at her, the students came to a standstill.

"Abbot with Longbottom!" Higgs shouted, not in the mood to wait on the teenagers. "Belby with Brown, Zabini with Macdonald," he pointed his long skinny fingers at the pairs. "Lupin and Evans with the Carrows," he gestured. "Potter with Snape, no... _Miss _Potter," he corrected when James seemed overly excited about the potential of dueling his nemesis. "Mister Potter and Mister Black, I'd like you to pair with one another and I expect _actual _offensive and defensive measures to be taken this time," he glared at the two.

"What about me Professor?" Peter called from the back.

"Pettigrew? I didn't see you boy," he sighed irritably. "Wait on the sidelines until Longbottom inevitably faints or becomes otherwise incapacitated."

"Lily, watch out for Remus for me," Mia whispered to the redhead as both Prefects took their place opposite the Carrow twins. The morning before the full moon, Remus was barely holding himself together and if it weren't a danger to his fragile ego, Mia would have insisted that Remus leave class immediately and go to the Hospital Wing rather than to face off in a duel.

Lily seemed to understand and she smiled, nodding to Mia but before she could even face her own opponent let alone keep an eye on Remus, a hot spark snapped her in the leg. "Ow!" Lily shouted. "You're supposed to bow first!" She said to Alecto Carrow.

"I don't bow to Mudbloods," Alecto hissed.

All of the Gryffindors turned and looked to their Professor knowing there was no way possible that Higgs didn't hear the slur, but the instructor seemed perfectly content to ignore the word. When he did nothing, Lily turned her eyes to Snape who pretended not to have heard it as he stared daggers across the room at Mia.

"Some _friend_," Mia muttered at Snape and he appeared to have heard that for sure as his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Don't wait around all day!" Higgs snapped.

The only pair to actually offer a proper bow to one another were James and Sirius who were both more intent on watching their friends duel the Slytherins than face off against one another. The moment Higgs turned around and made his way to his desk to take a seat as he always did during practice duels, each Slytherin made the first attack.

_"Expelliarmus!"_

_"Stupefy!"_

_"Flipendo!"_

_"Verdimillious!"_

_"Petrificus Totalus!"_

_"Impedimenta!"_

The Slytherins all yelled, followed by a simultaneous echo from the Gryffindors of, "_PROTEGO_!"

Not a single attack landed.

Adrian Abbot and Damocles Belby followed proper instructions and Frank and Alice were able to have a proper practice duel, though both Gryffindors - being members of the A.D. - were levels above the Slytherins and easily disarmed them in the end. Frank, being the kind of person he was, walked across the room and extended a hand to Adrian to help him up before returning the boy's wand to him.

Seeing this somehow enraged the other Slytherins, and someone - Mia couldn't see who - threw a stunning spell at Frank, knocking him backwards and unconscious.

"Hey!" Lily yelled and made her way across the room to revive Frank, but before she could reach him, Alecto and Amycus attacked at once, sending a stunning spell each, only one of which was blocked by Lily, the other hitting her hard in the shoulder and knocking her to the ground. At the sight, something triggered in James and he left Sirius to go to Lily's aid, easily defending against the onslaught of hexes and jinxes that came his way. The Slytherins could have been throwing Cheering Charms at him for all the good it was doing.

"Evans, you okay?" James asked, and Mia caught a glimpse of Snape who sneered and aimed his wand at James' back.

"_Levicorpus_!" Snape shouted, and something snatched James by the ankle, giving a tug with the intention to levitate him upwards. Before James could even lose his balance however, Mia stepped in front of her brother and shouted, "_Liberacorpus_!"

"How did you know that spell!?" Snape yelled immediately, his black eyes glaring at Mia. "Where did you learn that?!" He bellowed.

"_Stupefy_!" Mia shouted in response, but it was quickly blocked by Snape.

"_Flipendo_!" Snape shouted, but Mia ducked the hex.

"_Serpensortia_!" Snape shouted, and a long snake erupted from the end of his wand, hissing and striking out at Mia. Sirius and Remus both stepped forward to help but she held up a hand to stop them aiming her wand down, amused at the irony of the situation with which she was faced.

"_Vipera Evanesca_!" She said and watched as the snake vanished in a puff of black smoke. The grin on her face only seemed to enrage Snape further, but he didn't attack. She watched him carefully, waiting for any sign but he made no move. The Carrows however did, and with Lily still unconscious being revived by James, the Slytherin twins each sent a spell at Remus who was distracted while watching Mia.

"_Impedimenta_!"

"_Stupefy_!"

Remus - in his current condition - being knocked to the floor by the Carrows was enough to distract Mia, and the moment her eyes turned away from Snape, he aimed his wand and roared, "_Langlock_!"

With her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, Mia was unable to verbally cast any charms. That was when Snape really attacked. "_Locomotor Wibbly_!" He called and Mia's legs collapsed beneath her. "_Expelliarmus_!" And Mia's wand flew across the room. Her brown eyes turned amber and she glared up at Snape.

"You son of a bitch!" Sirius shouted and rushed toward Severus, wand outheld but a sudden and silent shield flew up, blocking him from moving further. Sirius' eyes turned and caught sight of Professor Higgs holding his wand up with a smirk on his face.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor Mister Black for interfering," Higgs said. "Keep your distance," he instructed. "All of you. I'd like to see how this plays out," he chuckled at the sight of Mia, wandless, silenced and immobile from the waist down. "Finish your duel Mister Snape," Higgs insisted.

Snape looked confused at first, but then glowered down at Mia and raised his wand. His lip curled and there was a pompous flicker in his eyes as he began his spell, "_Stupe_-"

_Ginny, you'd appreciate this_, Mia thought with a smile as she cast her very first non-verbal Bat-Bogey Hex. Before Snape had a chance to finish his spell, he sneezed and then let out a loud scream as massive bat-shaped bogey crawled out of Snape's hooked nose, grew wings and began attacking him.

"_Finite Incantatem_!" James hollered and Mia let out a gasp as her tongue returned to normal and the feeling returned to her legs.

"_Accio _wand!" She yelled and her precious vinewood wand flew into her hands. "_Stupefy_!" She shouted and Snape fell backwards, hitting the ground unconscious.

She stood up and looked around the room. Frank was sitting next to Lily and Alice helped him nurse a head bump he received from being stunned, James hovering protectively over Remus who had also been revived, though his eyes were trained on the unconscious Severus. Elora Zabini and Mary had both apparently lost their wands in the duel and were now in the back of the room pulling each other's hair, Mary looked to be winning.

Sirius, still blocked by Professor Higgs's shield was pacing back and forth like an animal in a cage, his grey eyes glaring between Higgs and Snape looking positively murderous. Mia couldn't help but remember a similar look on the older Sirius Black in the Shrieking Shack when he first came face to face with Peter Pettigrew after twelve years.

Speaking of Peter. He was in the back of the room, watching quietly as though he were trying to disappear into the background.

"Well this was... illuminating," Higgs said, rolling his eyes. "A fifteen inch essay due tomorrow on the effects of layering attack spells. Though it is the full moon tonight," Higgs smirked. "Will you be able to finish your homework Miss Potter, or are you hoping to stage an intervention for the werewolves that have been reportedly seen in the area?" He sneered down at her and she just glared up at him silently.

The students began leaving the class, but Sirius lingered behind, walking up and hovering over Snape. "You even _speak _to Mia again Snivellus, and you're dead," he growled dangerously at the black haired boy before standing up and storming out of the room.

"You okay, mate?" Sirius asked Remus as he met up with his friends outside of the classroom. Remus looked like he could pass out at any moment, and Sirius was surprised at the lack of jealousy he was feeling while Mia doted upon the werewolf, affectionately running her fingers through his hair and kissing his cheeks.

"I still want to know where you got that spell, Potter!" Snape glared at Mia the moment he stepped out of the Defense classroom. At the sound of his voice, Sirius turned and launched toward him, fists raised.

"I told you to never speak to her again! You're dead, Snivellus!" Sirius screamed.

"Back off!" Lily said, stepping in between Sirius and Snape.

"Out of the way, Evans!" Sirius snapped at her.

"Sirius," Mia whispered reaching out and grabbing his hand. "Sirius please, don't. He's not worth it," she insisted, glaring at Snape from over Sirius' shoulder. The raven haired wizard slowly seemed to calm down, but he threw both Snape and Lily a dirty look before turning back to Mia and protectively wrapping an arm around her.

"Severus..." Lily turned and whispered at her childhood friend who sneered at her.

"Don't you want to go check on your friends and their... _pet_?" Snape snapped at her and Lily visibly recoiled at his words. She could already feel James and Sirius move behind her, so she held her hand up and turned to glare at them.

"Everyone out of the hallway right now or I'll start taking away points!" She threatened.

"One of these days you're going to have to choose a side, Evans," Sirius glared at her and turned around storming out of the corridor leaving behind James and Mia who were busy holding up Remus. Mia frowned at Lily who looked completely torn, as Snape flew off in the opposite direction.

"Ignore him, Lily," Mia sighed.

"Which one?" The redhead frowned.

"Both? All?" Mia shrugged.

oOoOoOo

**March 17th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

"Mia?" A voice whispered. "Mia, wake up!"

"Peter?" Mia's rubbed her tired eyes. "Peter I swear to Godric if you're actually here in the girls dorms I am going to hex you into next year!" She snarled at the boy as she sat up and saw him standing at the foot of her bed, practically quivering. "How the hell did you get in here?!" She shrieked.

"Rat," Peter said, pointing at himself as though that were a fully articulated sentence.

"Fine," she growled. "That answers the how, I'd like to know why," she glared at him. "If Mary knows you can sneak into the dorms, you're a dead man. Not even Jamie can protect you from Mary's wrath."

"Mia you have to come with me," Peter swallowed. "Something happened," he frowned. "We can't get him to calm down."

"Who to calm down?" She sat up. "Peter, where's Remus?" She asked, remembering that last night was the full moon. They'd been progressively worse since the other werewolf sightings in Scotland. Attacks seemed to be getting closer and closer to Hogsmeade and therefore Hogwarts. Remus was a constant nervous wreck, and the fact that the four Animagi could no longer be with him in the Shack made it all the worse for their werewolf friend.

"He's in the Room of Requirement, James was able to lock him in," Peter's small watery eyes were as wide as they ever could be and the sight unnerved Mia as she jumped out of her bed and slipped on her outer robes as quickly as possible, not waiting for Peter before she rushed down the stairs, through the Common Room and out the portrait hole in a blur.

oOoOoOo

**Seventh Floor Corridor**

When she made her way up to the seventh floor, she followed the sounds of yelling until she turned a corner and spotted Sirius with his back up against the wall looking like nauseous, his eyes dark and red, his gaze focused down at the ground in shame as a red faced James held him at wand point.

Mia often compared James to Harry, but it was moments like this when James lost his temper that Mia was able to see the difference between father and son. While Harry kept his Seeker's frame all throughout school, James had filled out and when he needed to appear intimidating, he had no trouble standing taller and using his larger frame to do so.

"...should curse you right here!" James bellowed. "You're supposed to be better than your bloody family, Sirius!" He screamed and Sirius cringed at the volume.

Mia gaped at the sight in horror. She'd never seen James properly angry with Sirius. It had also been a long time since James had used Sirius' actual name instead of affectionately calling him Padfoot.

"I know... I... I can't..." Sirius stammered.

"Jamie?" Mia whispered, and both boys turned their attention to her. "Jamie where's Remus?"

"Mia..." Sirius swallowed and took a few steps toward her, looking positively remorseful.

"He's in the room," James answered, holding his wand out to block Sirius from moving any further. He turned his hazel eyes on his best friend and glared sternly before looking back at his sister. "Mia, there was an... accident..."

"No," Mia shook her head, already knowing what he was going to say. How had she forgotten? Her eyes bore into Sirius' face and he broke under her stare, turning away from her.

"Mia, I'm so sorry, I can't tell you how sorry I am," Sirius grieved.

"Everyone's safe," James told her. "But Sniv... Snape," James corrected himself. "Found a way beneath the Whomping Willow. I got there just in time," he explained. "Snape's with Dumbledore, but Remus was in a state when the sun rose," he continued. "Professor Dumbledore asked us to deal with him, but Mia... he won't listen to us..."

"How did Snape figure it out?" She asked, looking directly at Sirius who refused to meet her gaze. "Answer me Sirius," She whispered, tears already welling in her eyes. Wasn't it just days ago he refused to break eye contact with her as they held each other in a dark corridor, confessing feelings of affection and making promises of safety?

"I let him overhear me," Sirius mumbled. "I made him think that we were keeping something secret up in the Shack. Made him think that we'd all be expelled if we were found out. Then," he brought his hands to his face and shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Mia," he cried. "I let him hear me talk about the notch in the tree."

"You..." Mia gasped. "Sirius... you could have killed him. You could have destroyed Remus over this. His whole life," she shook her head, not able to even yell at him.

"Please, scream at me, tell me you hate me," Sirius begged her.

"I can't bother," Mia sighed in defeat as she looked away from him. "The saddest thing about you Sirius, is that I expected something like this to eventually happen," she admitted truthfully. "I don't even have the energy to be angry with you. Because it won't change anything. Nothing ever changes," she said sadly and looked at the door. "Jamie let me in the room. I want to see Remus."

"Just be careful," James whispered as he walked to the door. "He hit Sirius a few times..."

"Good," Mia said.

"Mia, I'm so..." Sirius began.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to, Sirius," she paused and looked down. "You were _supposed _to be a good man, Sirius." And with that, she opened the door to the Room of Requirement and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

oOoOoOo

**Room of Requirement**

Her eyes widened at the sight. James had apparently asked the Room to recreate the Gryffindor Common room like it had the night of Remus' birthday party. Merlin, was that only four days ago? Mia wondered to herself. They had all been in here, laughing and enjoying one another's company.

"Remus?" She whispered looking around the room which appeared virtually destroyed. Furniture had been upended, curtains torn and there were large holes in the plaster of the walls. Mia frowned as she ran her fingers over one of them noticing blood. She heard a noise in the corner and turned to see Remus huddled against the wall, his arms wrapped around his knees which had been brought to his chest. Even from a distance she could see a new long scar cutting through his face beginning at his left eyebrow and slicing against the bridge of his nose, ending in the center of his right cheek.

"Hello, love," Mia whispered as she knelt down before him, slowly moving closer. Remus turned his face away from her, quietly sobbing into his folded arms. She worried that he'd flinch away from her as he used to when she'd approach him about his Lycanthropy after a rough moon. She worried he'd snap at her, put up walls and block her out, or just ignore her all together. But the moment she sat down beside him, Remus fell into her arms crying into her lap.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, stroking her fingers through his hair as she tried to keep herself from crying. She leaned down and kissed his forehead, holding him close to her. "Dumbledore will fix everything. _You _didn't do anything wrong," she promised him.

"I could have killed someone," Remus said through gasps of breath. "I could have killed him. I don't want to be a werewolf, Mia. I'm going to end up like the rest of them. I'm going to end up hurting someone. I don't want to be like Greyback."

"I will _never _let that happen," Mia swore. "I swear on my magic, Remus," she promised. "I will do everything possible to make sure you _never _become like Greyback."


	48. Chapter 48

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: **Fluffpanda** for Tri-Wizard Champion!

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I told **ObsessedWithHP2012 **that I would look into uploading an additional chapter this week, so you will have it! Two chapters for Friday! One now and one when I wake up later because it's 1AM right now! Okay, so a lot of you really hated the last chapter, but not my writing apparently, you technically hated JKR's writing because she's the one who made Sirius pull that awful prank on Severus. Many of you wanted to see him go through a big change and see the error of his ways instead of being immediately forgiven for what he did. Unfortunately we know by the books that Sirius is going to still be a bully and a prat and still has a lot of growing up to do, so don't expect miracles on the Snape front. I do however try to explain why exactly Mia does ultimately forgive Sirius for what he did. Hopefully you all understand where I was coming from on this. Also, I had bigger plots and twists on my mind at the time LOL.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty-Eight: Get the Cloak

_"...I'll do whatever it takes to turn this around  
__I know what's at stake, I know that I've let you down  
__And if you give me a chance, Believe that I can change  
__I'll keep us together whatever it takes..."  
__(Whatever it Takes - Lifehouse)_

* * *

**April 14th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

"I'm not _mad _at him, I'm _disappointed _in him," Mia insisted as she leaned against the couch in the Common Room, an Arithmancy book in her hands. It had been two years and she was still miffed that her boys had essentially tricked her out of taking the class. She would be glad when O.W.L.s were over so she could drop Care of Magical Creatures - _again_. Flipping through the pages of her text, Mia realized that she wasn't even reading it as much as she was using it as a distraction from putting effort into the conversation with her brother.

"Remus forgave him," James insisted as he sat cross-legged on the floor in front of his sister, wearing his Quidditch gear and looking uneasy.

"Maybe Remus shouldn't have," she frowned. "Sirius was selfish and foolish and this bitter rivalry between the two of you and Snape has now grown far past schoolyard bullying - which I also don't approve of," she narrowed her eyes at him and he managed to look away from her. She knew that look. It was a James Potter classic that would be passed down to his son. It roughly translated into: _'I'm sorry my actions have made you feel this way, but I'm certainly not going to stop'_. At least Harry had the good nature to use the look when it came to risking his life to save the world. James used it to escape her wrath and continue to bully and prank Slytherins.

"But no one died," James tried to remind her. "And Dumbledore put Snape under a Wizard's Oath to keep Moony's secret," he smiled, purposely not calling Snape by the rude nickname in order to try and win her favor back a little bit. "It's been a month, Mia. Remus is fine, Snape's fine, but you're still giving Sirius the cold shoulder."

"His fur will keep him well insulated during the storm," she scowled.

"At least bloody scream at him or something," he sighed, turning pleading hazel eyes up at his sister. "Mia, I've never seen him this bad before. I'm... I'm really worried he's going to do something stupid if you don't forgive him."

Mia stared down at her brother and slowly arched a suspicious brow at him, never taking her brown eyes off his face as she closed her book and set it down beside her on the couch. She leaned forward, inspecting his eyes and watched as James slowly cracked under the pressure of her intense gaze, a calculating trick taught to her by Dorea.

"Jamie?" She asked calmly, but he could tell that there was a storm hiding behind the soft facade of her face. "Did Sirius threaten to sit out the game if I didn't forgive him?" She narrowed her eyes and knew she was right the moment that James' eyes widened.

"Damn, Mum's right, you should have been put in Slytherin," he frowned. "Please Mia, it's an important game. If we beat Slytherin today we'll have another chance at the Cup!"

Mia couldn't believe that Remus had forgiven Sirius so quickly. James too had seemed to be swift to accept the raven haired wizard's apologies despite the fact that he'd been close to cursing his best friend over the incident. All of the Marauders and Mia had been called into Dumbledore's office once Remus had properly calmed down, the Headmaster had been eager to take care of the situation as quickly as possible.

"Gentlemen," Dumbledore had smiled at them all which seemed to put Sirius more on edge about the reason why they were there. "If you wouldn't mind waiting on the other side of the door. I must have a quick word with Miss Potter on an unrelated issue," his blue eyes twinkled and James and Peter each took hold of Remus and Sirius' arms, as their two friends were barely able to hold it together long enough to stand, let alone walk. Once the door was shut, Dumbledore gestured to the chair opposite his desk, and Mia took it with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry about this, Professor," Mia frowned. "I should have done something to prevent it," she wanted to cry but her eyes were dry and red. She'd been emptied of all of her tears while comforting Remus in the Room of Requirement all morning.

"You and I have had this conversation _several _times over the course of the years Miss Potter," Dumbledore merely smiled. "And I reassert my position and advise to you to follow your Mister Lupin's letter. May I ask, have you tried to change anything since you've arrived in this timeline?" The old wizard asked.

"I don't know, sir," she sighed. "Sometimes I can't tell if I'm purposely trying to fix something, or if I'm just reacting normally. There are days when I wonder if I'm not the catalyst you often talk about. If my being here isn't what triggered a reaction to begin with," she frowned. She had put a great deal of thought into her time-travel and what she could and could not do.

Mia's largest issue with being in the current timeline was always Peter. Had she been given the opportunity, she would have prevented Pettigrew from ever meeting James, Remus and Sirius. However, wasn't it Mia that first came to Peter's aid when he'd been bullied on the train? She thought of how difficult it had been controlling her rage when face to face with the traitor - especially during the first night in the Shrieking Shack - and she wondered if perhaps her bitterness toward him would be what would eventually push him to be the irredeemable man he would become.

There was also the more recent issue of Snape.

"I think I'm the reason last night happened, sir," Mia frowned. "There was an altercation in class between myself and Severus. Sirius took it personally," she frowned. "I think Sirius did what he did in retribution. It's my fault."

"The Chudley Cannons are in last place in the league right now. Is this _also _your fault, Miss Potter?" Dumbledore asked. "It rained last week, is _this _your fault as well? It has been some years since I've read your letter, but may I ask what it says in regards to blame?"

"'_Do not put blame on yourself over the future_,'" Mia quoted the letter word for word with a sigh, understanding Dumbledore's point. She knew the words perfectly and yet still read it often as though it connected her to the future. "'_What is meant to happen will happen regardless of how it comes to be_.' I understand, sir."

"Good," he smiled. "Now, while I have always tried to follow my own instincts when it came to your knowledge of the future, and avoid asking too many questions, I feel that as you are not an average student, I request your advice on the matter at hand," he smirked and Mia understood what he meant. Mia was certainly _not _an average student.

Though she'd stopped celebrating her real birthday in September years ago, by all normal calculations the age of her mind - or spirit even - was closer to twenty-four than the sixteen year old body she was wearing. She wondered if she stuck around in the original timeline if she would have returned to Hogwarts, first as a student and then maybe later as a staff member. McGonagall was the new Headmistress in that time and the position of Transfiguration Professor would have been open. Mia smirked as she thought that she would be much more qualified to teach the subject here in this time, after becoming an Animagus in six months.

"What can I help with, sir?" Mia asked.

"I am struggling to know how to handle the situation. Mister Lupin's secret will be kept, I've taken proper measures with young Mister Snape to assure that. However, I feel it would be irrational of me to look the other way when one student knowingly put the life of another in jeopardy," he frowned and Mia was disturbed at the sight of his lack of smile. "I would like you to tell me a little of what you know about Mister Black's character."

Mia sighed. _Why did it always come down to Sirius?_

"I can't lie and say that I'm not biased, sir," Mia frowned. "Sirius and I... there's complications," she tried to explain. "But..." she thought of her original third year and what happened in the Hospital Wing before she and Harry took the time-turner to go save Sirius.

_"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," _Professor Snape had breathed. _"You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"_

_"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," _Dumbledore had said quietly.

She and Harry had known of Sirius' innocence relating to the murders of James and Lily Potter, and the two friends had fought to convince Snape, Fudge, and Dumbledore with everything they could. But in the end, they knew it wouldn't be enough. Words of a couple of teenagers, an escaped convict and a werewolf would hold no power.

_"If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight."_

Innocent.

Sirius had been innocent of murder then, but sent to Azkaban anyway. Mia knew that Sirius, _this younger _Sirius would suffer, and it didn't matter when or for what crime he'd committed. Sirius would suffer.

"He is a confused boy, Professor," Mia finally spoke. "A confused and angry boy who is fighting against the prejudices of his family by lashing out. But..." she sighed. "He is a good man," she said firmly. "And he's punishing himself enough for what's he's done," she added, recalling the red rims of Sirius' eyes as he waited outside the Room of Requirement, reflecting his remorse.

"Thank you Miss Potter," Dumbledore smiled again. "I will take your words into consideration."

And he had. Dumbledore had been amazingly creative with his eventual punishment of Sirius Black who had spent _years _in detention and showed nothing for it. Rather than make him shine trophies or candelabra, or even go so far as expelling him, Dumbledore had insisted that Sirius - who was much too smart for his own good - tutor other fifth years who were struggling with their O.W.L. preparations.

The punishment forced Sirius to interact with the other Houses - Slytherins included - and also made his own study time mandatory. When Mia had been told what Sirius' punishment would be, she couldn't help but laugh as she remembered a conversation she and an older Sirius once had, where he promised to one day tell her how he managed to get nine O.W.L.s.

"Fine!" Mia snapped at James who still knelt before her, begging her to forgive Sirius for the sake of Gryffindor pride. "Send him down and then both of you get to the Pitch before the whole school thinks that the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain skipped out on his own game," she rolled her eyes.

As though waiting for her answer, a large black dog descended the staircase from the boys dorm room and pawed over to the couch, resting his large head on her thigh, looking up into her face with big eyes and letting out a low whine.

"Puppy eyes," she scoffed. "Clever," she patted Padfoot on the head. "Go win your stupid game," she insisted. "You have my forgiveness. For now," she added.

oOoOoOo

**Quidditch Pitch**

Mia had followed the boys down to the Pitch where she joined Lily, Mary, Alice, Frank, Peter and an exhausted looking Remus in the stands. There was a very subtle chill in the air and though the other students didn't seem to mind, she noticed Remus reacting poorly to it. She smiled softly up at him, waving her wand over his body and casting a warming charm. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled at her.

"Thanks, Mia," he reached out and pulled her in close for a hug. She breathed the scent of him in like oxygen she'd been deprived of for a long while. After the narrow miss where he could have killed Snape, Remus had been predictably withdrawn, though thankfully he hadn't reverted back to how he was during their first few years at Hogwarts. He did however tell Mia that it would be the best for now to abstain from one another physically, at least until he had time to work through a few issues regarding his Lycanthropy and how he was trying to deal with what happened the last full moon. She had been respectful of course, especially since _had _they fallen back into bed with one another immediately, she wasn't certain if she would have done it just to make Sirius angry, and Remus did not deserve to be used like that.

Remus' hug made her happy to think that her best friend was coming back to himself. Especially considering the full moon was in just a few hours.

"Potter, Talkalot, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskly, and James shook hands with the Slytherin Captain, Lucinda Talkalot. "Mount your brooms ... on my whistle ... three - two - one -"

And the players took to the sky immediately.

"Gryffindor immediately in possession of the Quaffle, they are starting this game off quick. Captain James Potter never tries to lead the Slytherin team into a false sense of security. Potter to Florence, Florence back to Potter. Potter throws the Quaffle and Beater Sirius Black hits the Quaffle in and scores! Strange move by Sirius Black reminiscent of Muggle batsball by the looks of it, but it's all legal play!" The announcer went on as the Gryffindor stands erupted in cheers.

Even after all these years Mia couldn't help but smile as she watched the game. While Quidditch had always been a stupid - and dangerous - sport to her, she'd grown to love watching it over the years. Her eyes drew to Sirius flying in front of her and when he turned to wink, she couldn't help but let her eyes gaze over his body in his red and gold jersey with flowing robes, blowing in the wind behind him. Her mouth briefly watered at the sight and when she was forced to swallow, her eyes narrowed. She would absolutely _not _swoon at the sight of Sirius Black in Quidditch robes! He didn't deserve her swooning right now. Mia huffed and folded her arms across her chest defiantly and sought her brother out among the players, rolling her eyes as he dominated the game with such ease.

Mia watched the game in front of her while at the same time envisioning a world where all the people she loved could play the sport together. James was an amazing Chaser, but she knew that Ginny Weasley would give him a run for his Galleons. She could see the large open Pitch behind Potter Manor where Ron would take his place as Keeper while Sirius fought Fred and George as all three would want their proper positions as Beaters, but she knew he'd eventually give up and take to the sky beside James as a fellow Chaser. And then there would be Harry, youngest Seeker in a century, flying high above the orchards.

It would be the perfect team.

"Slytherins have the Quaffle and looks like Team Captain Talkalot has spotted the Snitch!"

Everyone turned their attention to the suddenly diving Seekers who sped in between Bludgers and other brooms after the small golden fluttering object as it flew just a bit faster than the Cleansweeps they rode. Mia's attention was diverted elsewhere as she watched a man in Auror robes approach the stands where Professor Dumbledore sat with the rest of the staff.

Dumbledore suddenly stood, wand held outward and a bright light engulfed the Pitch, putting an immediate stop to the game. Both speeding Bludgers and the Snitch stopped dead in the air and fell from the sky, landing on the grass. The Headmaster pressed his wand to his throat, casting a Sonorus Charm before speaking. "Apologies but this game has been postponed for the time being. All students must return to their Houses immediately. Access to outside the castle is strictly forbidden until further notice," his voice echoed loudly.

"What's happening?" Alice asked, deferring immediately to Lily and Remus who went into Prefect mode, ushering the Gryffindors out of the stands.

"Who knows?" Lily frowned in reply, but Remus looked incredibly on edge.

"Remus?" Mia whispered as she approached him. "Are you alright?"

"No," he shook his head. "They've forbidden access outside the castle but... but _I'll _be out there in less than two hours," his eyes flickered toward the direction of the Whomping Willow which could be seen just over the edge of the stands in the distance. "Why would they forbid anyone to go outside the castle?" He asked her.

"I don't know," Mia frowned. "But I'll find out."

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Common Room**

After leading the students back to the Tower with Lily, Remus left immediately for the Hospital Wing where he would be led out to the Whomping Willow soon. The sun began to set beneath the horizon and Mia watched nervously from the Common Room window where she could see an overview of the Forbidden Forest.

"He'll be alright," James said as he approached his sister, fidgeting with something in his hand.

"What's that?" She asked curiously.

"Snitch," James smirked.

"You're a Seeker now?" She chuckled softly.

"Nicked it," James shrugged. "Didn't get much else out of today's game. Wanted a souvenir," he admitted. "Why do you think they closed off the grounds?" he asked her.

"I don't know," Mia frowned. "But I'd really like to find out. I'm worried about Remus. Before Dumbledore made the speech cancelling the game, an Auror came and spoke with him," she told her brother. "Something must have happened out there."

"I didn't even know Aurors were here," he said quietly. "You think it's about what the Prophet's been saying? About the... the maulings?"

"Probably," Mia sighed. "Hey... is that..." she stared ahead at the sight of someone down below walking across the grass away from the forest. At first she assumed it would be Hagrid, but even from this distance she could tell by size alone that this person wasn't half Giant.

"The Professors are probably doing a security check," James offered reasoning.

"Jamie, get the cloak," Mia insisted. "Something doesn't feel right."

Five minutes later the Potter twins, Sirius and Peter were slipping out of the portrait hole and down the large marble staircase. Both James and Sirius struggled to remain beneath the cloak that barely covered their feet these days. Peter had already shifted into his Animagus form, scurrying along the edge of the wall, while Mia trailed behind them after Disillusioning herself.

"Go to the front," Mia whispered and followed after the boys, trying not to accidentally run into them in the process. Once downstairs, Mia reached forward, grabbing the cloak and stopping James and Sirius in their steps as she heard voices down the hall.

"Have they identified the body yet?" Professor Sprout was whispering to Professor Kettleburn who was leaning against the wall, using it as leverage to make his way through the corridor. Professor Sprout looked worried while Professor Kettleburn looked annoyed.

"If there's anything left to identify," he snapped.

"And they're sure? It's the same one?" Professor Sprout asked.

"That's what the Aurors said. Reckons the wolf's been in the Forbidden Forest for a few weeks now, waiting the moon out and picking off people in Hogsmeade to bide his time," he answered her. Mia held back a gasp as she waited for the two Professors to get out of earshot.

"Remus!" Mia whispered. "We have to get to the Whomping Willow," she instructed them all and made a dash out the door, figuring it would be easier to run for the tree outside instead of risking running into more Professors within the castle.

oOoOoOo

**Whomping Willow**

The three Marauders and Mia watched from the edge of the castle, opposite the bridge and the vegetable gardens where they looked on as Madam Pomfrey walked a nervous looking Remus toward the tree. Remus stood, sniffing the air and he turned to look in their direction, but couldn't spot them in their current invisible state. He stared for a long while though until Madam Pomfrey nudged him gently with a hand on his shoulder and he nodded, pressing forward beneath the tree.

Mia let out a sigh of relief when she saw Remus disappear from view and Madam Pomfrey make her way back across the grass toward the castle.

"Something still doesn't feel right," James said firmly, in a tone of voice that Mia recognized as the prey instincts of his Animagus form.

"Do you smell that Mia?" Sirius asked. "Something new," he insisted, his voice suddenly anxious.

"I don't think it's new," Mia worried her bottom lip between her teeth as a shiver crept up her spine. To confirm her suspicions the passage to the Whomping Willow reopened and all of the teenagers suddenly held their breath.

A large familiar figure emerged from the passage. As the remaining light of the setting sun cast over the person, Mia's eyes widened as she saw a vicious looking man with matted grey hair. Even from this distance she could see the yellow of his nails and the glint of sharp, pointed teeth.

_Oh no_, Mia thought.

Fenrir Greyback.

"Sufficient for you?" A sharp tone muttered from around the corner and Mia almost let out an audible gasp at the sight of their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"Reckon you've done well enough," spoke the rasping voice of the old werewolf. Mia shook with rage at the sight of him. _This _was the creature responsible for causing so much pain to Remus. _This _was the Death Eater responsible for attacking Bill Weasley. _This _was the beast who'd captured her, Harry, Ron and Sirius and brought them to Malfoy Manor. She swallowed down the rising bile in her throat and pushed back the thought in her head that said, _'Attack! Kill! Death Eater!' _forcing herself to remember that in the end, the werewolf was to die at the hand of Draco Malfoy.

Unfortunately that not-at-all-tragic death wouldn't occur for another twenty-two years.

"I've been at this school all year, just for one errand?" Professor Higgs snapped.

"I'd be watching the tone if I was you," growled Greyback. "If you haven't noticed, I've got a time limit here," he said, gesturing to the quickly darkening sky. "So if we're finished," Greyback made to reach down on the ground for something, but Higgs stopped him.

"Not a word," Professor Higgs sneered. "You and I are done."

"I don't normally take orders from wizards," rasped the werewolf. "But seeing as you play fetch so nicely," he laughed. "Fine, fine. No one'll ever know your secret. You still sticking with the story that your son drowned at sea?" Greyback grinned.

"I have no son," Higgs narrowed his eyes.

"Oh _I_ beg to differ," the werewolf chuckled. "Saw him just last moon, I did. Right in my pack where he belongs. Bottom of the pack o'course," he crooned. "But he's pack all the same."

"And _this_... filthy half-breed?" Higgs glared at the ground. "One of yours?"

"Oh _this_?" Greyback grinned darkly as he reached down and pulled up by the collar an unconscious Remus Lupin. "This here is one of my favorite cubs."

Mia felt Sirius move forward, but she reached out and stilled his hand beneath the cloak, shaking her head slowly. She'd faced off against Greyback before, and knew that they wouldn't stand a chance against the most vicious werewolf paired with the Professor who had been teaching them Defense all year long. Not when they had Remus as an easy hostage.

"He and I have a past," Greyback patted Remus' unconscious cheeks. "Been waiting for him to grow up is all. Bringing him on in to meet the rest come morning. Whole pack'll be in Wiltshire this time next week. Pass that information along to your Dark Lord, yeah?" He grinned. "If he's as friendly to wolves as you all say he is, maybe I'll put in a good word for ya, Higgs."

"I'd appreciate it if you pretend that we've never met, half-breed," Higgs glared. "Get you and your... progeny into the forest before someone sees you. Or else we've both risked everything for nothing," he hissed and then turned away.

"So I'll say hi to your cub for you then?" Greyback laughed as Higgs stormed off, throwing Remus' body over his shoulder and rushing quickly into the forest.

"What the fuck!?" Sirius yelled and threw the cloak off of him. "Fuck, fuck, what do we do? Do you know who that was!?"

"Greyback," Mia nodded, her brown eyes wide and terrified.

"What're we standing here for?" James asked. "We have to go after him! He's got Remus!"

"We have to be smart about this Jamie," Mia nervously bit her cheek as she paced back and forth, trying to think. "We were lucky we were downwind. Remus only smelled us because we were familiar and so close," she whispered. "If Greyback knew we'd heard everything, we'd be dead. Or Remus would be," she frowned.

"And Higgs, that prick!" Sirius growled dangerously.

"Mia, we have to go before Greyback and Remus get away!" James grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard.

"Jamie the full moon rises in less than a few minutes. They'll both transform," she tried to explain but he didn't seem to understand. "Jamie, Greyback is Remus' sire. And worse, an Alpha. Which means if we go into that forest to bring Remus back, even on the Wolfsbane, Remus won't be able to help us."

"We can take that bloody werewolf!" Sirius snapped.

"No, we can't, not in human form and even then..." she said clearly. "As big as the two of you are in Animagus form you still have trouble reigning in Moony when he gets out of control. We're talking about a fully grown, fully embraced werewolf. Did you see his face? His hands? He stays mid-transformation so he can maul and infect people in between moons. He's as savage as it gets. Being an Alpha only makes him stronger."

"What'll we do, Mia?" Peter asked, shifting back into human form and looking positively terrified.

"What makes him an Alpha?" James asked curiously and Mia turned wide eyed and smiled.

"A pack."


	49. Chapter 49

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**:

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** For your viewing pleasure, I present the promised extra chapter for this week! **Grovek26**, Fenrir wants Remus because Remus exists and he bit Remus to punish Lyall Lupin and now finds out that Remus is still living a relatively normal life. That's not punishment, but taking Remus (now that he's grown) and bringing him into Greyback's pack and turning him into a killer would be. It's all about dominance for Greyback. **SableUnstable**, I love that you appreciate the foreshadowing and parallels I put into each chapter. It's actually organized into several documents and a lot of thought goes into it. Ask my Beta, she has seen my crazy! **gypsyfurface**, LOL what's funny is that I didn't create that character. The only character (that I can recall) creating myself is Tilly. Everyone else exists in one form or another in the HP universe, even if it's just by name. All the students brought into Hogwarts that aren't Canon (and most are) are still apart of a documented family in the HP universe.

A little note about the chapter below. Italicized dialogue = flashback moment. I tried to be as clear as possible, but just in case. Also, as you already know I take background from BOTH books and movies, and you'll see that below. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Forty-Nine: Pack

_"...Blood on blood  
__One on one  
__And I'll be here for you  
__Till Kingdom come  
__Blood on blood..."  
__(Blood on Blood - Bon Jovi)_

* * *

**April 14th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Forbidden Forest**

Mia couldn't believe she never saw the signs.

_"You're mine too you know," _Remus had told her the night they made love for the first time._ "You belong to me. It's like . . . if I were an alpha wolf, you'd be my beta."_

_"What about Sirius, James, and Peter?"_ Mia had asked.

_"They're in the pack too."_

"We're Pack," Mia whispered in realization. "We have to go, I'll explain on the way but I think I know how to save Remus," she smiled nervously as she took her first steps toward the forest flanked immediately by James and Sirius who had no reservations about trusting her or following her after two werewolves.

"Wait!" Peter called. "I...I..." he swallowed hard. His round face was pale and his watery eyes were wide, though he didn't seem to be able to make eye contact with any of them. "Someone... someone should tell Dumbledore," he stammered.

James seemed to agree with Peter, but Mia and Sirius were already in canine mode and they could smell the fear rippling off of him. She heard Sirius growl low in his throat but she held up a hand to still him beside her. "He's right," she nodded. "If Peter wants to go and tell Dumbledore, he should," she took a step forward. "Tell him that Greyback took Remus into the forest and that you saw him with Higgs. Don't say a word about us. Remember," she cautioned him. "_You're _an illegal Animagus too," she pointed out, her threat made clear. If Peter somehow got the three of them caught for being Animagi, Mia would take him down with them.

Peter nodded and shifted into his rat form and scurried away swiftly. Mia sighed and turned back to her _brave _Gryffindor boys. "Marauder does _not _equal pack," she said firmly as she stormed past James and Sirius, her now amber eyes fixated upon the shadowed trees in front of them. She knew what she needed to do in order to save her friends - her _pack_, and she couldn't help but feel a weight lifted off of her shoulders in knowing that Peter Pettigrew would not be a part of it.

Where they were going, there was no room for cowards.

"Mia, have you been in the Forbidden Forest before?" James asked as he and Sirius followed his sister, her steps held no hesitation as she turned toward an unmarked path, stepping to the side where James looked down and spotted hoof prints he'd never seen before.

"Sort of," Mia lied. She had been in the Forest numerous times over the course of her life. She knew for a fact that the Thestral herd generally lived to the right of where they were headed, and she noticed the prints in the ground confirming her thoughts. She knew that the Centaur herd lived closer to the center of the forest in a large clearing that was similar to the one where the final battle of the Second Wizarding War took place. Where Harry killed Voldemort. Where she, Remus and Sirius almost died.

_Not again._

"I turn the Room of Requirement into the Forbidden Forest sometimes," she admitted aloud as she moved through it. "It replicates it perfectly, but since the Room can't produce living beings, it's virtually empty. Allows me access to the Forest without the element of danger. It's where I trained to become an Animagus," she explained, leaving out the part about how it was her go-to room to shag Remus. Even if Jamie wasn't there with them, she wasn't certain she would give that information away to Sirius.

"Moon will be up soon, kitten," Sirius said as the gleaming eyes of Padfoot turned skyward. "Better start explaining your plan before we have to shift." Mia nodded.

"Werewolves are similar to regular wolves in that they can either belong to a pack or be a lone wolf. Remus is a lone wolf but only because of circumstances," she said as she struggled to step over a large broken tree branch, watching with mild irritation as both Sirius and James cleared the obstacle with the ease of their long legs. "Each pack has an Alpha. The strongest. He controls the pack and in werewolves, the progeny of the Alpha don't have the ability to fight back. They aren't powerful enough. Remus needs to embrace his inner Alpha."

"But Greyback's the one who turned Remus. That makes him his progeny, right? So how can Remus be an Alpha?" James asked.

"Because Sirius and I _made _him one," Mia said. "We didn't mean to at the time of course, but we _did_."

"How?" Sirius asked.

"It's a bond," Mia smiled. "I felt it during my training while I was reaching out for Remus during my meditations. I could feel the family bond that reached out to you Jamie," she said, refusing to speak of the soul bond she felt between herself and Sirius. "But there was something else. An invisible string that took me to the Shrieking Shack during the full moon, but also brought me back to the Forest where I knew you two were training. It was an unprovoked Pack bond," she looked skyward and moved faster as the moon began to rise.

"I know about bonds," Sirius admitted. "A little," he said thinking of the books in the Black family library. He'd seen the marriage bond - or at least the Pure-blood version - at plenty of weddings before, and had witnessed one servitude bond when his parents acquired a new house-elf when he was younger. "Unprovoked bonds don't mean anything Mia," he explained. "It basically just says we're all connected just by existing in the same world."

"For witches and wizards, yes," Mia agreed, though had to note that Sirius was ignorant to a lot of the details. "But werewolves are different," Mia smiled. "Regular bonds usually exist between family members or married couples, there's no hierarchy except with house-elves and even then it's only one sided," she continued. "Werewolf packs have a hierarchy, it's necessary for their survival or else they'd all just kill each other."

"What does that have to do with us?" James asked. "We're not werewolves."

"Most bonds are provoked by emotions and actions. Preparation and provocation," she said, repeating the knowledge that Dorea had given her. "Sirius and I took the first step to prepare a Pack bond with Remus the first night we went with Remus to the Shrieking Shack," she explained.

"We submitted," Sirius said, clarity suddenly ringing in his ears.

"Will you two stop speaking canine and translate?!" James snapped, narrowing his eyes at the two.

"Because Sirius and I are canine Animagi, we had to submit to Moony in order to show we weren't a threat to him. _Passive _submission at least. Folded ears and tucked tails," she answered her brother. "Then Moony passively scent marked us. When Sirius and I did that, we were recognizing the potential for a Pack bond and in doing so, we established the hierarchy."

"We made Remus an Alpha by _literally_ bowing at his bloody paws," Sirius barked a quick laugh. "Okay, so we can get him away from Greyback by what... _active _submission? That'll provoke the bond?" He asked Mia and she nodded quickly.

"But we have to get Greyback out of the way. Moony won't be able to see us provoking the bond until Greyback loses rank in front of him," she frowned. "And that'll require bloodshed," she swallowed hard. _Of course it requires bloodshed, what bond ritual doesn't? _Mia thought. Her mind drifted back to pulling Sirius from the Veil, the blood from her hand, the golden glow and then suddenly the pull toward him, _for _him.

"Okay," James nodded, suddenly nervous as they continued moving through the forest. "Us three against a crazed, blood-thirsty werewolf. No problem," he said sarcastically. "What's the next step after provoking a bond?" James asked.

"Sealing it," Mia answered. "But umm... we don't need to do that," she said, clearing her throat.

"Why not? Wouldn't it be stronger?" James asked with a raised brow.

"Yes, always, but..." she blushed. "You and Sirius definitely wouldn't want to do it."

"Hey, if Remus' life is on the line here, Mia, I'd do just about anything," he defended adamantly and Sirius couldn't help but laugh.

"Prongs," Sirius cleared his throat. "Werewolves seal their bonds by mating and then marking each other."

James stood still for a moment and then finally spoke. "So he'll survive with an unsealed bond?" He asked clearly and Sirius stifled a laugh, but nodded. "So is the plan to just-"

But James was cut off by a loud scream in the distance, followed quickly by another. The three looked skyward and saw the full moon in all it's bright damaging glory. They listened to the echoes of Remus' painful cries and Mia winced, closing her eyes and burying her face in Sirius' chest as he wrapped a protective arm around her. Remus always had to suffer through the transformation, but she couldn't imagine what was happening to him now, knowing Greyback was there with him.

She couldn't imagine how afraid he was.

"We need to find them before they find us," James insisted. "Shift now, and stay in sight."

"_You _keep to the back and sides," Sirius instructed. "Moony recognizes Prongs but to Greyback, you're nothing but prey," he said firmly and despite the look of indignation on James' face, he nodded at Sirius' words and turned away from them both, shifting. James' arms fell forward moulding into long legs that had him hit the ground with hooves. He gave a shake of his messy hair and his head formed into the face of the noble stag, antlers branching outwards, large and sharp. Mia chuckled at the sight. _Prey indeed_.

"Alright kitten," Sirius took a deep breath and leapt forward, shifting midair and landing on the ground with big black paws. Padfoot's eyes turned to look back at her, and he pressed his muzzle into her open hand, a silent gesture of comfort. Mia inhaled sharply, trying to control her emotions. Was it really just a few hours ago that she was still angry with Sirius?

She closed her eyes and slipped to the ground in a movement that still felt like water pulling her down. Her amber eyes opened and her pointed ears twitched as she listened up ahead. The screams had stopped, but she could hear noises. A look to Padfoot next to her and Mia knew he heard it too.

Whimpering.

Stealthily Padfoot and the little fox followed straight ahead toward the noises, while Prongs lingered several yards to the side. She looked at her surroundings as she moved through the brush and felt a sharp painful memory resurface._This is where it happened the first time_, Mia thought. She knew that collection of trees just to the right, and as she looked behind her for a moment she could see the pathway perfectly as though she were looking back through her human eyes, but not just _Mia's _eyes. Hermione Granger's eyes.

Running through the forest with Harry's hand clenched tightly in hers, a recently spun time-turned around her neck and a werewolf on their heels. Remus transformed. Those trees, that path, it was all the same and she could almost see Buckbeak in the distance waiting for them. If she looked far enough ahead with her canine eyes she was certain she could see the lake bank where Harry fought Dementors. She could hear Moony howling in the distant memory, echoing in her mind as she ran forward, following Padfoot and the scents and sounds that drew them both continually forward.

_"The Executioner! He's gone to get the Dementors! This is it, Hermione -" _Harry had said to her before helping her on top of the back of the Hippogriff. They flew, flew far too high and much too fast for her liking all the way back to the castle where she could see Sirius Black, escaped convict sitting in a room and looking out of the thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower.

_"Stand back!" _Hermione called to Harry, and she took out her wand, still gripping the back of Harry's robes with her left hand. _"Alohomora!" _And the window sprang open, freeing Sirius Black. Saving him from Dementors.

Sirius had climbed onto the back of Buckbeak the Hippogriff, flinging a leg over the large flying beast and leaning forward looking at Hermione with an apology in his eyes and... and something else that she didn't know how to place back then. She had nodded to him with a sympathetic smile, silently saying it was okay for him to hold onto her as they flew away. Though Hermione had kept her eyes shut tight for most of the flight, she opened them the moment Buckbeak put his claws down on the top of the West Tower. Harry had jumped off immediately, but for a brief moment, Hermione couldn't move because Sirius still had an arm around her waist.

_"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," _Harry panted._ "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."_

Suddenly, Sirius let go of Hermione and she turned and smiled at him and he looked on the verge of tears as his slate grey eyes met her chocolate brown ones. She had passed it off as gratitude then, knowing that the innocent man probably hadn't seen kindness in a very long time.

_"I owe you a life debt, little witch," _Sirius Black smirked at her.

_Oh Godric_, Mia thought, her breath catching in her throat as she continued to run, the memory clearer now than ever before.

_He'd known._

It all started that night. The Shrieking Shack. Sirius, Remus and Peter. A full moon and a transformed werewolf. She'd howled to distract Moony from their earlier selves and he'd come for her. But she remembered the essay she'd written for Snape said that werewolves only respond to the call of their own kind. Their pack.

Remus was right. Time was a circle. She was a catalyst and everything that was happening was meant to happen. The night she had saved Sirius' life, he'd recognized her. Recognized _Mia _in Hermione Granger's eyes. The night she created the life debt that he owed her. The _same _night she called into the forest and Moony had responded. Tonight was the night that made that moment in the future possible. Tonight, she would become one of Remus' own kind.

_Pack._

The memories cleared from her mind as she noticed Padfoot slowing down ahead of her. She inhaled slow and deep. So many scents lingered in the Forest it was difficult at first to pick through them. She smelled a nest of birds in the trees above her. A herd of Thestrals a mile behind. Somewhere in the far distance she could smell the sweet lingering scent of a Unicorn and it's foal. She could smell Prongs moving around the small clearing, and if she focused her eyes she could see him straight through the trees. And just up ahead she smelled something wonderfully familiar, and something horribly recognizable.

Parchment and grass. _Moony_.

Blood and sweat. _Greyback_.

The little fox closed in on Padfoot, silently slinking beneath his bear-like frame and hovering around his giant paw, rubbing the side of her cheek against it as a silent way of letting him know that she was there, she was okay, and she was ready. She felt his confirmation when the big black dog breathed down against the red fur of her head.

Amber and pale eyes looked ahead at the scene.

Moony was flat on the ground whimpering softly, gold and amber eyes looking up as the large grey, matted wolf hovered over him dominantly. Stiff legged and tall, Greyback was much larger than Moony who, in the shadow of the Alpha, looked like a cub by comparison. Greyback growled down, teeth bared at Moony, his hackles bristling, his tail high as he leaned down trying to pin Moony further into submission, forcefully nudging the younger wolf's snout with his own to force his neck to the side.

Moony seemed to be struggling and Mia knew it was because of the Wolfsbane. Remus was in there and he was fighting back even though she knew Moony would feel the need to submit to his Alpha; his sire. Moony let out a soft growl when Greyback pushed him again, and as punishment for essentially speaking against his Alpha, the grey wolf viciously bit at Moony's flank, tearing his teeth into flesh. The little fox's eyes widened and she went to move forward to attack, but felt Padfoot's mouth around the scruff of her neck, preventing her from attacking blindly.

The smell of the younger wolf's blood flooded her senses and it made her feel sick. It made her think of every morning after the full moon she'd ever been through with Remus. When he was eleven and sobbing into her arms. When he was thirty-eight and struggling through his first moon without Wolfsbane in decades. She'd seen enough of Remus' blood. Too much of it. The little fox took in a slow breath to calm herself, and she leaned forward slightly, nipping Padfoot's paw to let him know it was time.

The large black dog crept slowly through the brush, moving through the trees. He made no sound at first but there was no need to be quiet, his size alone would draw Greyback's attention even if the old werewolf hadn't smelled him. Greyback turned and growled at the dog, towering over him, but Padfoot did not back down. Mia's amber eyes trained on Moony who was staring at Padfoot and taking in lots of short shallow breaths.

_Calm down, love_, Mia thought.

Greyback gave a low growl of warning which Padfoot immediately ignored, leaping forward and sinking teeth into the werewolf's neck with abandon. Greyback fought back instantly and suddenly the two large canines were struggling for the upper hand, each on their hind legs trying to force the other backwards into submission. The little fox made a run for it, darting quickly over to Moony, her amber eyes looked up into his and he backed away from her, his eyes darting to Greyback as though he was trying to tell her, pleading with her to stop and save herself and Padfoot and run. Moony couldn't help them.

There was a loud yelp and the little fox turned to see Greyback fling Padfoot off of him, the big black dog's body smacking into a large tree behind him and crumpling to the ground with a thud, blood spurting from his front leg. A frenzied rage filled up inside of her and she rushed forward, jumping high and landing on the back of the large wolf, digging her sharp and narrow teeth into the back of the beasts neck, biting hard and feeling powerful when she tasted copper. He let out a loud howl and began thrashing, and she struggled to hang on. The motion was too rough and she lost her grip and flipped over his head, landing hard on the ground in front of the wolf who snarled down at her, his lips curled back over his large fangs.

She tried to run, but realized her back leg was injured. She'd never escape in time. She bared her own teeth, not willing to show fear to the beast, even now when death seemed all too real. It only appeared to enrage Greyback more, or excite him, she couldn't tell.

The rushing sound of hooves flooded her ears, drowning out the sound of Greyback's snarling and her amber eyes looked up to see Prongs charging at the large werewolf, head bowed down and forward. _Prey indeed._ There wasn't enough time for the wolf to react as the pointed antlers of the mighty stag impaled the great beast, stabbing him in the ribs and neck and running him straight into the ground. Prongs shook his head, tearing and fur and flesh while dislodging the wolf from his now bloody antlers and then turning around, delivering a fierce back kick to the open wound in Greyback's side.

Blood spilled immediately onto the ground and Greyback let out a snarling, bitter cry of pain as he tried to move, but failed.

Another low growl filled the air and the three animagi turned to see Moony slowly stand up, his snout high as the scent of Greyback's blood triggered something primal inside of him. The little fox limped over toward Padfoot who was licking at the large gash in his front paw, both watching cautiously as Moony walked over to sniff at Greyback's shaking body. Greyback snarled up at Moony, but Moony suddenly, confidently, and viciously growled back; his eyes a pure liquid gold, practically glowing in the dark of night.

The little fox nipped at Padfoot's uninjured paw to get his attention and she moved forward, creeping low before the sandy colored wolf who immediately looked down at her. She lowered herself as far to the ground as absolutely possible, ears back and tail tucked and Moony watched closely, approval in his eyes at the sight. Padfoot followed close behind the little fox, mimicking her movements exactly. Following their instructions, Prongs kept his distance, stepping backwards and keeping his eyes trained on the injured wolf behind Moony, just in case.

As the sandy wolf stepped forward, the little fox and Padfoot turned their heads to the side at the same time, willingly exposing their necks to the large werewolf who towered over the both of them, looking larger than ever, larger than even Greyback who was monstrous. Moony stepped forward, leaning down and sniffing at the little fox before wrapping his large jaws around her neck, a show of dominance. Showing that he _could _kill her, but was choosing not to. She remained firmly on the ground, her throat bared even as Moony moved over and repeated the process with Padfoot.

Once he'd finished, the sandy wolf stepped back and turned to look at Greyback who was snarling up at his progeny, slowly backing away from him, his amber eyes almost flashing red with the most absolute rage and yet a hint of fear. Moony let out a loud howl and watched as Greyback turned and ran into the distance and the moment he was gone, a bright silver light swirled in the air around, encircling the wolf, the fox, the stag, and the dog.

Mia couldn't help but remember the bond she provoked with Sirius. _By blood and sacrifice_, she thought just as the light burst all around them.

Sunlight broke through the trees the following morning and Mia opened her brown eyes to find that she'd shifted back into human form over night. She didn't remember falling asleep so she could only assume that when the bond was provoked and the light erupted around them, it knocked them all unconscious. She winced as the light blinded her for a moment and she leaned up but felt something warm both pulling and pushing her down.

She glanced downward to find Sirius peacefully asleep in her lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and his mess of ebony locks covering his face. Turning her head around, she saw Remus and smiled, the weight of his arm around her shoulder making her feel safe, like he always did. She exhaled slowly and leaned back into Remus' embrace while stroking her fingers through Sirius' hair, a habit that had become more soothing for her than it had for him over the many years.

"_You_ look comfortable," Jamie's voice broke through the silence. She turned and looked over at her brother who was smirking at her, his black messy hair sticking up in the back and his glasses slightly askew.

"I am," she admitted.

"Reminds me of when we were little," James chuckled softly, recalling the days when the four of them would share Mia's large four posted bed back at Potter Manor.

"Yeah. I miss those days," she admitted quietly.

"Me too," James nodded and let out a loud sigh. "Mostly because I didn't feel awkward about you cuddling with my mates," he laughed. "Ah, the good old days when Moony wasn't naked behind my sister and Padfoot didn't have a morning erection."

"What?!" Mia jumped and accidentally threw her hip bone into Sirius' forehead.

"Ow! What the fuck!?" Sirius yelped, gripping his head and James laughed.

Mia brought her hands to her mouth and gasped. "Oh Godric, Sirius I'm so sorry!" She winced and watched as his tired grey eyes looked up at her. She pouted at the sight of him holding his forehead, and she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "Are you okay?"

"Never better," Sirius groaned as he sat up. "Fought a werewolf, got injured," he said holding up his arm to show the gash in it. "Bonded myself to my mates and woke up to a girl assaulting me. You know, just like any other morning," he hissed and turned to run a hand through his hair, shying away from the sunlight. "Alright there, Prongs?" He asked.

"Woke up with blood in my hair," James admitted. "Other than that I'm good."

"Blood in your hair?" Mia gaped at him.

"Yeah, from the..." and he used his hands to mimic his antlers thrusting forward. "Epic werewolf skewering," he grinned. "I don't suppose this is a story we could tell Evans?" He chuckled, his head inflating rapidly, much to the concern of his sister. "I come out of this looking pretty damn heroic if I do say so myself."

"You were quite the champion, Jamie," Mia smiled at him and she laughed when his smug face turned to something looking like genuine appreciation.

"Absolutely," Sirius smirked. "Prongs the Protector!"

"Padfoot the Paladin!" James grinned.

"And Vixen the Vanquisher!" Sirius turned and beamed at Mia.

"Stop calling me Vixen. I don't like nicknames," she glared up at him.

"Mia the Marvelous!" James declared.

"Not to break up this little celebration," Remus mumbled exhaustedly, his face buried in his arms as he curled up behind Mia, still naked. "But can someone please transfigure some pants for me?"


	50. Chapter 50

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: I'm running out of creative ways to thank **Fluffpanda** for her hard work.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter! I had such a blast writing out the Pack aspect to this story! Hope you've all caught up on all the Canon books and chapters in this story, because the references... there are many in the following chapter! Posting it a little early because I am exhausted and looking forward to sleep! Enjoy!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty: Catalyst

_"...And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
__Or the moment of truth in your lies  
__When everything feels like the movies  
__Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive..."  
__(Iris - Goo Goo Dolls)_

* * *

**June 8th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Peter had miraculously done what he'd set out to do: inform Dumbledore of Greyback's appearance and of Higgs's deception. Just as the three Marauders and Mia - now a fully formed Pack under Remus' Alpha - made their way through the forest, they'd been cut off by a group of Aurors and Professors with wands drawn. Before anyone caught sight of the three Animagi, James, Mia and Sirius ducked beneath the Invisibility cloak and slipped through a small grove of trees, unfortunately leaving Remus to handle the fallout.

He'd explained to Dumbledore and the Aurors what had happened, leaving his friends participation out of it naturally. Greyback stunned him inside the passage beneath the Whomping Willow, but not before he'd heard him discuss his plans with Professor Higgs. It was a lie of course, Remus had been stunned long before Higgs showed up and it was Mia, James and Sirius who had to inform the werewolf of their Professor's participation in his abduction. Remus said his memory was vague after that. He knew that he had transformed at the full moon and awoke alone in the forest, though he had seen Greyback's blood on the ground and had assumed that they'd fought sometime during the night, especially since Remus himself was wounded.

The Aurors were rude and suspicious - and though they had a right to be, considering Remus _was _lying - their mistrust of the teenager had everything to do with his Lycanthropy and nothing to do with his ability to fabricate stories on a whim. Remus had been escorted to Dumbledore's office where Aurors questioned him for two hours, accusing him of being in cahoots with Greyback because of their 'connection'. They'd even gone so far as to accuse Remus of participating in the murders that Greyback had committed in nearby villages. Dumbledore drew a line at that point, bringing in Peter to make a statement, and since Professor Higgs's son had mysteriously gone missing two years earlier, the Aurors had enough to suspect foul play.

Remus was allowed to head to the Hospital Wing, though a lot of good it did him at that point considering the deep bite wound in his side from where Greyback had torn into him had already healed thanks to his lycanthropic regenerative abilities. Just one more nasty scar to deal with. Sirius himself was proudly wearing a new scar across his arm from where Greyback had clawed him. Though in Animagus form at the time, there was no chance of Sirius getting infected. He wanted to brag about his grand adventure and trophy scar of course, but without revealing too many secrets in doing so, Sirius was forced to lie and said that Mrs. Norris attacked him.

After the long night, Mia nursed a sprained ankle from when Greyback threw her off of him, and James proudly declared that he was the only one of his friends to walk away from the altercation unscathed. Sirius continued calling James 'Prongs the Protector' the rest of the month, and his ego continued to swell to a record breaking size.

Winning the Quidditch Cup again didn't help matters. By the time June rolled around, James was impossible to be near, always retelling stories of his grand adventures to those who were allowed to hear it, and tales of his Quidditch prowess to the rest of the student body. When he wasn't talking, he was playing with that stupid snitch he'd stolen - and subsequently carved Lily's initials into - proving that not only was he an excellent Chaser, but he could have been a Seeker if he'd wanted to be. Since Mia was focused on her O.W.L.s, she had little time to try and reign in her overly arrogant brother.

Mia breezed right through her examinations, which was a massive difference from the first time around when she'd spent weeks reviewing and re-reviewing, driving herself to the brink of a nervous breakdown. Knowing that she'd already received eleven O.W.L.s in her original timeline gave her the confidence boost she needed, and she even requested to take O.W.L.s for classes she hadn't taken. It was out of the ordinary certainly, but McGonagall pulled a few strings - mostly out of curiosity - and Mia was soon looking forward to breaking her previous record.

oOoOoOo

**The Great Hall**

The last O.W.L. to be taken was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Since Professor Higgs had been arrested months earlier for his participation in Greyback's attempt at kidnapping Remus, as well as his knowledge of the werewolf's presence in Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest, the class was immediately taken over by Professor Flitwick and McGonagall for the fifth and seventh years in order to prepare for their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, while the rest of the students were dismissed from their end of year exams in Defense. All fifth years flooded into the Great Hall to take their exam, and Mia laughed when Professor Flitwick purposely separated the Marauders by several seats.

James was seated at the front of the room with Sirius several seats behind him and Remus two seats to the right of Sirius. Peter got stuck in the back of the room stuck between the Carrow twins who kept whispering to him. Mia sat between Lily and Mary with Alice and Frank behind them, and from the looks of the test that was put before them, establishing the A.D. was an _incredibly _good idea. Mia finished her exam in record time, smirking as she looked around the room to see that every other member of the A.D. - save for Peter who was chewing his fingernails, staring down at his paper, scuffing the ground with his toes - had also finished quickly. In the corner of the room she saw Snape's hand flying across his parchment, his black curtain of greasy hair shrouding his face.

"Five more minutes!" Professor Flitwick announced and Mia rolled her eyes when her brother leaned back in his chair and yawned, ruffling his hair and making it look worse than ever.

James turned around in his seat to make eye contact with Sirius who was leaning his chair back on two legs, grinning and giving James a thumbs up. Mia chuckled quietly wondering if Sirius would see it coming if she was able to knock his chair over from where she was sitting. She frowned at the sight of Remus who - though clearly done with his exam - was looking over his answers nervously. She made a quick, "Pst!" sound and caught his attention. She rose a brow at him and he smirked at her, shrugging his shoulders and lowering his quill in a sign of surrender. _As though Remus Lupin wouldn't pass his Defense O.W.L. with flying colors_, Mia thought.

"Quills down, please!' squeaked Professor Flitwick. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! _Accio_!" Over a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backwards off his feet. Several people laughed.

Mia and Lily sighed and stood up, rushing to Professor Flitwick's side to help the tiny wizard back to his feet.

"Thank you ... thank you," panted Professor Flitwick. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

oOoOoOo

**The Black Lake**

"How do you think you did?" Mary asked Mia and Lily as they joined up with Alice, all four girls linking arms which caused Mia to laugh and roll her eyes.

"If I don't get an Outstanding, I'll scream," Mia admitted, remembering the feeling of only receiving an 'E' the last time she took the test.

"Me too," Lily confessed. "I wonder if we were adequately prepared," the redhead worried. "After Professor Higgs being arrested..." she sighed nervously.

"You'll have done brilliantly, Lils," Mia promised as she looked ahead watching her brother play with his stupid snitch while Sirius and Remus laughed and Peter had his nose buried in his exam questions. "I'm going to go sit with the boys," Mia said and made to leave to follow her Pack - and Peter - to the beech tree by the edge of the lake.

"Oh no you don't," Mary insisted. "We've been nice because you're a bit of a nutter when it comes to revising and we didn't want you to curse our faces," she snickered the same way she always did when she reminded Mia of the previous Valentine's Day. "But I have been waiting months and months and our exams are _finally _over, so now we're going to go over sit down by the lake and you're going to tell us what happened with you, Black and Lupin the night of Lupin's party."

Mia immediately flushed, looking longingly at her boys who all smirked at her while she was literally pulled away from the comfort of their gossipless conversations. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mary," Mia insisted. "Remus and I dated for a year, you knew that."

"Did you snog Sirius while you were with Remus?" Alice asked innocently. "Was that why he was so angry?"

"Remus was angry? How did you know?" Mia asked.

"When Frank and I woke up in the Room of Requirement everyone had left," Alice admitted. "We went back to the Common Room and Remus was there pacing in front of the fireplace. He looked furious and when we walked in he asked if either of us had seen you or Sirius."

"Ugh," Mia groaned. "It's nothing, I assure you."

"Didn't sound like it to me," Lily muttered under her breath.

"Got something to say, Evans?" Mia asked with a raise brow and a slight smirk on her face.

"Well when you came back to the dorms, I forgot I had left my Charms essay down in the Common Room," Lily blushed. "And I overheard Black and Remus talking."

"What did they say?" Mia narrowed her eyes.

"I just heard bits and pieces," she shrugged her shoulders. "Black told Remus that he was okay with everything, then he apologised," Lily rolled her eyes. "Which was odd in itself because I didn't think Sirius Black capable of such a feat," all the girls chuckled softly and Mia shook her head.

"Sirius can surprise you sometimes," Mia smiled. "If he's given a proper chance he can be a really good..."

"_Impedimenta_!"

All four girls turned and looked as a group of students began gathering in a crowd. Mia's lips parted and her eyes widened as she saw James turn and look behind him, a grin on his face as his eyes met Lily's.

"Oh no," Mia mumbled. "Jamie," she whispered and stood up quickly.

"What's going on?" Lily asked, following Mia.

"Lily, stay here, I'll deal with this," Mia attempted to keep her friend out of what she knew was going to be a very, very bad situation. _Nothing you do will change what is meant to be_, Remus words echoed in her head but she pushed forward, growling as the group of students grew larger and larger therefore cutting off access to the scene at hand.

"_Scourgify_!" James said coldly.

"Leave him ALONE!" Lily screamed when she got close enough, her green eyes glaring daggers at James when she spotted Snape on the ground, choking on what appeared to be soap bubbles. Sirius and James both turned around, each pretending like they were perfectly innocent of all crimes. Mia closed her eyes, not wanting to watch.

"All right, Evans?" said James, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. "What's he done to you?" Sirius scoffed loudly and turned around looking at Snape with absolute disgust in his face.

"Well," said James, appearing to deliberate the point and he turned to look at Sirius for confirmation but Sirius just shook his head sternly as if silently telling James to keep his mouth shut as to the real reason for their assault. "It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..."

Mia turned and looked down at Remus who was still on the ground, his nose stuck in a book that he wasn't even reading. She narrowed her eyes and knelt down in front of him. "Hello!" She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Prefect!" She growled and Remus buried his face further with an exhausted sigh. She shook her head in frustration. Ever since Remus almost killed Snape months earlier, Remus had done everything to stay away from the Slytherin, avoiding situations at all costs.

"I'm staying out of it, Mia," Remus said quietly.

""_The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing_."," Mia said, frowning at Remus who looked incredibly guilty.

"Mia, Snape's been after the two of them for weeks," Remus admitted. "I tried the first few times, but I can't control James or Sirius let alone a Slytherin that keeps making snide remarks about my condition or talking about how you..." he stopped mid-sentence and looked down ashamed.

"How I _what_?" She paled. "Snape said something about me?"

"No, but Carrows did," Remus frowned. "Alecto called you a whore," he admitted with a low growl. "And Snape laughed. James heard him," Remus shrugged. "That's why James and Sirius were in detention all last week. They were caught hexing the Carrows outside the Pitch," he sighed. "This is them getting back at Snape."

"You four are toddlers," Mia scowled. "I'll take care of this myself," she moved to stand up and there was a sudden commotion. She heard Sirius yell and two flashes of bright light and people were suddenly shouting. Remus was immediately up and at her side, pushing through the crowd to see what happened.

"Let him down!"

Mia looked up and watched as her brother held Snape mid-air, using the boys own curse against him. She winced at the thought that it was _her _wand that had taught James and Sirius that spell to begin with. She momentarily felt guilty over the treatment of her future Potions Professor until she saw a cut across James's face and blood leaking down his cheek, his robes stained.

"That snivelling son of a..." she began to storm forward, rage fueling her. She hated that James and Sirius were bullies, hated that part of herself that had treated Snape similarly, but knowing James' ultimate fate caused her to become overly protective of her brother. It didn't help that he was a mirror image of Harry, and protecting Harry had become second nature to her over the years. Mia reached for her wand and glared ahead as she moved, but she suddenly felt two large arms around her, pulling her back into the crowd.

"Certainly," said James and he jerked his wand upwards; Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, "_Petrificus Totalus!_" and Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James earnestly, though he never would raise his own wand to the redhead, and he had a multitude of hex scars from her to prove it.

"Let me go, Remus!" Mia snarled as she struggled against the long arms of the werewolf.

"I am not letting you go running into this with James and Lily pointing wands at each other," Remus argued firmly.

"Take the curse off him, then!" Lily shouted and James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the counter-curse.

"There you go," he said, as Snape struggled to his feet. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus- "

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

The crowd fell into utter silence, and Mia's face paled. "Lily," she whispered and she watched closely as her friend stared into Snape's cold face. Mia - no, _Hermione _\- had been called Mudblood more times than she could count. But as she watched Lily and Snape stare at one another, she couldn't help but wonder how much it would have hurt if it had been Harry or Ron who called her that horrid name. If Remus or Sirius had used it against her Mia knew it would shatter her heart in ways that couldn't possibly be put back together. An ultimate betrayal said in a flash of regrettable anger.

"Apologise to Evans!" James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him, hazel eyes blazing.

"I don't want you to make him apologise," Lily shouted, rounding on James. "You're as bad as he is."

"What?" yelped James. "I'd NEVER call you a-you-know-what!"

"Mary," Mia called. "Grab Lily and get her out of here!" She hissed to her friend who nodded, a scathing look on her face as her eyes narrowed at Snape. It was one thing to hex each other in the hallways. It was one thing to call names and make fun of Houses and cause problems on the Quidditch Pitch or in classes. But there was one line that no one ever crossed:

No one called Lily Evans a Mudblood in front of Gryffindors.

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch," Lily stormed closer to James who for a moment actually looked a little terrified as she gripped her wand tighter. "Walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can-I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!"

"Come on Lils," Mary said and took Lily's hand and lead her away from the crowd. Mia watched closely as her friends walked away and she could see Lily holding back tears. She turned on the boys, her glare directed at all of them - Snape included.

"What is it with her?" said James, trying and failing to look as though this was a throwaway question of no real importance to him, but Mia could see he was hurt and felt guilty. Though if she guessed, he wasn't sure _what _he felt guilty about.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate," said Sirius. There was another flash of light, and Snape was once again hanging upside-down in the air.

"_Liberacorpus_!" Mia called and Snape fell back to the ground. James and Sirius spun on their heels and looked immediately over Mia's shoulder at Remus who shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "How _could _you?" She asked James, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Did you hear what he called Evans?!" James snapped at his sister.

"You are a Gryffindor!" She smacked him on the back of the head. "Act like it!"

"No one asked you-" Snape began, glaring daggers at Mia and she turned on him immediately, her eyes flashing amber.

"You!" She pointed her wand at him. "Threaten my friends," she thought of Remus. "Call Lily a Mudblood," she snarled. "And you made my brother bleed," her teeth clenched. "Go back to the castle Snape before I decide to pay you back in kind."

"I look forward to the day when you _try_," he sneered at her as he stood, turning and making his way toward a group of Slytherins who had stood by to watch the whole ordeal with amused expressions on their faces. Mia could just imagine how pleased they were to see Snape lose his Muggle-born friend so publicly.

"I am officially done," Mia put her wand back in her robes. "I would have thought what happened back in March would have given the four of you some perspective, but clearly I was wrong," she shook her head in disappointment.

"Oh c'mon Mia, just because I don't want the greasy git dead doesn't mean that I'm going to jump at the chance to be his best mate," James glared at her. "I took it easy on him," he said. "After what he said about Remus? You would have hexed him too! Never mind that he was laughing after..."

"The Carrows called me a whore?" Mia answered. Immediately both James and Sirius turned and glared at Remus, knowing immediately that he was the one who told her what had happened.

"No one talks about my sister that way," James snapped.

"I am not _yours _to protect!" Mia yelled.

Then all at once James, Sirius and Remus began arguing with her, clearly she'd said the wrong thing.

"Grow up Jamie!" Mia cried. "You're holding onto a grudge you made when you were eleven years old because some stupid kid pushed your sister down. You're my brother and I love you, but Lily's right, you're so full of yourself sometimes."

"Mia..." Remus reached for her and she pulled away from him.

"_You _are supposed to be the voice of reason. You're supposed to understand why they shouldn't bully others!" She pointed at the black haired wizards. "_You _are supposed to be the smart one!"

"Hey!" Sirius said, offended. At the sound of his voice, Mia turned on him.

"Who started this today, Sirius?" She asked him point blank and James and Remus looked away, but Sirius kept his stare on her. "You're supposed to be a better man than this!"

"I _am _a better man!" Sirius growled. "Better than _him_!" He yelled, pointing after Snape.

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals," Mia said sadly and turned away from James and Sirius both, tears in her eyes. Remus followed after her immediately.

"Who said that?" Remus asked her curiously.

"A good man I once knew," Mia whispered, the image of an older Sirius burned into her mind as she walked away from them all.

oOoOoOo

**June 16th, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Room of Requirement**

Frank Longbottom _should _have counted himself a lucky man.

After the now infamous story of what happened by the Black Lake spread like Fiendfyre through the school, Frank Longbottom was the only boy in Gryffindor Tower that _any _of the girls would speak to. Which unfortunately meant that when the Marauders failed to get either Mia or Lily's attention to beg forgiveness for their immature idiocy, Frank was sent as a messenger to parlay between the genders. It naturally didn't work and when Frank tried for the fourth time to relay a message from Sirius to Mia, it took Alice begging her curly haired friend not to hex her boyfriend. Don't kill the messenger.

The moment she left the boys down by the lake, Mia had returned to the castle and made her way to the Room of Requirement, requesting it to turn into a familiar room for her. She spoke to Hogwarts in great detail as the room conformed around her, walls changing color and textures, the floor shifting from hardwood to marble, and expensive furniture popping up out of no where. Hanging from the ceiling was a large chandelier, the final touch on what looked nearly identical to Malfoy Manor.

She created the place she hated more than any other place in the world.

Because she desperately needed something to destroy.

For the better part of three hours, Mia hexed, smashed, destroyed, and set fire to everything within reach. She blamed the Death Eaters and Voldemort more than she blamed the Marauders for what had happened. While James and Sirius were acting like arrogant children, she knew that Snape had been dabbling in the dark arts, and even if the greasy haired boy had never caused a problem before, _that _was the line that James drew with everything and everyone. Mia knew James would grow to be a good man, to join the Order of the Phoenix and fight against the dark arts. In a way she imagined he thought he was doing that now.

And in an incredibly stupid and immature way that she did not approve of, she supposed he was.

She wanted to be furious at Sirius though who should have known better, at least by now, but try as she might she just couldn't fuel her rage toward _him_. She'd known Sirius for years. Had seen him older, sitting around a table at Grimmauld Place throwing bitter insults back and forth with Professor Snape who was always provoking the Animagus. It was a constant and deeply rooted grudge.

She couldn't change anything.

When she even tried it did nothing but stoke the fires of an already resilient rivalry.

Every decision she made either triggered a chain of events she was trying to prevent, or only added fuel to the open flame of the future that she could see unfolding right before her eyes. _Her _very existence in Diagon Alley five years ago triggered the bad blood between Severus Snape and James Potter. The same event that brought Sirius Black into their lives. _Her _love for Remus and her mistaken sympathy for a bullied Peter Pettigrew had formed the Marauders. _Her _need to defend her friends had her at war with the young Severus Snape, and _her _use of his own curse in front of him had put a bulls-eye on her back. _She _was the reason the Marauders fought him now. The reason that Severus lost control and cut ties with Lily, the only thing potentially keeping him from fully being recruited by Death Eaters.

But he would be.

Snape would join Voldemort and overhear a prophecy and unknowingly bring about the deaths of James and Lily Potter.

And Mia had been the catalyst.

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Tower**

When she had returned to the Common Room covered in sweat, tears and blood, the Marauders jumped to attention.

"Mia what happened?!" James bellowed. "Are you okay? Who did this?!"

"I did," she muttered quietly. "I'm going to my room."

"No!" Sirius yelled. "Mia what happened?" He stared wide eyed at the cuts on her hands from where she had decided to destroy the chandelier.

"Learn Occlumency," she replied. "All of you."

And then she said nothing more to them as she made her way up the staircase to the girls dorms to find Lily crying. Her heart broke for her friend who had tried to be so strong in the face of others, but she knew Lily had her own vulnerabilities. Mia used a few non-verbal charms to clean herself up - which she admitted she should have done before even coming back to the Tower - and then she sat on Lily's bed and pulled her friend into a tight hug. The girls stayed like that for an hour. Lily crying for the loss of her childhood friend. Mia quietly regretting the beginning of a war that she could not prevent.

"Lily?" Mary's voice called from the door. "I'm sorry Lils, but... Snape's outside the portrait. The Fat Lady's throwing a fit because he won't leave until he talks to you. Says he's going to sleep outside the entrance if you don't come out."

"Tell him to sod off!" Mia growled.

"No," Lily sighed. "It's fine. I'll get rid of him."

"Lily," Mia frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything."

"Nothing you could have done about it," Lily offered a shrug and a sad smile as she and Mary walked out, closing the door behind them.

"I know," Mia nodded quietly to herself.

oOoOoOo

**July 3rd, 1976**

**Kings Cross Station**

Mia spent the rest of the month with her girlfriends, which was completely out of character for her - in _both _time lines - but the boys didn't give her much of a choice. Sixteen. They were all sixteen now and she wondered if over the summer Severus Snape would become a Death Eater. It was the age that Draco had been inducted after all.

She sat with Lily, Alice and Mary on the train the whole way home and when she stepped foot onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters a sudden feeling of dread filled her at the sight of Orion and Walburga Black, staring coldly up at the Hogwarts Express. In all the years she'd known Sirius in this time, his parents _never _waited for him. He would always go straight to Potter Manor and Floo back to Grimmauld Place when needed. They didn't even wait at the Platform for Regulus, always sending a house-elf to bring their favored child home.

"Sirius?" She said, speaking to him for the first time in weeks. "Sirius you're parents are here," she gestured to the Black family.

"What?" He rose a brow and then swallowed hard at the sight.

"Sirius, don't go," Mia pleaded. "Come home with us."

"It'll be okay, kitten," he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you and Prongs in a few days," he promised with a tender smile and his grey eyes twinkled in the reflecting light as the sun blazed through the open windows of the station. She nodded to him, letting out a shaky breath as she watched him approach his scowling family.

"_Speaking _to us now?" James asked as he and Remus followed Sirius and Mia off the train.

"Yes," Mia admitted with a sigh as she turned around to hug her brother tightly. "You know you're better than a bully," she whispered in his ear. She looked over James' shoulder and saw that Remus had heard her and his soft green eyes lowered to the ground in shame. Mia sighed and released James who appeared to be trying to hide the fact that he was internally struggling with what she'd said to him.

"Come to the Manor soon," Mia said to Remus before kissing his cheek and wrapping her arms around his waist. Remus nodded silently and hugged her back.

They all felt it lingering in the air.

Change.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

It was over a week and Sirius had made no contact.

James tried owling, Flooing, and Mia even tried using the charmed Galleon to get his attention but so far nothing had worked to get word back from the raven haired wizard. The Potter parents picked up on their children's anxiety and offered to reach out to a few contacts to see if they could find out anything. Charlus had been reserved about it at first, but the moment Dorea discovered that Walburga had gone to pick her son up Kings Cross, the Slytherin knew something was amiss. After contacting several old friends at the Ministry and in social circles Dorea reported back that no one had seen _any _member of the Black family that week.

"Try and get some sleep my loves," Dorea said as she kissed each of her children. "We shouldn't be gone very long," she insisted as she gave one last look in a mirror to check her reflection.

It was a rare occasion for the Potters to leave their home when James and Mia were back from school, but they had made plans with several friends for a late dinner party. The vague story reeked of Order business, and Mia was certain that if she were able to get back to Hogwarts, she would notice that both Dumbledore and McGonagall would be absent from the castle.

"Be careful," James said, frowning. It had only been the night before that an Apothecary of a popular Muggle-born had been attacked. Three well known 'blood-traitors' had been killed or wounded in the onslaught and no one had been arrested thus far. James was predictably nervous about his parents leaving the protection of the Manor's wards.

"Don't leave the Manor," Charlus instructed his son before he and Dorea stepped into the Floo, vanishing in a whirl of green flames.

Several hours later Mia slowly stood from her chair in the circular drawing room, book in hand. She'd tried to stay awake, waiting for her parents to see if she could some how weasel a little information out of them about their 'dinner party'. When she began falling asleep in the big arm chair, Mia gave up and decided to head to bed where James had gone an hour earlier. She put her book away on a nearby shelf and headed toward the stairs. Mia wasn't three steps up before the walls around reflected a flash of bright blue light.

Mia turned quickly, drawing her wand on instinct as she slowly made her way back into the drawing room, a stunning spell at the ready. The room was still dark as she had extinguished the lamp before going to bed, so she prepared herself for an attack before whispering, "_Lumos_!" and lighting the end of her wand.

No one attacked. Her brown eyes drew to an unmoving shadow on the floor and her Animagus senses kicked in when she smelled blood.

A lot of it.

Mia's heart stilled for a moment when she realized what the blue light had been.

An emergency Portkey.

The emergency Portkey keyed to the Potter Manor she had given to...

"Sirius!"


	51. Chapter 51

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Constant love for my Beta **Fluffpanda**, and also a big thank you to **glittergrrrl05** who has taken on the role of secondary Beta, mostly so she can approve all my lemons since she is the Queen of lemons.

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Yay! Cliffhangers! No? We don't like cliffhangers? Well thank Merlin I update daily then, amirite? LOL.

There were a lot of opinions about chapter 50 (but not just my writing, but the scene in general) and I want to talk about them! **corvusdraconis**, I totally agree with you on Lily. I think that's the unfortunate thing about the Canon books is that we don't have 7 Marauder Books to go along with them. Lily does seem to cut Severus off too easily over one word, when Hermione has forgiven Ron and Harry for constantly turning on her throughout the books, even if they don't call her a Mudblood. I like to think that Severus calling Lily a Mudblood was the final straw in years of him pulling away from her, which is why I wrote him that way. In my story he NEVER stands up for her, is constantly exploring Dark Arts, and this was just the end of the line for Lily Evans. Severus and Lily will be addressed in further chapters however. **SuneiD**, The Pack Bond connects them on an animalistic level. If properly sealed, their magic would increase and they could even share magic with one another, like perhaps in a life and death situation when one needs to save the other. But unlike other Bond stories, they aren't connected mentally and don't automatically know where the other is. Good question btw! **angstar54**, Yes, Mia/Hermione's scars will soon begin to reappear (someone's paying attention to the timeline! I love it!) I didn't take into consideration her use of the time-turner during her original third year though, because that is more math than I am willing to deal with. Her scars will reappear on her body during the exact age she was when she acquired them. And since she was aged back exact to the day, the scars will reappear on the exact DAY she got them as well (just 30 years in the past). **Riddlegirl13**, Keep in mind that Harry gets ALL the information about his family from the few that survived the First War. Dumbledore (who rarely bothers telling the truth), the Weasleys (who have not met Mia), Hagrid (who only ever really mentioned James and Lily post marriage), and Remus and Sirius (who have a pretty good reason to NOT tell Harry because they couldn't risk Hermione finding out the truth before she was ready). If you'll notice though back in Chapter 6, Sirius vanishes the Potter Family Tree from the Pure-blood Genealogy book that Harry and Hermione were interested in reading.

Also, if you'll notice I'm now adding bits of my Playlist into the Chapter Headings as requested, and I'm also separating scenes with some line breaks to help make things easier to read. I've gone back and done this to Chapters 1-20 so far.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty-One: Persian Rugs

_"...Do you remember me? Lost for so long_  
_Will you be on the other side_  
_Or will you forget me?_  
_I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming_  
_Am I too lost to be saved? Am I too lost?..."_  
_(Tourniquet - Evanescence)_

* * *

**July 3rd, 1976**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

"Jamie!" Mia screamed and her voice echoed off the walls of the Manor.

She fell to her knees in front of Sirius' body and her skin ran cold as she saw the blood-soaked robes that were wrapped around his body. His left arm was cradled tightly against his chest, tucked beneath the robes, his right hand gripping the silver chain around his neck so tightly that he'd lost all color in his fingers. He didn't move of his own accord, but as Mia leaned down and put her hands on his face, he flinched and his muscles seized.

"No," Mia whispered. "Sirius," she sobbed as she realized what had happened. They'd Crucio'd him. "Sirius," she pleaded. "Look at me, love, open your eyes please?" She begged, tears welling in her eyes. "Sirius, please open your eyes and look at me."

"Hello beautiful," Sirius rasped, his grey eyes slowly opening to look up at her.

"Oh Merlin!" Mia cried and pulled his body onto her lap, holding him close. She'd been Crucio'd before as well and knew that the seizing that came in the aftermath sometimes hurt nearly as bad, but if the muscles were held tight in place, it took the edge off. "Jamie!" She screamed again. "Tilly!" She finally called for the house-elf.

Tilly appeared with an immediate pop and her large blue eyes widened at the sight in front of her. "Young Master Black?" Tilly whispered as she approached. "Young Miss, he is needing a Healer right now, yes right now."

"Mia?!" James came running into the room, wand drawn, and his hazel eyes fell immediately upon a bleeding Sirius in Mia's arms. "Padfoot!" He yelled and fell to the floor. "What happened to him?!" James bellowed, terrified at the sight of his best friend.

"He is getting to St. Mungos," Tilly insisted. "Tilly will Apparate him."

"I'm not leaving him," Mia insisted. "We'll take the Floo. Jamie, grab the powder. Tilly, go find Mum and Dad and tell then what happened."

"Mia what _did _happen?" James asked quickly as he stood and rushed to the fireplace, grabbing a large fist full of powder, walking forward and helping Mia up, holding Sirius' shaking body between them.

"Alright there Prongs?" Sirius groaned.

"Pads, what happened, mate?" James asked him, his hazel eyes filling with unshed tears, pure panic keeping him from breaking down at the sight of his friend. Sirius didn't answer, his head lolling to the side, the color draining from his face. "Alright, we'll hear about it all later, let's get him to a Healer," James nodded, taking action and helping Mia move toward the fireplace.

"Mia..." Sirius whispered.

"Yes, love?" Mia looked down at Sirius' face, her lip quivering at the sight of him.

"Am I a better man yet?" He asked desperately.

At his words she instantly wept, sobbing into Sirius' sweat-soaked hair, holding onto him tightly, allowing James to throw the powder into the fire and yell, "St. Mungos!"

oOoOoOo

**St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries**

**Fourth Floor - Spell Damage**

"WHERE IS HE?!" Dorea Potter's shrieking voice echoed through the doors of the Ground Floor at St. Mungo's Hospital, through the corridors, up the lift and very probably reached the roof where a flock of pigeons took flight, terrified of the sound that reverberated off the walls of the large building and penetrated through the foundation.

The double doors that lead to the Fourth Floor, Spell Damage Ward blew open as the Potter matriarch burst through, using wandless magic and rage to move any obstacles out of her way. One such obstacle seemed to be trailing behind in the form of a frightened-looking blond woman who was trying to calm the elder witch down.

"Ma'am, you can't just come up here... you need to be properly checked in," the blond girl said and Charlus Potter, who had been following behind in the wake of his wife winced at the girls words, knowing full well what was about to happen.

Dorea turned on the girl, her eyes nearly flashing red in the process. "I can and will come up here, and if you think that a pesky little chit like you is going to stop me, then I dare you - little girl - to try my patience!" Her teeth clenched and her jaw twitched and the blond girl nearly burst into tears.

"What's all this commotion out here?!" A Healer approached, his eyes narrowed at the scene in front of him. "Do I need to call the Aurors?" He asked, reaching for his wand as though he would need to use it against the raging witch in front of him.

"I apologise for the disruption," Charlus spoke, approaching the Healer. "We're here to see..."

"Our son!" Dorea snapped. "Our house-elf told us he was brought in after," she swallowed hard. "After being Crucio'd."

"You're Sirius Black's parents?" The healer asked curiously.

"Yes," Dorea said immediately, daring the wizard to challenge her claim. "Where are my children?" She demanded.

The Healer seemed to understand, but knew that there were protocols that needed to be followed. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Come with me," he instructed and turned, leading the Potters down a long corridor and into an empty room where he closed the door behind them. "I know you're not the boy's parents," he said clearly and continued talking when Dorea looked to be ready for round two. "But... you say the other two teenagers are yours?" He asked.

"Yes," Charlus nodded. "But Sirius is..."

"I'm sorry sir, I can't give you any information on Mister Black. That being said, we do require your assistance," he cleared his throat. "Your son and daughter brought Mister Black in a half hour ago. The Healers rushed him to a room to clean his wounds, but when your children were asked to leave and refused, things got ... unpleasant," he said with exasperation.

"Take us to them," Charlus said as he stood, reaching for his wife's shaking hand.

The Healer nodded and led the Potters down another long hallway where at the end five Healers, two Aurors and another wizard dressed in long brown robes stood in front of a door, wands drawn and waving against a closed door. The Healer turned and looked at the Potters. "When Healers tried to physically remove your children from Mister Black's room, they were attacked."

"Our children were attacked?!" Charlus' eyes narrowed.

"No sir," the healer seethed. "Your children attacked my Healers."

Charlus looked aghast. Dorea looked proud.

"Then your daughter warded the room against everyone, saying that they would not be separated," he sighed. "We had to call in a damn curse breaker to try and get in," he gestured to the wizard in the long brown robes who looked utterly frustrated. Dorea moved swiftly to the window of the room where she saw James sitting by the edge of Sirius' bed, the wounded boy laying unconscious as her daughter tended to Sirius wounds.

In the corner of the room lay a pile of bloody robes that belonged to the Black heir. Mia and James were covered in stained blood, possibly from carrying their friend. Sirius himself lay in bed, his exposed chest clean but layered with dark purple bruises and deep cuts that Mia casually applied Dittany to from a small bottle in her hands. Dorea winced as she watched Sirius' body seize in pain, his muscles stiffening. James reached for his friends hand, burying his forehead into the side of the bed, unable to watch while Mia used her arm to wipe tears from her eyes before continuing to heal more cuts on Sirius' neck.

"We _need _to get in that room," the Healer said to the Potters.

"My children won't leave," Dorea insisted.

"Only family can..."

"We _are _family," Charlus insisted, his temper suddenly getting the better of him. "That boy in there is our son," he insisted. "We'll get your Healers in the bloody room, but in the meantime send someone to a Floo and contact Alphard Black." Before the Healer nodded to leave, Charlus added. "Oh, and nothing happens to our children," he said, his hazel eyes fixed on the two Aurors standing nearby. "They meant no harm. They're only frightened."

Begrudgingly, the Aurors nodded.

"Mia, love," Charlus knocked on the window. "Take down the wards."

Mia and James both looked up at the noise. James looked immediately relieved at the sight of his parents, but Mia looked on edge, as though she were awaiting an attack. Her wand was gripped tightly in her hand as she carefully tried to read the expression on the Potter parents' faces. Charlus looked calm but stern which wasn't helping, but Dorea placed a hand on the glass and made eye contact with her daughter and she offered a kind smile to the young witch that seemed to break her down.

Mia nodded and lowered the wards, the door unlocking and cracking open immediately. When the Healers rushed in before the Potter parents, both Mia and James lifted their wands and Mia took a defensive stance in front of Sirius' body.

"Mia!" Charlus called. "They're only here to help," he promised. "You've done wonderfully," he slowly reached out for his daughter, lowering her wand hand before pulling her into a tight hug while Dorea did the same to James on the other side. "You did wonderfully my girl," Charlus kissed the top of her head as she broke into tears.

"What happened?" Dorea finally asked, watching as the Healers moved around Sirius' bed, a few whispering admiringly about Mia's healing, but one looking carefully at Sirius' left arm while another waved his wand over the body of the boy.

"They... they tried to mark him," Mia whispered through tears.

oOoOoOo

**Earlier That Night**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

They'd been at it for hours but Sirius would not break.

Sirius had known when his parents had met him at Kings Cross Station that something wasn't right. His friends had seemed to know something was wrong as well, and he clung to the images of their faces as his weakened body hit the floor - again. His grey eyes looked down and he watched as droplets of blood from the recent wound to the side of his head fell on the hardwood floors at Number Twelve. Consciously, Sirius pivoted his body so that his head hung over the twelve hundred year old Persian rug, grinning as he bled onto one of his mother's highly favored possessions, staining it with his blood. _Pure blood_, he snorted at the thought. Spilled in his own home.

"You informed me that he would be ready, Orion," a cold voice in the corner of the room had spoken. Sirius had not seen the man speaking, nor had he seen the faces of anyone save for his own family members.

He'd arrived home a week earlier and was immediately thrown and locked inside of his room. It didn't bother him of course, not until it became clear that food was being withheld from him. He'd called for the elves, though Kreacher was the only one to come to him and even then he'd been instructed to only give Sirius water. By the end of the week, cut off from food and the world, Sirius was starved and barely able to stand. They wanted him weak and broken.

But Sirius would not break.

His mother came to his room, instructing him to bathe and dress in his finest robes, and unable to fight her when she insisted that she would have the elves do it for him if he would not, Sirius begrudgingly obeyed. When he was lead down the stairs to the drawing room, a circle of masked figures met him. Grey eyes widened and he scowled at the sight of them, Death Eaters, hiding beneath their masks and their master. Long, pale blond hair peeked out of the robes of one Death Eater and Sirius knew it was Malfoy. He'd lunged forward, but his cousin Bellatrix was there, all too eager to fling Sirius to the ground where she set a curse on his flesh, slicing and cutting his skin, bleeding him out onto his robes to further weaken him. A sacrifice to her master.

"He _is _ready my Lord," Orion Black insisted, his head bowed. "He is sixteen, just as you requested."

"I _requested _nothing," the cold voice snapped. "I _required _him to be at least sixteen. But he also needed to come willingly and offer sacrifice. I do not intend to Imperius every last follower into understanding and obedience," the voice hissed.

"Perhaps a little persuasion is useful, my Lord?" Bellatrix cooed lovingly in the direction of the hooded figure. Sirius wanted to vomit, but there was nothing in his stomach to throw up. He turned his head to the side and watched as the hooded figure gave a short, quick nod and Bellatrix turned, her eyes alight with ecstasy and madness.

And the Cruciatus Curse began.

Pain unlike any he'd ever known filled his body. Flames licking at his nerve endings while knives simultaneously stabbed into his muscles, pinning him to the ground yet forcing him to thrash at the same time. The Animagus screamed as the pain racked through him, wanting nothing more than relief.

But Sirius would not break.

Behind the screams that his body made involuntarily, Sirius clenched his eyes tightly and focused as hard as he could. James, Remus, Peter, Mia. Flying above the Pitch with the wind in his hair. Winning the Quidditch Cup. Ducking into secret passages to avoid Filch. Pranking Slytherins. Sneaking into Hogsmeade. Firewhisky and Chocolate Frogs. Christmas at Potter Manor. Nights in the Shrieking Shack with his Pack. Prongs, Moony, Wormtail... Mia.

_Mia_.

"Never!" Sirius screamed, and the Cruciatus Curse ended and he struggled to stand. In frustration Bellatrix hit him hard on the side of his head, knocking him back to the floor where he found himself now, bleeding on his mother's favorite Persian rug.

"Does the boy love anything?" The cold voice asked. "His family perhaps? Would he join our cause should their lives be threatened?"

"Not... even... if you let me kill them... myself," Sirius breathed heavily.

"Kill the brother," the cold voice spoke.

"No!" Walburga screamed and fell to her knees before the hooded figure. "My Lord, I beg you. Kill this whelp instead," she gestured to Sirius shaking, bleeding, sweating body. "My Regulus is as noble and pure as you could ever require. Even at his young age he would willingly seek your approval and bear your mark."

"Is that so?" The cold voice asked.

"I will fetch him for you my Lord," Walburga nodded.

"No need," the man shook his head. "Bring him to me when he turns sixteen. In the meantime, what will we do with the stubborn heir?"

"Break him," the voice of Lucius Malfoy spoke and suddenly Sirius felt his body go stiff. It wasn't a full body bind, as he was able to struggle, but Malfoy had his wand trained on him, forcibly extending Sirius' left arm. "Willingly or not, he will be marked, he can prove himself worthy of it later," Lucius hissed, walking forward and stepping on Sirius' hand to hold him in place. "My Lord, if I may do the honors?" Lucius asked.

The hooded figure seemed to ponder the request for a moment, and then nodded, almost as though he were curious as to how the event would play out rather than the potential outcome of having a new follower. Lucius turned and stared down at Sirius, silver eyes so wide Sirius could almost see the grin behind them. Malfoy leaned down and pressed the tip of his wand into the flesh of Sirius' arm and Sirius let out a howl as the skin began to burn.

"No!" Sirius yelled, and knowing what would happen but knowing he had to do it, he turned violently, snapping the bones in his arm and breaking the contact with Lucius' wand.

"Stubborn, stupid Gryffindor!" Lucius hissed.

"I tire of this travesty," the cold voice said and he stood to leave the room. "Do not call me again Orion, Walburga," he addressed the Black parents. "Until you have a worthy child," and he Apparated with a loud CRACK!

"You rotten blood-traitor!" Bellatrix screamed and threw another Cruciatus at Sirius.

"Bella, enough!" Walburga shouted. "Leave him. We have to make plans," she sighed irritably. "I'll deal with the stain on my House later," she growled in Sirius' direction and in response, he defiantly spat more blood onto her ugly, expensive rug.

One by one the drawing room emptied and Sirius still lay there, bleeding on the Persian rug, watching as it slowly stained red. Sirius couldn't help but smirk at the sight as he fell in and out of consciousness. _Gryffindor red_, he thought with a chuckle.

"Salazar," someone gasped in the corner. "Are you even still alive?" Regulus said as he approached the body of his brother. "Why didn't you just do it?" He asked, grey eyes wide.

"You know me, Reg," Sirius coughed, his muscles seized and he grimaced through the pain. "I've always been a trendsetter... not one to follow blindly," he fought for breath. "Besides, you should have seen their robes," he winced. "Fucking hideous. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing those ugly things."

"You're out of your mind," Regulus gaped.

"Nope," Sirius swallowed hard as relief came over him at the feel of cold silver against his chest. He hadn't had a moment to think about it until now, but when he remembered Mia's gift, he almost cried. "I'm out of _here_," Sirius insisted. "Reg, come with me," he pleaded. "Come with me, get out of this place... cause you're next."

"I'm not like you, Sirius," Regulus shook his head. "I'll go willingly. They won't hurt me."

"They will," Sirius nodded regretfully. "One day," he said, pulling his broken and burned left arm to his chest, hissing at the sharp, stinging pain. He looked up at his brother one more time and sighed, gripping the silver chain around his neck and whispering, "_Portus_!"

oOoOoOo

**St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries**

**Fourth Floor - Spell Damage**

"As Head of your House, Alphard you have the ability to do it," Dorea Potter whispered outside of hospital room where Sirius slept soundly.

The Healers had been able to put a stop to his seizing, though when one caused him to involuntarily flinch while applying a burn paste to his arm, Mia and James both stood defensively, drawing their wands. It was the last straw for the Healers who - after a sizable donation by the gracious Potter family - allowed the young witch to attend to the unconscious wizard. James eventually fell asleep in the corner of the room, and Mia took the time to send a message through the charmed Galleon to Remus to let him know what happened, but to insist that he not come. She and James were having a hard enough time keeping their own tempers in check. The last thing they needed was an overly protective werewolf roaming the halls of the hospital.

"Of course, Dorea, if it's not too much trouble," Alphard Black stood out in the hallway with the Potter parents.

"Sirius is no trouble to us," Dorea insisted and Charlus couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Well, he's nothing _but _trouble," the older witch admitted. "But he's been _our _trouble since he was a young boy," she admitted. "You're certain Walburga and Orion won't come for him?"

"Absolutely," Alphard sighed. "When I got to Grimmauld Place to find out what happened, he'd already been blasted off the tapestry. Walburga has lost her mind," he shook his head in disappointment. "I feel that if I took him in, it would only cause more problems. He's safe with you when he's not at Hogwarts."

"Be realistic, Alphard," Dorea said irritably. "Death Eaters tried to mark a sixteen-year-old boy against his will tonight. In his own home at the behest of his own parents. No one is safe," she insisted. "We're officially at war."

"That may be true," Alphard looked down, reaching a hand up to rub his tired eyes. "Forgive me, Dorea, it has been a long night for all of us. I will set the guardianship papers in order tonight and send them into the Ministry immediately Monday morning. I still think it would be safer were you to officially adopt him, but you're right, he is still the heir to our Ancient and Noble House," he agreed. "Tell Sirius I will be in touch, and please thank your children for taking good care of him. Your daughter seems to be especially protective," he noted with a raised brow.

"Maybe she'll become a Healer," Dorea smiled proudly. "Mia, dear?" Dorea called. "Would you be a love and get your mother a cup of tea?" She asked politely and Mia scoffed but nodded. Mia knew her mother was just tricking her into getting out of the room, figuring that if she was fetching tea for her mother, that she'd perhaps get some for herself. Despite hating the feeling of being manipulated, Mia relented. She really _could _use some tea.

As she moved through an open corridor on her way to fetch the drinks, Mia caught a familiar smell and she turned her eyes, flashing amber, toward the direction of the scent. Suspicious, she moved forward and growled when she caught sight of Lucius Malfoy stepping out of a room, his trademark sneer on his face as he stormed away from an open door, his long pale hair flowing behind him. Mia moved to follow him, but stopped when her head turned to look into the open door of the room he had vacated.

A stricken Narcissa Malfoy sat in a hospital bed, hands over her eyes, weeping painfully into her palms. Mia rose a brow, her feet leading her into the room on their own. "Narcissa?" Mia whispered and the blond witch's head shot up, eyes wide.

"What are _you _doing here?!" The former Slytherin snapped.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked, appearing genuinely concerned for the witch.

"Obviously not, I'm in a hospital!" The witch snarled.

"I saw your husband just leave," Mia ignored Narcissa's sour attitude. She did not have the energy for it, and knowing that Sirius had always taken kindly to Narcissa - for some reason - Mia felt it would be in bad taste to be rude to the woman. "Did... did he hurt you?" She asked.

"Not today dear," Narcissa said with a light tone and a roll of her eyes. "Are you following him or something?" She suddenly asked suspiciously.

"No, I'm here because Sirius was almost killed tonight," she said, her tone hard and cold.

Narcissa gaped, her eyes briefly softening at the mention of the cousin who had tried to spare her the grief that was now her life. "He... they... " she inhaled sharply. "Is he... I mean to say, he lived?"

"Barely," Mia nodded, catching every one of Narcissa's words. Her eyes glanced around Narcissa's hospital room, catching sight immediately of the vials left on the table beside the bed. Pain Potion. Blood Replenishing Potion. Calming Draught. "If you mix rose thorns with red clover it creates a fairly helpful fertility potion," Mia advised. "Though you should wait to be fully healed before you use it," she frowned. "It works best if brewed in the spring and drank under a full moon."

Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "How did you..."

"Your potions," she gestured. "Plus you look fairly pale, more so than usual," she shrugged her shoulders. "And Lucius Malfoy seems like the type of arsehole who would leave his wife alone at a time like this," she scowled.

"He's just upset because he wants a child," Narcissa tried to defend him. "And I am incapable of holding onto one," her bottom lip quivered, betraying her cold facade.

"He wants an heir," Mia corrected her. "And you'll give him one. A son," Mia smiled. "I promise. He'll be spoiled rotten," she rolled her eyes as the image of a young Draco popped into her head. "But for the love of Merlin, Narcissa... do not let Lucius control your son the way he controls you," she frowned and then turned to leave the room.

"And how exactly is that?" Lucius Malfoy said, reappearing in the door and glaring down at Mia.

She inhaled sharply and her eyes widened as she recognized a scent.

Blood.

Sirius' blood.

White hot rage flooded her system and before she had a chance to think about what she was doing, she reached out and swiped at Lucius' face as though she were in Animagus form, claws extended. She smacked him good and hard, and one of her fingernails cut into his flesh and actually drew blood. She grinned as she remembered an older Lucius Malfoy carrying around a small scar. It thrilled her to know that she'd done permanent - though very mild - damage.

"You filthy little..." Lucius growled.

"Careful there Malfoy," Mia snarled. "I might be tempted to speak to some Aurors downstairs. See, they're very interested in finding out what happened to Sirius Black tonight," she shook with fury and it only made it worse when he smirked at her.

"Oh? Something happen to the little blood-traitor?" He asked, his face expressionless. "Maybe I should go downstairs and speak with the Aurors myself as I was just assaulted."

"I doubt they'll arrest me," she narrowed her eyes. "See, I was under the Imperius curse at the time. I have no memory of what happened," she feigned innocence. "Perhaps the Aurors should investigate. Are you familiar with the Imperius curse Malfoy? Perhaps you could assist them," she glared at him as she pushed her way out of the hospital room.

oOoOoOo

**July 30th, 1976**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Sirius was brought back to Potter Manor after a week at St. Mungo's, where healers monitored his progress. Eventually Mia relented and left Sirius' side, but only at the request that a Potter be with him at all times and so the family took rotating shifts. When he was finally allowed to come home, Dorea had already converted his original guest room into a full bedroom complete with Gryffindor banners, a closet full of new robes, and pictures of his friends on the walls.

Still recovering, Sirius was forced to stay in bed most of the time by an irate little house-elf who now politely called him 'Young Master Sirius', and tucked him into bed each night. Mia fought tooth and nail with Tilly over helping nurse Sirius back to full health and the house-elf finally relented, allowing Mia to bring Sirius his meals and to visit with him so long as Tilly was still allowed to clean his room and cook his meals.

Remus and Peter eventually came over to see Sirius, and Mia had to forcibly leave the room to allow the boys time together, as she was struggling with the absolute need to scratch Peter's eyes out. Sirius and the boys talked about Quidditch, played Exploding Snap and planned pranks for the upcoming year, but never once did Sirius open up about what had happened to him.

However, he _did _have nightmares.

"I'll take care of it," Mia said one evening when she and James both woke up to the sound of Sirius moaning in his sleep. It was the fourth time that week and Mia knew Sirius had been refusing to take the Dreamless Sleep Draught that the Hospital had sent home with them.

"Force it down his throat if you have to," James sighed in irritation, walking back to his room while muttering, "Stubborn mutt," under his breath.

Mia stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Not wanting to wake the Potter parents or rouse Tilly, Mia put up a strong Silencing Charm around the room before she made her way to Sirius' bed, frowning as he tossed and turned, covered in sweat with an angry look on his face. She approached slowly, reaching forward to see his wand set out on the table beside his bed. Knowing that she too had defensive reflexes after her torture, she grabbed Sirius' wand and moved it out of reach just in case she woke him too quickly and he went in for the attack without knowing it was her.

"Sirius?" Mia whispered as she sat down on the edge of his bed, reaching out and gently stroking the side of his face. "Sirius, wake up."

His breathing quickened at her touch and he bolted upright, his grey eyes wide and dangerous looking and she was immediately reminded of the man in the Shrieking Shack. He looked broken and wild and threatening and she inhaled sharply at the sight of his crazed stare, cursing herself for how her face flushed at the sight of it.

"Sirius?" She spoke softly and he growled low and quietly at the sound of his name on her lips before he crashed his own against hers in a raging, bruising kiss.


	52. Chapter 52

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Constant love and appreciation to my Beta **Fluffpanda. **

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I'm so happy you were all pleased with how Sirius got out of Grimmauld Place. Mia punching Lucius was also a bonus, wasn't it? That girl sure loves to hit Slytherins. Now to address a few questions: **FaithNS**, regarding the Pack Bond and sealing it with sex... you are not the only person to ask that question and it will definitely be addressed in a future chapter! But no, the Pack Bond is not sealed, werewolves seal their Bonds by mating AND marking. **AnnaxVakarian**, Yes, essentially Mia did just tell Narcissa how to raise Draco into the wizard who will let Death Eaters into Hogwarts, but she's not thinking about that Draco, she's thinking about the Draco who turns against Voldemort and becomes a spy for the Order when he's only fifteen years old. The Draco that eventually kills his own father to save Narcissa's life. The Draco that Hermione befriends. Remember that without Draco they had no way of getting Hufflepuff's Cup, and Draco was also responsible for saving Harry's life in the Room of Requirement (yay for AU's, amirite?).

Now enough with the delay... enjoy!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty-Two: No Expectations

_"...Lovers forever face to face  
__My city or mountains stay with me stay  
__I need you to love me I need you today  
__Give to me your leather  
__Take from me my lace.."  
__(Leather and Lace - Stevie Nicks)_

* * *

**July 30th, 1976**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

He wasn't gentle with her like the first time they kissed - either of them - in the secret passage. Nor was he passionate and smug like he'd been when he'd cornered her after Remus' party, taking her pleasure and claiming it for his own.

This was anger. This was untamed. This was Sirius taking what he wanted for himself.

He gripped her jaw tightly and Mia let out a squeak at the action, but allowed it as he pried her lips open with his tongue to taste her. Despite the pain she felt through the ferocity with which he kissed her - bruising, scraping and biting at her lips - Mia was breathless and desperate to moan his name but he refused to relinquish control enough to part from her mouth even for a second. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair just as needy for him as he was for her and he mimicked her actions. When Sirius felt Mia pull away slightly, his fingers gripped her hair and held her firmly against him. Mia felt him growl against her and she couldn't help but return the noise, tugging at his raven locks in return in a struggle of dominance.

Like every night during the full moon, the little fox and the black dog would battle. They would struggle against one another, chasing and tumbling, a constant blur of black and red, one rolling over the other. The fox would bite the dog, nipping at his paws and legs. Mia bit Sirius, her teeth scraping against his bottom lip. The dog would use his size and strength against the fox, pinning her down beneath him. Sirius gripped Mia's hips tightly, flipping her over and pinning her firmly beneath him against the mattress of his bed. Their monthly animalistic game of dominance was an amusing way to pass the time. But they weren't a fox and dog right now. They were a witch and a wizard, and the wizard needed to feel his strength, to assert his dominance over the girl writhing beneath him, to feel as though he had the ability to control something in his life; so he would control this very moment.

When he finally broke their kiss, Mia gasped loudly but Sirius didn't pay attention as he moved his mouth elsewhere, latching his lips and teeth to the side of her neck where he bit down hard causing her to whimper in both pain and pleasure, finding bliss in the razor sharp line between the two. Though she rarely thought about one when she was with the other - in any sense - Mia couldn't help but wonder if adjusting to Remus' sexual aggression hadn't prepared her in some way to deal with Sirius'.

He sucked hard against the skin of her neck, marking her, and when his rough hands - calloused from hours playing Quidditch - reached instantly for her thighs, Mia moaned at his touch and adjusted her body slightly so she could reach for her wand that she'd dropped on the bedspread a foot away. Waving the vinewood wand at the door, she reinforced her Muffliato and added an incredibly strong Coloportus just in time as Sirius' hand slipped between her legs and she let out a loud cry of shock at the way he was taking command in the moment.

His black hair hung like a beautiful curtain in front of his eyes, which refused to look at her as he dipped his fingers beneath the band of her knickers, slipping two inside of her wet heat and groaning at the feel. The noise made her body shiver and she bucked her hips against his hand, the desperate need for friction was stronger than the need to breathe. Instead of touching her more like he'd done in the hallway of Hogwarts, Sirius removed his hand and put it on her hip, pulling her down the length of the mattress until he was kneeling between her thighs, pressing his hardness against her, nothing separating them but a few scraps of fabric. She quivered at the feel as he rutted himself against her center repeatedly, bucking hard and panting, showing her what he wanted to do to her without the boundaries of clothing. His fingers dug into the skin of her hips and thighs as he moved above her, grinding their bodies together and growling low and deep and something inside of her coiled tightly, building a familiar pressure.

"Sirius," she breathed as she reached up, running her fingers along his scalp, threading them through the black silk of his hair.

Suddenly the noises he made stopped save for the sound of heavy breathing.

Suddenly the movements he made stopped save for the way his shoulders shook.

"Sirius?" She whispered, her tone laced with worry, especially when she felt wetness against the skin of her stomach. Mia brushed back the hair from his face and adjusted her body to sit up at an angle where she could reach out to tilt his chin toward her. When his eyes finally looked up into hers, their silvery grey depths were wet and she saw something she'd never seen before:

The exposed soul of Sirius Black.

The moment was fragile and fleeting and she knew it, so before he had a chance to build the walls back up around him, she leaned forward and kissed him soundly. Lacking the lust fueled snogging from moments earlier, Mia put every bit of sincerity and need into the way she kissed him now. He didn't move at first and she opened her eyes to look up at him, watching as he struggled with the decision to let her in or not.

She realised he was afraid.

"Am I safe with you?" She asked him, knowing that he needed to feel like he was in control. Like _he _was the protector and not her. Her words seemed to snap him out of his dark thoughts and suddenly as if he were seeing her for the first time that night, Sirius sighed and touched his forehead against hers before giving her a slow, but chaste kiss on the lips.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully.

"Tell me," she whispered, running one hand through the soft locks of his hair while the other tenderly dragged over the skin at the back of his neck.

"I was almost a Death Eater," Sirius swallowed after he let the words tumble out, looking pained just by saying them. "They tried to mark me, Mia," he shook his head, the tears were beginning to return. "Why would they even try if I wasn't already somehow..."

"No," Mia said firmly. "You are _good _Sirius Black," she promised him. "You are good and kind and brave and... Merlin, _so _brave," she felt tears prickle at the corners of her own eyes. "They didn't try to take you because they thought you _belonged_, they tried to take you because you _didn't_. The first Black to ever be a Gryffindor," she smiled and kissed him again softly. "All red and gold," she beamed up at him. "You are rare and therefore... priceless."

A thought occurred to her and she smiled, reaching one hand over to the other, she unclasped the bracelet around her wrist - having long figured out how to undo the locking charm that the older Sirius had put on it - and slowly she removed the Goblin-made heirloom from her skin. Mia smiled and reached for Sirius' hand, placing the bracelet around his wrist. "Courage and craft," she explained. "You have _new _House words, Sirius."

"You're too good for me," Sirius frowned looking down into her eyes, unable to look at the gift she'd just given him as he ran gentle fingers against her cheeks, jaw and the line of her neck.

"I said you were _precious_, not _perfect_," she smirked up at him and though he didn't return it, she saw a brief glimpse of amusement in his eyes. The moment faded however she began to see it: fear. The walls were going back up. He'd exposed too much, showed too much weakness to her and that left him vulnerable, open to hurt.

"I need you," she whispered before he had a chance to lock her out completely. Caught off guard by the statement, Sirius' wet grey eyes widened.

"Mia, nothing's changed," he frowned. "I'm still..."

"Mine," Mia cut him off. "You're the end, Sirius," she said softly. "But I'm nothing if not logical and practical," she smiled. "I don't expect epic love stories where I'm some pure princess locked in a tower and you're the charming prince come to save me," she pushed a fallen lock of black hair from his face so his eyes remained unobstructed from her view. "We're both Gryffindors who fought a little too hard to stay out of Slytherin, which means we are not perfect. I am _anything _but pure, and while you _are _charming," she chuckled when his expression briefly turned smug. "I don't expect you to come riding in on a white horse."

"_Black _horse?" Sirius suggested with a softened smirk.

"Maybe one day. When we're older and smarter and this war is over," she frowned. "But for now we live in a shitty world filled with dark magic and Death Eaters, and I'm struggling to find any good reason to not have my fill of you now, because we'll only be this age together for such a short time," she fought back the burning anxiety in her chest. It already felt like time was running out. "I've already lived a life full of regrets based on over thinking things. I want to live in the moment, this moment," she gently scratched her nails against the front of his worn t shirt.

"I have no expectations Sirius, not tonight," she whispered. "But haven't we waited long enough?"

"I _need _you," he finally blurted out, echoing her pleading from earlier and the sincerity in his tone was almost painful to hear.

It stirred something inside of her that brought relief at the same time that it rekindled the fire in her belly and suddenly he was kissing her again, jump starting some needy burning fire of desire and desperation. She dug her fingers into the taut muscles of his back, terrified that he'd vanish into thin air if she dared to ease up on her grip. When he began sliding his mouth over her jaw and back to the skin of her neck Mia gasped and began to wonder if spontaneous human combustion was a very real possibility.

When his fingers touched over the buttons of her nightdress, Mia squeezed her eyes tight trying to find a steady way to breath without constantly gasping for air. One by one he pulled at each button, delicately, teasing, and Mia wondered if he was doing it on purpose to torture her considering all of her dreams of this moment had him tearing at her clothes, the sounds of buttons hitting walls echoing in her head. But in reality he took his time, pulling away the fabric and leaving an open mouthed kiss behind on every inch of skin he revealed as he went down. She felt like she was drowning in the sensations, caught in a rip tide of pleasurable anticipation that was dragging her under.

"Sirius just... just rip it off..." she pleaded and his chest rumbled in response, a throaty chuckle escaping his lips as he ignored her pleads, reaching the fifth button of her night dress that sat at the very bottom of her sternum. He'd kissed his way down the valley between her breasts, but refused to pull the fabric away from either side. She'd expected him to be greedy in devouring her the way she wanted to devour him, but instead he was savouring every last excruciating nip of flesh.

When he reached her navel his movements stopped and he looked up at her with a hunger that dissolved her completely. Swiftly he moved back upwards, crushing his lips against hers in a devastating kiss, seeking her tongue out with his own and groaning against her when he found it. Frantically, Mia gripped at his back, reaching for the hem of his shirt and tugging it upwards. Sirius laughed softly at her frustrated need to undress him, and he granted her silent request by breaking their kiss and parting with the shirt. He dove back in to capture her mouth once more, but she held him back with the palms of her hands as they lay flat against his chest. Sirius let out a soft whining noise, but Mia shook her head.

"No," she breathed heavily. "I need... I need to look at you," she said, tracing her fingers over the lines along his body, savoring each and every dip and crease. A whimpering moan escaped her throat as she looked down at the way his pajama pants hung low on his lips, the line of muscle disappearing beneath the fabric looked like it was begging to be licked.

"See something you like?" Sirius grinned down at her.

To answer his question she tugged her hands around his neck, pulling him back down in a searing kiss and she cried out when she felt his hands finally press themselves past the open fabric of her nightdress; fingers gently feathering over the soft skin of her breasts until he had one palmed perfectly in his hand, the pad of his thumb brushing slowly, but repeatedly over the rosy peak. When his hands left her skin, she whined at the sudden lack of touch, but was well compensated when he tore his lips from her mouth to crawl down her body pulling a nipple into his mouth. He tongued the pebble of flesh, grinning against her when she made the sweetest little noises, her hips bucking against him and her hands twisting in the red sheets that lined his bed.

"Sirius... please..." Mia moaned.

"Patience kitten," Sirius whispered as he removed her breast from his mouth with a wet pop. His silver-grey eyes stared at her face, his hardness throbbing at the sight of her so feverish and unbridled beneath him. "I need to memorize every exquisite moment of this."

"Sirius I need you inside of me, right now!" Mia growled.

Sirius closed his eyes and fought to focus, but his cock twitched at her words and the delicious way she continued to roll her hips against him wasn't helping. Against his better judgement he opened his eyes and looked down at her. She concentrated on her movements with a look that reminded him of of the single-minded determination she used when studying for O.W.L.s, like the friction between them was the most important thing she'd ever do.

"For the love of Merlin," Sirius said, firmly gripping her hips and stilling her movements. "You need to stop," he breathed. He wasn't overly proud of many aspects of his less than proper reputation, but one thing he _did _pride himself on was the fact that he'd always been able to satisfy a witch before he ever lost control of himself, but Mia was testing his resolve in the worst and possibly best ways known to mankind.

He took in slow, deep breaths to calm himself but was unable to concentrate as he felt Mia's knees bending and suddenly her toes had been tucked into the waist of his bottoms and she was tugging them down. He glanced down at her and almost glared at the smug, victorious look on her face. She was pushing him, trying to dominate the situation, and he would have none of it. Sirius continued to let her tug at his clothing, exposing him to the warm air of the bedroom. But before he allowed her to see him in all his glory, he leaned forward, pushing her nightdress up around her waist to reveal black knickers. The sight of the color caused the Animagus in him to growl with pleasure as though she had his very name tattooed on her skin.

Sirius pressed his face against the skin of her hip, grasping the black lace between his teeth and inhaling deep at the same time, letting the scent of her arousal wash over him, drug him and bring him down into a heady reverie. He pulled the small scrap of fabric down her soft thighs, his eyes focused ahead at their apex and the sight of her bare before him made his mouth water. Yanking the knickers completely off and throwing them to the side, Sirius hiked her leg over his shoulder, placing a trail of kisses up her thigh and grinning when she whimpered at the soft sensation.

"Fuck, you're soaking," Sirius grinned as the pad of his thumb stroked against her wet center, watching closely as she shivered at his touch. Sirius leaned down and lightly nipped at the tender skin of her thigh to distract her and when she gave a soft yelp in response, Sirius pressed forward and ran his tongue against the length of her core, groaning at the taste and feel of her, and relishing the sweet mewling sounds she was making as her thighs tensed around him. He placed a firm hand on her stomach to hold her in place as her body fought to move against him, using the other arm to grip around a thigh for leverage as he lapped at her eagerly.

_Honey_, Sirius thought with a grin.

"Purr for me, kitten," he whispered against her, circling his tongue around the center of her nerves before he took it between his wet lips and suckled gently. At the same time, he pushed two fingers inside of her, curled them and stroked. Mia let out a loud cry of passion as Sirius pushed her over the edge into a blissful nirvana that had her blurry eyed and quivering, her body fluttering around his fingers and pulsating against his tongue.

"Siri... Sirius..." Mia panted heavily and before she had a chance to catch her breath, he was taking it away from her, kissing her urgently as he removed his fingers from inside of her, gripping his hard length in hand and rubbing the tip of it against her wetness. He broke away from her mouth to look down into her dilated eyes.

"Want you," Mia whimpered.

"Need you," Sirius whispered before he buried himself inside of her in one long thrust, hissing at the feel of her tightness around him, squeezing him as he drove hard and deep, wanting to dig inside of her and mould her quim specifically to his cock. "Oh fuck, kitten... so tight... so good..." he groaned loudly, pressing his face into the crevice of her neck as she dug her fingernails into his shoulders.

Every stroke wound her tighter and tighter around him, a familiar building pressure that burned hot and felt icy cold at the same time. With every movement of his hips Sirius would ease out leaving her wanting, and then thrust in again making her deliciously filled. He kissed along her throat before lifting up and pressing against her forehead letting her eyes focus on his face. He looked like he was riding a dangerous line between pain and absolute bliss and Mia could tell he was holding back, desperate to not hurt her.

"Harder," she moaned, digging her heels into his arse and tilting her hips upwards, allowing him to bury deeper. He growled at the change, but she could still tell he was struggling, fighting the thoughts inside of his head that told him she was delicate and he wasn't worthy. She reached up and put her hands on either side of his face until he opened his eyes and looked down at her. When she finally had his full attention, Mia moaned, "Sirius, fuck me harder!"

And Sirius lost every semblance of control.

His voice was rough and so were his hands as they took firm hold of her hips, pulling on them hard as he slammed into her deep. Mia watched eagerly with parted lips as drops of sweat fell down his marble chest and her eyes raked over his beautifully sculpted frame until amber orbs focused on their connected bodies. Sirius too brought his silver-grey eyes to the place where they joined, panting as he watched himself piston in and out of her.

As the coil inside of her wound tighter and tighter, Mia could also feel something pull at her chest. The tiny golden thread that connected her to Sirius - spanning the width of space and time - tugged hard, almost violently until she was physically pulled forward and Sirius shoved down. His eyes widened and stared into her and Mia knew he'd felt it too. The golden thread twisted tight and if Mia closed her eyes she could almost see it, watching it strengthen.

"Sirius.." Mia moaned.

"Look at me," he pleaded with her. "I need... I need to see you come."

Her eyes widened at his words and she panted hard as she felt the spring inside of her snap and she let out a breathy cry as she came. Sirius rode out the waves of her climax with her, and the fluttering velvet walls pulled him down, firmly gripping him like a pulsating vice. Once she let out a telltale sigh of contentment, he growled and drove into her again relishing in the moan she let escape her swollen lips. He selfishly stole four more thrusts before burying his hardness to the hilt and spilling himself inside of her abundant warmth, stars bursting behind his eyelids as he collapsed against her.

They lay like that for several minutes coming down from the high. Sirius forehead rested against hers, both panting hard and heavy, sharing in each hot inhale and exhale. Sirius leaned forward, kissing her soft and deep, not having the proper words to tell her how he felt, considering the blood had yet to return to his brain.

Sirius pulled himself off of her, settling next to her on the mattress which now felt cool against his burning skin. His arm reached over her waist, tugging her until her sweat soaked back was flush against his chest. He buried his face in her tangled mane of brown curls and breathed her in before placing gentle kisses on her bare shoulders, laughing lightly when he realized her half opened nightdress was still bunched around her hips.

"Lift up," Sirius whispered, sitting up and nudging at her hips and Mia complied silently allowing him to completely disrobe her which now seemed silly all things considered.

He pulled the fabric away from her hips and down her thighs, tossing it to the floor in the direction he assumed her knickers had been thrown in the heat of passion. As he moved his way back up the bed, Sirius placed tender kisses along her body. Her ankle, her calf, a spot just behind her knee where he lingered a little longer, her high and the beautiful curve of her hip where he paused to leave a tingling bite. He placed his hand against her stomach as he pulled himself up the side of her body, grinning and kissing every inch of her with reverence. Despite taking as much time as he possibly could before breaking, in the blurry vision of lust Sirius felt he hadn't had proper opportunity to worship her.

His lips kissed along the dip of her waist but stopped when the smooth flesh changed in texture. Sirius opened his eyes and looked down. Narrowing his focus, Sirius brought his hand over and ran the pad of his thumb upwards along a thin but deep, scar that ran the length of her ribcage.

"Give me your wand," he told her.

"I already cast a Contraceptive Charm," Mia muttered sleepily.

"Mia, give me your wand," he insisted again.

"What for?" She sat up, handing him the wand and before he had a chance to answer her question, Sirius illuminated the room with a soft Lumos. Holding the vinewood wand over her body, Sirius' grey eyes darkened at the sight and Mia let out a soft gasp, scolding herself for being so thoughtless. "Mia what the fuck is this?" He asked.

She turned her brown eyes to her ribcage where the deep, purple scar was being touched by Sirius' nervous fingers. _Shit_. In the insanity surrounding Sirius' attack, Mia hadn't even realized the month and year. Madam Pomfrey had warned her years earlier after taking the De-Aging Potion that when she reached the age she acquired them, her scars would resurface. The long purple line dissecting her waist was just the first of many. Dolohov's curse that she'd taken in the Department of Mysteries at the end of her fifth year had left behind the nasty mark, though thankfully no other terrible side effects. Unfortunately it couldn't be glamoured which left her in an awful situation as Sirius stared down at it with his wide grey eyes.

"Mia!" He snapped. "What is this?"

"A scar."

"No shit," he growled. "This isn't just any scar. This is dark magic. When the hell were you cursed? Who touched you?" His face was very near wrathful, though Mia knew it wasn't reserved for her.

"I... I can't tell you," she muttered quietly and her heart broke when she saw his walls go back up. "Sirius, wait!" She pleaded. "You need... you need to learn Occlumency," she winced in frustration.

"You need to tell me the truth. Someone hurt you!"

"I'm fine," she sighed. "I promise you, Sirius I am fine. I know what you're thinking," she pointed at him. "You didn't fail to protect me."

_It was me who failed to protect you_, she thought as memories from that particular battle resurfaced. Fighting alongside Harry, being separated from the others as Death Eaters chased them from room to room in the Department of Mysteries. She'd been knocked unconscious by the curse only to wake up days later with Remus sitting by her bedside, red rimmed eyes as he held her hand and told her that Sirius was dead.

"Why are you keeping this secret?" Sirius begged to know, his hands still holding onto her body as if he was afraid to let her go.

"Because I have to," she whispered. "One day I'll tell you everything, I promise you," she felt tears pricking her eyes. "I'm not hiding anything to hurt you, I swear on my magic. I'm doing it to keep you..."

"Don't say safe," Sirius snapped and finally let go of her as he sat back on the bed. "It is not your job to keep me safe! It's _my _job to keep _you _safe!"

"Why?!"

"Because _I'm _the dangerous one!" Sirius yelled. "Tell me the truth please, I need to know... did this... whatever this is, happen because of a Death Eater?" He asked her.

"Yes," she softly whispered. "But I am fine and he is dead," she promised. "And one day soon I can explain it all to you. To you, James and Remus," she lied. James would never, _could _never know the truth about any of this.

"Fuck, a Death Eater cursed you..." Sirius put his head in his hands for several long moments before turning and looking up at her. "Was it because of me?" He asked.

Mia hesitated one second too long and Sirius' eyes widened.

"Fuck!" He stood up from the bed and began to dress himself.

"No!" She shouted, but it was far too late. "You don't understand, it's complicated!" Mia cried.

And it was. She _had _in fact been cursed because of Sirius, though he was not at all to blame. It had been the fake image of Sirius being tortured that had lead Harry to the Department of Mysteries to face Death Eaters. Hermione had gone along for the ride, never able to let Harry run into trouble on his own. It was Harry's need to rescue Sirius that brought them to the Department.

"You asked me earlier if you're safe with me," Sirius shook his head. "You're not," he frowned. "Mia, I need you safe. And that can't be... it's not right... not right now. Fuck," he winced as the pressures of reality began to close in on him.

Mia swallowed hard, trying to collect herself so she didn't become overly emotional. Not like she used to be when she'd cry over every little thing. "I told you earlier, I had no expectations for tonight. But I was telling the truth when I said you are the end for me, mine," she said firmly. "So whatever distance you're putting between us right now," she stood up and walked over to him, unashamed over her naked form as she reached for her clothes. "Is temporary."

"Of course it is," Sirius nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Mia."

"For tonight? You regret it?" She asked, her brows furrowed, the dam she'd placed her emotions behind threatened to burst at any moment.

"Merlin, no," Sirius exhaled heavily. "I'm sorry I'm so... fucking broken. Do _you _regret it?" He looked up at her with pleading eyes.

"I have never regretted a single moment of my life when it comes to you, Sirius Black," she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "Past, present or future."


	53. Chapter 53

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: All chapters are now **Fluffpanda** Beta'd and **glittergrrrl05** Approved.

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Thanks for sticking with me so long. I'm so happy to read all your reviews every day, they make all the effort I put into this story so worth it! **Grovek26**, currently, yes the boys aren't focusing on Mia's pleas for them to learn Occlumency. Harry was apparently a Marauder of his own time, and none of them seem to take the skill seriously. **Alice1985**, Unfortunately our heroine's Bonds remain unsealed, though properly strengthened. Dorea told Mia back in Chapter 33 that a Soul Bond is sealed through a ritual and both parties need to be all knowing in regards to the Soul Bond (which Sirius currently isn't), willing to openly accept the Soul Bond (which at this point neither of them truly are), and fully loving of their Bond mate (which they are in some serious denial about).

So many of you want Mia to change the future, it breaks my heart that I set up the rules the way I did. But there are fics where Hermione goes back and does change the future by altering the past, and I did really want to take my story and do something a little different with it, and this is it. She's trapped, guilty, and unable to do much about it unfortunately. She'll try, oh she'll try. But _saving_ lives wasn't the point of her going back, _living_ her life was.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty-Three: Silencing Charms

_"...Made a wrong turn once or twice  
__Dug my way out, blood and fire  
__Bad decisions, that's alright  
__Welcome to my silly life..."  
__(Fuckin' Perfect - Pink)_

* * *

**July 30th, 1976**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

It had been a few hours since Mia had left his bedroom, and though she swore she didn't regret sleeping with him, Sirius couldn't help but continuously berate himself over the fact that he'd crossed the line he swore he wouldn't cross without being absolutely certain he could. No sex. That was his rule with Mia. But Godric how he'd craved her for so long, and she was already there when he woke up, sitting on his mattress smelling like a rainstorm and looking like she had the ability to heal not only his external wounds, but everything inside of him as well. She was perfection and it made him angry that he couldn't be. Something dark inside of him wanted to take it from her - that something inside of her that made her good while he was worthless. So he tried taking it the only way he could, by kissing her rough and hard and putting all of his anger and resentment toward the world into that kiss.

And that kiss triggered something else; the wall that he kept up around himself to hide his emotions, to keep him strong enough not to touch her, came crumbling down and like an absolute addict, he was in a frenzy to have as much of her as he possibly could. It hadn't been until she touched his head that the reality of what he was doing flooded him. That simple touch had been his absolute undoing. It reminded him of the first time she'd ever done it on the Hogwarts Express. They were eleven and she exuded comfort in ways he'd never known before. His family had never been affectionate with him, and it wasn't until he met Mia and the Potters that he understood that he'd been lacking in something so unbelievable necessary for life. He hadn't meant to fall asleep on the train, but when he woke to find himself in her lap with her fingers stroking through his hair, he had to force the walls up immediately so no one saw what her touch had done to him. For the first time in eleven years, Sirius Black felt properly cared for. All because of the simplest touch of a bushy-haired girl.

He craved her touch for years and years, and it killed him when she was pissed and wouldn't pet him, and even more when it became inappropriate to do when she started dating Remus. He wasn't just addicted to her body and the way it stirred him to life the way no other girl ever could. He wasn't just addicted to her smell and the way that it felt like it could cleanse the sins right out of him. He wasn't just addicted to the feel of her, or the sight of her, or the absolutely heavenly taste of her ... he was addicted to the way she loved him.

"Shit!" Sirius growled as he tossed in his bed, forcing himself to ignore the fact that his sheets smelled like her. His grey eyes focused on the softest lights peeking through the window, indicating that the sun would rise within the next half hour or so. A new day. He didn't want a new day. He wanted the night all over again, wishing he could forget that he saw that damn scar on her ribs. What the hell was she hiding? Who had hurt her and how could he figure it out so that he could hurt them back?

"Young Master Sirius?" Tilly appeared with a soft 'pop'. Sirius yelped in surprise and tumbled off the side of his bed, landing on the ground with a loud thunk, his right leg tangled in the sheet, preventing him from getting up without looking like a clumsy prat. He sighed and rose his eyes upwards glancing at the little elf who had the audacity to look amused over his plight.

"Tilly, it's a bit early to want to clean my room, isn't it?" He groaned, rubbing his eyes. He was not in the mood for any company, let alone the bossy house-elf.

"After what was done in it a few hours ago," Tilly's wide eyes raked over the bed and she grimaced. "Tilly would like to pull out the good cleaning spells."

Sirius' eyes widened. _Shit_. "I... uh..." he stammered.

"Tilly is coming to tell that Mistress is waiting for Young Master Sirius in the library," she said sweetly, though there was mischief in her eyes and he couldn't help but feel like the house-elf was hiding something. He was technically considered her Young Master now, and Sirius was tempted to order her to tell him everything, but the Potters seemed to treat their elf kindly, and he knew by watching closely that Tilly responded to direct orders differently than Kreacher or any other house-elves he'd seen before. For all he knew, if he gave the elf an order she'd smack him in the mouth for having an attitude.

"Now?" He finally asked. "What does she want me for?" And dread filled him. If the house-elf had known that Mia had been in his room that night, who was to say the rest of the Manor didn't? He'd known that Silencing Charms were put up, but what if they hadn't held?

"Not time to be explaining," Tilly reached down and untangled Sirius' leg from the sheets. "Young Master should be up and going. Go, go, go," she pushed him to stand and then began shoving him toward the door. Sirius was tempted to dig his heels into the floor to delay the inevitable. "Tilly will take you."

"Alright, you pushy elf!" He grumbled and finally took steps of his own free will when Tilly began shoving her tiny hands against Sirius' backside to get him to move faster. He reached behind, shooing her hands away from him which only earned him a swat on the arse. He growled in his throat defiantly but ended up just walking faster toward the library in an attempt to evade Tilly. Unfortunately he'd forgotten that in his desires to swiftly escape the house-elf, he was speeding along toward Dorea Potter - a Black, a Slytherin, and the mother of the girl he'd just shagged.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Family Library**

"Ah, there you are dear. Good morning," Dorea smiled brightly as Sirius entered the room, which immediately unnerved him. He'd learned quickly growing up that it was a flip of the Galleon when it came to the personalities of the House of Black. One side was volatile, hot tempered and easy to provoke: Bellatrix, his mother, and unfortunately even himself. But it was the other side of the coin that was worrisome. Narcissa, Andromeda and Dorea had perfected the stone wall that hid away their true thoughts: a smile to hide the serpent's fangs.

"Tilly, thank you so much for waking him," Dorea beamed at the little elf.

"Young Master Sirius was already awake," Tilly smirked, her eyes scrutinizing him. "Tilly is surprised."

"As am I, Tilly, as am I," Dorea smiled sweetly as she spoke to the elf as though Sirius were not in the room. He'd seen the game played before by his cousins. "Especially considering the hour my daughter left his room this morning,"

_Fuck_. Sirius bowed his head into his hands and groaned.

"Tilly, will you go and make sure Mia is sleeping well? If James wakes up, let her have a lie in. She's probably very exhausted," Dorea smirked knowingly as her grey eyes finally fell on Sirius' crumpled frame.

"Yes Mistress," the house-elf nodded before whispering, "Tilly sees the Bond. Stronger."

"Well yes Tilly, it would be, wouldn't it?" Dorea chuckled as the house-elf vanished with a soft 'pop'.

"So," Sirius sat up, needing to speak first so that he felt like he had some sort of control of the situation, which was as far from the truth as possible. "I'd ask if you wanted me to go pack my bags, but seeing that everything I now own was bought by you..."

"Oh, are you leaving dear?" Dorea asked curiously as she sipped her morning tea. She smiled and gestured to the extra cup on the tray in front of her where the pot sat next to a bowl of biscuits.

"I assumed as much," Sirius said nervously, eyeing the tea and treats in front of them as though there was a very real chance they might have been poisoned.

"Do you have a new place to live?" Dorea asked casually.

"No," Sirius frowned. How had he been so stupid? Why couldn't he control himself? He'd done so well in the past; then again, Mia lived with three other girls for the majority of the year, and he roomed with her brother and ex-boyfriend. Now she was literally a few feet from his bedroom door.

"And you expect me to send you out onto the streets?" Dorea suddenly dropped her forced smile and she looked offended. Sirius swallowed, unable to tell if her expressions were real or not. "My own blood?" The witch scoffed. "Sirius, love," she smiled when she said the term of endearment usually reserved for James and Mia and Sirius looked away from her when he caught it. "I understand that you've had a biased view of our family with the way your parents raised you, but the House of Black is indeed Ancient and most Noble," she insisted firmly. "And I will not have its true heir - and in my belief the one person who might be able the cleanse it - living as a street urchin."

Sirius looked up at the woman with wide eyes. He'd always heard Dorea speak poorly of his mother and the rest of the family save for Andromeda who he'd known had visited once or twice with Dorea since she'd been blasted from the family tapestry. Sirius had assumed the Potter matriarch hated her House, but apparently she was just as prideful as any other Black, with the exception that she disliked the members and not the House and history itself.

And she thought that Sirius could fix that?

"But what about what you said... about you know," he cleared his throat. "Mia and me?"

"That I was aware of your amorous activities with my daughter?" Dorea chuckled. "Oh, you sweet boy, you really embrace being a Gryffindor." She smiled and Sirius couldn't help but feel like he was being insulted. "Nothing happens in this Manor without my knowledge, dear. The moment Mia stepped foot into your bedroom I was made aware."

"And you're not going to... I don't know..."

"Threaten your life for daring to put your filthy hands on my precious baby girl? Hardly," she laughed. "It was Mia in your room, not the other way around, was it not? I doubt very much that my daughter entered your bedroom without knowing that you bedding her was a possibility. There were Silencing Charms thrown up after all. Hers?" Dorea asked setting her now empty teacup on the tray in front of them, leaning back slightly to relax into her chair, her delicate fingers laced together on her lap as she observed Sirius closely.

"Yes ma'am," Sirius nodded.

"Good girl. Very considerate of her," Dorea smirked and Sirius just gaped at the woman. How was she so casual about this? He expected to be hexed within an inch of his life, and instead Dorea Potter was smirking at him after outright admitting she'd known Mia and Sirius had sex, and that she'd known the very moment her daughter had stepped foot into his bedroom. Not only that, she'd allowed it to happen and was grateful that Mia was thoughtful enough to put up the bloody Silencing Charms?!

"You're not upset?" Sirius shook his head in disbelief. "Mrs. Potter, how are you not upset?"

"Am I back to Mrs. Potter again?" Dorea frowned. "Oh dear, so formal. As I've told you since you were a boy, you may call me Dorea or even Mum if it pleases you," she laughed softly. "It's always pleased me considering how amusing the look on Walburga's face would be should she ever hear it."

Sirius snorted a little at the thought himself, though a month ago he would have outright laughed; now, however, thoughts of his mother only made him angry, bitter and even sad - though he'd never admit it.

"As for my discontent, or lack thereof, you worry for nothing," she waved her hand, shooing his concerns as if they were pointless. "Though I can't deny how fun it is to watch a Gryffindor squirm a little under my gaze," she smirked at him and her grey eyes sparkled a little. "You should work on that. I am not the last Slytherin who will attempt to intimidate you."

"I'm not intimidated," Sirius lied defiantly.

"Really?" Dorea laughed. "You should be," she insisted, the mirth gone from her eyes, the casual lightness of her tone gone from her words. "Not _one _month living under my roof and you're having sex with my daughter. In the traditions of Pure-blood society you should have written a formal letter of intent before even _thinking _about beginning a courtship, let alone taking her to your bed."

This was what he had expected. "So I'm a little intimidated," Sirius painfully admitted and watched as Dorea's expression changed once again. _Godric_, he was certain the Sorting Hat put him in the right House. There was no way he would have ever kept up with the way Slytherins behaved. "Are you going to ask me what my intentions are with Mia?" Sirius broke the momentary silence. "Isn't that how the speech goes?"

"That is how _Charlus' _speech will go," Dorea answered and Sirius suddenly paled. He'd been so worried about facing Dorea that he hadn't even thought about what Mia's father would do. Knowing James, Charlus was certain to have a foul temper that wasn't easily calmed, especially when it came to his family. "When he eventually finds out," Dorea added. "But that won't be for a very long time I imagine, unless you plan on telling him."

"No!" Sirius barely managed to spit out the word.

"Good," the witch nodded in approval. "I wouldn't confide in James either. Gryffindors are terrible liars and abysmal at harboring secrets."

"Mia's actually pretty good at it," Sirius scoffed bitterly, saying the words under his breath as he remembered the look on her face when he'd asked her about her scar. She hadn't expected him to find it, which meant that it had been there for a while and she had no intention of telling him, or maybe anyone about it. Sirius couldn't help but wonder if Remus had seen it and knew of its origin.

"Yes, but there is a difference between one who has been born into the House of Godric Gryffindor and one who has chosen it, wouldn't you say?" Dorea asked politely. "Charlus and James, bless them, such sweet little lions," she chuckled sweetly. "All bravery and nerve, but very reckless and illogical. Do you honestly think my Mia an illogical creature?"

"No," Sirius shook his head. Reckless, sure. It had been Mia who had threatened Bellatrix to her face. It had been Mia who had stormed into the Forbidden Forest with a plan to take down the craziest and most vicious werewolf known. But illogical? No. If anything, Mia thought absolutely everything through to the last detail, which made him nervous considering what had happened last night. "She said the Sorting Hat almost put her in Slytherin."

"Or perhaps Ravenclaw, in another life," Dorea smirked. "Mia is a smart girl who understands that within each of us resides the qualities from all four Houses. You for instance, hold the intelligence of a Ravenclaw, the kindness of a Hufflepuff, the resourcefulness of a Slytherin, but it is your courage and daring that define you as a Gryffindor, Sirius."

He frowned. While he liked to boast about himself often, he had a difficult time accepting praise when it came in the form of genuine appreciation or observation. "And Mia?" He asked, already knowing that's where the conversation was being led.

"Wiser than Rowena Ravenclaw herself as far as I'm concerned, though I'm just a boastful mother," Dorea spoke proudly and Sirius frowned. All Walburga had ever told him was how much of a worthless screw-up he was. "She's fair and hard working as Hufflepuffs are known to be, but she is cunning and clever and somehow she has found a beautiful balance between the bravery of a Gryffindor and the self preservation of a Slytherin. And that means she keeps secrets; and yes, she lies."

"Do you know what she's hiding?" Sirius asked bluntly.

"Of course," the older witch nodded her head. "I can be very resourceful when I need to be. Can you trust me to tell you that the secrets she keeps are not because of any malice or ill intent she holds for you?"

"I could give a hair if she has ill intent for me," he sneered. "I'm worried about her. She's got a scar on her ribs from a dark curse," he blurted out before realizing that he was essentially implying that he'd recently seen Mia's naked body, and though Dorea admitted to having knowledge of what happened between Sirius and Mia, it still felt awkward to admit to it. "She... she didn't say it exactly, but I asked and she didn't deny it. It has something to do with me," he frowned as he remembered the look of pity in her eye. He had somehow caused her to get hurt, and she felt bad for him for knowing it.

"And if that were the case, how would that change your feelings for her?" Dorea asked.

"I... " Sirius stopped to think. Would it change anything? Had it changed anything? "Well... it doesn't," he admitted. "Not how I..." he tried to clarify, but the words wouldn't come out. "But I just want her to be safe."

"Because you feel guilty for putting her in danger," Dorea stated.

"Yes," Sirius nodded sadly. He'd seen first hand how Mia's relationship - whether friend or more - with Remus had essentially put her in danger with not only Fenrir Greyback, but Professor Higgs. She'd jumped to Remus' defense that first class, basically putting a target on her back as a werewolf sympathizer. And then her love for their mutual friend brought her into that forest. Sure, Sirius and James had been right there beside her, but it only proved that Mia would always come to the rescue. What would happen if one day Death Eaters broke into Hogwarts to come for Sirius? He knew for a fact Mia would rush to help, throwing herself into danger.

"I mean I don't want her in danger, no matter what," Sirius added, clearing his throat.

"But because you love her. Knowing that you could be the cause of her pain and suffering causes you pain."

And there it was: love. Sirius wanted to flinch at the word but immediately put up his walls as Dorea spoke about love so easily, as if it came naturally to her to do so. Sirius couldn't understand how a member of his own House had first-hand knowledge of the feeling and was able to talk about it so openly.

"Oh, there's more Slytherin in you than you realize, dear," Dorea chuckled. "Tell me Sirius, when you were with my daughter... intimately..." Sirius finally did let his stony exterior break a little. "Did you feel something different than when you're intimate with other witches?"

"This conversation feels like it should be awkward," Sirius rose a confused brow as he folded his arms across his chest. He would have expected the witch to give him 'the talk' any minute now had she not known he was quite knowledgeable in the area.

Dorea laughed quietly. "But we're Blacks dear, and therefore things that are often considered unacceptable, distressing, or uncomfortable come naturally to us. I personally blame the Pure-blood inbreeding..." she shrugged her shoulders and continued. "Now answer the question."

"No," Sirius exhaled. "Mia was different."

"As though perhaps some invisible cord connected you together?"

His grey eyes immediately widened at the words. He'd felt it, but had thought he was just caught up in the moment. Something inside of his chest, like a string tugged at him, pulling him forward at the same time that Mia rose up from the bed to meet him. Something strong and pulsating with magic held them tightly together just before they came apart.

"How did you..." Sirius gaped and Dorea smiled knowingly.

"What do you know of Soul Bonds, Sirius?"

oOoOoOo

**September 1st, 1976**

**Hogwarts Express**

"I had sex with Sirius," Mia blurted out the moment she stepped into the compartment that usually sat Lily, Alice, Mary and Frank.

Mia had been in the back of the train sitting with the boys for the first half of the train ride to Hogwarts. Though she and Sirius had gone on the rest of the summer as though nothing happened, Mia couldn't help but feel like everything was different, and not just because of the sex. Sirius continued to make jokes and laugh around everyone, but there would be quiet moments when the two would make eye contact across the dinner table and Sirius would turn away from her, and she could see him warring internally with himself .

It hadn't been until they met up with their friends at Kings Cross Station that Sirius showed any genuine expression other than conflicted. Mia had seen Remus at a distance and ran to her best friends arms, eager and hungry for the hugs that somehow washed over her with a sense of calm. Remus however had grinned deviously and instead of greeting the witch with a friendly hug, he lifted her up into his arms and hoisted her body over his shoulder laughing. She'd pretended to fume with embarrassment, but it was always pleasant to see the jovial side of the werewolf that made it obvious how much of a Marauder he genuinely was.

When Remus had turned to carry Mia onto the train despite her struggling, her brown eyes fell upon Sirius who was smiling softly at his two friends with an expression on his face that surprisingly looked like relief.

"WHAT?!" Lily screamed, dropping the Advanced Potions book she had been reading to prepare for their sixth-year class.

"Quiet!" Mia hissed, closing the compartment door behind her and sealing it with a Silencing Charm in the process, glad that Mary, Alice, and Frank had all left to go visit others. "Godric, do you want everyone to come barging in here? The way you scream Jamie probably thinks you're being Crucio'd..." Mia shook her head and a sudden image of Sirius twitching on her drawing room floor came into her mind and she winced. "I... Sorry, that was in very bad taste," she frowned.

Lily raised a brow in concern at Mia's sudden change of demeanor, and Mia knew she was putting the puzzle together. Remus had admitted to running into Lily early that summer and when questioned why he wasn't running around with his friends, he'd accidentally let it slip that Sirius was in the hospital. Lily, despite her general dislike of Sirius, had shown concern for his well-being and asked if she could send something to him in hopes of him getting well again. Remus had confessed that Sirius was living at Potter Manor, and would be for the foreseeable future. Though no one outside the Marauders and Potter family knew the truth of everything that happened that horrible night, it wasn't too difficult to piece together.

"Forget bad taste," Lily insisted, knowing that it wouldn't do well to dwell on something that Mia couldn't talk about. "Or maybe speaking of bad taste," the redhead teased. "How on earth did you find yourself having sex with Sirius Black?!"

"Found it quite pleasant actually," Mia blurted out and then covered her mouth.

"Mia!" Lily blushed, which only made Mia laugh.

There were moments that Lily reminded Mia of Ginny Weasley, but the innocence of Lily Evans was what set the two gingers apart. Ginny was the very definition of depraved and shameless, and Mia remembered being an older Hermione Granger and politely asking Ginny and Harry to throw up Silencing Charms the first night after the final battle. She didn't want to begrudge Harry whatever prize Ginny had been willing to offer for defeating the darkest wizard of all time, but Hermione hadn't needed to listen to it!

Lily on the other hand, was as sweet and pure as freshly fallen snow. It was no wonder that she would end up with James who hadn't so much as glanced at another girl since Lily had first slapped him years ago.

"I can't tell you everything," Mia admitted. "It's not my place to tell you. But Sirius moved in with us and he... well," she frowned wondering if she'd already said too much, but Lily didn't react in the slightest which told Mia that her friend already knew something. "He's been having nightmares."

"Like yours?" Lily asked.

Mia paled at the words. "How do you know about that?"

"What? That you put up silencing spells, starting our first year?" Lily rolled her eyes in offense as though her very intelligence had been called into question. "Mary and Alice may be oblivious, but my bed is right next to yours and while I'm glad not to be kept awake by snoring, it's a little weird when I can't even hear my roommate breathing. I check on you from time to time," she admitted. "It's always quiet of course, but I can tell something's wrong. You calm down pretty quickly when someone just holds your hand."

Mia felt a warm affection for the witch. "Lily... I didn't know... I..."

"Don't worry about it," Lily smiled kindly knowing that Mia often struggled with admitting any weaknesses or faults and depending on others. "Back to Sirius."

"Fine," Mia nodded, grateful that Lily hadn't let her linger on the topic of her own nightmares. "Well, I went in to check on him and he woke up, quite startled actually," she frowned as she remembered the look of fear and anger on his face. "We talked a bit about us, and how we're pretty much constantly drawn to one another."

"Constantly?" Lily grinned and Mia raised a brow. Maybe Lily was more like Ginny than she'd originally thought. "So this has happened before?"

"What?" Mia blinked. "No," she briefly thought of the fifth corridor after Remus' birthday part. "I mean not exactly."

"You slept with him before?" Lily's bright green eyes widened and Mia paled a little at the sight. It was impossible not to see Harry looking back at her through Lily's eyes, and Mia felt immediately awkward talking about having sex with Sirius while looking into the emerald orbs.

"No!" She said, embarrassed. "Just a little... snogging and..." she cleared her throat. "Stuff."

"So was it your... your first time?" Lily asked curiously and Mia could tell that her friend was interested for more than one reason.

"No," Mia admitted. "I dated Remus for a year," she smirked.

"You've shagged Remus and Sirius?" Lily laughed. "Merlin, do they know?" She gasped. "Are they going to fight over you?" Her smile faded into a look of absolute panic. "Oh Godric, what if they start dueling over you in the Common Room?! Remus is a Prefect! How am I supposed to handle that?!"

"How did my love life suddenly become the subject of your Prefect record?" Mia chuckled.

"Love life?" Lily stopped her rant at the mention of the word and she turned and looked back at Mia with a knowing grin.

"Shut up, Lils," Mia scowled.

"So which one do you love?"

"Both," Mia admitted truthfully. It was a constant thorn in her side, having feelings for both of the wizards. Knowing the outcome only made it more difficult. She wondered; if she hadn't known what the future held in store for them all, would she have reacted differently to each of them? Would she have stayed with Remus despite the fact that she wasn't his mate? She'd been the one to bring the subject up, and she wondered if he would have ever told her; or if he would have gone on dating her, ignoring the fact that they weren't meant to be. She wondered if she would have fought harder for Sirius after that first kiss after Narcissa's wedding. Would they have ended up together without the knowledge that they were already involved in a provoked Soul Bond?

"But... I love them differently. I... I can't be with Sirius," Mia frowned. The fact was, she did know the future and couldn't ignore it. "Not right now. It's not time."

"There's a time frame?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Mia sighed. "It's complicated."

"What about you isn't?" The redhead laughed. "No offense. So what was it like?"

"What? Shagging?" Mia scoffed. "With which one?"

"Either," Lily admitted with a blush. "Both? Is it awful that I want to know?" Her cheeks turned bright red and she hid her face in her hands. "Oh, never mind. You don't have to tell me."

"Amazing," Mia answered her with a grin. "Each time," she let out a happy sigh. "Both. Remus is earthy and passionate and Godric," she groaned at the memories that were not as nearly as recent as she would have liked them to have been. Remus' run-in with Snape the year before still kept him at a distance from her. "He's sometimes just downright feral. Sirius was... painfully delicious. Slow and controlled and...

"Would you like some ice water?" Lily laughed. "Perhaps a dip in the Black Lake when we get to Hogwarts to cool your aching loins?"

Mia blanched. "Aching loins? Are you reading Muggle romance novels again?"

"Maybe," Lily blushed. "Not all of us can have two devastatingly handsome wizards chasing after us."

"Nope," Mia smirked. "You still only have the one."

"I'm ignoring that," Lily said with narrowed green eyes and Mia laughed, glad to know that after everything that had happened last year she could still joke with her friend about James' undying love for her. "So tell me... which one is better in bed?" Lily asked curiously more than likely just trying to change the subject again.

"Well..." Mia flushed.


	54. Chapter 54

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: What would I do without **Fluffpanda**?

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: So sorry that I didn't get a chapter posted yesterday. There was a bit of a family emergency. Let's just say I have a Gryffindor father-in-law with a recently wrecked motorcycle and a broken leg, a worried Ravenclaw husband, a hysterical Hufflepuff mother-in-law, and a local hospital that has the combined competency of Crabbe and Goyle. Nuff said about that.

OMG we have officially reached sixth year for our Marauders!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty-Four: By the End of It

_"...I wonder what you're thinking now  
__Or if you even see  
__You wish that you could change the past  
__Have you taken all you need..."  
__(My Friend - Saga)_

* * *

**September 2nd, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

"Morning Lils," Mia said with a bright smile as she reached the Gryffindor table for breakfast. It was the morning after arriving at Hogwarts for her - second - sixth year. The feast had been like every year that preceded it save for a short speech on safety from Dumbledore, who mentioned that there had been Death Eater attacks throughout the summer in Britain. After everything that had happened the previous year with Professor Higgs and Fenrir Greyback, the wards surrounding Hogwarts had been strengthened greatly. Work was also being done to communicate with the Centaur herd in the Forbidden Forest in order to keep students, wizards and creatures of all kind safe in the face of the growing threat of Voldemort, or as the Daily Prophet had taken to calling him: You-Know-Who.

Yes, Mia knew who very well.

"Has McGonagall brought over the time tables yet?" Mia asked as she sat down beside her roommate. She began filling a plate with various items, pouring pumpkin juice into a tall glass and then automatically pushing the meal across the table to the seat opposite her, all without breaking eye contact as she spoke to the redheaded witch.

"Not yet," Lily answered with an excited smile. "How did you do on your O.W.L.s?" Lily asked eagerly. "I got Outstanding on all nine," she said brightly. "I was so worried. The Arithmancy exam was actually a lot harder than I'd expected. I still want to know how you convinced Professor Vector to let you sit for the O.W.L when you didn't even take the class."

"I convinced Professor McGonagall to put in a good word for me," Mia smirked. "I ended up taking an O.W.L. for every available class, actually. Wanted to see if I could do it," she said, trying to hold back the smug grin that had spread across her face.

"I thought you were joking when you said you were going to try that!" Lily gaped at her in amusement. "So did you get your results?" She asked curiously.

"I did very well," Mia answered, refusing to give away any more information.

"She's being modest. It's not a good look for her," Remus said with a chuckle as he sat down opposite Mia, grinning at the plate of food already waiting for him. He gave a nod of hello to Lily - completely missing the way her face flushed bright red at the sight of him - before he began fixing a cup of tea for the curly-haired witch. "She got Outstandings on everything," Remus confessed. "Even Muggle Studies and Divination."

"You always said that Divination is rubbish!" Lily scolded her friend.

"It _is_, and I've basically just proved it," Mia shrugged her shoulders, smiling gratefully as Remus handed her the cup of tea. "I didn't even take the ridiculous class, and I faked my way through the exam and still ended up with an O."

"How'd you do Lily?" Remus asked the witch and then rose a brow. "Everything alright?" He asked, suddenly noticing that Lily refused to meet his gaze.

Mia elbowed her friend, narrowing her eyes. "Calm down," Mia hissed, having realized that Lily was reliving the conversation they'd had on the train where Mia had confessed details of her sexual exploits with Sirius and Remus.

"I'm fine," Lily lied quickly, forcing herself to look Remus in the face, but immediately she let out a nervous laugh and averted her gaze once more. Remus immediately turned his attention to Mia who shrugged and shook her head, mouthing, 'girl stuff' before reaching for the bowl of porridge he'd poured for her.

"I umm.. I got nine Outstandings," Lily said softly. "My parents were really excited. It would have been a record if _someone_," she eyed Mia, "hadn't decided to be a show off." Mia only laughed in reply.

"Actually it would have _tied _for a record," Remus explained. "Sirius got nine Outstandings too."

"What?!" Lily paled. "How is that even possible!? He never studies! Does Sirius Black even _know _where the library is?!" She screeched.

"Sure I do," a sultry voice spoke from behind Lily as Sirius moved over, taking a seat directly next to Mia. "It's that place where you can shag up against bookshelves, right?" He asked her, and Mia narrowed her eyes at him while Lily turned beet red at the words, making a small squeaking noise. "Alright there, Evans?" Sirius asked with a raised brow and a smirk on his face.

"Leave her alone, she's annoyed that you both received the same number of O.W.L.s," Mia tried to explain Lily's red face as fury instead of embarrassment. "Speaking of which, what N.E.W.T. level classes are all you taking?" Mia asked.

"All available to me," Lily admitted before giving her undivided attention to her breakfast.

"I got all Outstandings in everything except Potions," Remus growled a little under his breath. "So I won't be taking it as a N.E.W.T. course. Going to drop Herbology and Astrology too and put most of my efforts on Defense and Ancient Runes."

"I'm surprised you don't excel at Potions," Lily spoke up again, though she still couldn't seem to make eye contact with either Marauder. "Doesn't your... sense of smell," she whispered. "Help when brewing?" She asked.

"Opposite," Remus explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "If I was constantly on my own it might be easier, but in a classroom with ten to twenty cauldrons going at the same time, often with different potions and draughts being brewed, it's overwhelming and hard to focus," he sighed a bit, looking down.

"You were never meant to be a Potions Master anyway, Moony," Sirius rolled his eyes. "If you were, then you and Mia would have turned the A.D. into a brewing club instead of Defense," the Animagus grinned when Remus smiled up at him in thanks. "I on the other hand will be joining you lovely ladies in Advanced Potions," he smirked.

"_You're _taking Advanced Potions?" Lily gaped at him.

"Need it if I'm going to be an Auror," Sirius shrugged his shoulders.

"You were an..." Mia was caught so completely off guard by Sirius' declaration that she made her first slip up in years. "I mean," she cleared her throat. "You want to be an Auror? You've never said anything about that."

"Decided recently," Sirius said with a careless attitude that Mia recognized as one of the many walls he used to hide his vulnerabilities. "But besides it being a requirement for Auror training, I'm determined to figure out how to brew Veritaserum before I graduate."

"You and Veritaserum have a bad history," Mia narrowed her eyes a little as she pointed it out, reminding Sirius of Remus' birthday last year.

"I have a bad history with Death Eaters but I'm still taking Defense," he replied and frowned when Mia and Remus both winced at the casual reference to his attack only months earlier. "Oh come on," he rolled his eyes. "I want things to go back to normal. A normal year, a normal morning where Evans tells me I'm an annoying child, Moony and Mia exchange breakfasts like the creepy people they are, and I pull a morning prank on Prongs."

"What did you do?" Lily, Remus and Mia all asked accusingly at the same time, Sirius barked a laugh in response.

"Wow, I haven't gotten all three of you to sync like that since third year when I replaced all the Slytherin Quidditch brooms with Muggle ones," he grinned excitedly. "'You're going to get detention'," Sirius said, mimicking his friends in a mocking tone. "But I'll have you all know, I did very little. Honestly, it was the easiest hex I've ever used."

Just then a bleary-eyed James walked into the Great Hall, adjusting his glasses as he made his way over to the Gryffindor table to join his friends. Yawning, he reached for a muffin and took a large bite of it before turning to look at the shocked and silent faces of his House. "Whaappened?" He mumbled with a mouthful. Remus and Mia were gaping with wide eyes, Lily looked like she was struggling not to laugh, but Sirius was beside himself with happiness. To avoid James entirely - especially considering she was trying not to condone Sirius' behavior - Lily stood and left the table.

"What's wrong with you?!" Mia hissed, smacking Sirius' arm. "How did you get him to partially shift?"

"Shift?" James blinked, raising one eyebrow in confusion as he swallowed his bite.

"It's not a shift," Sirius explained with amusement. "But I will admit, that's what gave me the idea. I personally think his hair looks much better like this," the raven haired wizard said with a beaming grin.

At the mention of his hair James dropped his muffin and reached for his locks, only to find two large antlers sticking out of the top of his head. "Padfoot!" James growled and launched forward, knocking Sirius off the table and onto the floor. The two boys immediately began wrestling, Sirius laughing as James threw random punches.

"Perhaps, Mister Black," a sharp voice spoke. All eyes turned to see an annoyed-looking Professor McGonagall standing over the boys, who had finally stopped rolling around on the floor, James pinned beneath Sirius. "You should have transfigured Mister Potter into a mop since the pair of you seem so intent on using him to clean the floors."

"Well if I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have to transfigure anything. You've seen his hair," Sirius winked at Professor McGonagall. If the old witch had any reaction at all, it was only to narrow her eyes further.

"Considering your O.W.L. scores in Transfiguration Mister Black, I would have expected more from you than a simple Anteoculatia hex," Professor McGonagall sighed with disappointment, waving her wand at James' head and silently casting the counter-curse, shrinking away the large antlers on his head. "I hope you'll put more effort into my class this year than you've shown this morning," she said, handing Sirius and the rest of the students their timetables and then turning to walk away.

"Minnie," Sirius called after the witch. "I think you're flirting with me! You know how I love it when a pretty witch gets mad and scolds me," Sirius said, tucking his time table into his robe pockets, ignoring the fact that James was still struggling to get out from under him. "Love that old bird," Sirius chuckled. "If she were forty years younger..."

"Padfoot, if you get hard for McGonagall - or anyone - while sitting on me, I will show you just how sharp my real antlers are the next moon," James snarled.

"_Now _who's flirting?" Sirius chuckled, looking down at his friend who was ready to start throwing punches again.

oOoOoOo

With James recovered from the mild hex and Sirius covered in a few mild bruises of retaliation, the Gryffindors made their way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. There they speculated on their new Professor, who hadn't been announced the night before. All of the Gryffindors were hoping that Professor Prewett would make a return, but the rumored curse on the position prevented any one professor teaching for more than one year. They'd barely taken their seats when a tall man with a slight limp made his way down the center of the classroom, a head of shaggy tawny hair flowing behind him.

Mia groaned at the sight and laid her forehead on the desk in front of her, silently cursing Fate as she wondered just how small the Wizarding world really was. Sirius and James seemed intrigued by the new Professor after spotting the glint of an Auror badge the man had pompously left on his Professor robes. Remus patted Mia's shoulder and whispered, "Are you okay?" To which she quietly groaned again, shaking her head as the new professor wrote his name on the blackboard with a flick of his wand: Professor Scrimgeour.

"I've been informed that while your class has been properly taught in the _theory _of Defense Against the Dark Arts, you've had poor education in the ways of practical application. The notes left behind by Professor Higgs say that at least half of you are lazy when it comes to duelling," he scowled.

"I bet I know which half," Sirius mumbled under his breath.

"Since the man was arrested in connection with the dark arts, I won't be taking his opinion into account. You all begin this year with blank slates. That means until you prove otherwise, you're nothing but children incapable of protecting themselves in any situation, thus putting the lives of others at risk," he narrowed his yellowish eyes at the whole classroom. "As this is your sixth year, we will begin instructing you on how to use non-verbal spells. It is a poor wizard who needs to speak a charm in order for it to work properly. Pair up."

In the earlier years of Defense, the pairs were always friendly. As the Slytherins and Gryffindors grew older, the animosity followed and soon the classroom was split down the middle with red and gold on one side, and silver and green on the other. While Professor Higgs always paired James and Sirius together, Professor Scrimgeour didn't know better and soon James stood across the room from Severus Snape, a grin on his face while Sirius was all too eager to take a crack at Amycus Carrow. Mia stood to the right of Sirius glaring across the way at Elora Zabini, and Remus beside her was staring at Alecto Carrow.

"Now, Gryffindors will attempt to jinx their partner while the Slytherins will attempt to protect themselves. Not a word is to be spoken," the man said fiercely. "On the count of three. One, two, three!"

All at once Amycus, Elora and Alecto flew backwards into the wall behind them, stunned to the ground. Sirius, Mia and Remus shared a proud grin over their non-verbal spells, but James glared across the room as he and Snape faced off in a non-verbal duel. Snape had erected a shield in time of course, but instead of a simple stunning spell, James was trying to non-verbally penetrate the Slytherin's shield, forcing it slowly back on him. Everyone stopped to watch closely as hazel eyes met black and the two boys glared at one another viciously.

"Stop!" Professor Scrimgeour yelled minutes later and both Snape and James released, nearly collapsing to the ground after forcing their magics to press so hard against one another. "While impressive _strength_," Scrimgeour scowled. "Mister Potter should have used additional attacks, layering spells instead of forcing one that was not working," the man shook his head in disappointment. "And Mister Snape, you should learn to hold a shield and fire hexes simultaneously. It could mean your very life when faced off against a dark wizard."

"Except that he _is_ a dark wizard," Sirius said under his breath.

oOoOoOo

"He's intense," James said grinning as they left the classroom an hour later. "I _still _can't believe that Rufus Scrimgeour is teaching Defense this year. He trained under Alastor Moody," James said the name with a reverence that made Mia laugh until his hazel eyes turned and narrowed at her.

"I think it's ridiculous," Mia rolled her eyes. "You know _why _he's here, don't you?" She asked the four boys, all looking confused. "Do _any _of you read the Prophet for anything other than Quidditch scores?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Of course!" James said with indignation. "I was just telling you how awesome Auror Scrimgeour is. He's been all over the Prophet this summer. The DMLE's been catching Death Eaters."

"No," Mia argued. "They've been _chasing _Death Eaters. But so far no one they've caught has actually had the Mark of Vo..." she sighed when she realized she couldn't say the name anymore. "The Mark of You-Know-Who. They've been arresting Imperiused innocent bystanders. We're at war and our new Professor isn't here to teach us, he's here to recruit," she scowled.

"Then sign me up," Sirius said proudly.

"You don't know what you're saying," Mia growled. "Besides, he's not here recruiting _you_," she rolled her eyes. "He's here for Dumbledore." When none of them spoke, she sighed. "Isn't it obvious? The Ministry can't get ahead of the Death Eater attacks. It's not just Muggle-borns anymore. A whole family of Goblins was slaughtered last week, and there are rumors that You-Know-Who is seeking out Giants. Who better to have at the beck and call of the Ministry in a war than Albus Dumbledore?"

"Well then he should join," Sirius insisted. "Put a quick end to it."

"There will _not _be a quick end to this war," Mia sighed. "And Dumbledore won't join them. He does things in his own way and in his own time, which I suppose is fine," she turned her eyes down and huffed.

"Why wouldn't Dumbledore join the Ministry? Don't they have the same goal?" Peter asked, and Mia forced herself not to snap at him as it was only the first day of classes.

"The Ministry can't be trusted. _No one_," she said specifically looking at Peter. "Can be trusted," she turned and looked at Remus, Sirius and James. "As a matter of fact there's currently only four people in the world right now that I trust with my life, and that's you three and Lily."

"Not me?" Peter frowned.

Mia took in a deep breath. "It's nothing personal, Peter," she lied. "Jamie's my brother, Remus is my best friend and Sirius is... family now," she shrugged her shoulders. "They're..." she looked at the other three Marauders trying to find a word to explain it. When her eyes glanced over at Remus, she smiled. "They're Pack."

"It's cause I didn't go into the Forbidden Forest, isn't it?" Peter looked down bitterly. "But Evans wasn't there. She's not a part of your whole pack thing," he argued.

"Not _yet_," Mia muttered and when James looked up at her with bright eyes, she scoffed. "Calm down. Don't you have class?"

"No, I've got a free period. Need to get the Quidditch tryouts scheduled," James explained, running a hand through his messy black hair which only made it look worse. "Want to come help?" He asked with a crooked grin, knowing that while she didn't enjoy flying or listening to Quidditch, she had a knack for organizing; James wasn't too proud to abuse his family connection to the bright witch.

"No, I have to..." she thought for a moment. "I have to talk to Dumbledore about something." When three of the four boys reacted with a look of concern, Mia sighed. "I'm just going to talk to him about my Divination exam. Honestly, I_faked _my way to an Outstanding. The class shouldn't be an option at Hogwarts and he needs to know it. Even if he takes away that extra O.W.L.," she shrugged her shoulders and smirked when the boys laughed at her.

"Go and deal with your team," she smiled at Jamie and then leaned forward, granting each boy - save for Peter - a quick kiss to the cheek before walking off toward Dumbledore's office.

oOoOoOo

**Headmaster's Office**

"Chocolate Frogs," she said to the gargoyle. When the stone didn't move, Mia sighed irritably and began ranting off various candies. "Acid Pops, Candy Floss, butterscotch, Ice Mice, Fever Fudge... Ah," she smiled as the gargoyle moved, granting her access.

"Miss Potter," Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling from behind his desk. "Is your sixth year at Hogwarts living up to the original?" The old wizard chuckled softly, an action that for some reason unnerved Mia. "Lemon drop?" He asked, offering out a small bowl filled to the rim with the little candies. Mia shook her head.

"Rufus Scrimgeour," Mia said the Professor's name. "He's here because of the war isn't he? Because of the Death Eater raids and Voldemort?"

"While I have, from time to time sought your opinion on certain matters, mostly relating to your small circle of friends, I believe we have discussed in the past, Miss Potter, that the subject of Voldemort is off the table when it comes to you and me," he said in a firm tone, though the smile never left his face.

"But I _know _how to kill him!" Mia cried in frustration. "I _know _what he's doing and _who _he's after and I know that there are students in this very school who are being recruited and..."

"The war in your timeline was won?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting her.

"Yes," she admitted. This had been a conversation that happened repeatedly throughout the years, though the longer she'd been in the 1970's, the more emotional she'd become about her need to try and fix the future. "Yes, we won. He's destroyed completely where I'm from."

"Then I will not risk losing that final future battle," the Headmaster stated firmly.

_You won't even make it to the final battle, Mia thought._

"We could save so many lives," Mia ground her teeth together hard, trying to force a little physical pain in order to prevent herself from crying. "I've seen the Daily Prophet and they're killing so many. And my knowledge could stop that from happening," she argued.

"Or it could make things worse," Dumbledore sighed sadly. "Voldemort could discover your knowledge and use it against you. Or, as we've spoken about, nothing would change except you would personally be harmed and innocents would die regardless. I must insist that you keep to your rules and not tell anyone anything about the future. I've already risked too much in the past by asking questions. You have told me that in the future we have a certain victory, and I am not willing to risk that certainty for anything, Miss Potter even if it means my own life."

_It will._

"In the end it's all for the greater..."

"Don't finish that sentence, sir," Mia rose a finger up to stop the Headmaster from continuing. Hermione Granger would have been horrified to know that in some world she would have the nerve to hush Albus Dumbledore, especially while still a student at Hogwarts. But Mia Potter couldn't find it in her to care. "Do you still have my Time-Turner sir?" Mia asked sadly.

"No I do not," Dumbledore spoke softly. "As promised, it's being looked over by an expert in time magic. I have been assured that I will be notified should anything new be discovered in regards to the device."

"Thank you, sir," Mia frowned and turned to head back down the spiral staircase, cursing under her breath with each and every step. She knew she couldn't do anything. She'd seen first hand what happened when she tried to make changes, she ended up being the cause of those events. But it felt wrong to sit idly by and watch as the world descended into chaos around her.

_'Every action we take is the causation of destiny, time travel won't change anything.'_

_'Live your life. Enjoy your life.'_

The words from her letter - her guide - repeated in her head like a quiet mantra and she could feel the bitterness bubble under her skin. "Shut up, Remus," she growled to herself under her breath.

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Tower**

Sirius stormed through the door of the dorm he shared with his three best friends, a pissed-off look on his face as he flipped open his trunk and began digging through his things muttering, "Fucking Filch," over and over again.

"Problem Pads?" James asked as he sat on his bed, looking over the sign-up sheet for the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts that he planned to hang up in the Common Room later that night.

"Filch accused me of setting off dungbombs on the third floor," Sirius seethed. "I _actually _didn't do it this time, but he made me turn out my pockets and took my pack of cigarettes and now I'm so pissed off that I need one," he muttered as he reached the small pouch in his trunk where he kept his extra packs. Flipping the box open, Sirius narrowed his eyes when he noticed that it was suddenly half empty. "Prongs, did you steal my smokes?"

"No," James said quietly, a suddenly innocent look crossing his face. "What makes you think that?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes at his friend and took a careful step forward, sniffing the air. "I can smell it on you," he glared.

James' face of innocence was replaced by a look of guilt and potential fear. They'd had a few rows over the years; when it was about something genuinely important, James Potter was a force to be reckoned with, but Godric help the wizard that stole Sirius Blacks cigarettes. "Moony took one first!"

Remus turned and looked at James, mouth open. "You suck, Prongs," Remus narrowed his eyes. "I just wanted to try it," he explained to Sirius before turning back on James. "_You've _been stealing his smokes since the middle of last year. Don't pass the blame on me cause you're too cheap to buy your own vices."

"_I'm _cheap?" James' brows rose into his hairline. "This coming from the guy who hoards candy like a Niffler?"

"I wouldn't hoard it if you'd all stop nicking it from me," Remus growled, his eyes turning to Sirius with mild accusation.

"Please," Sirius rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "I took _one _bar _one _time."

"You took _two _bars last night," Peter chimed in. "And you also took his extra Pumpkin Pasties yesterday on the train. You gave me half of one to keep me from telling Remus."

"And _now _you owe me that Pumpkin Pastie back you little rat!" Sirius snarled.

"No, _you _owe _me _the Pumpkin Pastie back! And apparently two chocolate bars!" Remus snapped.

"No, _you _owe _me _cigarettes!" Sirius growled at Remus, stalking forward.

"_I'm _not the one stealing your smokes, _Prongs _is!" Remus yelled.

"Hey!" James yelled offended, and the other three boys turned waiting for James to defend himself. After nearly half a minute of tense silence, James realized he had nothing, so he did the next best thing ... offered distraction. "Yeah, well, Remus is the one who dumped that nasty cologne in your trunk!"

Sirius' grey eyes flashed and he turned on the werewolf, enraged.

"That was an accident!" Remus defended, standing up and putting both hands in front of himself as if pleading with Sirius for mercy. Despite knowing he could easily best the raven-haired wizard if it really came down to it, Remus knew these arguments happened once or twice a year, and while they blew over fairly quickly, they still usually ended up with all four of them bleeding and bruised by the end of it. Asking four growing boys to room together for seven years without at least one or two fights was like asking a group of teenagers to all live in a private Tower and not _eventually _have sex. Sirius and Remus were both proof that it just couldn't be done.

"I was looking for the Map!" Remus said. "If _you _just kept it where it's supposed to be..."

"I _would _keep it in Prongs' trunk," Sirius explained still miffed about the spilled cologne. It had been a gift from his father and he'd hated it, which was exactly why he'd been so angry that the bottle had been broken and soaked through everything he owned. It had taken a week to get the smell out of the room. "But it looks like rats live in it!"

"Hey!" Peter said, offended.

"Shut up, Wormtail!" The remaining Marauders yelled.

"Well don't bring _me _into this," Peter pouted. "_I_ didn't do anything."

"_You _didn't do anything?" Remus scoffed incredulously. "I saw you sneaking drinks out of Padfoot's private Firewhisky stash all last year," the werewolf glared at the youngest Animagus, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You did _what_?!" Sirius' temper reached its peak. It was one thing to steal his smokes. But to drink his Firewhisky? His precious, beautiful Firewhisky that took every effort to acquire considering that the trunks were often checked randomly by Filch! He wasn't of age yet to even purchase it; he'd always been able to steal from his parents' vast collection, but since moving in with the Potters his stash had been running out quickly.

Sirius advanced on Peter, and both Remus and James looked mildly smug that they'd officially put an end to the argument, especially since it had started because they'd been outed stealing Sirius' cigarettes. "You rotten little..." Sirius growled at Peter and stalked toward him.

"SIRIUS AND REMUS HAD SEX WITH MIA!" Peter blurted out loudly, covering his face defensively as Sirius came closer.

The room fell immediately silent, the only sound Peter's labored breathing. Sirius glared down at the boy, his eyes making a promise of absolute pain to be delivered once he'd somehow fixed this amazing fuck-up.

Sirius and Remus both slowly turned to look at James who was no longer sitting on his bed. The Quidditch sign-up parchment was clenched tightly into his fist and his face was quickly turning red as he stared at his two best friends. "WHAT?!" James bellowed.

Sirius took a leap. "Peter took your wand to scratch his arse with it once," he pointed.

Remus sighed and cursed under his breath. "Nice try Pads, but this argument reached its peak about ten seconds ago. Look Prongs," Remus said, putting on his calm and collected tone of voice, glancing briefly at Sirius who was quickly hoping he didn't do anything to make matters worse. "Let's be adults about this, yeah?"

Sirius immediately wondered why they both hadn't just denied it.

Before either had a chance to properly explain the unbelievably complicated and interlaced relationship they each had with James' twin sister, the young Potter heir shifted in anger, and a very real and angry Prongs stood in his place, huffing hot air through his nostrils, black eyes narrowed and his head bowed forward.

"Oh fuck," Sirius' grey eyes widened in genuine fear.

"James," Remus muttered quietly before looking back and watching as Peter shifted into his rat form and immediately scurried through a small hole in the stone wall.

"Well, shit..." Sirius muttered and then took a few careful steps back as Prongs pawed at the floor with his hooves in an aggressive threat. Sirius quickly shifted into his Padfoot form, knowing that at least he would have size as an advantage in the oncoming and unavoidable onslaught.

"Not fair! Not fair!" Remus yelled as his friends all transformed. "_I_ can't shift at will!" He stared into the face of the angry stag just as it charged forward.


	55. Chapter 55

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Deputy Headmistress **Fluffpanda** has approved this chapter.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I had so much fun writing the following chapter, and it's something that you've all been requesting for a long time. The inevitable confrontation between James, Sirius and Remus. Enjoy!

I've been getting some PMs and reviews asking if Mia is really going to let James and Lily die. My only reply to that is that "let" is a strong word. **Brian1972**, In the books, Padfoot is described as a bearlike or bear-sized shaggy black dog. There's a lovely artist's interpretation of the Marauders in Animagus and werewolf form on Remus' HP wikia page, and that's what I base them on in my story. Moony is about two to three times the size of a normal wolf, Padfoot is barely smaller, and both come up to about shoulder height on Prongs. So while Padfoot would have a bit more advantage on Prongs height wise (than Sirius would at least) Prongs is still massive. **glittergrrrl05**, I have a love/hate relationship with Dumbledore and I know it's being filtered through Mia. While I do know that he's got his heart in the right place, he's also VERY manipulative and he will win this war at any expense.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty-Five: Maidenhead

_"...Hey little sister what have you done  
__Hey little sister who's the only one  
__Hey little sister who's your superman  
__Hey little sister who's the one you want..."  
__(White Wedding - Billy Idol)_

* * *

**September 2nd, 1976**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

It didn't matter what Dumbledore said. She knew she couldn't outright tell people what the future had in store because it would endanger herself and everyone around her, but who was to say that she couldn't find out _new _information? She didn't, for instance, know for a fact that the current Slytherin students were _already _marked Death Eaters. But she could find out and then it would only be her proper duty as a student to report such things - perhaps to McGonagall instead of Dumbledore directly.

Mia had spent her day attending the rest of her classes, grinning brightly as Lily helped her catch up with the rest of the class in Arithmancy. Her afternoon was spent studying outside by the beech tree near the lake, enjoying what few moments of peace were afforded to her. After completing her homework, she began planning out ways to find out if Snape, the Carrows and the seventh year Slytherins had taken the Mark. After a few minutes of proper plotting, she felt guilty for giving Harry such a hard time back in her original sixth year when her best friend was so intent on discovering that Draco Malfoy was an initiated Death Eater. She'd thought Harry was paranoid, having Dobby and Kreacher follow Draco around Hogwarts, slipping out of the Tower to spy on him from beneath the...

The cloak!

Mia rushed back up to Gryffindor Tower with a grin on her face. She could borrow Jamie's cloak and slip inside the Slytherin Common Room to observe the future Death Eaters. The moment she caught a glimpse of branded forearm, she could tell... no wait, she couldn't tell anyone because then she'd have to explain where she was when she saw it. _Hmm_, maybe she could verify that they had the Mark and then charm their robes to slip up their sleeves in front of a Professor? Either way, she still needed James' help.

"Jamie, I need to borrow the cloak for..." Mia said as she entered the boys' room, but the rest of her sentence was pulled from her as her wide brown eyes scanned the scene in front of her.

The dorm room looked like someone had attacked it with several Bombarda hexes. There were large punctures in the stone wall, and the resulting crumbled rocks and dust piled on the floor. The curtains around at least two beds were torn completely from the posters and one of the mattresses had been upended. A strangely unfamiliar chill blew through the room as a breeze slipped in through the broken window in the corner. Long claw and scuff marks scratched the floor at her feet where she could also see drops of blood.

"What in the name of Merlin happened in here?!" She screamed.

"These two… two fuckers had sex with m'sister," James slurred from the corner of the room. "That's what bloody happened."

She turned and looked at her brother, who was sitting on the floor with his wand held upright. In the other hand was a half-empty bottle of Firewhisky that he looked to be struggling to take a drink from. James looked angry and rumpled, but otherwise healthy and intact. Mia followed his glare across the room where Sirius and Remus sat on the other side, their backs against the stone wall.

"Oh my Godric! Sirius, Remus are you okay?" She attempted to rush to their sides quickly, pulling out her wand to check them over.

Remus held up a hand, silently pleading with her to stay exactly where she was. Mia frowned and looked at them both from the short distance away where she stood. Remus looked exhausted and guilty, holding one hand over his ribs through his blood-soaked, ripped jumper. He was also sporting a very lovely shade of red alongside his right eye that - without the werewolf healing factor - would turn purple by tomorrow morning.

Sirius looked much worse. His lip had been split clean open and the right sleeve of his white shirt was soaked in blood. Mia frowned at the sight and moved to help once more, only to have Sirius be the one to try and keep her back.

"Kitten, it might be best if you stay away for the moment. He's not exactly in the right state of mind," Sirius gestured to James, who took another long swig from the bottle and narrowed his hazel eyes at Sirius. "At least the Firewhisky has made it harder for him to stand up and punch us. Doesn't help that his wand hand is still steady though. You'd be surprised the amount of things Prongs can do while properly intoxicated," Sirius said bitterly, watching as his best friend attempted to drink away the last of his Firewhisky stash.

"Jamie, you've kept them at wand point?" Mia turned on her brother and glared. "This is ridiculous."

"They can't be trusted," James shook his head. "Have to keep 'em here."

"They are your _best friends_, and they _can _be trusted!" She snapped as she moved forward to steal away the bottle.

James dove to the side to protect it. "No! They're thieves!" He yelled and then let out a sad little sob. "Stole my sweet Mia's Maidenhead."

"Ew," Mia blanched. "Don't say Maidenhead."

"It's actually the most suitable word for it," Remus muttered soberly. "We've been through several others, and this is the least horrible. Believe me," he said with exasperation.

Mia frowned. She'd known that James would react this way when he eventually found out about either Remus or Sirius, though she'd hoped that he wouldn't find out about the _both _of them. She thought she'd been cautious when it came to her boys, but clearly something had happened tonight that she wasn't expecting. Now all she could try to accomplish was damage control.

"Jamie," Mia knelt down in front of her twin. "I appreciate the big brother protective act here, but you can't punch your friends. You're drunk and not thinking clearly."

"He didn't start drinking until _after _he beat the hell out of us," Sirius snarled, wincing as he licked at his split lip.

"Can't exactly hold a bottle with a hoof, now, can you?" Remus added.

"You attacked them in _Animagus _form?!" Mia's eyes widened and fell over the room once more. Suddenly all the damage made a lot more sense. The room was large, as it needed to house four boys and all their furniture, but Prongs was a massive, fully-grown stag. Mia was certain the span of his antlers wouldn't even allow him to fit his head between the posters on the beds.

"Cause they're animals! Both of 'em," James accused. "They took your Maidenhead."

"Stop saying Maidenhead!" Mia shrieked. "And no one _took _anything from me. And there was certainly not a "they" in the first moment, thank you," she said with wide eyes as a strange flutter of images came into her mind. She forced herself not to blush as she glanced over at Sirius and Remus, who seemed to be thinking the same thing; both were purposely avoiding eye contact with one another.

"Yer so smart.. smart Mia," James smiled as he sat up, putting the bottle Firewhisky down to pat Mia on the head affectionately as though she were a cat. "Yer right," he nodded. "Now you tell me which one of 'em did it. Just point and I'll curse him," he said calmly, waving his wand lackadaisically which caused the other two Marauders in the room to flinch.

"You can't curse them, Jamie!" Mia said, trying to snatch James' wand from him. She would prefer not to disarm him with a spell, though she certainly wasn't above doing so.

"Fine," James frowned. "Then you point out which one did it, and I'll make sure he marries you."

Remus and Sirius both paled instantly.

"You're drunk," she shook her head in aggravation. "Give me the bottle!" She yelled and lunged forward, grabbing the bottle of Ogden's Finest out of James' hands. She sniffed at the open top and sighed, taking a long drink from it herself and rolling her eyes when she heard Sirius whimper as the last of his good whisky slid down her throat.

"It was Sirius, wasn't it?" James glared. "He's been crawlin' in yer bed since firs' year!"

"We were eleven, mate!" Sirius snapped. "_You _were in the bed too. So was Remus!"

"So you admit it then?!" James yelled and attempted to stand up, but only fell forward onto his hands, which didn't stop him from shouting. "You've been plannin' this for _that _long!?"

"Jamie, calm down!" Mia leaned forward, reaching for his wand again.

"Yeah and aim the wand elsewhere_, I _didn't take her damn Maidenhead you drunken prat!" Sirius growled, ducking slightly to the side as sparks haphazardly flew out of the end of James' wand.

James pulled away from her, tipping to the side and colliding with his trunk. "You!" His eyes turned on Remus and he aimed his wand at the werewolf. "I fucking _knew _it!"

"You did _not _Prongs; you just finished saying you were certain it was Padfoot!" Remus shouted back, recoiling at the sight of the mahogany wand aimed at his face.

"You're both equally to blame!" James hollered.

"How do you figure that?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Moony's been shagging her for years. I only had her the once."

Mia's eyes flashed. "_Had _me? I'm sorry. You _HAD _me?!"

"Not that I'm saying our one time was less than perfection," Sirius went on as though Mia wasn't currently staring daggers into his head. "Certainly better than the total of _your _handful of moments," he gestured to Remus.

"Would you like me to get a Pensieve and show you?" Remus snarled, his pride suddenly being called into question. 'You'll have to go down to the Apothecary though, I only have a couple _dozen _vials for memories, and I'll need at least _twice _that!" The werewolf growled and his eyes flashed gold and amber.

"Fine!" Sirius stood and glowered at Remus. "When you're picking up your many _tiny _vials, pick up an _extra large _one for me and I'll show you my memory and how she likes it when I..."

"Oh believe me," Remus grinned darkly, interrupting Sirius. "_I_ know better than _anyone _what she likes!"

"One thing she _doesn't _like for sure is her sexual preferences being shared in the Tower, in front of her drunken brother!" Mia screamed, brandishing her wand and aiming it at the two wizards. Sirius and Remus had the grace to look properly scolded for their actions, and they threw an apologetic glance at Mia before glaring at one another and then turning their backs.

"Gryffindors are red and gold... not... not scarlet," James muttered under his breath like a petulant child.

Mia suddenly rounded on her brother with wide eyes. "Did you just inadvertently call me a scarlet woman, James Charlus Potter?!" She shrieked.

"What?" James looked up at her, genuinely confused. "No... I called _Remus _a scarlet woman. Man. Moony. Scarlet Moony." Sirius stifled a laugh.

"Why am _I_ still being singled out?" Remus groaned.

"Need I remind you that he stabbed _both _of us," Sirius gestured to his bleeding arm. "And I don't heal as fast as you. We're even. We're sharing this stupid punishment," he insisted.

"You two already share too much if you ask me," James complained.

"Remus, go and ask Mary for a Sober-Up Potion please," Mia frowned, pinching the bridge of her nose as a headache loomed over her. "The last time Jamie got drunk he woke up in the broom shed naked." And she most certainly didn't want to see that again. He'd ended up with a sullied reputation and splinters and Mia had spent the day trying to convince everyone that her brother didn't have strange broom fetishes.

"No!" James stood and glared at Remus. "No one leaves. I have to keep my eyes on them at all times."

"Because if I send Remus out of the room he'll sneak off and have sex with me?" Mia asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yer right!" James nodded, clearly not catching her sarcasm. "I'll follow him."

"Okay good," she scoffed. "While you and Remus are gone I'll stay in here and shag Sirius."

"What?!" James turned around so fast that he lost his footing and fell back to the floor, though he still had his wand in hand and suddenly aimed it at Sirius.

"What the fuck are you trying to do Mia?" Sirius gaped. "_This _is not a Quidditch injury!" He gestured to his bloody arm. "_This _is where a fucking _antler _stabbed me. Right here!" He pointed at it repeatedly. "Stabbed me right here!"

"Jamie, it is not your business who I'm intimate with," she insisted, ignoring Sirius' wailing in the background.

"Intimate?" James scoffed. "Is _that _what he called it?" He glared at Remus who was suddenly looking bored of the entire situation. "When he corrupted you?"

At his words, both Sirius and Mia burst into laughter.

"Wusfunny?" James frowned.

"You think that _Moony _corrupted _Mia_?!" Sirius barked with laughter.

Remus scowled. "Should I be taking offense to this?"

"Oh Jamie," Mia smiled at her brother and then reached down while he was distracted, stealing his wand away from him finally. "It's adorable - if not incredibly insulting - that you think I'm naive enough to let myself be corrupted at all," she laughed. "Let alone by Remus who dated me for almost a year before even kissing me."

"Which was very romantic, if I do remember," Remus said quietly, as he continued to pout over the attack on his masculinity.

"Love," Mia smiled sweetly up at the werewolf. "I am not criticizing _anything _about you," she said with a wink.

"Don't you… don't wink at him," James grimaced. "Don't you wink at him in front of me after what... what you... and he... and... and Padfoot too!?" One of his eyes closed on itself and James yawned, trailing off in thought.

"Remus, the Sober-Up Potion please?" Mia pleaded with her friend.

"He stays!" James yelled, suddenly awake again. "They can't just use my sister and get away with it! I have to do something! It's not right! It's not right!"

"I did not _use _her!" Remus yelled, suddenly more angry than he'd been all night. Mia frowned at the sight realizing that in his drunken stupor, James had crossed a very firm line. "I _loved _her!" The werewolf bellowed. "I... I..." he stammered and locked eyes with Mia before turning away from them all and storming across the room. Sirius' gaze lingered on his friend, taking more notice of Remus' words than either Mia or James did.

"Gonna marry her then, Moony?" James muttered quietly as Mia affectionately brushed the black hair from his face.

"Planning her betrothal for her?" Sirius asked curiously, walking over toward his friend now that James was finally disarmed.

"I am not going to let my sister get a reputation like the other girls you go around shaggin' Sirius," James glared up at his best friend. "She's better than that!" Sirius recoiled from the words and looked down, guilt plastered across his face.

"Jamie!" Mia chided. "No one else knows about Sirius," she sighed softly. "So please stop over-reacting. Especially since there are more important things to worry about," she insisted.

"Like what?"

"Like for instance, how _did _you find out that I've had sex with them?" She finally asked, glad that no more threats were being issued between the three wizards. "I don't imagine either of them is stupid enough to tell you," she glared up at Sirius with a raised brow, and he shook his head. "So either you walked in on them talking about it or..."

"Peter told me," James confessed and Mia blanched.

"Of course he did," she hissed. "And how did Peter find out? Did _you _tell him?" She looked up at Sirius and Remus who'd rejoined the conversation now that he'd had a chance to collect himself.

"No!" Sirius answered.

"I never told anyone about us except Sirius," Remus replied.

"Same here," Sirius nodded. "Who all have _you _told about us?"

"Only Lily," Mia whispered.

"Evans?" James looked up at Mia brightly at the mention of the redhead and she rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Not now Jamie."

"How do we know that _she _didn't go blabbing?" Sirius asked.

"Because Lily can keep a secret just as well as the four of us can. Better even," she looked up at Remus as she spoke. "She's known that Remus was a werewolf for years and despite being one of her best friends since childhood, it still took _you_," she said, glaring a bit at Sirius. "Being a reckless prat for Snape to find out."

"So Peter, really?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Mia growled. "Which means that he's been spying on our conversations. And since it's been months since I've slept with _either _of you," she looked up at the two wizards, ignoring when James made a face. "He's had this information for a while and has just been sitting on it until it became useful for some reason." _How very Slytherin of him. _

"I don't think Pete would purposely..." James chimed in but Mia cut him off viciously.

"Stop trusting Wormtail!" She snapped.

"Mia, you're being a little..." Sirius began.

"No!" She stood up, furious. Her eyes flashed amber and her hair sparked and all three boys stared at her cautiously. "Either one of two things happened. He overheard you two talking about having sex with me," she narrowed her eyes. "Or he actually _witnessed _it for himself by shifting around the dorms in his Animagus form! Which means that he's _seen _us having sex!" She put her focus on Remus at that point seeing that Peter hadn't been at the Manor the one night she'd been with Sirius over the summer.

"He's seen me naked," she continued and almost smiled when she saw the flares of anger light within each of the boys eyes. "Without my permission. So you three deal with him because if I have to be the one to do it, I'll feed him to Mrs. Norris!" She roared and turned on her heels, storming out the boys' dormitory, slamming the door behind her.

Silenced filled the room for a brief moment before the echoing thud signaled that James had finally blacked out. Sirius let out a loud sigh of relief and rushed over to the corner where James had stowed the two stolen wands. Sirius handed over the cypress wand to Remus, who took it gratefully and levitated James up into his bed. Meanwhile Sirius hissed in pain as he attempted a quick healing charm on his arm, wishing he could go to Madam Pomfrey to have it treated and knowing he couldn't. How was he to explain how he'd been stabbed by a bloody antler while in his own room?

"We need to talk, Moony," Sirius finally said once he and Remus had set the room back in order. There wasn't much they could do about the marks in the walls, but it was easy enough to repair the windows and curtains and clean the blood from the floors.

"Can it wait?" Remus sighed, collapsing into his bed once he'd adjusted his mattress.

Sirius ignored him. "Are you pissed that I shagged Mia?"

"No," Remus said after a long moment of silence.

"Remus," Sirius provoked.

Remus sighed in frustration and conceded to the Animagus. "A little," he admitted. "But I've no right to be. I'm not pissed at you or her, just..."

"The whole werewolf mate thing?"

Remus nodded. "It should have been her," he confessed. "She's perfect in every way except... except that."

"Yeah," Sirius nodded and sat down on the foot of Remus' bed, running a hand through his hair with a discontented look on his face. "It must suck to feel like you have no choice in who you end up with," he said the words to Remus, knowing that he was _really _talking to himself. Dorea Potter telling him about the Soul Bond had put Sirius in a state of confusion and stress.

"If I end up with a mate at all," Remus complained. "It's rare. Beyond rare. I haven't met many wolves in my life, but my Dad has," he sighed. "And none of them have ever found their mates."

"So what if you had a choice?" Sirius asked.

"I don't."

"Fuck that," Sirius stood, glowering. "You say you don't think you'll ever find your mate, so you're content to just let yourself be alone for the rest of your life?"

"I'm not alone," Remus defended. "Clearly I can't even get a moment to myself with _you _around," he teased. "Really, I'm fine. I have friends. I have you, Wormtail, Prongs and Mia."

"And when she doesn't want to fuck you anymore?" Sirius challenged, his tone dark and bitter. Remus reacted immediately by sitting up and growling at the raven-haired wizard, his eyes sharp and flashing gold.

"That's not a problem," Remus snarled. "We haven't..." he hesitated. "Not in a long time. You shouldn't worry about me. Worry about you and Mia. And probably Prongs, considering what happened tonight."

"I _am _worrying about Mia," Sirius fumed. "Remus, she loves you."

"Not like that," Remus shook his head.

"Yes like _that_," Sirius scoffed. "And _you _love _her_. Right?" He asked, staring ahead while Remus looked away, his green eyes drawn to a spot on the floor. Sirius would have thought that Remus was petrified had he not been able to see the way his shoulders moved as he took in slow deep breaths. "Answer me Moony!" Sirius snapped.

"Of course I love her!" Remus stood and stared icily down into Sirius' face. "I've been in love with her for years, but it doesn't matter..."

"It fucking should!" Sirius shouted. "You didn't have a choice to become a werewolf, you _should _have a choice in who you bloody seal your life to! You're able to defend your past relationship with her against her brother," he gestured to the unconscious James on the bed, who was already snoring. "Why aren't you willing to fight for her?!"

"Because it's pointless!" Remus admitted angrily. "It doesn't matter how I feel or what I want, because being a werewolf took that choice away from me!"

"Then take it back!" Sirius howled, kicking the trunk at the foot of Remus' bed in anger.

Remus rose a brow. "Why are you forcing this?" He asked. "Don't _you _want her? Or was she just some piece of..." he sneered.

"Finish that sentence, Moony, and I'll break your fucking jaw," Sirius threatened.

"Then explain!" Remus snapped.

Sirius took in a deep breath and moved across the room, plopping down on his bed and pressing his palms into his eyes in frustration. "I want her happy and safe," he confessed. "She's not safe with me and it's my..." he paused and then corrected himself. "_Our _job to make sure she's safe and happy. So I'm forcing the issue because I want to make her happy, and she was happy with _you_. If she and I end up together in the end . . ." he frowned, wondering if that was even a possibility. Soul Bond or not, they were in the middle of a war and Sirius had a target on his back. Since his attack and near marking, he'd wondered if he would even stand a chance at surviving the bloody war. "I will _always _wonder if it's because she wanted you but didn't think she had a choice. And she'll wonder that too."

"She wouldn't get back together with me," Remus shook his head. "She made her decision..."

"You didn't give her one," Sirius narrowed his eyes. "You told her you had a mate out there somewhere and she did the honorable thing by stepping out of the way."

"Actually..." Remus cleared his throat. "We were still... I mean, we weren't dating or anything but we were still together," he flushed pink. "For months afterwards. We both just figured we might as well be together," he paused. "Physically," he admitted and watched closely as Sirius kept a stony expression on his face. "Until _I_ found my mate or _you _pulled your head out of your arse."

"Well," Sirius snorted. "You're still lacking a mate, and my head hasn't moved. So why aren't you together? And what's with the bullshit about sleeping together if you're not going to date her?" Sirius asked, a bitter tone to his voice. "You only do that if you're shagging other people, and I know the two of you were exclusive up until... until Snivellus," he looked down, his jaw tightening.

"Seemed less messy," Remus shrugged.

"For you or her?"

"Both."

"Fix this, Remus," Sirius ordered. "You deserve each other. You at least deserve a chance to find out for yourselves instead of taking the easy way out by saying that you're already bloody bonded to someone else," he scowled, choosing his words carefully. "Plus," he sighed looking across the room. "It'll probably keep Prongs off both of our backs if you at least attempt to make an honest woman of her."

"Believe it or not," Remus chuckled. "I'm a little more afraid of Mia than I am Prongs right now."

"That's cause _you're _the smart one," Sirius smirked.


	56. Chapter 56

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda approved.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I am loving how devious and deviant that the lot of you are. One conversation between Sirius and Remus and I've got readers pleading for threesomes! LOL! I will neither confirm or deny anything in future chapters, but I applaud your taste and urge you all to go read _Get Busy Living_ by **bluecurls**! I'm also really happy that you all understand the reasons behind the decisions that the characters are making. I remember watching a TV show (pretty sure it was Glee) several years ago and saying to my husband, "Jeez, every episode these kids have a new love of their life and they're only sixteen!" At which point he reminded me that we were fourteen when we first started dating, and we each had a slew of exes. It's how teenage life is. Overly dramatic, highly hormonal, and I wanted to reflect that a little bit while still maintaining the magic (both emotional and literal) of Mia's relationship with both Sirius and Remus. I'm glad you wonderful readers get it!

Oh, and I totally have to give credit to my husband for the "Maidenhead" conversation aspect of the previous chapter. I asked his opinion on what would make "the talk" as awkward as possible, and he immediately said, "What if James keeps referring to Mia's virginity as Maidenhead and he won't stop saying it?" And I immediately started laughing and HAD to include it. I'm glad to know it went over well with you.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty-Six: Amortentia

_"...It's not a walk in the park  
__To love each other  
__But when our fingers interlock,  
__Can't deny, can't deny you're worth it  
__'Cause after all this time I'm still into you..."  
__(Still Into You - Paramore)_

* * *

**September 8th, 1976 **

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

Mia's week had not been the best.

After James discovered her secret sex life with Remus and Sirius, her brother could scarcely look her in the eye. The three involved Marauders were back on speaking terms at the very least, especially after joining forces to beat the truth out of Peter (who admitted to having once walked in on Remus and Mia in the dorm room, and then overhearing Sirius talking to Remus about their one-night affair over the summer). Peter walked away with a black eye, a three month ban on the Shrieking Shack, and somehow Sirius had threatened him into supplying the Common Room with as much Butterbeer as they could sneak in through the Honeydukes passage.

James was quiet around Mia, mostly due to embarrassment over his own behavior; but Sirius and Remus were different as well, and _that _she hadn't expected. Both wizards knew of her relationship with the other, but something had happened the night James found out and each was acting strangely in her presence. Sirius was oddly quiet and constantly looking between Mia and Remus as though he were searching for something important. Remus, on the other hand, was wildly distracted by whatever occupied his thoughts. For the first time in five years, he forgot how Mia took her tea, and accidentally put raspberries instead of blueberries on her porridge, something that the entire table noticed with wide eyes and loud gasps as though someone had just shouted, 'Avada Kedavra'.

It took cornering Remus outside of Defense Against the Dark Arts for him to finally break down and admit that a week earlier Sirius had trapped him into an uncomfortable conversation and brought up some confused feelings regarding Mia. She pulled as much truth out of him as she thought possible, but still felt like he'd been holding back. Mia blamed the approaching full moon and then promised to meet him outside the Whomping Willow later that night, as she had afternoon Advanced Potions with Lily and also needed to visit Sirius in the Hospital Wing, where he'd been taken after a group of seventh year Slytherins attacked him outside the Quidditch locker rooms.

"What are you trying to accomplish Sirius Black!?" Mia said as she stormed into the infirmary, her brown eyes narrowed at the raven-haired wizard who was lounging on the hospital bed as though he didn't have a care in the world. A few books had been stacked on the table to the left of him, though he was using a fairly large one as a makeshift desk to write on.

"Transfiguration essay," Sirius gestured to the parchment, ignoring her tone and volume. "I know, _I _think it's stupid too. I don't even know why I'm still taking it. I'm a bloody Animagus," he scoffed. "How better can a person get at Transfiguration? I could probably _teach _the fucking class if I wanted to."

"Sirius!" Mia snapped.

"Yes, love?" He looked up at her innocently. "Is this about the broken collar bones?" he gestured to himself. "Because I promise you, the other guys look worse," he insisted. "Or at least they did before I blacked out."

"That's not why I came to yell at you, actually," Mia frowned. Was she really here to scream at Sirius when he'd just been attacked by potential Death Eaters? Yes. Yes she was. "And I'm angry that you're not properly reporting this," she glared at him. "How are they going to punish the students attacking you if you won't tell Dumbledore what's going on?" She put her hands on her hips. "The Headmaster can't possibly believe that rubbish story about you falling off your broom. You're one of the best flyers."

"I'm not telling because I'm not a coward who's willing to put my problems on someone else's shoulders," Sirius admitted, not meeting her eyes as he put his attention back on his essay. "Besides, Prongs and Wormtail are working out a few details for me," Sirius grinned, and Mia suddenly became worried. 'Working out a few details' always meant 'planning something horrible' in Marauder speak.

"Don't even tell me," she shook her head, "unless it's particularly painful." She shrugged her shoulders. "In which case I can help... a little," she rolled her eyes. "They _did _break your bones, after all."

She should have felt guilty for wishing physical harm on anyone, but Mia Potter was a very different person from Hermione Granger. And even Hermione had gotten a fantastic rush of adrenaline when she'd punched Draco Malfoy in the face third year. Mia couldn't help but wonder if _that _had been the crack in the dam that let open the floodgates of her - as Dorea Potter would call it - latent Slytherin traits. Thus far in her new timeline she'd already physically assaulted more Slytherins than she'd ever done in the 1990's.

"So, did you come just to yell at me over getting injured? Because that's a little cold, even for you," he smirked up at her.

"No," she growled, remembering immediately why she'd come to the infirmary in the first place. "Remus is my best friend and tells me everything. I _know _you tried to convince him to get back together with me and I want to know why!"

Sirius scoffed. "Remus doesn't tell you _everything_."

"What?" She snapped. "Of course he does."

"Oh," Sirius put his quill down as though he were preparing for this to be a long argument. "So you're aware that he's still in love with you?" He asked with a knowing look on his face. Mia flushed immediately, not having expected this.

"Don't be ridiculous, he loves me the same as I love him, nothing more," she insisted, her cheeks still tinted pink at the implication that Remus' feelings were stronger than she'd been led to believe. Perhaps years ago when they'd originally dated, but certainly not after he'd discovered that she wasn't his mate.

"Well _that _I do believe."

Her brown eyes narrowed at him. "And what is _that _supposed to mean?"

"You and Remus are in love with each other and the only reason you broke up was because of some ridiculous thought that Fate's fucking with your love lives," he rolled his grey eyes and her jaw tightened in response to his words.

"There is sufficient evidence on the subject of werewolf mates and..."

"I'm not talking about Remus, Mia. I'm talking about _you_. About _you _and _me_," Mia paled at his words and inhaled sharply. At Mia's startled reaction, he continued. "Oh? Nothing to say on the subject?" He stared at her and she swallowed hard. His eyes were hard and cold and it reminded her of the look he'd given her the moment he saw the scar on her ribcage. The look that said he knew she'd hidden something, knew that she was lying to him.

"Your _Mum _had plenty to tell me," _Damn_. "Like how we somehow provoked a bloody Soul Bond and you've been keeping _it_ \- and I'm guessing a thousand other fucking things - a secret from me." The normally soft and humorous Sirius was gone and in his place was the cold wall that reminded her far too much of Draco Malfoy. It only further proved that, as much of a Gryffindor as Sirius was, he was still a Black.

But then technically, wasn't _she _as well? In the few interactions with people who had known Dorea Potter née Black, whether as a student at Hogwarts or in her adult years, not one failed to mention how much Mia reminded them of the Potter matriarch.

"She shouldn't have told you," Mia whispered when Sirius continued to glare at her, waiting for her response which she assumed should have been an apology. But how would that conversation even begin? _Sorry I lied to you Sirius, but to be honest I'm lying about everything including my own name, how we really met, what the future has in store for you, and the very real possibility that if I ever make it back to my own timeline, you'll hate me because I let you get arrested after being framed by one of your best friends who let your other best friends get murdered._

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"Because I didn't want you to feel forced into anything with me," she blurted out, feeling her old insecurities creeping in. She remembered her first kiss with an older Sirius Black; the passion and love she felt behind his actions, and the fact that she'd been unable to concentrate enough on them because she'd been so worried all his feelings were due (at least in part) to the mysterious Bond she'd created between them. A Bond that somehow expanded over time and still existed here in 1976.

"And I can't want the same thing for you?" Sirius shook his head. "Fuck, Mia. You think Divination is rubbish but you're willing to buy into this Soul Bond thing so easily?" She glared at him, ready to inform him that Divination _was _rubbish but the Soul Bond was clearly very real. She'd felt it. When they'd made love she had felt it, almost seen it with her own eyes and apparently he _hadn't _felt the same thing. "Don't look at me like that, I'm not saying it to hurt you. You know how I..." he hesitated. "You know how important you are to me. I could never hurt you, and it's not because of some bloody Bond."

"It's more complicated than that," she looked away from him.

"Explain it to me then," he demanded.

"Learn Occlumency," she replied.

"No," Sirius glared. "Stop it with the damn Occlumency bullshit. For the record I've been trying, but it's hard to do without a proper Legilimens to test your barriers. That's not the point. You've bought into this Soul Bond thing with blind faith, and you say it's more complicated but won't tell me why. You've taken away my choice and yours in the matter."

"I haven't taken _anything _away from you," she argued. A part of her wanted to tell him she'd saved his bloody life and the Bond was the result. Shove it in his stupid pretty face.

"You deserve _Remus_." Sirius heaved a deep sigh. "You love _Remus_."

"I'm not arguing that," she admitted. "But what if... what if I love you too?"

A long quiet fell between the witch and the wizard. Grey eyes met brown and instead of a stubborn, angry standoff, they seemed to be trying to read the other. Mia wondered if he'd believed her, that she _did _love him. She knew Sirius struggled with emotions like that, especially when it came to her.

Sirius finally broke the silence. "Then you should figure that out before you just accept a Soul Bond. It's not fair to either of us," he said in frustration. "Or to Remus. The two of you were happy and in love and then the whole werewolf mate thing happened and you both gave up. I'm assuming our Bond had a hand in it too, am I wrong?"

"No."

"Then go back. Fix it and be with Remus."

"I can't," she groaned. Why couldn't they all just learn Occlumency? She knew she couldn't tell them about the war or the deaths or Azkaban, but she'd be able to tell them about Tonks at the very least - even if it wasn't by name - and the whole werewolf mate issue would be over with. "I've accepted..."

"_I_ haven't!" Sirius yelled. "I've had my whole life decided for me and the fucking Sorting Hat was the first time I've ever been given a choice in anything!" His grey eyes turned the dark color of slate, speckled with silver. "I've had my own family try to force me into servitude to a dark wizard and I'm pretty sure they're not just going to let that go. I'm not going to put you in danger now, and I refuse to accept another thing in my life without having a choice, Mia. I will _never _allow a Bond to be sealed without you knowing for certain that it's me and not Remus. And him thinking he has a mate out there somewhere else isn't good enough proof for me."

"So you expect me to date someone just to placate you?" Mia glared at him. He had a point, of course, and she felt guilty; just a month after being attacked by his own family, who'd tried to force his hand in something so life altering, Dorea had let him in on the Soul Bond secret and made him believe something else was pushing him without his permission. She understood. Still, it was difficult to tell Sirius Black he was right, especially when he used that pissy tone of voice with her.

"No. I expect you to date Remus because he's good for you," Sirius admitted. "Because you're good for him, and because you love each other. I expect you to be smart and not just accept things at face value. You would never say a spell, cast a charm or drink a potion without first knowing what it was; I expect you to treat your heart - and mine and Remus' by extension - with the same intent." He said it very clearly, so she knew this was not about him trying to protect her, or sacrifice his own happiness for someone else. Sirius was often good about taking care of his friends when he put thought into it and didn't act recklessly.

"I don't want to hurt you," Mia frowned. "I don't want you to see me and Remus and..."

"Considering how I've treated you in the past it wouldn't be anything I didn't have coming," Sirius interrupted her, and immediately the image of Marlene McKinnon entered her mind. "But it wouldn't hurt me. Your safety and happiness come above my own," he vowed. "Take that as the highest compliment because there are literally less than a handful of people who can claim firsthand knowledge of my selfless moments."

"I'll..." she hesitated. "I'll think about it."

"Good. Now come sit down and help me with my essay," he picked his quill back up.

"I thought you said you could _teach _Transfiguration?" She rolled her eyes at how quickly he was able to change the conversation, the anger in the room vanishing almost immediately. Had it not been in Sirius' nature to be able to naturally break tension, she would have assumed someone was trying to put the Imperius curse on her.

"I could. But I need your help in charming the parchment," Sirius grinned deviously. "I want it to stick to McGonagall's desk the moment she grades it. That way she'll have a constant reminder of how brilliant I am."

oOoOoOo

**Dungeons**

An hour later Mia found herself in Advanced Potions sitting next to a focused Lily, who was putting all of her attention into her cauldron as she avoided the stares from a pair of black eyes across the room. Mia glanced up and narrowed her eyes at Snape.

"Want me to hex him for you?" Mia asked eagerly, remembering all too well how easily the word 'Mudblood' had fallen from his lips. While she had eventually forgiven her _own _childhood bully - Draco Malfoy - that was _long _after he stopped being a vicious blood purist. Mia couldn't blame Lily for holding a grudge against Snape now.

"Just ignore him," Lily insisted. "It'll piss him off more if we pretend he doesn't exist," she said in a huff. "And if he doesn't stop by the end of class, I'll slip this Amortentia in his pumpkin juice," she chuckled.

"Wouldn't that just make him fall in love with you?" Mia asked with a smirk.

"Then I'll dump _Belby's _Amortentia in his pumpkin juice," Lily corrected with a grin and Mia laughed.

"It's so funny that you try and make everyone think that you're so sweet and gentle." The curly-haired witch rolled her eyes affectionately at her friend. "You, Lily Evans, are devious," Mia chuckled as she looked down at the cauldron simmering in front of her.

"You're just a bad influence," Lily whispered. "I was perfectly obedient before I ever met you and Mary. Now I read filthy romance novels, hex boys by the lake and plot against Slytherins in Potions class," she grinned. Mia couldn't help but snort at the sight of Lily's eyes twinkling at the notion of plotting against Slytherins.

"Speaking of Slytherins, how's Black? I heard he got hexed," Lily frowned.

"Yeah, I saw him before I came to class," Mia sighed. "It's getting out of control. First everything that happened to him this summer, and now he has to deal with all of this?"

"Do you think You-Know-Who is behind it?" Lily whispered.

"Yes," Mia nodded. "But _you _stay out of it," she insisted. "I'm serious, Lily. Just be a good Prefect and keep the fighting out of the corridors. You're a Muggle-born and that automatically puts you at risk."

"No more than a blood-traitor," Lily eyed her.

"Yes, more than a blood-traitor," Mia glowered. "Yours looks about done." She glanced at Lily's cauldron, noticing the Mother-of-Pearl sheen the potion seemed to have taken on as a spiraling steam rose up out of the pewter vessel.

"How do I know I made it right?" Lily asked nervously.

"It'll smell differently to you than to anyone else," Mia smirked. "It should remind you of the things that attract you." She paused to look at her own potion, which was finally beginning to show the same pearly sheen across the top of it. Mia immediately turned off the heat and stopped stirring the pot before her eyes drifted back over to Lily, who was hovering over her cauldron breathing in deeply and letting her eyes glaze over. Mia couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

"Wow," Lily exhaled, blinking slowly. "I smell treacle tart." Lily grinned. "And... something outdoorsy," she admitted. "Like orchard blossoms. And..." her smile began to fade as she breathed in deep again. "A... a broomstick..." she paled and sat back away from her cauldron immediately, her bright green eyes wide.

"I didn't know you liked treacle tart." Mia grinned at her friend.

"I don't. I mean... I do.. but it's not..." Lily blushed.

Mia beamed, realizing Lily Evans had somehow just figured out that, deep down, she had at least a mild attraction to one James Potter.

"What does _yours _smell like?" Lily asked, trying to distract herself.

"Parchment and grass," Mia said without smelling the potion. "I've smelled Amortentia before," she went on, thinking of her first encounter with it during her original sixth year when Harry had been using the Half-Blood Prince's book. Her eyes automatically drifted across the room to Snape, who was sitting at his station with his arms folded across his chest looking bored while three vials of his finished potion sat next to a cleaned cauldron. _Show off._

"Parchment and grass?" Lily asked. "That's all? Does it even make sense to you?"

"Sometimes other smells get mixed in," she shrugged her shoulders thinking of Firewhisky, leather, and tobacco. _Sirius_. "Smell it for me," Mia gestured to Lily.

"_You _don't want to?" Lily rose a brow and Mia shook her head.

"I've been told recently that I should be making my own choices," she frowned. "I don't want a love potion to tell me what I'm attracted to," she said with a defeated groan.

"Sirius and Remus?" Lily asked knowingly and Mia just nodded.

"Sirius wants me to date Remus," Mia admitted.

"That seems... sensible of him," Lily grimaced. "Was he Confunded?"

Mia laughed loudly, causing everyone in the room to turn and look at the two witches. She blushed and cleared her throat as she looked down, filling her vials with the completed Amortentia without bothering to smell it. "No, he just thinks that... well you know the whole werewolf mate thing?" She asked and Lily nodded. "Sirius thinks Remus and I used it as an excuse to break up."

"Did you?"

"Yes and no," Mia shrugged. "It's wrong of me to be with Remus when I know he'll eventually find his mate. Plus, I don't want to hurt Sirius," she frowned.

"Is it wrong to _not _be with Remus over something he can't even control?" Lily asked. "Or to lead Sirius on without him knowing for certain that you're not in love with his best friend?"

Mia turned and glared up at her friend with wide eyes. "Have you been talking to Sirius?" She accused.

"No, but apparently it's obvious enough for even _Black _to pick up on," Lily scoffed. "No one understood why you and Remus split," she explained. "I don't think either of you were fair to one another over the breakup. And if Sirius is willing to let you go, then you shouldn't feel guilty over it. You're a good person Mia, and I know you love them both."

"Isn't _that _the problem?" She asked.

"Yes, so fix it," the redhead smiled. "Pick one and put your all into it. Then if it doesn't work out, you'll have no doubts. And I'd suggest picking Remus since it was Sirius who brought the whole thing up to begin with."

"I think you just want more details of my private life." Mia smirked at the witch.

"I will not even acknowledge that accusation. Nor will I admit to borrowing one of Mary's non-Muggle romance novels where the main heart-throb happens to be a werewolf," she blushed as she waved her wand over her cauldron, vanishing the rest of the potion before setting her own vials of Amortentia on the desk.

"I _am _curious about something though..." she cleared her throat and Mia turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do werewolves really bite... during... you know?" Her cheeks pinked and she gestured to her shoulder.

"They do bite to mark, yes," Mia chuckled softly and then when Lily's eyes widened, she pulled her blouse to the side revealing the unblemished skin of her shoulder. She laughed when Lily sighed in relief but also appeared mildly disappointed. "Except it's a myth that werewolves mark their mates on the _shoulder_," Mia admitted with a smile. "_Mates _get bitten on the hips or thighs." Lily's eyes automatically looked south and Mia shook her head. "I'm not taking my skirt off for you, Lily," she teased and Lily let out a loud laugh.

oOoOoOo

**The Library**

Mia left the dungeons and made her way up the staircase toward the Library after checking the Marauder's Map to locate Remus. She didn't want to admit it, but Sirius and Lily were right. She and Remus had left things up in the air when they'd broken up. Mia had done it because she knew the future; knew that Remus would find Tonks and have Teddy, and that his life would be happy once he'd found his mate. She knew that she and Sirius had a Soul Bond and in the future that meant something to him still. He'd taken care of her while on the run, sleeping in her bed (even if it was in Animagus form), rescuing her from Bellatrix Lestrange, saving her from drowning, and kissing her soundly in the caved-in passage in the heat of battle. She knew it all.

But Sirius and Remus didn't know any of it now, and Sirius was right. It wasn't fair. Not only had Fate somehow taken away their choices by giving Remus a mate and Sirius a Soul Bond, but Mia had taken away their choices by knowing the future and not telling them. They needed proof. She would give them proof by doing exactly what Sirius wanted and following Remus' letter.

"Hey," she greeted Remus when she found him in the back of the library. He was sitting at a table by himself, between the Ancient Arithmancy and Alchemy sections. She beamed a little when he smiled up at her, noticing the quill in his hands was a little shaky. The full moon was that night, which meant Remus was on edge. She sat down quickly at his side and reached out with her hand, covering his and lowering it to the table with a soft smile.

"Sorry," Remus frowned, pulling his hand away from hers to set his quill down and crack his knuckles. "Jittery," he admitted. "I thought we weren't going to meet up until almost moonrise?" He asked curiously.

"I spoke to Sirius."

Remus paled and averted his gaze. "And... w-what did he say?"

"You _know _what he had to say," Mia sighed. "Remus you've been keeping things from me," she whispered and scooted even closer to him. Her left hand reached for her wand and she waved it several times in the air, casting a non-verbal Silencing Charm as well as her famous Slytherin Common Room worthy Notice-Me-Not Repelling Charm.

Remus took immediate notice of the wards she erected and his heart sped up rapidly. "I... I don't know what I'm supposed to say. We talked... talked about the whole mate thing and then there's you and Sirius, and I..."

"Do _you _think we gave up?" She asked him point blank. "That we took the easy way out because we felt like we didn't have a choice?"

"I _don't _have a choice," Remus frowned and closed his eyes.

"If you _did_?" Mia asked and watched as Remus swallowed.

"I'd choose you," he whispered, breathing in deep and inhaling her scent.

Her amber eyes watched him carefully, her canine senses taking over since her human ones were apparently missing what had been right in front of her face this whole time. She could see his heart beating against the pulse point on his neck, she could hear the way his breathing deepened as he inhaled, and she could smell the very moment her scent triggered something deep inside of him. It caused an old, familiar arousal and his response made her grin smugly. His eyes were still closed when Mia reached her hand beneath the table and rested her palm against his thigh. He flinched immediately at the touch, eyes opening to look at her with a question behind them, and Mia answered by inching her fingers forward until she felt a familiar hardened outline beneath his trousers.

"Oh, fuck," Remus hissed. He shifted his hips in response, leaning forward and pressing his forehead into the New Theory of Numerology text he'd been reading. Mia grinned at his swearing, having always enjoyed the fact that she could so easily bring him to cursing when Remus generally reserved such language for angry outbursts.

She couldn't help but give a throaty chuckle at how quickly she'd brought Remus to his knees - or the table, as it were. It was another type of magic she relished perfecting, being the overachiever that she always was. Mia reached forward, unbuckling his trousers, and Remus' eyes widened and his body stiffened at her movements, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to stop her.

"Mia... Mia we should..." Remus moaned as her fingers dipped beneath the fabric, immediately grazing over skin. "We need..."

"To stop?" Mia suggested.

"No...?" he whined, clearly trying to focus his way through a moral dilemma, so she pulled her hand away.

"I think Sirius was right," Mia admitted and Remus brought his head up from the table and stared at her, his soft green eyes wide. "We gave up too soon. I don't get to change anything," she frowned. "Bad things are going to happen, have been happening; I feel utterly helpless," Mia admitted. "I want to be able to at least control - or have a choice in - _this_," she gestured to the space between the two of them. "So I think Sirius was right. But Merlin help you if you ever let him know I said that," she threatened.

Remus smiled softly and reached for her hand, taking it gently within his own. "I thought we had a rule to not talk about Sirius when we were naked."

"Planning on getting naked?" Mia smirked.

"This counts," he grinned at her in a near predatory sort of way. His eyes flashed gold and amber as he brought her hand back to the tent of his trousers, and he closed his eyes as she eagerly sought him out again, encouraged by the way his mouth fell open. He gasped at her touch.

Wrapping her hand around his iron hard length, Mia felt a surge of power flow through her. She watched his eyes clench shut when she squeezed and stroked him from base to tip, running the pad of her thumb against his already weeping head.

Remus breathed in quick and thrust his hips upwards against her palm, taking his lower lip between his teeth as he focused on the feel of her - something he hadn't been able to do in months.

"Is this good?" Mia whispered, and Remus keened.

"So good... I missed you..."

"I missed you," she admitted. "And this," she said as she gave another short squeeze and watched with amusement as he bucked against her again.

"Never thought... oh... that you'd be okay with.. mmm... doing this in the library," he panted in between strokes, licking his bottom lip. The action quickly distracted her. Mia leaned forward, still moving against him as she took that bottom lip into her mouth and shivered at the familiar comforting taste of him. Remus moaned against her lips, letting his tongue delve into her mouth, his hand reaching up and cupping the back of her head.

"Is this a fantasy of yours?" She asked with a grin as she broke the kiss.

"One of many," Remus breathed.

"Tell me," Mia smirked.

"Mmm-mmm," Remus replied, shaking his head as a flush covered his neck.

"No?" She whispered against the shell of his ear. "Maybe I should guess?" She grinned when she felt him silently nod his head. "Okay, I bet that you have a fantasy playing out in that beautiful head of yours right now," she breathed. "Where you grab and bend me over this table," Remus groaned at the words and thrust against her again. "No? What about the shelves. So many shelves, Remus. Do you imagine picking me up and pinning me to them?" She asked, her tone sultry. "Do you want to take me hard against the Advanced Transfiguration section and fuck me until your knees give out?"

Remus growled deep in his throat and leaned forward, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Her words set him on fire and his throbbing hardness came in her hand. Reaching quickly for his wand, Remus cast a quick Scourgify on the scene before looking up and taking her face in his hands. "You have a filthy mouth." He grinned and kissed her hard and deep. "Sirius has been a bad influence on you," he chuckled.

"Want to go yell at him?" Mia smirked, her cheeks red and her own arousal overwhelming as she stared deep into his hungry eyes.

"Yell?" Remus laughed. "I'm going to send him a gift basket from Honeydukes! But maybe _after _we visit the shelves of Advanced Transfiguration."


	57. Chapter 57

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: So much credit goes to **Fluffpanda** who has continued editing future chapters throughout the holiday season, especially since I've been dealing with family stuff and haven't been able to be home writing (where I really want to always be).

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Thanks so much for all the reviews. I love you all dearly and the constant support! The was one of my favorite chapters to write because I really think it's a moment where Mia really takes charge of her relationships, and is learning to try and separate out the future from the present and how knowing one is affecting the other on a personal level. There are also some references to the future (or Mia's past), as well as past chapters.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Intent

_"...She says I smell like safety and home  
__I named both of her eyes "Forever" and "Please don't go"  
__I could be a morning sunrise all the time, all the time yeah  
__This could be good, this could be good..."  
__(She Keeps Me Warm - Mary Lambert)_

* * *

**September 9th, 1976 **

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Shrieking Shack**

Mia's eyes opened slowly as sunlight broke through the boarded up windows of the Shrieking Shack. Despite there being a bed in the other room, Mia found herself on the floor in what would have been a sitting room, had it been a real house and not the condemned building it was. She yawned and let her muscles stretch out, jumping only slightly at the feel of a warm naked body behind her, pressed hard up against her own bare form.

Mia smiled as she felt Remus' lips brush over her bare shoulders, then down her arm and over her rib cage. He stopped when he reached her hip, letting his teeth graze against the skin.

She felt a shiver run through her at the implication of his movements. Mia knew werewolf mating habits because she'd read up on them so much - plus Tonks was just as bad as Ginny when it came to girl talk, and the Metamorphmagus had once shown the younger witches her mating scars during a post-war drinking celebration.

Remus might have not known what the simple action of his teeth against her skin meant, but Mia knew that _Moony _did, which was why she wasn't surprised in the slightest when instead of biting down on the flesh of her hip, Remus pulled his teeth away and left behind a sweet, open mouthed kiss on her skin. It didn't bother her much; Mia still knew that Remus would never mark her as his mate - Moony wouldn't let him if he even tried to. Still, a part of her felt it would make everything abundantly easier. _No_. She couldn't think like that. Mia needed to forget about the future in order to think logically and focus on the here and now like she'd decided to.

_'Live your life. Enjoy your life.'_

_And sort out your life_, Mia added thoughtfully.

Remus continued to kiss along the skin of her hip and she imagined he was doing so to apologize for the bruises he'd left behind, despite her insistence that she strangely enjoyed looking at them. There was something thrilling and almost comforting in the feeling of being possessed in such a way, and yet not coming across as a possession. Remus had possessed every part of her the night before and the memories were lulling her into a blissful euphoria.

They hadn't even made it the whole way through the underground passage to the Shrieking Shack before Remus was pushed to the ground, Mia straddled over his waist, and the pair of them were tearing at one another's clothes in an absolute frenzy of need and want. They took in every look, every action, every noise from one another and basked in it. His fingers gripping tightly at her hips as she rolled them against him. Her breath hot on his cheek whispering filthy words of his _hunger _for _her _and her _arousal _for _him_. His mouth sliding over her lips, across her jaw and down her neck, taking in the taste of her skin. Her nails digging into the already overly sensitive skin of his back, which caused him to buck his hips up against her and then tear away the bits of fabric that separated them.

She had sunk slowly down on him, impaling herself on his length, and the two groaned together at the reunion of their bodies. He'd sat up with a desperate need to pull her body flush against his own; as her legs wrapped around his waist they stilled in the moment of their joining, kissing deeply and wordlessly expressing apologies to one another for waiting so damn long and being unbelievably ignorant in regard to their breakup.

It hadn't been long before Mia was shaking with the need to move, her body craving friction and her hips circling in his lap, plucking the most savory and primitive sounds from deep within his chest that drove her crazy, pushing and pulling her in every which direction. She had dragged out each and every moment; Remus, though, could feel the moon in the distance preparing its ascent into the sky, and as much as he wanted to linger on the precipice of absolute rapture with her, he was already determined to have her _at least _once more before he transformed.

Planting his feet firmly on the ground beneath them, Remus used the leverage to thrust up into her hard and deep, eliciting the sweetest gasp from her mouth. He bucked into her with abandon, one hand on the ground to steady him while the other tightly clenched the soft skin of her hip to hold her in place while he focused on the way her tight velvet quim gripped his cock, forcing him to use every extra effort to move as she vibrated above him. Body shaking, lips quivering, and eyes clenched tight she found her release through the increasing intensity, milking his from him with a shout.

An hour later the Alpha wolf had watched with amusement as the little fox climbed the random pieces of furniture in the Shrieking Shack until she could sit along a high windowsill and stare out through the cracks in the boarded up windows, gazing out at the moon as though it were suddenly something incredibly wonderful.

"You're surprisingly awake considering it was a full moon last night," she commented softly, whimpering a little when she felt his fingers lightly grazing against her knee, slowly ascending her thigh where he drew lazy circles against her leg. "Do... do you need me to heal anything?"

"All set," Remus smiled, speaking into the crevice where her hip met her thigh. "When I didn't show up in the infirmary this morning, Madam Pomfrey went to the Whomping Willow. She must have not been able to get through the wards you put up, because she left all of my potions right outside of them," he chuckled.

"You walked all the way back to the Whomping Willow naked?" Mia rose a brow at him questioningly as her eyes raked over his glorious body.

"No," Remus laughed. "I got dressed then went down. Grabbed my potions and came right back."

"Where you got undressed again?" She smirked.

"I'm incredibly optimistic after last night," he placed a kiss on her soft skin. "Besides, it's not like anyone could get through your security wards."

"Can you blame me for wanting a little privacy?" Mia grinned, glad to see that his transformation had gone alright and that the potions had already taken effect. "After the temper tantrum Jamie threw last week, I wasn't about to let him in the Shack last night. Especially if he found out we came out here before moon rise." She giggled and let out a soft gasp when his breath ghosted over her navel, reaching down and running her fingers through his sandy blonde hair.

"Pretty sure Prongs would have figured it out, though, if he'd tried to enter." Remus winced at the thought, but didn't stop kissing his way across her stomach to the other side, reaching around her small body and turning her to grant him easier access as she hummed with approval.

"I'll handle him," Mia sighed.

"I'm surprised the guys haven't hired a curse breaker to tear down your wards," Remus laughed softly.

"Jamie wouldn't because I'm sure by now he's terrified of accidentally walking in on us," Mia snickered. "As for Sirius, if he was mended after that hex by the time the moon rose, I'm guessing he went back to the dorms to pout over not being able to play Animagus with us," she smirked.

"And Peter?"

Mia growled. "If I find that little rat sneaking around to catch us having sex, I will joyfully watch him strangle himself to death," she said through clenched teeth, still horrified by the fact that the nasty little snoop had not only spied on her and Remus having sex, but that he'd told her brother about it. "What we do in the privacy of our own dorms... or Rooms of Requirement... or Shack," she laughed.

"Or library," Remus grinned.

"Or library... is our own business. Not for someone to watch," she pouted.

"I wouldn't mind if people watched," Remus chuckled and she noticed his eyes were gold and amber.

Mia laughed and shook her head. "You're either incredibly smug with your performance, or have been hiding away some deep dark fantasies that you've neglected to tell me."

"Maybe both," Remus shrugged and Mia laughed loudly, leaning forward to kiss him. When she released his mouth, Remus smiled at her and suddenly it was as though the whole world had fixed itself over night. But just as quickly as the smile came, it faded away and Remus sighed heavily. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" She asked with a frown.

In reply, Remus leaned down and kissed the bottom edge of the purple scar that ran the length of her rib-cage. Mia inhaled deeply out of worry, but the feel of his lips on her scar sent chills down her spine until heat began pooling again between her thighs. "Do I have to?" She whispered, closing her eyes and letting the feel of his body over hers warm her thoroughly, pushing the stress and worry out of her being with force.

"No," Remus answered. "We all have the right to our secrets," he sighed and crawled up her body, relaxing as he rested his head between her breasts. "But I wish you would tell me. That's a dark scar, and it's only been a few months since I last saw you naked, which means it's recent."

"I hate it," Mia muttered quietly

oOoOoOo

_**Flashback**_

**June 23rd, 1996**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

Her head was pounding and her muscles ached more than she'd ever felt before. The room was pitch black and smelled of potions, Hermione immediately assumed it was the Hospital Wing back at Hogwarts. But if she was _here_, something had gone terribly wrong. She tried to remember but it was only coming back in blurred images. She remembered leading Umbridge - that ugly pink toad in the form of a witch - into the Forbidden forest. Then there were Thestrals and a long trip where she kept her eyes shut the entire way.

_The Ministry of Magic_. She remembered they'd gone to save Sirius. Harry had a vision that wasn't really a vision, but they hadn't known it at the time. She remembered a large circular room with many doors. A room full of brains in a large tank, another with broken time-turners, or at least they were broken when they'd all been on the run from Death Eaters. _Death Eaters_! They'd been attacked by Death Eaters in the Room of Prophecy. And they'd run. Hermione remembered being separated from the others, but she'd known that Neville and Harry were beside her.

A Death Eater had found them hiding in a room. She'd tried to lock it with a spell but hadn't been fast enough, and when they'd been attacked Hermione hadn't been prepared. She'd silenced one to prevent him from giving away their position to the others, and Harry had subdued another with a Body Binding Curse. Then she remembered the silenced Death Eater stood and glared at her with a hate she'd never seen before. She saw purple flames, felt a sharp pinch in her side and then nothing.

Clearly she'd survived, but what about the others? She tried to let her eyes adjust to the darkness, but still she couldn't see anything. She did however feel movement beside her bed, and only now did she notice that her hand was being held between two large palms.

"Harry?" Hermione mumbled quietly, her throat dry and hoarse.

"Hermione?" A deep voice responded, and she felt the hands around her own hold her tighter.

"Professor Lupin?" Hermione replied, surprised at his presence. At her words, his hands let her go and she thought she heard him sigh. "What happened? Can you cast a Lumos? I don't know where my wand..."

"No," Remus whispered. "It's... it's better that it's dark. You've been unconscious for several days, and... and the light could be painful," he muttered, but Hermione couldn't help but wonder if he was lying. He seemed to be choking on a few of his words, and she'd heard him sniffle twice. Remus had been crying and didn't want her to see. Hermione frowned and began to panic.

"Professor what happened? Where's Harry?" She asked in worry.

"Harry is fine," he promised her. "Safe at least. The Order arrived at the Ministry in time. Or well... none of you were... _some _were injured, but you, Neville, Ron, Harry, Ginny and Luna made it back," he said his words carefully which only worried Hermione more.

"What happened to me?" Hermione was finally able to ask now that she knew Harry and her friends were safe.

"Not sure," Remus cleared his throat. "You were hit with a powerful curse. Neville and Harry mentioned that the Death Eater who threw it had been silenced. We think you survived because of it," the words sounded painful to him as he spoke them and Hermione couldn't help but feel guilty for it. She wondered if he felt embarrassed over her actions. He'd been the best Defense Professor she'd ever had, and somehow she'd allowed herself to get cursed.

"Can I see it?" Hermione asked and she waited for Remus to reply, but he didn't speak. However about a minute later, he wordlessly lit the end of his wand and handed it to her. Hermione tried to smile at him, but noticed that his face was turned away from her. She realized immediately that he had looked away to afford her some privacy as she wasn't properly dressed aside from bandages that wrapped around her chest all the way down her rib-cage.

She winced as she reached the bottom of the bandages, pulling at it lightly just so that she could see the scar that had been left behind. She frowned at the sight of the thin - but deep - purple line that dissected her, surrounded by paling yellow bruises. Her breath caught and she whimpered at the sight of her sudden disfigurement, proof that she'd not been quick enough, strong enough, powerful enough.

"They're just scars Hermione," Remus cleared his throat, having heard her whimper, but he still did not turn to look at her. "'_Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars_.'"

Hermione smiled sadly. "That's beautiful," she replied.

"Khalil Gibran," he mumbled quietly. "Poet."

"Wizard?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Muggle," Remus took in a shaky breath.

"Professor, is there something you're not telling me?" Hermione asked as she put her bandages back and pulled the bed sheet up around her, covering her body. At her words, Remus' shoulders began to shake and she frowned at the sight of the strong werewolf crying. She felt helpless as he sobbed quietly, his back to her. It was inappropriate, but she couldn't help it as she leaned forward and patted his back consolingly.

"Sirius is dead," Remus confessed.

"No," Hermione brought her hands to her mouth, gasping. "Oh no, is... where's Harry? Oh Godric... oh Remus," she said his first name for the first time. "Remus I'm so sorry. He was your best friend and..." and she cried. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, of course you're not..."

"Are _you _okay?" He asked her and Hermione blinked in confusion.

"I'll be fine," she nodded. "I'm more worried about you and Harry."

"I'm... I'm used to losing people I love," Remus said sadly and Hermione's heart broke for the man. "But... don't worry about Harry. I'll do what I can to... it's my job now to take care of him," Remus said quietly.

"Mine too," Hermione whispered and frowned as Remus wept again.

"_Our _job," Remus nodded.

_**Flashback Ends**_

oOoOoOo

**September 9th, 1976 **

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Shrieking Shack**

"It's just a scar, Mia," Remus smiled, leaning down to kiss it again. "I've got plenty, and if I recall, you once told me I was beautiful," he challenged her.

"You're more than beautiful Remus," Mia smiled down at him sweetly, running her fingers affectionately through his hair. "I will tell you about the scar, I promise," she nodded. "Just not today. It's important."

"Alright," Remus nodded. "As long as you're okay."

Mia smiled. "Thank you for respecting my privacy," she said sweetly to him and grinned when he responded by leaning up to kiss her soundly. There was a large difference between how Remus acted upon seeing the scar and how Sirius responded to it, but Mia forced herself not to compare the two wizards. "As much as I'd love to shag you again," she grinned. "You need rest and food, we could both probably use a bath."

He grinned at her and she laughed.

"Separately," she insisted. "As lovely as the Prefect bathroom is, and I'm sure I'll eventually join you there again, people will be looking for the both of us and I refuse to have Lily walk in on the two of us naked in a bathroom I'm technically not allowed in."

"You told me that Evans knew about... us," Remus smirked.

"She does, and frankly I'd like her to not know _everything_," Mia swatted him gently. "Come on, get dressed."

Remus gave a low whine and Mia smirked, leaning over and ruffling his hair, enjoying the fact that the shaggy strands eventually fell back into place unlike Jamie's that seemed to take on a life of their own. She turned around, reaching for her clothing and stood to dress herself once she gathered up her underclothes, glancing across the room where she instantly spotted her skirt, blouse and jumper. She moved quickly, reaching for her clothing once she'd slipped back into her bra and knickers, but before she could do anything else she felt large hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight up against a hard body.

"Are we really doing this?" Remus whispered against the shell of her ear and she quivered at the feel of his hot breath. "Us? For real? All or nothing?"

She turned around and frowned up at him. "Never all or nothing, Remus," she insisted. "I will _never _lose you. So maybe it's all or... or almost all," Mia smiled, reaching up and brushing his bottom lip with her thumb which he instantly captured between his teeth, a playful look in his eye. "No," she narrowed her eyes. "You need rest and food," she insisted with a laugh when he began to pout. "So be a good boyfriend," she smiled at the word and watched as he mirrored her expression of familiar delight. "And listen to your girlfriend."

oOoOoOo

**The Great Hall**

They parted ways at the Whomping Willow and each slipped through secret passages in the castle in order to get to their destinations while avoiding their friends - most notably James, Sirius and Lily - at all costs. Mia skived the one class she had that day, History of Magic which she did feel slightly guilty over, but a hot bath was well worth the potential detention should Professor Binns even note her absence, which was highly unlikely. She and Remus met back up in the kitchens for lunch, avoiding the Great Hall entirely before retiring to the Room of Requirement for a much needed nap. When they woke hours later it was time for dinner and the two realized they couldn't hide forever, nor did they want to.

When they entered the Great Hall hand in hand, all eyes at the Gryffindor table turned and looked at them. Alice and Frank were smiling sweetly at the newly reunited couple. Lily and Mary looked positively beside themselves with excitement, while James looked the perfect opposite of the girls - cross. As Remus and Mia came to sit down across from the other three Marauders, Sirius smiled up at them knowingly and then held his hand out toward Peter who placed a small stack of Galleons in it.

"You bet on this?" Remus eyed Sirius, who shrugged innocently.

"I'd consider that cheating; you had inside knowledge," Mia rolled her eyes.

"You _knew _they'd gotten back together?" Peter turned and glared at Sirius.

"No," Sirius admitted. "I knew they _would _get back together, hence the sudden profit of money. Speaking of money though, Pete and I have another bet going," Sirius smirked. "Seems Prongs and I were locked out of a certain clubhouse last night. Any idea as to why? Because ten Galleons out of Peter's pocket says I have an idea."

Mia could hear James' teeth grinding together.

"_You _were supposed to be in the Hospital Wing," Mia reached across the table in search of pumpkin juice, smiling when she felt Remus begin moving beside her, putting a roll on her plate.

"And _you're _avoiding the question," Sirius chuckled. "That's fine though. I'll take that lovely love bite on your neck as my answer." He gestured and then laughed when Mia gasped and brought her hand to her neck, casting a quick glare to Remus who turned his eyes downward as he flushed red, trying to hide the smirk on his face.

When Mia brought her attention back to Sirius, Peter had just finished making him ten Galleons richer. She wanted to snap at him, but remembered the reason that she and Remus had reconnected to begin with. "You're okay with this?" Mia whispered.

"Of course," Sirius nodded with a smile, and Mia couldn't help but believe him. It was years ago for her, but she was still insecure when it came to the jealousy issue in boys. Ron's hurtful words the night of the Yule Ball and then his ridiculous little relationship with Lavender Brown had made her think that anytime a boy didn't get exactly what he wanted, a giant temper tantrum would soon await her. But Sirius looked genuinely happy she and Remus had taken the chance on a proper relationship.

"_I'm _not okay with this," James pouted bitterly. "Not that anyone's asked me," he snapped.

"That's because you don't _need _to be asked," Mia said, rolling her eyes. "It's _my _life, _my _relationship and considering the fit you threw last week, you'll be surprised if I ever tell you anything again, James Potter," she pointed at him. "You get your temper controlled right now, and I swear on your life if you ever say the word 'Maidenhead' again I will hex you!" She whispered harshly to him.

"Fine, I won't talk to _you_," James said irritably. He turned his hazel eyes on Remus, who tried his best to sit up straight under the sudden scrutiny. "Moony, I missed you last night," he said almost threateningly.

"I doubt he can say the same, Prongs," Sirius chuckled and Peter snorted.

"Shut up Padfoot," James scowled. "Care to explain yourself?" He asked his werewolf friend.

"I won't need to," Remus cleared his throat.

"Oh, you _really _need to," James growled.

"Just... just wait," Remus pleaded. He let out a loud sigh of relief when there was a hoot from above and a large brown owl soared in through the windows. It flew over the Gryffindor table and straight to James, carrying a formal-looking, cream-colored envelope in its beak with golden writing on the front. There was a small, unbroken, crimson seal on the back of the letter and many eyes were wide as they watched James carefully extract the parcel from the bird.

"Is _that _what I think it is?!" Mary was squealing.

"What?" Lily blinked in confusion.

James looked positively shocked, the previous scowl wiped immediately from his face as he turned the envelope over in his hands, breaking the seal and removing the handwritten, official looking letter.

Alice and Mary were gasping at the sight while Frank and Peter looked wide-eyed and shocked. Sirius appeared to wear an expression of pride; he kept glancing across the table at a nervous looking Remus, who was purposely trying to keep his eyes focused on James despite the look of surprise Mia was giving him.

"Does someone want to explain to the poor idiot Muggle-born what the hell is going on?!" Lily snapped angrily at the rest of the table.

"That's a Letter of Intent!" Mary shrieked. "It's an old-fashioned Pure-blood thing men would send the parents of a girl they wanted to properly and publicly court," she explained to the redhead. "It's very formal and romantic and..."

"...Completely unnecessary," Mia finished. She'd researched Pure-blood customs, traditions and old Pure-blood laws and magics years ago after being adopted by the Potters. In order to make her Pure-blood status believable, she needed to know everything a proper Pure-blood witch would know.

"It's also binding," Alice whispered. "Remus basically stated he'll take no other witches until Mia decides to cast him aside. Generations ago, that letter would have been considered a marriage proposal for her parents to consider."

The letter wasn't entirely a surprise to Mia, but the fact that it was from Remus had thrown her. Not only was he Half-blood, but in sending that letter so publicly Remus had put his heart and pride on the line. If Mia stood up and said she wanted to marry him, Remus would be obligated to agree to it. She couldn't help but remember how incredibly difficult the older Remus had been in accepting his own mate, Tonks. Mia remembered overhearing the argument in the Hospital Wing the night Dumbledore died, during which Remus stated he couldn't be with Tonks because he was too old for her, too poor for her, and a werewolf to boot. Of course they got over those little issues quickly and were married within weeks; still, she couldn't help but feel guilty that Tonks had to fight for Remus while Mia was apparently gifted his heart so easily.

"Ignoring the fact that this sounds incredibly archaic - if not slightly romantic," Lily added in a whisper, "why didn't he send one to her parents?"

"I did," Remus replied. "First chance I got," he added with a smile. His eyes were still focused on James, who finished reading the letter and stood up, staring across the table at him. Remus followed suit.

"Then why is Potter reading the Letter of Intent?" Lily whispered, watching the scene as though it were a formal class on Pure-blood society.

"It's a gesture." Mia smiled as she watched James extend a hand to Remus. Remus let out a shaky breath and took James' hand, and James let a smile cross his face. "Now that my honor is restored, can we eat?" She rolled her eyes at the display, a smirk toying at the corner of her mouth as Remus and James retook their seats, ignoring the fact that every girl in the Great Hall was now eyeing Remus like he was the hero of one of Lily's ridiculous romance novels.

"All or almost all, right?" Remus smirked at her and Mia laughed, throwing her roll at his face.

"I still don't see what the big deal is," Lily admitted. "I understand in older days that would have been the precursor to marriage, but _now_?" She asked. "From what it looked like, Remus passed James a note asking permission to date you, which he already did for a year."

"A Letter of Intent is about courtship. It means that neither Remus or Mia can engage in dating activities with anyone else while they're together. It also means that if they break up, it's permanent. Mia could have actually taken that letter and burned it and Remus could never ask for her hand again if she denied him," Mary explained.

"Why do you think you've never gotten one from Jamie?" Mia asked Lily with a chuckle. "He knows you'd shred the thing and then he'd never have another chance with you."

"He doesn't have a chance with me regardless," Lily scoffed. Mia smirked as she saw the curiosity flash behind Lily's emerald eyes. Ever since that Amortentia class, Lily realized exactly what, or who, she was smelling behind the signature potion. If Jamie did send her a Letter of Intent, Mia wondered what Lily's reaction would be.


	58. Chapter 58

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: I adore **Fluffpanda** who continues to edit my nonsense even though it's Christmas.

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occassional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** So far I still plan on posting new chapters Mon-Fri during the holidays, including one coming up on Christmas Day! Yay! What would you like for Christmas? I'm hoping for a naked werewolf in my bed and an equally naked Animagus in my shower. The was a favorite chapter of mine because while Mia and Remus are putting their "all or almost all" relationship on the line, I really wanted to explore Remus at his best. This is certainly it.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Sweet Nothings

_"...This love is good, this love is bad  
__This love is alive back from the dead  
__These hands had to let it go free  
__And this love came back to me..."  
__(This Love - Taylor Swift)_

* * *

**October 17th, 1976 **

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

Remus' formal Letter of Intent was the latest and most talked about piece of gossip floating around Hogwarts and remained so for weeks after the cream-colored envelope was delivered to James Potter that early September evening. Everyone had something to say about the new public courtship between the seemingly Pure-blood princess and the Half-blood Prefect. James had quickly apologised for his rude behavior toward Remus but continued his big brother stance. Sirius, abiding by his own rules in regard to Mia and Remus' relationship, stopped flirting with her - as often.

The Potter parents sent an owl a week after receiving Remus' letter. Their response arrived by Balder, one of the family owls, who landed in front of Remus at breakfast and nipped his fingers once the envelope was removed. Remus nervously opened his letter from Charlus Potter, reading it silently while the Marauders watched with interest. Once he reached the bottom of the letter, he let out a loud sigh of relief and smiled looking up at James.

"Thanks," he said quietly to his friend and James nodded in response.

"What's he thanking _you _for?" Peter asked.

"I sent a quick letter home to Dad," James explained. "Promised that if Remus behaved in an untoward manner with my sister, I'd find something extremely sharp and stab him in the ribs with it," the messy haired wizard said whilst grinning deviously.

"Can we consider that promise fulfilled, or do I need to keep on guard?" Remus asked with a chuckle in his voice, clearly still a bit relieved over getting permission from her father to properly court Mia.

"Keep on guard, keep on your toes," James shrugged. "As long as you keep your paws to yourself, you and I won't have problems."

"If you keep your paws to yourself, you'll have problems with _me_," Mia cut in with a smirk on her face, turning narrowed eyes at James. "You can poke and prod all you want, Prongs," her voice turned mildly threatening. "But I'm not afraid to bite, am I Sirius?" She asked.

Sirius held up his forearm, which still bore scars from the first night of their Animagus transformation when the little fox had sunk her teeth into Padfoot's front leg. "Maybe let them be for a bit, Prongs," Sirius suggested with a laugh. "Mia can take care of herself pretty well."

"Thank you," Mia smiled up at Sirius, who nodded to her. "Besides, if you're going to get in a huff over my dignity, maybe instead of worrying about Remus' keeping his hands to himself, you should focus on someone _else _keeping their _eyes _to themselves." She said glared across the table at Peter, who very quickly lowered his gaze.

oOoOoOo

**The Library**

Surprisingly enough, the Marauders were the least of Mia's problems when it came to her new public relationship with Remus. The story of his very old fashioned gesture of courtship became a magnet to wayward Ravenclaw girls, desperate to swoon over the romantic Gryffindor. Mary, Alice and Lily did their best to keep the other House girls at bay, but the Marauders actually encouraged the flirtations because if there was anything funnier than a Ravenclaw acting like an idiot, it was an incredibly uncomfortable Remus.

Mia stumbled upon the Marauders in the library early one Saturday, initially shocked to see all four boys present and accounted for. Then she spotted a table in the back where a group of four Ravenclaws had surrounded Remus, who was doing his best to keep his nose buried deep inside an Ancient Runes text. Mia couldn't help but notice how much he suddenly looked so very like his eleven year old self, terrified to be touched. Three of the four girls dressed in blue and bronze-lined robes that Mia thought were a little too tight for show, were sitting on either side of Remus, one actually perched on the table cooing at him for attention.

"You three enjoying the show?" Mia said as she approached Sirius, James and Peter, who were all grinning at the entertainment. Mary, Alice and Lily stood beside her, eyes narrowed at the flock of Ravenclaws that had - for all purposes - invaded Gryffindor territory.

"Absolutely, kitten," Sirius chuckled. "If I'd known the library was _this _much fun, I'd have started studying up here years ago."

"You're not bothered by this?" James asked his sister.

"I'm bothered that Remus is being made uncomfortable," she grumbled. "I'm bothered that Ravenclaws have a habit of touching things that don't belong to them." She was thrilled to see that Marlene McKinnon at least wasn't present.

"Remus is a _thing _now is he?" Sirius laughed.

"Shut up," she scowled. "You know what I mean. Am I going to have to break this up by myself?" She put her hands on her hips and glared at the Marauders. "Or are you going to..."

"Leave our friend to the wolves?" Sirius said, chuckling.

"That's one way of putting it." She narrowed her eyes and turned on her heel, approaching Remus' table and sitting across from him. She was followed by James, Sirius and Peter. "Hello, love," Mia said sweetly, looking across the table at her boyfriend.

Remus dropped his book and with wide eyes looked up at Mia, silently pleading for help. She smiled at him and then turned her attention to the girls. "Something we can help you with?" Mia asked. "You all look terribly lost."

"We were just saying hello to Remus here," a blonde Ravenclaw said. Mia immediately recognized her as Callista Hitchins, one of the many girls who tried to poison Sirius with a love potion on Valentine's Day.

"Oh, what a coincidence! Well, Remus was just saying goodbye to you," Mia said with a cold smile. Two other Ravenclaws gasped and Mia rolled her eyes as she recognized them: Sophia Buckley and Mirabella Ellis, two more members of the Sirius Black fan club who also happened to be former members of the 'Cursed by Mia Potter' club. "If you're here to try and slip him a love potion, you should know he's smarter than that. And subsequently smarter than _you_."

"He may be smart," Callista narrowed her eyes at Mia. "But he's _clearly _blind," she said, gesturing to Mia.

"I'd watch what you say Hitchins," Mary smirked from behind Mia. "You wouldn't want to end up with 'Bitch' written across your face this time, eh slag?"

Callista, Sophia and Mirabella all glared at the Gryffindor girls. "Is that a threat, MacDonald?" Callista said, trying not to shriek and wake the sleeping library matron despite the fact that her voice had already risen several octaves.

"She doesn't need to threaten," Mia glared. "Try to manipulate, charm, spell or poison _any _of my friends and you'll have so much more to worry about than a few pustules." Her brown eyes flashed amber.

"Honestly!" Callista scoffed. "Remus, I don't even know what you see in her!"

Remus was no longer looking uncomfortable; in fact, his eyes were shifting gold in the moment. He grinned as he reached across the table, taking Mia's hand within his own and running his thumb over her knuckles. "_She walks in beauty, like the night_," he smirked and Mia immediately rolled her eyes at his words. "_Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright_," he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the tips of her fingers, ignoring the soft gasps coming out of the Ravenclaws mouths. "_Meet in her aspect and her eyes. Thus mellowed to that tender light, which heaven to gaudy day denies_."

"Mother of Merlin," Lily whispered, blushed and looked away from the couple as though she were intruding on an intimate moment.

"Good Godric," Alice breathed.

"Holy shit," Mary grinned.

"Fuck me," Sirius chuckled. "Good job there Moony," the Animagus grinned. "If Mia ever sets you loose, _I_ might just try to get a leg over," he grinned and the Marauders immediately burst into laughter, though all of the surrounding girls ignored them.

"That was beautiful," Sophia breathed.

"And if _anyone _other than Mia can tell me the name of the author," Remus turned green eyes on the Ravenclaws. "I'll reconsider my courtship with her."

All three girls paled.

"No?" Remus questioned, waiting for them to answer. "Well in that case, I'd appreciate being left alone with my friends and girlfriend. Thank you for the company," he said kindly. "It was very... enlightening."

The moment that the Ravenclaws left the library, Mia laughed and reached across the table to gently swat Remus on the side of the head. "Quoting Lord Byron to me? That wasn't even trying."

"That was lovely, Remus," Lily smiled at her friend. "You're very lucky Mia."

"You should hear what he quotes to me when we're _alone_," Mia grinned brightly.

Almost immediately James was at her side, forearms on the table as he leaned over and stared at his twin. "Oh yeah?" He asked curiously. "What exactly does Moony quote to you in private?"

"Arithmancy equations," Mia said with a devious smirk as she turned her attention to her brother. "Why? What _else _would he say?" She asked innocently and James furrowed his brow at her.

"I thought it was quite lovely," an ethereal voice spoke. Mia looked up to see the fourth Ravenclaw girl standing nearby. She had waist-length blonde hair, bright doe eyes, and a sweet smile on her face as she stared at the young couple. Lily and Mary took a defensive stance, but Mia shook her head at her friends and just smiled.

"Hello Pandora," Mia smiled.

"Hello Mia Potter," the sweet Ravenclaw said. "I wasn't certain that you knew my name, but I of course know yours," she said knowingly and Mia could only chuckle softly in response. Luna was the very embodiment of her mother. "I wanted to apologise for my Housemates," Pandora sighed softly. "I tried telling them that the two of you were in a courtship, but I don't think they heard me," she briefly frowned.

"That, or they ignored you," Mary pointed out.

"Oh," Pandora nodded thoughtfully as though it hadn't occurred to her. "Well, I just wanted to say 'sorry' on behalf of Ravenclaw I suppose. We're not _all _bad you know," she smiled. "And I promise I won't try to steal your boyfriend; he seems quite smitten with you."

"I appreciate the gesture," Mia smirked. "It's good to have at least one friend in the House of Rowena Ravenclaw," Mia said firmly.

"Friends?" Pandora smiled thoughtfully. "Well, in that case, as a friend," she turned to Sirius. "I'll do my best to make sure my Housemates don't try to slip love potions in your food anymore," she offered.

Sirius gave her a wary nod of thanks before looking to Peter and James with wide eye, silently asking if they thought the girl was as strange as he did.

"Oh, and you should really get the Wrackspurts out of your head," Pandora said to James. Mia immediately fell over in a fit of giggles.

"Wrackspurts?" James rose a brow at her.

"Yes, they get in your head and can make your brain fuzzy," she nodded sweetly. "They seem to reproduce at an alarming rate when you're looking at…" and Pandora's eyes drifted to Lily who blushed at first and then glared at James.

oOoOoOo

**December 11th, 1976 **

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

Mia held Remus tightly against her.

Locked within the confines of his four poster bed, curtains drawn and charmed shut with a one way Silencing Charm put on them, the two ravished one another during what was a rare moment alone. It was the last Hogsmeade weekend before the holidays, which meant most of the school was down in the village shopping for gifts. As for the Marauders, James had busied himself and Sirius with a last-minute Quidditch practice, and Peter had been urged to 'get the fuck out or face dire consequences' by Remus. Then, left to their own devices, Remus wasted no time in throwing Mia onto his bed and divesting them both of their clothing.

He couldn't possibly get enough of the girl.

Prior to provoking the Pack bond, moments of intimacy spent with Mia left him aching, and not always in a good way. Certainly their amorous activities wore him out physically, which often kept the wolf at bay near the full moon, but knowing that she was not his mate had his soul... itching for something he couldn't quite seem to reach. Being with her had been a constant reminder that he couldn't have her the way he wanted, nor could he have whoever Fate had apparently chosen for him.

After the Pack bond however... something was very different. Almost as though the bond had established her as one of his own, the wolf seemed delighted with the thought of being with her, and often. Instead of the empty need left behind when their bodies fell together in a pile of sweat-soaked skin and hot breath, Remus felt nothing but delicious ache and relief. In the back of his mind, the wolf was always there to remind him that this was temporary; once he'd found his true mate, he wouldn't need this, want this, crave this the way he did now. No. He would crave something else - someone else - entirely.

But Remus was fighting it. Fighting for her, just as Sirius had told him to. All or almost all, they'd vowed, and Remus was putting everything he had into his relationship with Mia. It was why he'd sent that formal letter to her brother and parents. It was an unnecessary move and he knew it, but he felt like he had something to prove. Mia was - at least for now - choosing him over Sirius. Over a proper noble Pure-blooded wizard with a pedigree longer than her own, and judging by the way the rest of the school treated him, Sirius was by far the better looking and more charming of the two. Remus had known Mia loved Sirius, and this last ditch effort for a relationship with her was just that: one last shot at happiness. And he was not willing to put anything less than his all into it.

Unfortunately his public declaration had brought about trouble, and not only in the form of overbearing Ravenclaw girls who used Shrinking Charms on their skirts and robes. No, Remus could deal with the girls, knowing that if they had an inkling as to what he really was they'd run away screaming. His real trouble came in the form of a harshly worded letter from his father. It had taken a bit longer for rumors of Remus and Mia's relationship to reach the Lupin Cottage; when it did, Lyall was none too pleased with Remus' willingness to draw so much attention to himself.

Remus was just thankful it hadn't been a Howler.

"How bad?" Mia had frowned as Remus open the letter in the Common Room the night it arrived. Sirius, James, Peter and Lily were all in attendance; they'd watched silently as Remus' brows drew further and further together and his breath quickened with every word.

"He... he's been drinking," Remus frowned. "I can tell," he looked over the words with hurt in his eyes. "Says that I was stupid for making such a public display and that when I..." he growled and threw the letter to the ground roughly, bringing his hands up to cover his face in shame, trying to hide the surfacing anger and bitterness.

James sighed, feeling frustrated on his friend's behalf. He picked up the letter from the ground, reading it aloud when Remus made no movement to stop him from doing so. "..._I can only hope that you wait until you're of age to maul and kill the poor girl, that way when you're arrested and sentenced to Azkaban or worse, I will no longer be held accountable for your actions_."

James clenched his fists and looked to the side, noting that Sirius was doing the same. Peter was shaking at the thought of Remus doing something so horrible, and Lily stood behind Wormtail, patting his shoulder. Mia was affectionately running her fingers through Remus' hair while his shoulders shook, showing him that she didn't fear him in the slightest. James felt guilty at the sight, but continued reading.

"..._Since you can't seem to control your actions, you are not welcomed home for Christmas. It's something that pains me greatly to say_," Sirius scoffed. "_Since your mother has not been well for some time_."

"Looks like another Potter Christmas," Sirius suggested with a smile, trying to break the foul mood with which Lyall Lupin had cursed the Common Room.

Remus had forced his father's words out of his head and channeled his anger into a purpose: proving that he wasn't the monster his father thought he was. Every smile, laugh, and pleasure-filled moan Mia gave because of him fueled Remus' desire to prove he was more man than beast - despite how often he found himself growling in her ear each and every time he buried his cock inside her.

"Thank Godric for Quidditch," Mia laughed through panting breaths as Remus found his rhythm in slow, deep strokes, smiling down at her with pleasure-filled soft green eyes.

"Not quite the poetry I was hoping for," Remus teased as he leaned down and nipped her earlobe before dragging moist lips down the skin of her neck, using one hand to brace himself against the headboard of his bed, the other to hike her leg over his hip allowing him to thrust deeper inside of her as his fingers gripped at her soft curves.

"Remus," Mia moaned at the new angle, and his chest rumbled in amusement at her whimpers and cries. She grinned and laughed as well, swatting at his arm lightly. "_You're _supposed to be the poet," she reminded him.

"If you insist," the werewolf said as he kissed at her pulse point, excited when he felt it beat against his lips. "_Your whole body_," he groaned. "_Has a fullness or a gentleness destined for me_," he whispered, kissing along her throat and breathing in the scent of honey and rainstorm with every push and pull.

Mia clutched his lower back tightly and began letting her fingers move higher. "_When I move my hand up_," she grinned. "_I find in each place a dove that was seeking me_," her hands moved over his shoulders and down his chest, lovingly tracing the scars that rested against his taut skin. "_As if they had, love_," she leaned forward and kissed him soundly. "_Made you of clay for my own potter's hands_."

She began to tighten around him and Remus groaned, forcing his eyes to remain open so he could watch with abandon as her cheeks flushed deeper each time he filled her, her pink lips parting with every gasp. "_Your knees_," he continued to speak to her, trying his damnedest to control the nagging urge to take her hard and fast. "_Your breasts_," unable to stop himself, Remus leaned down and brought a rosy peak into his mouth and sucked, eagerly pulling the whimpering sounds that came out of her mouth at his ministrations, enjoying the feel of her hands as they dug into his hair, pulling tightly.

"_Your waist_," he spoke as he released her nipple, returning his lips to the shell of her ear to whisper sweet nothings as he made love to her. "_Are missing parts of me like the hollow of a thirsty earth from which they broke off_..."

"Remus..." Mia breathed heavy, her eyes shutting tight and her slender fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulders, her heels pressing into his arse, urging him deeper and faster.

"_A form_," he panted, picking up the pace of his thrusts. "_And together we are complete like a single river, like a single grain of sand_." He winced as her body tightened around his straining hardness, silk walls gripping him with hungry force and pulsing around him like a heartbeat as he sobbed her name into the hollow of her throat. She cried beneath him when they came together and shattered apart.

Remus rolled to the side and just as quickly as their bodies parted, he wrapped his arms around her small frame and drew her back against his chest, nuzzling the side of her neck where he continued to place lazy kisses beneath her ear. "I am _never _going to get my fill of you," he declared.

"If you keep inviting Pablo Neruda into bed with us," she giggled as she mentioned the poet. "I will never have reason to complain," she admitted.

"Ahem," a voice cleared their throats from outside the closed curtains.

Mia groaned and Remus growled, thankful at least in knowing that the Silencing Charm worked from the other side and though they could hear everything outside the curtains, no one would have been able to hear them. Remus began searching for his wand, frustrated that their wondrous afterglow had been interrupted.

"I've got it," Mia mumbled as she pulled down the Silencing Charm wandlessly.

"What?" Remus snapped.

"Sorry..." Peter mumbled.

"Didn't I tell you to fuck off an hour ago?!" Remus snarled.

"Remus," Mia scolded him, but couldn't contain the smirk on her face or the way her body was already warming again at the way his chest rumbled against her back when he growled.

"... That was _two _hours ago," Peter said quietly, and Remus couldn't help the suddenly smug grin that crossed his face. "And I thought I'd come and tell you both before someone else went and told McGonagall."

"Told us _what_?" Mia sat up nervously.

"The Carrows challenged Sirius to a Wizard's duel."

"Fuck," Remus muttered in frustration. "We'll be right out. Where are they?"

"Pitch," Peter replied.

"Get dressed," Remus encouraged her. There was no way in hell he'd unlock the curtains until she was properly covered, considering Peter now had a history of being overly curious when it came to Remus and Mia. "McGonagall's down in the village," Remus said as he pulled his trousers up over his hips. "Where's Filch?"

"By the Gates," Peter answered.

"So we only have to worry about Lily, then," Remus sighed. "Peter, scurry off and make sure that Evans doesn't show up; Mia and I will be down there as soon as we can."

oOoOoOo

**The Quidditch Pitch**

Remus and Mia ran through the castle as quickly as they could, glad that Filch wasn't roaming the corridors looking for wayward students to report. Rushing down the large marble staircase, Mia began wondering what on earth Sirius could have been thinking to accept a Wizard's Duel from either Carrows twin. There was a very good chance that Sirius would abide by the rules and duel honorably; this would put him at a grave disadvantage, as Mia was certain neither of the Carrow twins knew how to play fair.

By the time they burst onto the Quidditch Pitch, Sirius' wand was raised as red light flew out of the end, cutting off curse after curse that was being thrown at him by Amycus. James stood ten feet to the side of Sirius, his eyes carefully moving between Amycus and Alecto, who stood as her brother's second while James stood for Sirius. Mia started to call out for her boys, but was silenced by Remus' hand on her shoulder.

"You'll distract them if you say anything," he cautioned her. Mia frowned, but she understood. Any distraction right now would actually put Sirius' life at risk. The Carrows played dirty.

"_Impedimenta_!" Amycus shouted, a vicious snarl on his face. He glared across the grass at Sirius, who looked smug and dodged the attack easily.

"_That's _all you've got?" Sirius barked a laugh. "I'm not even sure why I expected better."

"Shut your mouth you filthy blood-traitor!" Alecto shrieked, trying to distract Sirius.

The raven-haired wizard ignored her. "_Levicorpus! Everte Statum_!" Sirius yelled and Amycus was lifted from the ground by his ankle and then thrown half the length of the Pitch, colliding with the ground with a loud thud. Just as she suspected, instead of allowing her brother to finish the duel properly, Alecto jumped in wand aimed at Sirius.

"_Defodio_!" She screamed and Mia's eyes widened as a red light emerged from Alecto's wand, hitting Sirius in the arm, gouging his flesh. Sirius winced and pulled back as blood began soaking his Quidditch robes.

James had his wand raised at Alecto to fight back, but Amycus was back on his feet throwing stunning spells across the field and James had to put his energy into throwing up a proper shield to prevent himself from being stunned.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Alecto yelled, easily disarming Sirius; he'd been barely keeping a grip on his wand with his injured arm as it was. When James dropped his shield to come to Sirius' aid, Amycus followed his sister's lead and disarmed James with little effort. The Slytherins had this planned all along, and neither James nor Sirius expected to be played so easily. They were used to one-on-one duels inside a classroom, and had assumed that the Carrows were fighting over a matter of pride.

Suddenly both Carrows turned their attention to the unarmed Sirius. This should have meant the end of the duel, but the Slytherin twins looked excited and feral as they stared at Sirius and James.

"Fine," James groaned. "You two win this round," he conceded bitterly.

"_This _round?" Amycus laughed. "Potter, we win _every _round. Two blood-traitors," he grinned madly. "You have no idea what we'll get when we tell Him what we've done."

Mia immediately paled and reached for her wand, taking quick steps toward the field, Remus following closely behind her.

"Tell who? What? That you finally beat us in a duel?" James laughed. "There's a first time for anything I guess."

"And a last time," Alecto cackled and raised her wand at Sirius while Amycus raised his at James. "I'm going to be elite," she said with a wild grin. "He'll put me higher than Bellatrix maybe," she said with a loud laugh. The mention of his cousin's name wiped the smirk from Sirius' face; his grey eyes paled as he took an instinctive step toward James. "I can't wait to see the look on the Dark Lord's face when I've told him that I've killed Sirius Black!"

Mia could see the spell sitting on the edge of Amycus' lips and before he had a chance to even whisper the first syllable, Mia screamed, "_Stupefy_!" and watched as he fell backwards onto the ground.

Mia had expected Alecto to turn her wand on her and Remus, both of whom were now prepared for an attack, but it seemed Amycus' sister was solid in her determination to attack Sirius. Before Mia or Remus could bring a spell to their tongues, Alecto grinned maniacally at Sirius and screamed, "_Sectumsempra_!"

"No!" Mia shouted and rushed forward, tears stinging her eyes.

Crimson blood soaked the field below their feet.


	59. Chapter 59

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occassional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** It seems like several of your had issues with how I left the last chapter hanging. Hmm. Good to know ;) Alright, so we're getting closer and closer to the obvious onslaught of war. Please keep that in mind when reading. Also remember that every character has their own motives (not just our own) and those who will live to see the Second Wizarding War probably learned a lot from what they did/saw during the First. Because I chose to work around (mostly) Canon, I knew I had obstacles that needed to be addressed, set up, and knocked down. I purposely wrote myself into several corners just so I could work my way out of them, so as not to be too predictable and boring. Not all my decisions are going to be likable, I realize that. But as I was writing this story, I tried do what I felt was authentic to my portrayal of the characters.

This is one of my favorite Sirius chapters btw. I love how he reacts differently to anyone else. In those moments he's my favorite to write.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Tacere Veritas

_"...Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road  
__Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go  
__So make the best of this test, and don't ask why  
__It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time..."  
__(Good Riddance - Green Day)_

* * *

**December 11th, 1976 **

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

Mia sat in the hospital wing, her red-rimmed eyes staring down at the unmoving fingers threaded through hers, struggling with each and every breath. Each inhale a sniffle, each exhale a sob. The bandages that covered the wounded wizard on the bed beside her were wrapped tightly, despite the fact that she'd done what she could to heal him. His skin was pale and ashen, but Madam Pomfrey insisted that color would return when the Blood-Replenishing Potion took effect.

Remus stood behind her, hands on her shoulders, acting as her support. Her rock. She closed her eyes and let more tears fall down her cheeks as she took a cold hand into her own, stroking her thumb gently over their curled fingers while she cried. She could feel Remus' cheek resting against her head, and his breath seemed to help calm her if she concentrated on it hard enough.

Madam Pomfrey was near the doors of the infirmary talking to Professors McGonagall, Scrimgeour and the Headmaster.

"And they're certain?" Scrimgeour was asking. "I've never even _heard_ of this spell and yet you'd have me believe that one sixth year girl was able to cast it at a fellow student, nearly killing him in the process and another sixth year girl was able to heal him within moments using a healing spell that I've _also_ never heard of?"

"Miss Potter is a very talented witch," McGonagall defended.

"I'm more concerned about the students who attacked," Dumbledore insisted to Scrimgeour.

"As am I," McGonagall said bitterly. "Three students from my House claimed to hear Alecto Carrow mention You-Know-Who, and threaten the life of Sirius Black clear as day in front of the others."

"And you're certain they aren't lying?" Scrimgeour frowned and McGonagall looked positively outraged at his accusations. "I mean no offense," he scowled at the witch. "But if I'm to report this to the Ministry, they'll want to know how not one, but _two_ potential Death Eaters were found inside the school, let alone how they escaped!"

"Is this really the right place?" Charlus Potter asked as he stood from his seat beside his wife, approaching the trio of Professors. "Certainly this argument could be... discussed elsewhere while my family tries to... to heal through this ordeal?"

"Please accept my apologies Charlus," Albus said sadly. "Rest assured, I will make certain to do everything I can to see that the boy is well tended to," and with that the Headmaster led the Professors out of the infirmary, leaving behind the Potters, Sirius, Peter and Remus.

"It's my fault," a muffled voice said. Mia turned to see Dorea envelope the raven-haired wizard in her arms as he sobbed into her shoulders. "I'm so sorry Mum," Sirius cried. "It's _my _fault. It should've been _me_. It was supposed to be _me_."

"Don't you dare say anything of the sort," Dorea consoled him, and Mia stifled another sob as she looked back down at James' unconscious form, lying there on the bed.

Though she could never blame him, Sirius was right. It was supposed to have been him. Alecto had her wand aimed at Sirius and from that angle a Sectumsempra could have easily slit his throat open. She'd heard of the curse being used first in her original sixth year, accidentally by Harry when he'd attacked Draco Malfoy in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The second was after she'd landed at the Burrow and was told about George's injury during their retrieval of Harry from Privet Drive. The third she'd seen with her own eyes at Malfoy Manor, when Draco Malfoy took down his own father in defense of Narcissa.

But she'd never been that close. Not until today.

oOoOoOo

**The Quidditch Pitch**

"_Sectumsempra_!" Alecto's curse had ripped through her conscious, and Mia felt her blood run cold at the word. Her body went completely numb, and she didn't even feel the movement to the side of her as James willingly leapt in front of his best friend, taking the curse in the chest.

"No!" She had screamed and thrown herself toward James' body as it hit the ground, immediately bleeding out onto the grass. Unable to think clearly, her blood began to boil.

_Have to mean it, have to mean it_, Mia repeated in her head subconsciously. _Aim your wand and mean it_! Her wand was brought up almost of its own accord and she let her gaze linger for the briefest moments on James' body before the grief was consumed by rage.

_Have to mean it._

Her flashing amber eyes locked onto the Carrow twins and she shouted, "_Avada Ke_-"

But her spell was muffled by a hand covering her mouth and another gripping her arm tightly, diverting her curse away from the future Death Eaters. Remus stood behind her, gripping her body tightly as she fought against him, struggling to get free so she could kill them, kill them both. The Carrow twins cackled and then rushed off the Pitch, disappearing from view as Mia cried and screamed against Remus.

"Mia!" Remus yelled. "You have to heal him!" He said, snapping her out of her rage.

Taking in a deep breath through her nose, Mia nodded. When Remus released her, she collapsed to her knees beside her dying brother, her shaking wand hand held over his chest, tracing it over the deep wounds that the curse had made, muttering the Vulnera Sanentur healing spell that almost sounded like a song, grateful that despite a foolishly young Severus Snape creating the Sectumsempra Curse, a much older and wiser Professor Snape had created the counter-curse; and had surprisingly agreed to teach her. The flow of blood eased and Mia reached forward, pulling James' robes open to look at the wounds as they began to knit themselves back together.

It took three passes with the counter-curse before Mia deemed James stable enough to be moved to the Hospital Wing, where Peter had rushed off the very moment that the Carrow twins vanished. When James was stabilized an hour later, a nervous Madam Pomfrey insisted to the Potter parents that they could stay the night, but only family would be allowed in the room from that point on. Dorea Potter dared the Mediwitch to call the young Marauders anything _but_ family, and the point was immediately put to rest.

Sirius sat on the bed next to James' staring at his best friend with a mixture of guilt and rage. Mia knew how he felt, and a part of her remembered an older Sirius Black in the Room of Requirement, arguing with Hermione Granger over his methods fighting.

_"Trust me, Hermione, if you knew the Alecto Carrow that I knew growing up, you wouldn't give her memory a passing thought_," he had told her.

"You'll have your revenge," Mia whispered to Sirius who looked up at her with confusion, but the sincerity of her tone had him nodding his head before returning his gaze to his friend's unconscious form.

oOoOoOo

**December 12th, 1976 **

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

Mia walked into the infirmary the following morning after being forced out of it in the first place by her well meaning parents and a protective Remus, all who had insisted she needed to eat. Mia and Sirius had stayed up all night, keeping watch over James as he rested. The Potter parents slept in an enlarged bed at the end of the Hospital Wing, and Remus stayed in the bed opposite of James. Peter had tried to remain in the infirmary with the rest of them, but anytime he came close to James, Mia tensed up and breathed hard to the point that her magic could almost be seen radiating off of her as a warning. Peter sensed her instantly and decided it would be best if someone returned to Gryffindor Tower to inform the rest of their House what happened. No one argued with him.

That morning Mia had been reluctant to leave her brother's side, but at the very least she knew she needed coffee, so she went to the Great Hall to fetch a cup. Returning to the Hospital Wing, she was surprised to see a small form with red hair sitting in her chair. Mia silently slipped through the double doors, watching curiously as Lily Evans looked over James as he slept soundly.

Lily tucked a strand of her long red hair behind her ear and then twisted the end of it, a nervous habit Mia had picked up on years earlier when watching the witch prepare for exams. Anxiety. Worry. Fear. Mia frowned at the sight, but couldn't help it as the corner of her mouth turned up when she saw Lily hesitate, before taking James' hand within her own.

She tried her best to stand quiet and still as long as possible to give Lily as much time as she could, but a yawn overtook her and the sound that she tried to stifle was heard by her friend. Immediately Lily let go of James and stood up.

"I... I just wanted to..." the redhead frowned. "Peter told us what happened. I needed to see it for myself," she admitted. "Are you okay?" She asked Mia.

"I've been better," she admitted.

"Where are your parents?" Lily asked.

"Meeting with Madam Pomfrey," she explained, taking Sirius' empty chair so that if Lily felt like sitting back down she could. "They want to take us all home now for Christmas, seeing that holidays are only a week away and Jamie won't be able to attend classes anyways, even if he wakes up today," she yawned again and immediately began drinking the coffee.

"All of us?" Lily questioned.

"Me, Jamie, Sirius and Remus," Mia replied and Lily nodded, having apparently forgotten that Remus was due to spend the winter break with the Potters.

"How bad was it?" Lily asked hesitantly as her bright green eyes looked over the bandages across James' chest.

"Bad," Mia frowned. "He could have... he almost died," she looked down.

"I overheard Scrimgeour and McGonagall arguing last night," Lily whispered. "When Mary and I got back from Hogsmeade, they were practically screaming at each other in the Entrance Hall," she went on. "Is it true that the Carrows were using curses that no one's ever heard of?"

Mia nodded.

"How is that possible?" Lily asked. "Those two are incredibly thick," she shook her head in disbelief.

"_They _didn't invent them," Mia scowled. "Someone else did. Someone else in the castle. Another Slytherin... I'm guessing," she said, but she certainly wasn't guessing. "He either taught them the spell, or like a bunch of reckless idiots," she rolled her eyes thinking of Harry. "They just saw the spell written down somewhere and decided to try it out."

"Someone... someone invented it?" Lily was shaking and her green eyes were wet. "Mia... I think..."

"Dumbledore already knows," Mia interrupted her, knowing that Lily was taking a risk by confessing that she'd known about Snape's Advanced Potions book. "When he first came to question us, Remus insisted that there was no way Alecto or Amycus could have invented it themselves. Sirius mentioned that Snape created Levicorpus and Langlock," she shrugged her shoulders. "Last I heard, there was no proof."

"He has a book," Lily whispered.

"He'll have gotten rid of it," Mia sighed. "He's not stupid. The moment word reached that the Carrows had used his curse... there's nothing to be done now," she shook her head. "Just... just stay away from him Lily," Mia looked up at her friend with pleading eyes. "I honestly believe that one day he can come back from whatever it is that he's fallen into. But _you're_ not the one to save him. He has to save himself."

Lily let a few tears escape her eyes, but she made no noise as she looked back down at James. "Did he really save Sirius?" Lily asked and Mia smiled sadly in reply. "That was... very brave of him," she smiled sweetly. "Very stupid," she huffed. "But brave."

"Ever the gallant Gryffindor," Mia smirked.

"He was wandless," Lily sniffed. "Had you and Remus not been there, they would have killed him and then killed Sirius right after," she scoffed. "What was he thinking?"

"Love," Mia replied. "It's a powerful type of magic."

"Love isn't magic," Lily shook her head.

"It _can _be," she smiled sadly. "I... " she hesitated as she felt something in the air, something magical and moving, nudging and pushing at her somewhere in the back of her mind. Mia closed her eyes as she almost immediately realized the prompting, and she spoke. "I read somewhere," she paused. "About how love can be harnessed. Sacrificial love can protect others."

"Your brother tried to sacrifice himself?" Lily looked up, eyes wide in horror.

"No," Mia shook her head. "He was just trying to save Sirius. I don't even think he thought about it for a second. Besides, it wouldn't have worked."

"Why not?"

"There are circumstances that allow it," Mia explained, a tightening in her chest after every word. "You have to face death willingly, be given the option to fight back but take it anyways."

"That sounds horrible... but... beautiful at the same time," Lily frowned. "I can't imagine loving someone that much."

"You will," Mia did her best not to sob.

"I can't stand it anymore," Lily said in frustration as she stood and hovered over James' bed. She pushed her fingers through his hair, desperately trying to get the locks in the back to lay flat. "Ugh," she breathed a sigh of relief when they finally did, though they had to be tucked against the pillow to stay that way. "That's been bothering me for years," Lily admitted with a laugh. "Don't tell him I did that."

"Witch's honor," Mia smiled. "You know he really does love..."

"I know, but... I just..." Lily shook her head. "Even after everything good he's done, he's still an arrogant arse," Lily frowned.

"And Remus is _still _a werewolf with self-esteem issues," Mia shrugged. "And Sirius is _still _a foul-mouthed prat from a family of blood supremacists," she smiled. "Doesn't mean they aren't worth loving. Jamie will always be a bit of an arse," she chuckled softly. "But he's learning to channel that arrogance properly these days."

oOoOoOo

**December 13th, 1976 **

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

The sun was rising in the distance as James Potter slowly opened his eyes for the first time in over twenty-four hours. He reached up and scratched at the mess of hair on top of his head and moved to stretch his arms, but felt a tightening pain in his chest. Blinking in confusion, James looked down beneath the sheets that covered him to see a pink, closed scar that ran diagonally over the length of his chest.

"Oh," he mumbled thoughtfully.

"Oh?" A voice spoke at his side and James turned to see narrowed grey eyes boring into him.

"Morning Pads," James muttered quietly.

"You dickhead!" Sirius lunged at James, momentarily forgetting where they were as he smacked his best friend hard in the side of the head. "You almost died and you wake up and say _'Oh_?' like nothing happened?!"

"Ow! Arsehole, stop hitting me!" James bellowed. He weakly reached his hands up to try and fight back, hitting Sirius once good on the mouth.

"What the hell is going on in here!?" Mia shrieked as she entered the room followed by Remus, who immediately rushed to the bed to pull Sirius away from James. "Jamie!" Mia ran to her brother and wrapped her arms tightly around him, sobbing into his neck, ignoring the fact that he continued to try and strike at Sirius when the raven-haired wizard got too close.

"Padfoot! He's still injured!" Remus tried to reason with Sirius who continued to struggle in the werewolf's arms.

"He's an arrogant martyr who needs his arse kicked!" Sirius snarled.

"You're _welcome_," James said in a snippy tone and suddenly Sirius was being restrained again by Remus. "Bloody hell, you save a mate's life and _this _is the thanks you get?"

"Sirius is right," Mia said as she sat up and glared down at her brother. "You almost died, Jamie!" She sniffed, wiping away the tears that had spilled over onto her cheeks. "What were you thinking?" James frowned at her tears and turned to look at Sirius, who looked near to crying himself. The messy haired wizard shook his head and looked away from them all, unable to make eye contact.

"I was thinking that I couldn't let her kill my best friend," James muttered. "You heard what that bitch said, Pads," he finally turned his hazel eyes up to meet Sirius who looked to be calming down, if only slightly. "She was going to kill you. I... I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't live without my best friend," he said quietly.

"But _I'm _supposed to live without _mine_?!" Sirius snapped. "Prongs, do you have any idea what I would have done if you'd died?"

Mia recoiled at his words and averted her gaze entirely. She _knew_ what he would have done. What he _would _do. Sought out revenge instantly, the way she had tried to. A long time ago, Hermione had wondered how Sirius could have let his anger overcome his better sensibilities in the moment, how he could have sought out Peter instead of pulling himself together for Harry; now she understood. In the heat of the moment, instead of assuming that James was alive and needed healing, Mia had turned her wand on her enemy, eagerly looking for blood. The same way she had tried to kill Voldemort when she'd thought that Harry was dead.

"Fuck," he growled. "When will you bloody Potters get it through your head that I am not worth saving if it means risking your own lives?" He asked, his dark grey eyes looking between James and Mia.

"Can't help it," James offered with a shrug. "If it makes you feel any better I would have done it for Moony, Wormtail, or Mia," he insisted.

"It _doesn't_," Sirius, Mia and Remus all responded at the same time and James laughed.

"Look, I'm fine," James smiled at his friends and sister. "Wizard's honor."

"I need a cigarette," Sirius groaned and began walking toward the door. "Mia come with me," he insisted. When Mia hesitated, Sirius turned on her, stalking toward her in a predatory manner that immediately caused Remus to step forward. "No Moony," Sirius growled. "She and I need to have a chat about what happened on the Pitch."

His eyes met those of the werewolf and the two shared a knowing moment. Sirius was speaking of Mia's near use of an Unforgivable. The incident had gone unreported to the Headmaster and Aurors that had interviewed them all after the Carrow twins disappeared, and none of them had thought to mention it while James remained unconscious.

"_I_ can do that," Remus insisted.

"Like hell," Sirius narrowed his eyes. "_You're _the boyfriend, the good guy who reads her poetry and makes her feel better. _You _won't hurt her and right now she _needs _to hurt a little," Sirius exclaimed, ignoring the look of protest that was crossing Mia's face beside him.

"_Our _job, means we share responsibility. _I'll _be the bad guy who gets to tell her what a fucking idiot she is," he turned and glared at Mia for a moment, catching the way her eyes flashed amber at the insult before he turned back to Remus. "And _you _can wipe her tears when I'm done and agree about how I'm an arsehole."

Remus, for some reason nodded in agreement and suddenly Sirius had Mia's wrist gripped in his hand and he was dragging her out of the infirmary despite her protests.

"What the hell, Sirius!?" Mia shouted as she struggled against him, reaching for her wand but quickly noting that she'd left it behind in the infirmary on James' bedside table. She thought to use wandless magic to get him to release her, but lack of sleep and no real desire to actually hurt Sirius held her back.

The moment they walked through the back door that led out near the greenhouses, Sirius released her arm and reached into his robes, pulling out the pack of cigarettes and removing two sticks. He handed one to her in a friendly manner as though he hadn't just dragged her screeching through the halls. Mia huffed indignantly at him, her arms crossed over her chest for a long moment before she finally relented and took the smoke from him.

Sirius cupped his hands together against the chill morning December air and quietly mumbled a spell, wandlessly lighting a hovering blue bell flame in his hand. He leaned in, allowing the cigarette to light, breathing in several puffs of smoke before holding his hands out to Mia. She followed his motions, doing the same only choking on her first inhale, causing Sirius to smirk.

"He's right," Mia said to Sirius, hoping to change the subject before he even brought it up. "You would have died."

"Maybe," Sirius said slowly, trying to keep his head calm knowing that any moment he would snap and verbally berate her. "Or maybe you would have saved _me _the way you saved _him_. Either way, I wouldn't have to wake up every morning owing a life debt to my best friend because he's a prat."

"Life debts aren't so bad," Mia smirked knowingly. "Come in damn useful when you need them to."

Sirius turned and glared at her, inhaling deep and letting the smoke blow out his nose before flicking the cigarette to the side and stepping close to her, his slate grey eyes narrowed. "You tried killing the Carrows."

"To be fair," Mia looked away from him. "They tried killing you and Jamie first."

"Mia!" Sirius snapped. "You almost used an Unforgivable!" He glared at her. "Are you at all comprehending the severity of the situation? Do you know what would have happened had you succeeded?"

"They would have died," Mia admitted, still not looking at him.

"Yes!" He snapped. "They would have died and you would have killed them!"

"We're at war," she said softly.

"_We_ are not. There _is _a war, but _we _are not soldiers," Sirius insisted. "Mia... you almost crossed a line..."

"That's your problem, Sirius!" She turned her brown eyes on him, growling. "You still think there _is _a line! Dark magic, light magic... it's not all black and white," she said stubbornly. "You can kill a person with a Severing Charm that we learned as first years. With undetectable poisons we learned about as third years. Magic is grey!"

"Fine," Sirius conceded. "But we weren't in battle, Mia. It was a fight. An unfair fight I'll give you that, but the Carrows weren't even Death Eaters yet..."

"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters, Sirius. If the people I love are attacked, I will do what I need to to stop them. Or... avenge them," she admitted sadly. "Some... some people are irredeemable," she said, quoting Remus' letter. "Some people just can't... can't be saved."

"I'm not trying to redeem or save _them_," Sirius reached up and took her face into his hands. "I'm trying to save _you_," he insisted and then pulled her into a hug. The moment her arms wrapped around his neck she burst into tears, letting the cigarette between her fingers fall to the ground as she wove her fingers together, holding him close as she wept.

"Mia, please don't let anger consume you," he pleaded with her. "I know it's hard. I've been there, I'm... I'm there too often myself," he sighed and ran a hand against her hair consolingly. "You can't take lives without consequences," he whispered. "Don't end up like them. You're not a killer. Promise me you won't... you won't do anything like that again. Azkaban is a better punishment for Death Eaters."

Mia pulled away and frowned, her eyes clenched tight. "Azkaban might not always be a permanent punishment. What happens if they.."

"Escape?" Sirius barked a laugh. "Mia, you can't escape Azkaban."

Something about his words made her anxiety bubble up inside of her. The past few days had been too much. James almost dying at the hands of future Death Eaters. Sirius life being threatened so openly, and on Hogwarts grounds - the one place they were supposed to be safe. All this talk of Azkaban and death and Unforgivables brought back a flash of memories that Mia had worked hard to repress over the years. The image of an escaped Sirius Black in the Shrieking Shack, Dementors breaking onto the Hogwarts Express, Harry telling her how he could hear his parents when the Dementors were near, hear them screaming as they were killed.

"Sirius... I need to tell you something," she said as the words riled up inside of her. Damn Remus' letter and his rules. She would change everything. She would save them all. "Azkaban can be broken out of," she insisted. "And I know this because you..." she tried to say the words. _Because you broke out of it in 1993, after being imprisoned for twelve years_. "Because you..." she tried again but the words wouldn't leave her tongue. Her eyes widened and she tried again.

"You okay?" Sirius rose a brow and Mia shook her head.

She tried a different tactic.

"Sirius..." _James and Lily are going to be killed, Peter is a traitor_! "I..." _know that your brother is going to become a Death Eater, and Snape too_. "I'm..." _from the future_!

"Mia?"

"It's nothing," Mia said softly. "I was just thinking that if anyone could break out of Azkaban, it would probably be one of you," she smiled sadly. "But don't try to prove me right by ending up there, okay?"

"I'll do my best," Sirius smirked. "You do the same, yeah?" He asked and Mia nodded, trying to hold back tears. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yes," Mia nodded. "I need to see Professor Dumbledore. Want to make sure that we're all okay to head home now that Jamie's awake," she turned and rushed back toward the castle as unshed tears stung her eyes. She'd waited six years to tell him the truth to try and change something. Six years she had followed each rule as it had been set out before her, and finally when she got the courage to do something about it and tell someone something... she couldn't.

And a part of her knew why.

Dumbledore had spelled her not to.

oOoOoOo

**Headmaster's Office**

"Lemon drops," Mia hissed at the gargoyle before it opened the staircase that led to the Headmasters office. Without knocking, Mia burst through the door to find the old wizard sat behind his large desk, a baby Fawkes sat on his golden perch beside him. In the chair opposite Albus Dumbledore sat Dorea Potter looking up at her daughter with a frown.

Mia scowled at the sight of them and turned on the Headmaster. "What did you do to me?" She snapped, tears spilling over onto her face. She wiped them away immediately, not wanting to appear weak.

"Mia, love, come and sit down," Dorea reached for her daughter's hand, gesturing to the chair beside her. Mia turned and looked at her mother with wide eyes as realization fell over her.

"You _knew_," she whispered. "You _knew _that he did something to me?"

"Mia we've talked about this," Dorea sighed, looking regrettable and angry about the situation and Mia couldn't help but immediately wonder if Dumbledore hadn't threatened Obliviation. "If the war is won in the future, you cannot try and change that. It's too important."

"What did you do?" Mia turned and scowled at the Headmaster. "I tried to tell Sirius..." she said, but the words wouldn't come out again and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

"I am deeply sorry," Albus sighed sadly, and it made Mia bitter because she believed he truly was remorseful over whatever it was he'd done to her. "But when you came to me several months ago, eager to tell me secrets about the future and the war, I felt it was necessary to take precautions to prevent you from telling anyone. It's a spell called Tacere Veritas, modified specifically for you, preventing you from intentionally speaking about the future in order to change it."

"You don't understand," Mia sobbed as she fell into the chair beside her mother, who immediately wrapped her arms around Mia's shoulders. "I have to save..." _James and Lily_, she tried to say but the words stuck in her throat. "I have to stop..." _Sirius from being framed_, she silently cried.

"I can't just sit back and do nothing," Mia whispered through her tears.

"And I don't expect you to. You were sent back for a reason, love," Dorea insisted. "I've memorized that letter too, and I believe that you are indeed a catalyst for events that are meant to unfold."

"I don't _want _to help these events unfold," Mia admitted. "I don't want to be the catalyst for my own..." _brother's death_!

"No," Dorea frowned. "I imagine not the bad things. Bad things will happen, good people will suffer and even die. But if you try to change something, someone else will take their place, or worse," Dorea hesitated. "A potentially painless death could instead become one of great torture and suffering. a Killing Curse becomes a Cruciatus. A minor injury becomes a death. Perhaps, think of the _good _you will do. What if the reason we win the war in the end is because of what you will do here?" The Potter matriarch suggested.

"How can I help when I've been silenced?!" She snapped, her suddenly amber eyes turning on the meddlesome and manipulative Headmaster. She was immediately reminded of an angry Harry Potter at the beginning of her original fifth year.

"_So why's Dumbledore been so keen to keep me in the dark_?" Harry had asked Hermione and Ron when they'd explained that the Headmaster asked them not to tell Harry anything about the Wizarding world over the entire summer while he'd been left alone at Privet Drive.

She remembered a furious Mrs. Weasley screaming over the dinner table at an irate Sirius Black.

"_You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose_?" Mrs. Weasley had asked the raven-haired wizard.

"_Which part_?" Sirius asked politely, but with the air of a man readying himself for a fight.

"_The part about not telling Harry more than he needs to know_," said Mrs. Weasley

She remembered the moment when Harry got his hands on a copy of The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore. Finding out about Grindelwald and 'The Greater Good'. She'd tried to defend their fallen Headmaster to her friend, even while Sirius sat silently by neither agreeing or disagreeing with her which had irked her at the time. Harry's outburst had been hard to counter though.

"_Look what he asked from me, Hermione! Risk your life, Harry! And again! And again! And don't expect me to explain everything, just trust me blindly, trust that I know what I'm doing, trust me even though I don't trust you! Never the whole truth! Never_!"

"What do you want me to do?" Mia sighed.

"Learn," Dumbledore replied. "Learn as any other student here would. If you are indeed the catalyst to help bring about the eventual end of this war, then I would have you do so under as much protection as possible. Keep the future in the future and focus on the here and now."

"So if I were to discover Death Eaters being recruited inside the school..."

"Then you may bring the information to me," Dumbledore agreed. "But I would prefer that you not put yourself at any risk. It appears that Potters have a habit of putting their lives in great danger for the benefit of others."

"And the 'greater good'?" Mia asked bitterly.

"Perhaps, Miss Potter, perhaps," he replied sadly.

"Can we go home now?" Mia asked, tearing her eyes away from the Headmaster and looking at her mother, who at least looked remorseful over her part in this. Mia forgave her quickly, having a feeling that Dumbledore only included her because she had discovered Mia's secret in the first place. If Dorea Potter had insisted that Dumbledore keep his nose out of Mia's business, she had a feeling the Headmaster would have had no qualms about Obliviating her of the knowledge she held and then silencing Mia regardless. Dorea Potter however was a Slytherin, and knew how to keep her enemies close if needed. Dorea also had not one, but two children to look after, three or four when Sirius and Remus were included. Keeping on the Headmasters good side was beneficial to the entire family for now.

"Yes," Dorea offered her daughter an apologetic smile. "Let's go get your brother and the boys," she stood from her chair and smiled politely at Dumbledore who stood to walk the Potter women to the door.

"Professor?" Mia turned and looked at him.

"Yes?" He offered her a smile.

"I just wanted to say..." _that Voldemort has created Horcruxes and you need to destroy them all. One will curse you and bring about your death. Severus Snape will become a Death Eater and eventually kill you_. "Happy Christmas," she sighed.


	60. Chapter 60

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Posting this early as a Christmas gift to you all! In addition to Chapter 60, I've also updated an unrelated to DoT one-shot for Sirius/Hermione fans called "Baby It's Cold Outside" specifically for the holiday! It's lovely, lemony, and will hopefully warm up those who are freezing this week! Okay, so about Chapter 59... I'm so happy that you all seem to understand the move I made with Dumbledore. Also super glad to know that most of you were surprised to find James in the Hospital Wing instead of Sirius! I like that I can shock from time to time! To answer some questions, yes, Mia basically just put the idea into Lily's head about how she will eventually sacrifice herself to save Harry. She's the catalyst. **corvusdraconis**, Yes Hermione/Mia knew that Snape was a good guy, but currently in this time he's not, and he did in fact kill Dumbledore in the end. That's why I wrote that bit there at the end because (at least in her head) she was trying to warn the Headmaster of his own demise. **HenriaSownbinder**, yes, Remus saw the scar in Chapter 57.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday (for the record, the fact that this chapter includes Christmas was a complete coincidence LOL) and I will be posting new chapters on Monday! Have a good weekend!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty: Snuffles and Muggles

_"...The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside  
__Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried!..."_

_(Let it Go - Idina Menzel)_

* * *

**December 23rd, 1976 **

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

At the feel of the wards being lowered at Potter Manor, Mia made her way down the stairs from her room where she'd been secluded inside for hours, hiding away from Jamie and Sirius. As the front door opened a smile crossed her face when she overheard Lily speaking with her parents who had gone to Cokeworth to pick up the ginger witch and side-along Apparate her back to Potter Manor where she was planning on staying for the Christmas holidays.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay with your family over the holiday, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Lily said brightly, using the tone of voice generally reserved for professors at Hogwarts.

"Not at all dear," Dorea said enthusiastically. "You are more than welcome to come to the Manor anytime you wish. It's always lovely to see Mia around other young witches. I think the boys have been a bad influence on her over the years," the Potter matriarch laughed a little and Mia rolled her eyes as she strolled into the foyer.

"Either that or they've driven the poor girl mental," Charlus added once he'd spotted his daughter.

"Heard that," Mia smirked at her father and then turned and gripped Lily tight into a hug. "Thank Godric you're here!" She exclaimed. "Sirius charmed mistletoe and hung them with Sticking Charms in every room! Showing off because he's the only one of us that's of age and can use magic outside of Hogwarts."

Both Mia and Lily were irritated by the fact that out of everyone in their year, it was Sirius Black who was first to come of age and legally be able to use magic outside of school. Mia had asked Professor Dumbledore about her own status only to find that due to the fact that her Ministry records stated her birthday was shared with James in March, the trace would only come off at that time.

"I think it's a fair bit of good magic," Charlus said with an amused grin and Dorea rolled her eyes alongside her daughter.

"You would," Mia glared affectionately at Charlus who laughed as he looped his arm through Dorea's before leading his wife out of the foyer and through the corridor that opened out into the back garden.

"Do I even want to know what the mistletoe do?" Lily asked nervously.

"They're charmed to make a loud screeching noise anytime Remus and I are alone in a room together," Mia said in a huff. "I still haven't figured out how he's done it. Clearly a mixture of a Caterwauling Charm and a Tracking Spell."

The first time the charm activated was in the middle of the night when Mia snuck into Remus' room to lend him a book to read before bed. She hadn't stepped one foot over the threshold before the tiny Christmas decoration had begun screaming. Sirius and James burst into the room, wands drawn and grins on their faces as Mia and Remus stood ten feet apart, looks of absolute horror plastered on their faces.

"That's horrible," Lily said, though she was clearly trying to stifle a laugh. "Really clever, but horrible."

"Talking about me?" Sirius said as he strolled into the room wearing Muggle jeans and a tight white shirt that was stained with what looked like motor grease.

"How did you know?" Lily smirked at him.

"I heard 'really clever' and just naturally assumed," he admitted with a smug grin.

"She also said horrible," Mia turned her brown eyes on him with a glare. "As in, 'you are horrible for creating those awful screaming mistletoe'," she put her hands on her hips, a tactic she used to use with Harry and Ron when one or the other would misbehave. It always worked for them. They'd feel guilty and then go and finish their homework and apologize. However, Sirius just laughed at the action, completely unaffected by her narrowed gaze.

"All I heard was 'clever' so I'm going to stick with that," he grinned and winked at both girls. "You going to be around long Evans?"

"Until we go back," Lily nodded, struggling to hide a frown. "Having some family issues," she admitted quietly, an embarrassed flush creeping over her cheeks.

"Welcome to the club," Sirius just smiled at her. "It used to be exclusive but then the Potters just started letting any old riff raff in."

"Hi Lily," Remus said as he walked into the room wearing clothes similar to Sirius, though the latter was much more filthy than Remus was. Either way, the sight of Remus in Muggle denim jeans and a tight shirt caused Mia's breath to catch in her throat. Just as her thoughts were turning less than polite for mixed company as she stared at her werewolf,the mistletoe in the corner of the room began screaming loudly.

"Bloody hell, Pads!" Remus turned and snapped at the raven haired wizard. "We're not even _alone _in here!" He growled.

"Yeah," Sirius scratched his head curiously with one hand, reaching for his wand with the other to silence the charmed decoration. "That one's faulty," he admitted.

"You need help with your trunk?" Remus asked Lily as he stepped forward, holding his greasy hands out toward Sirius, silently requesting him to Scourgify the black oil from his fingers. "Tilly would probably come and take it for you, but every Christmas Mia forces the house-elf to take a day off."

"It's her gift to me," Mia said proudly, still amused with the way that she'd been able to manipulate the little house-elf over the years.

"Thank you Remus, I would love the help," the redheaded witch smiled appreciatively, glancing at the ease with which Sirius cleaned Remus' hands and then his own. "Or maybe Sirius could just levitate it for us since he's able to actually use magic," she said with mild jealousy.

"It's good to be an adult," Sirius grinned.

"And yet still act like a child," Mia smirked at him.

"I'll _never _stop that."

"Don't I know it," the curly haired witch laughed.

"So why aren't you with your family, if you don't mind me asking?" Remus questioned Lily as he reached a hand down and lifted her trunk from one side, gesturing to Sirius to take the other if he wasn't going to help by using magic. Sirius gaped at Remus for a moment and then rolled his grey eyes, flicking his wand over the trunk and mumbling a quiet spell as the large container levitated into the air.

"My sister invited her Muggle boyfriend over for the holidays," Lily grimaced and Mia turned to her friend, mirroring her expression at the thought of Petunia and Vernon Dursley, two of the most heinous Muggles that Mia was glad to _not _have had the displeasure of meeting yet in this time. "And since we can't let him know that I'm a witch I was forced to just sit there and try to explain my boarding school without any details while he looked at me like I was some idiot," she frowned. "I'm pretty sure Petunia told him that I was sent away to some sort of asylum."

"And your parents just let this happen?" Mia snarled, remembering stories from Harry about how his aunt and uncle told their friends and neighbors that they'd sent him away to St Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys.

"Petunia's pretty sure that Vernon's going to propose soon," Lily shrugged her shoulders. "So my parents didn't want to ruin her chances by making a fuss. Plus, I think they miss the old days when I was... normal."

"Muggles aren't normal Evans, when will you learn?" Sirius stated firmly.

"I would have thought you'd rather be with Alice or Mary," Remus watched as Sirius led the levitating trunk down the hallway as the four of them followed it. "What with James living here and all."

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to deal with," Lily smirked. Mia was one of few people that knew that Lily wasn't so hard on James lately. After seeing what had happened when he'd nearly sacrificed his own life to save his best friend, even Lily had to admit that James Potter wasn't a complete and total toe-rag. "Alice is spending Christmas with Frank's family."

"Ouch," Sirius laughed. "Hols with Madam Longbottom, that ought to provide some good stories when we get back to school."

"And Mary is in France with her mother," Lily added.

"Peter too," Remus nodded. "His Dad's working some sort of business deal over there and so the family just decided to make a holiday out of it. Opening up a new shop over there I guess."

"I'm glad his family's doing well," Lily said, giving Sirius a silent smile of thanks as he lowered her trunk outside the guest room down the hall from Mia's. "I know his parents' Apothecary had trouble for a while after his father was accused of dealing in the Dark Arts. Absolute rubbish!" Sirius and Remus agreed with her irritation, and Mia purposely looked down at her nails as though she were examining them carefully.

"Mia, have you seen Tilly?!" James' voice could be heard shouting from the opposite end of the long hallway. "I know it's her day off but I can't find my Puddlemere United shirt and she always knows where..." the Potter heir stepped around the corner wearing jeans much like Sirius and Remus, but instead of a grease stained white shirt, he was bare chested, already having divulged himself of the filthy garment. "Evans?" James blushed and crossed his arms over his chest nervously. "Oh umm... hi... I... umm... welcome?" He cleared his throat and ran his hands through his messy hair turning to look at his sister. "Mia, you seen Tilly?"

"No," Mia laughed at the sight of her brother flustered standing half-naked in front of Lily and actually looking embarrassed for it instead of cocky. Lily's red face was equally amusing as the redhead averted her green eyes from James' pale frame. "And I told her not to come unless Mum or Dad call for her. If you really need it, go ask them."

"Yeah okay," he nodded and then looked at Lily once before turning around. "See ya Evans."

"He..." Lily gaped as James left the hallway, disappearing down another corridor. "He barely said hello to me."

"Maybe he's moved on," Sirius suggested and smirked when a look of rage crossed Lily's face. Remus and Mia silently chuckled as the ends of Lily's hair crackled with magic.

"Oh..." Lily huffed, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Well... good for _him_," she said, shaking the sparks from her hair as she rose her chin defiantly in the air.

"Or maybe we asked him to tone it down for Christmas," Remus confessed with a smile. "No reason you need to wake up every morning with a bouquet of flowers and love notes."

"Yeah, what witch would like something like _that_?" Mia asked sarcastically and both Remus and Sirius chuckled quietly at Lily's expense.

"Shut up and show me my room," the redhead narrowed her eyes as she was led into the room by Mia. Just in case, Remus stayed out of the room beside Sirius, not wanting to accidentally set off another potentially faulty mistletoe.

"Hurry back down and you can help me wrap presents!" Sirius shouted.

"Why can't you just use magic to do it yourself?" Lily poked her head out of the room and called after him.

"Because his uncle Alphard left him his inheritance when he turned seventeen and Sirius has decided to waste it all on gifts for the rest of us," Remus rolled his eyes before sticking his hands in his pockets and turning to follow Sirius, only to find the Animagus had turned around to argue with him.

"First, it's not a waste," Sirius pointed up at Remus' face. "I'm barely making a dent in the vault, trust me," he scoffed. "My uncle walked me through Gringotts last summer before he died," he said casually, not wanting to think too heavily about the one member of the Black family that had been kind to him, save for Andromeda. "I would need a broom to reach the top of the gold pile in there, and even then I'm slightly afraid of an avalanche." Mia smirked and shook her head. Having seen the Potter vaults for herself, she could believe that Sirius' inherited gold was no exaggeration. It was obscene and Mia was determined to find a way to get him to use it properly. "And secondly, I am not just wasting it on you lot. I bought myself a very nice Christmas gift as well."

"By 'very nice' you mean utter and complete death trap," Mia snapped.

"A new broom?" Lily asked.

"A used Muggle motorbike," Remus muttered. "We've been working on it all morning."

"Why didn't you just buy a new one?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Where's the fun in that?" Sirius rolled his eyes.

oOoOoOo

**December 27th, 1976 **

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

"Mia!" Sirius screamed from his room. "Come and get this stupid cat away from me!"

It was only a few days after Christmas and the residents and guests of Potter Manor had fallen into a lazy routine of reading books in the late evening. If the weather was permitting, James, Sirius and Remus would take their brooms into the backyard and toss around a new Quaffle that James got for Christmas. Most afternoons Lily and Mia caught up on homework, still surprised that somehow the boys had already finished theirs. Dorea had insisted that Sirius take down the Caterwauling mistletoe at least from the library, allowing Remus and Mia to cuddle in the large armchair, surrounded by books and one another. It was a wonderfully quiet existence.

Except for when Sirius would start shouting about her cat.

"What are you screaming about?" Mia hollered as she poked her head into Sirius' room to find him in Animagus form. The bear-sized black dog stood growling at a black and grey cat who didn't seem afraid of the large beast in the slightest, hissing and narrowing it's blue eyes.

"Padfoot!" Mia snapped and watched as Sirius shifted back into human form, pointing an accusing finger at the tiny feline that was pacing back and forth in front of him, growling.

"The cat, Mia," he snarled. "Get your bloody beast and take him back to your room!"

"You leave my poor Snuffles alone," Mia cooed as she scooped the little kitten up into her arms, smiling as it nuzzled it's head into the side of her neck, meowing quietly in content.

"Stupid name for a cat," Sirius muttered as he walked back to his bed, holding up his red sheets showing her silently that her cat had already clawed it's way through them.

"Stupid name for a _dog_," Mia replied under her breath. "If you didn't like the cat, you shouldn't have bought it for me," she shrugged her shoulders. "You're a dog yourself and my boyfriend is a werewolf. Honestly, how could you have thought that a _cat _would be a good gift?" Mia laughed as Sirius pulled the destroyed sheets from his bed, reaching for his wand to try and repair the damage. "You should have at least bought one that's part Kneazle. Then it would be able to sense that you're an Animagus," she said, a part of her nostalgic for Crookshanks.

Though she knew nothing would ever replaced her first familiar, Mia couldn't hide her excitement on Christmas morning as she unwrapped the small red box only to find the tiny kitten sitting there hissing loudly.

"Can I take Snuffles back then and switch it?" Sirius asked.

"Not on your life," she answered him with narrowed eyes, laughing when Snuffles turned and hissed at Sirius again as though it understood.

"Fine," Sirius conceded. "But speaking of terrible presents," he walked over to his bed table, reaching for a book. "This Muggle book you bought me is ridiculous!" He said emphatically as he walked back over to the doorway, shoving it out toward Mia. "Ask Evans if Muggles really think this about witches and wizards."

"It's just a story, Sirius," Mia sighed and rolled her eyes at him, taking the book in one hand as she placed her cat down on the ground, urging it to run down the hall and not back into Sirius' room. "Not History of Magic."

"He's not even a _real _Wizard, Mia!" Sirius shouted.

"_Oz _isn't a _real _place. It's a story, Sirius," Mia laughed. "It's supposed to be read for fun."

"It's mental," he shook his head. "Wizard doesn't have actual magic, half the witches are clearly Death Eaters, and the _big twist _is that the Muggle girl was wearing her Portkey the whole time?"

"Her shoes were not Portkeys," Mia giggled at how ridiculous he was being. If he was this irritated by the Wizard of Oz, Mia was determined to get him a collection of Muggle tales for his next birthday. _Maybe The Lord of the Rings. No pictures and lots and lots of words. Big words too. _

"Useless object charmed to take her home?" Sirius crossed his arms, ready for a debate over this. "What the hell else would you call that?"

Mia thought for a moment and then grunted, "Ugh, fine, it's a Portkey."

"And I'm still not entirely certain that the whole thing wasn't set up by those Goblins," he rolled his eyes.

"Munchkins," she corrected him.

"You're not allowed to buy me books anymore."

"You're not allowed to buy me _pets _anymore."

"Fine," he grinned. "Can we take them _both _back now?" Mia narrowed her eyes and shoved the book back into Sirius' hands.

"Are we talking about the cat?" Remus asked as he walked into Sirius' room, the book he and Mia had been reading together in the library in his hand, a thumb marking the page they'd left off on.

"You don't like Snuffles either?" Mia gaped at her boyfriend, looking down as her cat wound itself around his leg, rubbing against him affectionately. She laughed at the look of pure disgust on Remus' face as he tried to non-violently shaking the cat away from him. "But look how pretty he is!"

"I _love _you, I _hate _your cat."

"He'll grow on you," she smirked.

"Bring him out next full moon and I'll eat him," Remus' nose twitched. "I'm not even joking about that. Little bugger bit me this morning."

"At least you heal quickly," Sirius complained. "Bastard was using me as a scratching post all afternoon," he showed off his left arm that was covered in tiny red scratches. "Here," Sirius thrust his book into Remus' hands. "Remus, she won't take this back. _You _can read it."

"Finished already?" Remus asked.

"I _can _read you know," the Animagus scoffed. "I got more O.W.L.s than you."

"Not calling into question your intelligence Pads," the werewolf chuckled. "So what did you think of it?" Remus asked, passing his own book into Mia's open hands before he flipped open the cover of The Wizard of Oz, casually glimpsing over the pages.

"Don't ask him that," Mia cautioned her boyfriend.

"He wasn't even a _real _Wizard!" Sirius shouted.

"He also thinks that the silver slippers were Portkeys," Mia informed Remus who immediately burst into laughter. "Speaking of Portkeys though, I've been playing around with an idea I could use some help with if either of you are interested," she offered. "I want to make Portkeys that are connected like your chain," she gestured to Sirius who still wore his silver chained Portkey, never having removed it once since she'd gifted it to him years earlier, especially since it had saved his life. "Only instead of to a place, they are connected to another charmed item, a twin."

"What's it for?" Remus asked curiously, passing the book back to Sirius who took it begrudgingly.

"Honestly?" Mia sighed. "I'm bored."

She'd gone through Hogwarts twice now, and although she fully planned on finally completing her 7th year the following fall, there was only so much that she could do without accidentally making herself Head Girl, a position she knew was meant for Lily. Mia had spent years holding back her own talent in class, doing what she could to not show off that she'd not only already learned most spells, but had mastered them years earlier, non-verbally at that, and even some wandlessly. She'd spent a short time fourth year doing her Animagus training, but aside from creating new spells, potions and charms, Mia had put all of her effort into reinforcing her Occlumency shields and trying to learn Legilimency without actually breaking into someone's mind against their will, something she found to be absolutely foul.

"I meant, what would you _use _them for?" Remus asked.

"Maybe for Aurors?" Mia suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. "Think about it. Say an Auror is tracking someone that Disapparates. He can't be followed, especially if he Apparated into a place where wards prohibit unknown entry. But Portkeys are different and they can override some wards. If the Auror were to slip a charmed half of a Portkey into their target's robe pocket, they could follow them."

"And appear out of the _pocket_," Remus rose a brow.

"It's a work in progress," Mia pouted.

"It's genius," Sirius grinned. "And I can already think of seven - no, eight ways to use them for pranks!"

oOoOoOo

**December 29th, 1976 **

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

The metallic smell of blood filled her nostrils. It was overwhelming and caused her stomach to turn. Her head turned to the side as she stared into the cold eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange. It had been years since she'd had a nightmare about her Death Eater torturer. Confronting the witch outside of Malfoy Manor after Narcissa and Lucius' wedding had somehow cured her of her fear, but yet, Bellatrix's eyes stared into Mia's, cold as ever.

Instead of cold and ruthless eyes staring back into her own brown ones, these were empty eyes.

Mia could briefly hear the sound of a Cruciatus Curse being thrown in the distance as her eyes looked down and realized that the blood she'd been smelling was pouring out of a large gash in Bellatrix's throat. Sight and smell were overpowering, but sound was muffled other than the loud noise of a crying dog. She could scarcely hear the sound of a man and woman fighting, but one word was clear as day, "_Sectumsempra_!" as she turned her head to see an older Lucius Malfoy collapse to the ground bleeding, revealing a furious Draco behind him.

Suddenly she was standing outside of Gringotts beside Harry, Ron, Sirius and Draco. A pile of Death Eaters behind them. Dream or memory? Mia wondered to herself as she stepped close to Sirius when he put a hand on the young Malfoy's shoulder. "_You're not a killer_," he said to Draco, but his grey eyes looked at Mia. Her eyes looked down at the pile of bodies where two had been left breathing. Crabbe Sr. and Goyle Sr.

In the blink of an eye, Crabbe stopped breathing, and Mia looked down to see a green light leave her vine wand, striking the man repeatedly in the chest as though she couldn't stop herself. Crabbe's body quickly turned into the unmoving bodies of the Carrow twins, this time the young age of seventeen, both branded as a Death Eater. Amycus with a smug look on his face and Alecto laughing even as the green light of the Killing Curse struck her over and over.

In the distance she could see a seventeen year old Hermione Granger with a large book in her lap, Ron and Harry sitting beside her.

_"Isn't there any way of putting yourself back together?" _Ron asked.

_"Yes," _said Hermione with a hollow smile, _"but it would be excruciatingly painful."_

_"Why? How do you do it?" _asked Harry.

_"Remorse,"_ said Hermione._ "You've got to really feel what you've done. There's a footnote. Apparently the pain of it can destroy you. I can't see Voldemort attempting it somehow, can you?"_

She felt a sharp pain in her chest as she looked back down at the laughing bodies of the Carrow twins, unaffected by the Avada Kedavra curse her wand seemed to be throwing of it's own will at them. Mia tried to get it to stop, but it wouldn't relent. Tears poured down her cheeks as she screamed, begging it to end and it finally did when a chill fell over her body and a high, cold voice penetrated her mind.

_"Allow me to show you what a killing curse is supposed to look like,"_ Voldemort hissed and aimed the Elder Wand at her.

"No!" Mia screamed.

"..a!...ia!..Mia! Mia!" Remus' voice trickled through to her, but it wasn't what eventually pulled her out of her nightmare. A loud screaming noise echoed inside her room at Potter Manor and her eyes opened quickly, shocked by the alarm coming from the mistletoe hanging over her bedroom door. "Fuck!" Remus cursed. "Sirius!" He shouted out the door.

"What's happening?" Sirius rushed down the hall having heard the alarm, having assumed that Remus and Mia were trying to be sneaky about snogging, only to find a perfectly enraged Remus standing in the doorway of her bedroom. Sirius frowned at the look on his face.

"Your bloody alarm is going off and Mia's having a nightmare!" The werewolf snarled.

"Shit!" Sirius looked completely guilty and he reached for his wand. "I'll fix it," he aimed his wand at the mistletoe, frowning as he silenced it. The raven haired wizard turned to spot a shaking Mia on her bed, pale faced and covered in sweat as Remus pulled her closely up against his chest, wrapping protective arms around her. "Mia I'm _so _sorry," Sirius whispered as he approached the bed slowly, watching his friends reaction to make sure that Remus was more Remus than Moony in the moment.

"It's alright love," Remus whispered into her mane of curls. "You're safe. I've got you. I've got you," he kissed the top of her head. Sirius knelt down at the side of Mia's bed, looking up at her mournfully as he reached out and took one of her hands within his own.

The doorway was suddenly filled by Lily who had heard the commotion and come running from her room only to find both Remus and Sirius taking care of a terrified looking Mia. Lily frowned at the sight, wanting to help but not knowing how. Suddenly someone shoved past her, and Lily gasped as James burst into the room, completely ignoring her other than to say, "Move!"

"Mia, love, are you alright?" James said, stepping forward as Remus stood, letting Mia's brother take his place on the bed, pulling her into his large arms.

"M'fine," Mia mumbled. "Just... just a bad one."

"Mia?" Lily whispered as she walked into the room. "Do... do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Mia shook her head, trying to rid herself of the image of dead Death Eaters and Voldemort.

"Mia I think you should..." Lily stepped closer only to find herself faced with a furious and defensive looking James Potter who actually glared at her.

"She said no, Evans! Back off!" He snapped at her. Lily gasped at the anger on his face, having only seen it a few times in the years that they'd known one another, and never once had it been directed at _her_. Lily gulped at the sight, caught completely off guard by this version of the boy that had sought after her for so many years.

"No," Lily said with determination. "She's _my _friend too and I've been watching her go through this for six years," she stepped closer to the bed, ignoring the dirty look that James continued to give her. At least Sirius and Remus seemed to look guilty over the news that Lily had known about Mia's nightmares, which meant that she'd been having them during times when they hadn't been able to help her. "You can't just put a band-aid on a problem like this and hope it goes away."

"What's a band-aid?" Sirius asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. Everyone ignored him.

"Evans," James growled. "You have no idea... no right to..."

"Jamie, it's fine," Mia said quietly.

"It's _not_."

"I'm a Muggle-born," Mia blurted out.

"Mia!" James shouted, his hazel eyes wide. Remus, Sirius and Lily all stared at the siblings, looks of confusion and shock covering their faces.

"Jamie, I'm so tired of secrets," Mia admitted quietly, a sob being held in the back of her throat. "They're killing me," she frowned wishing she could say more. Unburden herself of all of her secrets. But Dumbledore had spelled her to prevent her from doing so. "It's too much, it's too heavy," she cried, finally letting a few tears spill over. "And I can't keep them all in anymore."

"I don't understand..." Sirius gaped, genuine concern painted on his face. "How are you Muggle-born?"

"I'm adopted," Mia confessed. "The Potters took me in a month before we all started Hogwarts. My family... my biological family," she corrected herself at the look of sadness on James' face. "They're..." _in the future... somewhere in Australia, Obliviated. _"Gone... because of Death Eaters. Because of You-Know-Who," she said, working her way around the truth that Dumbledore's spell kept her from uttering. "Dumbledore placed me with the Potters to protect me."

"That's how you know so much about the Muggle world," Lily gasped as she sat down on the other side of Mia, opposite James, taking her friends hand into her own while Sirius and Remus stared on. Lily smiled at her, clearly having found a kindred spirit in her friend, despite the horrible way that Mia had apparently come into her life.

"Were you..." Sirius hesitated to speak, guilt covering his expression. "Was your family... Do you know who the Death Eaters were?" He swallowed hard, terrified to hear that perhaps it was someone he knew, someone he was related to.

"No," Mia lied, frowning as she realized the reason Sirius was asking. How could she tell him that it was in fact his family that had done such awful things? That it was Bellatrix who'd tortured her, tortured them _both_. "I'm so sorry I've lied to you all and that I've made Jamie lie..."

"Don't apologize for anything Mia," James insisted. "I've never lied. You're my sister and always have been as far as I'm concerned," he kissed her temple and hugged her close. "I could give a shit what your blood status is. You're a Potter."

"Doesn't make a difference to me in the slightest," Remus insisted firmly.

"Nor me," Sirius promised.

"Certainly not me," Lily smiled brightly, trying to help remove the tense air around them. "Although I'm a little annoyed that you let me go on and on teaching you about television," she laughed and everyone joined in a little when Mia broke a smile.

"I don't want to be broken anymore," Mia admitted quietly after half a minute of absolute silence, still clinging to James with one arm while she squeezed Lily's hand with the other.

"Mia you're not..." James tried to insist but Mia interrupted him.

"I _am_," she said clearly. "Jamie, I really, _really _am. I could have killed Carrow," she confessed. "It would have been easy and I didn't even think about it. I don't want to be a killer. I don't want to have a broken soul," she frowned thinking of the future, of Voldemort and Horcruxes. "So I'll try and talk about things when I need to... when I can. But I need you all to promise me to never tell another soul," her brown eyes went wide. "Not Mary, or Alice or Frank... and not _Peter_," she added with great emphasis.

And one by one they made an oath, swearing upon their magic to keep her secrets.


	61. Chapter 61

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N**: I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday! I had a Harry Potter themed Christmas this year. My sweet husband bought me Hermione's official wand, House socks, shoes, Patronus bracelets, and a silver pen with my name engraved on it and my birthstone (emerald - Slytherin colors) on the end. He also talked my in-laws into buying me a Time-Turner. It's beautiful and sits in it's case on my desk to inspire me while I write this story!

Q&amp;A time: **gypsyfurface **and **corvusdraconis **, Mia was able to tell the others about her being Muggle-born because of the intention behind the truth. The spell that Dumbledore put on her prevents her from speaking about the future with the intention of changing it. It's why she also had to be very specific with what she told them about her family and why they're not around.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter which has been in the works since I was back writing Chapters 11 &amp; 12 (hint hint). There's also a nod to Chapter 27. Because I love foreshadowing, hints, parallels and hidden secrets.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty-One: House Mia

_"...We're teenagers._  
_We count the years, _  
_We think we're smart_  
_But we're not._  
_We don't know anything..."_  
_(Teenagers - Haley Williams)_

* * *

**January 9th, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

When the Marauders, Mia and Lily arrived at Kings Cross they were shocked as the train left the station with one of their friends missing. They'd not heard a word from Peter over the holiday. Not even his usual Christmas package for all of them filled with a large selection of Honeydukes chocolate had been sent; the one for which Remus was historically known for keeping the chocolate part to himself, setting aside the Sugar Quills, Ice Mice, and Licorice Wands for the rest of them. But Christmas came and went with not a single owl from the shortest Marauder.

A part of Mia had been happy not to have to think about Peter over her holiday. Nevertheless, after dealing with her nightmares regarding the Carrow twins and her lingering guilt over the accidental death of a future Crabbe Sr., Mia couldn't help but feel a strange worry over the fourth Marauder, especially since James, Sirius and Remus were a nightmare of concern over their missing comrade.

When they arrived back at Hogwarts, all five teenagers made their way to Dumbledore's office, lingering outside shouting random candy names at the gargoyle. Finally it opened; not to let them in, but rather to let Dumbledore and a terrified-looking Peter out.

"Ah, I see escorts have already arrived for you Mister Pettigrew," Dumbledore smiled brightly, his blue eyes twinkling in the light. "I'll leave you to the care of your House-mates." the Headmaster smiled before returning up the spiral staircase to his office.

"Wormtail, where the hell were you?" Sirius asked loudly, his brows furrowed in concern.

"Sorry," Peter frowned. "My... my family was... attacked," whispering the last word and Lily gasped, covering her mouth before wrapping Peter into a hug, murmuring consoling words to him.

"Are you okay?" The redhead asked kindly.

Peter smiled sadly, patting her on the back a few times. He didn't want to get too close to her with James hovering, though he was gratified to see his messy-haired friend appeared more concerned for _him _than Lily at the moment. "I'm fine," he nodded. "Can we head back to the Tower? I really just want to get out of the hallways." He looked around suspiciously as if someone were hidden in the dark shadows of the alcoves, listening in on their conversation.

Purplish-blue skin puffed out from underneath his eyes, adding to the prominent five o'clock shadow on his chin. Mia frowned at the sight. As much as she hated the person Peter would become, as much as she disliked much of who he was _now_, she knew the look on his face and couldn't help but feel mildly sympathetic. She'd worn similar shadows under her eyes during the year that she, Harry, Ron and Sirius were on the run from Death Eaters and Snatchers while searching for Horcruxes. Being hunted and knowing it did something physical to a person. It took years off lives, and Peter Pettigrew suddenly looked poorly aged.

Once the six of them reached Gryffindor Tower Remus and Lily went into Prefect mode, ushering the younger years to their dorms and out of the Common Room before everyone retired to the boys dorm room to hear Peter's story. Sirius and James each sat on their beds. They watched as Peter sat on the edge of his mattress next to Lily, who continued to try and comfort her friend. Meanwhile Mia crawled in beside Remus. He put an arm around her as Peter informed them that his family's new Apothecary in France had been burned to the ground, and he and his parents had narrowly escaped with their lives.

"Mum's still at St. Mungos," Peter told them with a frown. "They said she'll be okay, but the burns were pretty bad," he explained, looking guilty.

Mia disliked the look he wore; it strangely reminded her of Harry, which put her on edge over the comparison. Peter was blaming himself for not being able to protect his family. Mia struggled with the surge of sympathy coming from within her, trying to shut out her knowledge of the future. "Is she in the Spell Damage Ward?" she asked curiously.

"Why _would _she be?" James asked. "It was a fire, right?"

"Yes, but Peter said they were _attacked_," Mia answered and turned her attention to Wormtail.

"Yeah," Peter nodded slowly. "It was _cursed _fire," he whispered quietly.

Lily inhaled sharply in shock. "Someone used... used Fiendfyre against your family?" She gaped at him over the disturbing thought. "Godric, you're all lucky to be alive!"

"I'm sorry, Peter," Mia said quietly.

"I felt so helpless," Peter admitted, an abnormal look of anger flashed across his soft features. "We couldn't see anything," he explained. "If the people in the back of the shop hadn't started screaming..." he shook with fear and anger simultaneously. "We wouldn't have even known to run. Mum went back in to try and help... so stupid." He scowled.

"That was very brave of her," Mia admitted.

"She almost died!" Peter turned and glared at Mia. "She _could _have died."

"But she didn't, mate," Sirius said, standing from his bed and moving to Peter's side, patting his shoulder. "You and your parents all got out safely."

"We were the only ones," Wormtail confessed. "Everyone else just... Godric," he gasped and turned looking up at his friends. "The... the smell..."

"The Aurors will protect your family," James insisted. "Everything's going to be okay," he promised his friend.

"The Aurors are the reason my family was targeted!" Peter stood and for the first time in his entire life, faced James as though he had the ability to fight him.

Mia reacted immediately, reaching for her wand only to have her hand stilled by Remus who looked at her in disbelief. She silently berated herself for acting so impulsively, trying to calm down as Peter continued to yell at them all.

"They arrested my Dad and he hadn't even done anything wrong," he said bitterly. "It's not illegal to go into Knockturn Alley!"

Mia frowned and shook her head. _Merlin_, _this is a slippery slope_. She could already see the future being written out in front of her. Peter was afraid, losing what little moral certainty he might have once had, and thanks to Dumbledore's truth spell Mia couldn't even warn anyone.

"He was just... just... he _wasn't _doing anything dark," Peter continued, defending his father whom Mia was certain _wasn't _a Death Eater. Still, he _was _dabbling in dark magic where he shouldn't have been. "But they took him anyways, and now Death Eaters are... I don't know, maybe they think he's trying to spy on them or something?" He tried thinking out loud. "But Aurors won't do anything. They wouldn't even put security around my Mum's room at St. Mungos."

"Maybe you should talk to Dumbledore," Mia suggested quickly. If she couldn't vocally do anything to change the future by telling everyone the truth, perhaps she could use a few loopholes to try and direct Peter down the right path. Draco Malfoy had turned spy for the Order of the Phoenix, just like Severus Snape. Maybe if she got Peter to ask Dumbledore for help, she could prevent him from his ultimate and eventual betrayal. "He can help you. Keep your family safe."

"You don't understand, Mia," Peter shook his head.

"Peter, your friends will protect you!" Mia stood up, facing him. "That's what they're there for," she gestured to James, Sirius, and Remus, who were all nodding emphatically. "They would die for you, just like you would die for them," she said, hoping that maybe she'd finally struck a nerve.

Peter looked like he was contemplating a few things in his head, but the sudden sounds of fifth years below their floor shouting and laughing caused him to jump and look around in distrust. "I shouldn't be talking about this," he said quietly. "What if someone's listening?"

"We're in Gryffindor Tower," Sirius said firmly. "The only people here are other Gryffindors."

"_I'm _not a Slytherin, but I can sneak into _their _Common Room; same with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," Peter said firmly, still looking around the room as though checking for someone hiding beneath an Invisibility Cloak.

"Wait, you've been in the other Common Rooms?" Lily asked, but everyone ignored her.

"The Tower isn't safe." Peter shook his head as he made his way back to his four poster, pushing his way past Lily who tried to stop him. "Hogwarts isn't safe. No one is safe!" He said and quickly flicked his wand, shutting his curtains.

oOoOoOo

**May 12th, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

It took months - and a substantial amount of secretly stashed Firewhisky - to get Peter to relax a little. It didn't helped that Death Eater reports filled a page of the Daily Prophet at least once a week. Fortunately they appeared to be getting farther and farther away from Britain and Scotland, with the last reported sighting being somewhere outside of Bulgaria. Instead of focusing on O. like the year prior, the sixth years had all signed up for Apparition testing. Bitterly, Remus couldn't afford the classes, especially since his father had withdrawn what little money had been deposited in Remus' personal account at Gringotts and refused to return any of his owls. Ignoring his unspoken pride, the Potter parents insisted on helping out. They paid for Remus' Apparition classes and license testing, even secretly adding money to his vault to cover anything he needed at Hogwarts. Regular reports were given them from Mia, James and Sirius as to whether or not Remus was taking advantage of the gifted Galleons.

Mia prided herself on being the first in her year to get her license. She allowed only a small part of herself to feel guilty, considering she'd been Apparating for close to a decade and had been able to successfully Side-Along at least two other people (it had been the third extra person during the hunt for Horcruxes that had caused her to be splinched). Thankfully _that _scar wasn't due to show up for another six months or so, but Mia was already worried about what she was going to say to people who saw it - mostly Remus, who often had access to her bare skin. One dark scar was something he was currently willing to ignore at her request, but a splinching scar that ran down her back? She wasn't certain that Remus would be willing to remain silent on the matter.

Lily and Remus gained their Apparition licenses right after Mia, followed behind by Snape, several other more focused Slytherins like Damocles and Adrian Abbot, and a slew of Ravenclaws. James, Peter and Sirius struggled but only because they found it more interesting to try and distract one another than focus on their own Apparating. After a good scolding from Mia, all three boys put more effort into not splinching themselves. Mia was grateful she didn't need to treat a splinched Sirius Black - again.

As spring began preparing for summer, Remus and the Potter twins celebrated their coming of age with Butterbeer and a feast from Honeydukes. Firewhisky had long since been banned at Lily's bequest, though Sirius kept a stash of it in the bottom of his trunk just for special occasions. Or Fridays. During Easter holidays at the end of April, Sirius, James and Mia all returned to Potter Manor while Remus decided to stick around Hogwarts with Peter, who had been told by his parents to stay behind for his own safety.

When the Potter Manor residents returned to school, Sirius was eager to share how they'd spent their short vacation.

"I can't believe you three got tattoos for your birthdays!" Remus shook his head in amusement as James pulled open his shirt to show off the freshly healed ink on his chest and Mia held down the back of her blouse, revealing the most rebellious thing she'd ever done, in the form of permanent latin text flowing over her right shoulder blade.

"_They _got tattoos for their birthdays," Sirius insisted with a smirk. "_I_ got a tattoo because _they _didn't know where the tattoo shop was, and I wasn't just going to walk in and not buy something. That's rude," he said plainly as though it were an obvious truth that Remus and Peter were unaware of.

"Evans is going to kill you if she ever sees that." Peter laughed at James, who was busy standing in front of a mirror examining the lily of the valley tattoo running the length of his Sectumsempra scar. It was with magical ink so that the lilies closed and bloomed when touched.

"Well it was either _this _or turning my scar into a zipper," James laughed

"I told him to have the guy tattoo _'open at this end' _at the top of it," Sirius smirked.

"And despite those lovely ideas of permanent body modification," Mia said sarcastically. "You _still _settled on a flower." She shook her head at her brother, who continued to fondle his ink and watch with interest as each flower opened and closed, smacking away Peter's hand when the youngest Marauder tried to touch one.

"Not just _any _flower." James grinned proudly.

"No, I suppose not." Mia smiled, wondering if there would be one day when Lily would appreciate the ridiculous sentiment. "I still wouldn't show her... for a very long time," she said assuredly. "If ever," she added.

"I like yours." Remus hovered behind Mia. He ran his fingers over the latin words with dark eyes speckled with gold that caused Mia to grin. "_Vita frui vita vivet_; what's that mean?" The werewolf asked her.

"It means 'live life and enjoy life'." She smiled brightly and turned to kiss him sweetly, though Remus wouldn't have been able to tell why she was so affectionate with him over a silly tattoo. "I consider them my own personal House words," she said with a grin. "House Mia."

"I got _my _House words too!" Sirius announced with a laugh.

"You _actually _had someone permanently ink _'Toujours Pur'_ on you?" Remus turned on his friend and gaped at him in disbelief. They'd all seen the scar that was permanently etched across Sirius' hand, something he had tried to cover up multiple times by provoking Mia in her fox form to bite him during full moons. The small words written across the back of his hand were barely legible now, having been sprinkled with a variety of small scars in the shape of sharp tooth marks. "Padfoot, you hate your House _and _your House words!"

"Which is why I got them tattooed on my arse," Sirius declared as he pulled down the right side of his black jeans, a look of utter glee on his face despite the fact that each of his friends turned away at the sight of his pale backside. "Get it? Get it?" He asked with delight.

"Yes. _Very _clever." Mia rolled her eyes.

"Get it Moony?" Sirius grinned as he stepped closer to Remus. "_'Toujours Pur' _my arse."

"How drunk was he?" Remus asked James, averting his eyes from Remus with a laugh.

"I was the only sober one," James answered. "We had to take the Knight Bus home because I was afraid these two would splinch themselves if they tried Apparating," he said, gesturing to Sirius and Mia.

"If my Mum wasn't such a psychotic bitch hell bent on having me killed, I'd want to show her this," the raven-haired wizard announced with such pride.

"Pads, please pull your pants up," James pleaded as he finally buttoned up his shirt.

"Turning you on, Prongs?" Sirius waggled his eyebrows at his best friend, who laughed in response.

"Well I think I've seen all I want to..." Mia began as she turned to leave.

"Nothing you haven't seen before, kitten!" Sirius barked a laugh,

Mia rolled her eyes at him. "Remus and I are going to go enjoy a nice day outside while you two sit in here and ogle Sirius' arse." She waved to Peter and James with a smirk. "I'm sure he'll be very appreciative of it," she said with a laugh as she grabbed Remus' hand and pulled him out the door and down the stairs to the Common Room. They grabbed a few books they'd left on a table in front of the fireplace before they left through the portrait hole and made their way down the large marble staircase.

"Are they gone?" Sirius whispered from the open door of the boys' dorm room, listening carefully for the sound of Remus and Mia.

"Yep," Peter nodded.

"Good," Sirius grinned deviously. "I came up with a lovely prank that Remus wouldn't approve of and might cause Mia to feed us to the Giant Squid," he announced as he walked back into the room, reaching for James' trunk and digging out the Invisibility Cloak and the Map.

"That bad?" James asked with interest.

"Probably worse," Sirius said firmly. "I don't expect to come out of this one with all my limbs intact. But it'll be so worth it. Evans for sure will have our bollocks for this," he said knowingly, and yet still enthusiastically.

"Go on," James couldn't help but smirk. It had been months since he'd done anything to get Lily's attention, and despite his promise to stay on her good side throughout Christmas, James was itching to make his redheaded love a little angry. Sirius was right, there was something absolutely riveting about a furious witch. It didn't help of course that love had literally been smacked into him at eleven years old.

"Ever heard of a panty raid?" Sirius grinned slyly.

oOoOoOo

Down by the Black Lake beneath the beech tree, Mia leaned back against Remus' chest as she sat between his long legs. One of his hands had its fingers laced with hers as he kissed along the back of her neck while she read from the newest edition of _Hogwarts, a History_.

"I _really _like your tattoo," Remus whispered against the shell of her ear. His free hand pulled against the back of her blouse and he stared down at the black ink with a grin, leaning down to place a soft kiss against the mark.

"I'm glad you approve." Mia grinned, shivering at his ministrations. "The words mean a great deal to me."

"Any reason you chose them?" He asked curiously as he ran the pad of his index finger over it before leaning forward and kissing the crevice where her neck met her shoulder.

"A reminder," Mia smiled softly. "I worry too much and I need to focus on being happy."

"I like that," Remus grinned against her skin. "I like you being happy."

"I like you being happy too." She turned and looked up at him, relaxing as he leaned forward to brush his lips softly against hers. Mia closed her eyes and sighed into his mouth as the world around them disappeared. Here, in his arms, kissing him, she was certain she could be led to believe that everything in the world was perfect. When he pulled away, Mia reached up and touched his cheek, running a finger along the top of the scar that dissected his face. "Promise me you'll always try to be happy," she insisted.

"I think I can do that..." Remus grinned and moved to kiss her again.

Mia pulled away from him. "I mean it Remus," she said seriously. "No matter what happens. If... if everything just turns to shit, please try to find happiness in something," she pleaded. "Don't hold yourself back for anything."

"You're doing future talk again," he groaned, burying his face in her tangled mess of chestnut locks. "I thought we weren't going to do that anymore," he reminded her, brushing his knuckles up and down her bare arm.

"You don't think about it at all?" She asked him sadly.

"I'd rather think about you, this, us," he frowned.

"I'm sorry, love."

"You can make it up to me," Remus reached over her shoulder, closing the book in her hand and setting it carefully to the side, putting it down on top of his bookbag and making sure it wasn't damaged in the slightest by the nearby wet grass. "I seem to remember recently reading something about enjoying life," he grinned, putting his large hands on her hips and turning her around in his lap until she was straddling his hips. "I wonder how we could put that knowledge to use," Remus smirked as he threaded his fingers through her thick hair before kissing her soundly. He groaned at how responsive she was when his tongue came into contact with her own, massaging it languidly.

"Mmm," Mia moaned. "Do you think it would be suspicious if we snuck off to the Whomping Willow?" She whispered against his lips and Remus chuckled in response before kissing her deeply.

Their quiet moment was disrupted by the sound of screaming in the background followed by loud hollering and the feel of a rough breeze just above them. Mia and Remus separated and looked up as Sirius, James, and Peter flew their brooms quickly overhead, all laughing as they made their way over the Black Lake.

"POTTER!" Lily's screeching voice came from just up the hill, causing Mia to turn and watch as her redheaded friend mounted a broom and flew upwards, gripping the handle tightly with a look of pure fury on her face as she continued screaming. "BLACK!"

"PETTIGREW! YOU'RE DEAD!" Mary's voice came up just behind Lily's as she quickly followed the ginger witch on her broom. Both girls flew off in the direction of the lake.

"We couldn't have been gone twenty minutes," Mia scowled. "What on earth has my brother done now?" she asked, crawling off of Remus' lap as Alice and Frank walked down to join them, a look of disapproval on Alice's face. Frank looked positively scandalized. "Better yet, what has Sirius talked him into doing?"

"I don't know how they did it," Alice confessed. "But they were able to break into the girls' dorm rooms and steal our..." she cleared her throat and Frank turned away, his face flushing red. "Our underthings."

"Mia," Remus tapped her shoulder and sighed, embarrassed. "Your bra is hanging off the back of Sirius' broom." He gestured to the flying Animagus, who wore a shit eating grin as several scraps of silk, satin and lace hung from his broom.

"Which one?" Mia groaned.

"The pink lace," the werewolf growled.

"Oh," she sighed and reached for her book. "I didn't really like that one."

"_I_ did," Remus said bitterly. His eyes narrowed at Sirius, who was laughing as Mary sped after a screaming Peter who was trying to use a flailing Giant Squid arm for protection and distraction as he flew across the lake, dodging the few hexes sent his way as he rode off with her red knickers hung over the handle of his Cleansweep.

"Then _you _go get it back from them," Mia told her possessive boyfriend. "I'm not playing into whatever game this is." She opened her book, trying to find the place where she'd last left off. "I can't believe they even got Lily on a broom to chase them," she added with a soft laugh as she heard her redheaded friend screaming above them. "She hates flying almost as much as I do."

"Why _is _that?" Frank asked curiously as he and Alice sat down hand in hand beside Remus and Mia.

"It's unnatural," Mia explained. "If we were made to fly, we would have been born with wings."

"Or with magic... to enchant brooms and then fly on them," Remus said sarcastically. He laughed when Mia smacked his arm.

"Don't get smart with me, Moony," she scolded with a smirk on her face. "Go and get my bra before Sirius feeds it to the Giant Squid."

"Do I look like I play fetch?" He leaned forward and kissed her.

"_You're _the one who likes me in pink lace," she whispered into his ear and Remus growled low against her skin, causing gooseflesh to pop up over her arms.

"Not to interrupt what's clearly a very private moment, which I should have walked away from several minutes ago..." Alice muttered, blushing as she was forced to interrupt Remus and Mia. "But I think something's wrong." She pointed up.

"What?" Mia turned and looked above the lake where Sirius and James were flying in large circles. Lily, who had been chasing them, stopped abruptly in the center of their circles, her broom hovering for several long moments before bucking and thrashing about. Lily gave a shout as she clung to the handle tightly.

"Evans? Evans! You alright?!" James called, turning his broom around to look at Lily suspiciously.

"What is she doing?" Remus asked.

"Oh, Merlin." Mia stood up. "Someone's jinxed her broom! Jamie! Sirius!" She called up at the boys. "Get Lily!" She waved her hands dramatically hoping that they could hear her.

Sirius looked confused but James immediately went into action. He turned his broom and aimed it toward Lily as her broom tilted back into a vertical position, causing her to scream and dangle over the lake, gripping the handle as tightly as she could.

"Remus, look for someone," Mia insisted. "She's being jinxed. Someone will have to be keeping eye contact with her so start looking." She turned, looking around as well. She'd seen a jinxed broom before during Harry's first Quidditch match, and a part of her wasn't surprised when she noticed Severus Snape hanging back near the edge of a group of trees, watching with wide eyes and muttering to himself.

Mia growled and moved to reach for her wand when she remembered that the _last _time she had suspected Snape for jinxing a broom, he'd been the one trying to save Harry. _Was he trying to save Lily as well? _Mia stopped and turned, scanning the rest of the area in the hopes of finding the _real _culprit. Before she could spot anything other than a head of non-greasy black hair disappearing into the castle, though, Lily screamed and everyone turned to see the Muggle-born witch fall sixty feet into the depths of the ice cold water of the Black Lake.

"LILY!" James screamed, using her first name for the first time that Mia could recall. He leaned forward on his broom, forcing it into a nosedive in an attempt to try and catch Lily before she hit the water. He missed her just as she sunk beneath the surface. Not wasting a single moment, both James and Sirius dove off their brooms, plunging into the chilly water. Mia gasped and moved to run toward them, but Remus reached the water first, jumping in and swimming forward until he met his friends halfway, helping to hold Lily's head above water as the three of them dragged her back to the bank.

When they got there Alice and Mia took over. They lifted Lily in their arms and laid her flat on the ground just as Mary and Peter landed, looks of worry and shock on their faces as they dropped their brooms and rushed over.

"Lily!" James shouted, pulling her into his arms and tilting her head back to look at her. Face pale and lifeless, Lily's eyes were closed and her skin was cold. "Lily!" He shouted again, reaching for his wand. "_Reenervate_!" He shouted. Nothing happened. "_Reenervate_, dammit!" James screamed, but again she remained unconscious.

"Jamie move, let me get to her!" Mia pushed at her hysterical brother.

"Lily, please wake up," he cried, cradling her to his chest desperately.

"Remus pull him back," Mia ordered the werewolf, who immediately slipped his arms under James'. He lifted and dragged the wizard away from Lily's unconscious body, struggling as James fought against him. "Sirius, I need your help," Mia insisted. "Pay attention!" She yelled. If _anyone _needed to know in detail what she was about to attempt, it was Sirius who would have to one day do the same thing to save _her _life.

"Is she dead?" Sirius said in horror as he stared down into Lily's pale cold face. "We didn't mean to... it was a joke..." he stammered, running a worried hand through his black hair. "I don't know what happened with her broom, but..."

"Sirius!" Mia yelled. "I need you to pay attention to what I'm doing! I'm going to tilt her head back and breath into her mouth for her," she explained quickly. "When I stop, I need you to press here," she took his hands and placed them against Lily's sternum. "Hard until I tell you to stop so I can breathe for her again. Okay?"

"Mia..." Sirius whispered.

"Okay!?" She shouted.

"Yes!" He nodded.

Mia tilted Lily's head back and pinched her nose before placing her mouth over the redheads', sealing it and breathing a deep breath into her. She watched as her chest rose slightly. A few more breaths and Mia nodded to Sirius who began to follow her instructions to the letter, both ignoring the sounds of James shouting in the background, threatening Remus who continued to subdue him.

"Come on Lils," Mia whispered before she breathed again, fear sinking into her as she could see the future evaporate right before her eyes. No Lily, no Lily and James. _No Harry_. She breathed again and tried to block out the sounds of Alice and Mary crying nearby. One more breath and Mia felt Lily's body twitch against her. She sat up quickly just in time for Lily to sit forward, coughing roughly until water expelled itself from her throat.

"Merlin..." Sirius gasped. He sat back in shock at the sight, his grey eyes pale and wide.

"Lily!" James screamed. He broke away from Remus, who looked just as surprised at the sight of Lily taking in deep breaths. "You're alive, oh thank Godric you're alive!" James knelt in front of the redhead, taking her face into his hands gently as his hazel eyes looked mournfully into her green irises. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Lily," he frowned.

"Potter?" Lily whimpered, her dull gaze raking over his face. She leaned back and James released her cheeks, and there was half a second before Lily's hand smacked clean across James' face hard enough to turn his head to the side. She glared at him fiercely even as he stumbled backwards, landing on his backside, holding his cheek.

"Did you three jinx her broom?" Remus said as he approached the group, his eyes narrowed at Sirius, James and Peter.

"No!" Peter said quickly. "We just stole their bras and..."

"It was just supposed to be a joke," Sirius muttered quietly, clearly grief stricken over his actions.

"Well it wasn't funny!" Lily said hoarsely. "Mia, do you really think someone jinxed my broom?" She was still taking time to take in deep breaths. "It's not mine. I grabbed it from the broom shed when we came running out here. Whose broom was it?"

"It doesn't matter," Mia shook her head as she reached for her wand, casting a Warming Charm over Lily, James, Sirius and Remus. "A jinx like that wasn't put on it before you picked it up. It was put on while you were flying."

"Someone did this to her on purpose?" Mary asked with wide eyes.

"Maybe it was an accident," Lily muttered quietly.

"Maybe we should tell Dumbledore," Sirius moved to stand up, holding his hand out to Lily to help her to stand. She looked at it suspiciously for a moment before accepting it after seeing the guilty look on his face.

"What? Why?" Peter gaped.

"I..." Sirius hesitated. "I think Death Eaters are being recruited still. And _that _was an initiation."

"What?!" James shouted before getting to his feet.

"When..." Sirius paused and groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fuck... when I was attacked last summer, someone mentioned that they were doing things wrong," he explained knowing that not everyone present was aware that Sirius had almost been forced to become a Death Eater. "That they were trying to brand me first and let me prove myself later. Proving yourself amongst Death Eaters means killing someone," he went on, ignoring the looks of shock provided by Frank, Alice and Mary. "Specifically a Muggle, a blood-traitor, or a Muggle-born." His grey eyes rested on Lily.

"_That's _why Alecto and Amycus came after you and Jamie," Mia nodded.

"It was Snivellus," James exclaimed. "I know it!"

"Don't you dare, Potter!" Lily snarled. It was clear to everyone at Hogwarts Lily Evans and Severus Snape were no longer friends, but she wasn't about to see an innocent person blamed for something they might not have done just because James had a history with him.

"Jamie, it's not Snape!" Mia announced before her brother rushed off to do something stupid.

"How can you be so sure?!" He asked his sister, ignoring Lily's glares.

"Because if he was planning on joining the Death Eaters and had his pick of Hogwarts, he would have jinxed _your's _or _Sirius' _brooms!" Mia declared the obvious. "Not Lily's!"

"Then who the hell did it?!" James asked, pacing back and forth along the bank, running a hand through his wet hair and shaking the water out of it.

"I can't believe they're recruiting Death Eaters inside Hogwarts..." Lily whispered in horror.

"Supposedly they only have to be at least sixteen," Mia sighed.

"What day is it?" Sirius' eyes widened and he turned to look at Mia, his face draining of color.

"What? Why?" James turned and asked.

"May 12th," Lily answered. "Why?" She asked. "What's wrong?"

"I know who did it," Sirius growled and stormed up toward the castle shouting, "Fuck!"


	62. Chapter 62

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and sexual scenes in later chapters.

**A/N**: LOL I think it's hilarious that almost every single one of you guessed Regulus. I didn't exactly hide it well (nor did I try because I'm terrible at writing mysteries) but I love how everyone was so quick on the draw there.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty-Two: Suspicious

_"...Everything you say to me_  
_Takes me one step closer to the edge_  
_And I'm about to break_  
_I need a little room to breathe_  
_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_  
_I'm about to break..."_  
_(One Step Closer - Linkin Park)_

* * *

**May 12th, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Sirius where are you going?" Mia called after the raven haired wizard as he stormed up the hill away from the Black Lake.

The moment he'd taken off Mia turned, trying to find the words to explain to the rest of their friends what had caused him to storm away; somehow she couldn't bring herself to tell them Sirius was convinced his younger brother was responsible for the botched attempt on Lily's life. Instead, Mia requested that Remus and Frank escort Lily to the Hospital Wing so Madam Pomfrey could give her a quick check and make certain she was alright. James tried protesting, but when Lily gave him a scathing look he'd backed away with multiple apologies, offering to scan the lake with Peter to retrieve the fallen brooms and any undergarments that got caught in the undertow.

"Sirius!" Mia yelled. "Padfoot! Where are you going?"

"To see Dumbledore!" Sirius turned and snapped at her when she finally found herself by his side, following quickly, two of her steps matching each one of his own. "I fucking knew it! I knew that I should have brought Regulus with me to the Manor when I escaped Grimmauld Place," Sirius winced at the memory. "It would have technically been kidnapping since he wasn't going to come willingly, but I wasn't of age at the time so it's not like I'd be sent to Azkaban for it."

"Don't say things like that," Mia snapped sharply at his casual mention of going to Azkaban. The brief image of Sirius Black's mugshot in the Daily Prophet, his sunken-face and long, matted hair looking the very perfect mixture of madness and defeat. Mia clenched her eyes tightly and shook her head side to side as though she could erase the image from her mind like an Etch-a-Sketch.

"If I'd done something right about my brother, he wouldn't be a bloody Death Eater to-be!" Sirius' volume pulled her from her dark thoughts, and suddenly she found herself trying to catch up with him once again as the two of them burst through the doors into the Entrance Hall. "It was him, Mia. I know it was," Sirius frowned and Mia copied his expression. Mia had a strong feeling it had been Regulus as well. She'd spotted a dark head of obsidian-colored hair leaving the view of the Black Lake, and the only wizards with hair so black were Sirius himself and Snape, both of whom were in her eyesight at the time.

"He tried to kill Evans," Sirius said the words, still as though he couldn't quite believe them; as though he needed to continually remind himself in order to be able to report his own flesh and blood for attempted murder. "Merlin, if he'd succeeded... I'd never be able to live with myself. Never be able to look James in the face again. Fuck!" Sirius shouted angrily. "Stupid little prick."

"Don't tell Dumbledore!" Mia called out as Sirius took a turn toward the Headmaster's office. Suddenly the Animagus spun on his heels, looking at her in complete disbelief.

"Are you actually defending my brother's actions?" Sirius gaped at her. "Are you kidding me?"

"Of course not!" She snapped, forcing herself to forget that at this moment in time Regulus was a Voldemort supporter and potential Death Eater. It wouldn't be long before he defected. "But first, we don't have actual proof it was Regulus. We only have the knowledge that Death Eaters are accepted at the age of sixteen and it just happens to be your brother's sixteenth birthday today. If you go to Dumbledore he'll just nod his head and with that damn twinkle in his eyes, and offer you a bloody Lemon Drop!" She scowled at the thought.

Sirius didn't have a chance to prove anything, especially if Mia went with him. Dumbledore would assume that Mia was trying to change the past and ignore their suspicions of Regulus. Then again if Mia allowed Sirius to go up to Dumbledore's office by himself, her friend would wonder if she truly supported him.

No, there had to be another way.

"So what do you suggest then, Mia?"

"McGonagall," she smiled as the answer came to her so easily. Minerva McGonagall had been one of her favorite Professors in both time lines, though her life here as an unofficial Marauder had changed the dynamic of the relationship she'd shared with the Deputy Headmistress. While _Hermione Granger_ had been an apt pupil, perhaps even a favorite of the older witch,_ Mia Potter _was often considered a trouble-maker, and not in the usual 'saving the world with Harry Potter' kind of trouble that she'd been used to. "Even if we don't have proof it was Regulus, she's suspicious enough that it'll plant the idea in her head and she'll keep an eye on him."

oOoOoOo

Twenty minutes later Sirius and Mia found themselves sitting in front of Minerva McGonagall, who was staring at them with a mixture of suspicion, relief, and annoyance. Mia had seen the same look tossed across a desk or classroom to Harry, Ron and even Neville, but she suddenly felt unbelievably guilty for somehow disappointing the Professor who had essentially been Hermione's escort into the Wizarding world. She wondered if Minerva thought Mia just a spoiled Pure-blood witch who was wasting her talent. She made a mental note to work hard during her seventh year to prove that she was more than just James Potter's sister. Once Lily became Head Girl, it wasn't as though Mia needed to hold back for her friend's sake anymore.

"So I am to believe that Mister Black, a sixteen-year-old boy, jinxed the broom of Miss Evans with the explicit purpose of ending her life, all because of her parental origin, and yet all this happened in the middle of the day, out in the open in front of no less than eight students?" Minerva raised a skeptical eyebrow as she stared across the desk, looking at Sirius as though she were waiting for something horrible to happen. As though this were some sort of distraction. _Merlin, have the boys put this witch on edge so badly she can't trust any encounter? _Mia thought to herself.

"Did you happen to witness young Mister Black at the scene?" Minerva asked, her attention turning toward the younger witch.

"No Ma'am," Sirius answered for Mia, for which she was grateful, not knowing exactly what Dumbledore's truth spell would allow her to say. "But Death Eaters are marked when they turn sixteen and it makes sense that..."

"How would _you _know what age Death Eaters are recruited at?" McGonagall's eyes widened and she suddenly found herself sitting straighter.

Sirius swallowed hard and averted her scrutinizing gaze. "Because they tried to make me one," he said, ignoring the soft gasp Minerva let slip past the tight line of her mouth. "Last summer I was... I was attacked in my own home. I refused and escaped and that's why I live with the Potters now," Sirius explained.

"Was the incident reported?" Minerva asked. "Dear boy, how on earth did you manage to get away?"

Mia's eyes widened only slightly, watching as Sirius nervously toyed with the silver chain that hung around his neck. She quietly hoped that Sirius wouldn't tell the entire truth, considering the creation of unofficial Portkeys - while not _technically _illegal - was greatly frowned upon.

"Floo was open," Sirius lied easily. "By the time the Potters got me to St. Mungos, my parents apparently had already disowned me. They didn't report me missing, and I didn't want... I didn't want to see them again. I'm not sure what Mum and..." Sirius paused to correct himself, forgetting that not everyone was aware how he referred to the Potter parents. "What Mr. and Mrs. Potter did."

"Aurors were called," Mia chimed in, recalling the memory with little effort as that evening and the following events had imprinted themselves on her subconscious. The sight and smell of Sirius' blood, the burns marks on his forearm, and the panicked way that the Aurors and Hospital staff reacted when Mia and James turned on them all as they'd tried to separate them from Sirius. "They knew what had happened."

"Is Miss Evans alright?" Professor McGonagall asked after a long moment of silence.

"Yes Professor," Mia nodded. "At least, she was well enough minutes after to start screaming at my brother," she added, earning a snort from the Deputy Headmistress.

"As charming as young Mister Potter is, I believe Miss Evans could find it in her to still berate the boy if unconscious," McGonagall stated proudly. "Why exactly was she flying over the lake?"

Sirius paled. "That's really not important," he coughed. "We need to find Regulus."

"And you are certain this isn't some leftover sibling rivalry?" The Professor asked uncomfortably.

"What?!" Sirius' grey eyes darkened and he stood from his chair. Mia reached up and took hold of his forearm, trying to pull him back down as the infamous Black temper took control. "Absolutely not! Let him keep his stupid parents so long as he leaves my friends alone!"

"I understand the subject is of a sensitive and personal nature," Minerva explained quietly, not looking the least bit threatened by the outburst. "But I would request that you lower your tone in my office young man. Miss Potter," the older witch addressed Mia. "Do you have reason to believe that Regulus Black is at fault?"

"Regulus is..." Mia began, but the words caught in her throat as she tried to focus her efforts on speaking. _Regulus is a Death Eater. Regulus is a Death Eater. Regulus Black will betray the Dark Lord. _"I... I believe Sirius," she managed to say clearly.

"Very well," Minerva sighed. "I will report this to Professor Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn. Should young Mister Black display suspicious behavior, it will be dealt with. In the meantime, I'd suggest you see yourselves out, and if you'd be accommodating, check in on Miss Evans for me," the witch stood from her chair, gesturing to the door. Mia stood and moved to leave, nodding gratefully to her Professor, but Sirius didn't seem ready to budge.

"What's going to happen to Regulus?" He asked.

"Should something be discovered because of the information you've provided, it will be handled. But not by you," Minerva insisted firmly. "_Your _responsibility is to be a student, focus on your work and for the love of Godric, _try _to stay out of trouble. Leave the war to the adults."

"I'm of age," Sirius pointed out.

"That is neither here nor there, Mister Black."

"I want to fight," he added and Mia growled at the words.

"Do I appear to have a sign up sheet recruiting soldiers?" Minerva narrowed her eyes and scoffed at him.

"Thank you Professor," Mia reached out and took hold of Sirius' hand. "We'll see ourselves out," she added, tugging her friend away from the harsh gaze of the older witch.

"Oh, Mister Black? Miss Potter?" McGonagall said as the two opened the door to leave. They each turned back curiously, watching as the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. "Fifty points each for your efforts in reviving Miss Evans. Should the moment come for you to prove useful in these dark times, I believe you both to be very capable," she admitted. "Until you leave Hogwarts however, I would insist that you focus on enjoying the few freedoms left to you."

oOoOoOo

Annoyed, Sirius followed Minerva's advice to remain an unburdened teenager for as long as possible: not long after he, James, Peter, and Remus managed to set off some of Dr Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks in the middle of the fourth floor corridor. The prank earned all four boys detention. When they'd come to see if Mia had seen their grand display, she'd rolled her eyes and said, "I've seen better," thinking fondly on her original fifth year, when the Weasley twins had so spectacularly escaped from Hogwarts under the suppression of Dolores Umbridge.

While the boys continued to cause trouble, Mia spent every last effort trying to work around the loopholes in Dumbledore's spell. She spent hours focusing on Occlumency, knowing that if she was a strong enough Occlumens, she had a chance of overpowering Veritaserum (and since the spell was somehow the opposite of the truth serum, she thought it would help). Despite all her efforts, she wasn't even able to say the words,_ 'My name is Hermione Granger,' _aloud let alone warn anyone of the things that were to come. Trying to tailor her efforts to something more specific, Mia found that she wasn't even able to _write _the word 'Horcrux' down.

Powerless to speak the truth about the future, Mia decided to work hard at proving things she suspected but did not yet know, as Dumbledore had advised her the moment he'd explained the truth spell. She spent an entire month moving through the halls of Hogwarts, her nose buried in parchment and fingers stained with ink. Dark shadows formed under her eyes as sleep began to elude her again. If Voldemort was recruiting Death Eaters at Hogwarts, then Snape and Regulus couldn't be the only ones. Certainly if she spied on the other Slytherins long enough she'd stumble upon _new _information, and _that _she knew she could bring to the Headmaster.

Unfortunately her efforts were proving fruitless as not a single serpent showed a hint of a Dark Mark, even in the privacy of their own Common Room. Mia had gained access there thanks to Jamie's Invisibility Cloak and an extremely loud second-year Slytherin, who shouted the password before slipping into the snake pit. What she watched under the protection of the Hallowed Cloak was nothing to write home about: Regulus bore no Dark Mark on his arm, nor did he indicate that one would come anytime soon. He and Snape barely ever crossed paths anymore, though when they did, it often resulted in mild confrontation. It was clear the two Slytherins had exchanged their youthful alliance for a bitter animosity, which Mia could only assume had to do with Regulus' choice to attack a particular Muggle-born. Regardless, neither boy spoke a word to the other about it, nor anything in reference to Voldemort or other known Death Eaters.

Her lack of sleep and eating habits began to rival those of her old study sessions, or even her first experience in using a Time-Turner during her original third year. She was stretched to the breaking point; exhausted and suffering from all her efforts to change the future. Few asked her about it aside from occasionally questioning how she was sleeping and if she'd eaten anything that day; still, Remus was hovering more than usual despite Mia's efforts to get some space from him and everyone else in Gryffindor Tower.

oOoOoOo

**June 7th, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Astronomy Tower**

Early June found Mia at the Astronomy Tower, gazing up at the stars with a dazed expression on her face. A cool breeze soothed the skin around her eyes that had become sore from rubbing away the exhaustion too hard. Leaning against the rail, Mia looked straight down to the ground several hundred feet below. Curiously, she looked at her right forearm where a triangular shaped scar rested on her skin, shiny and white against the bit of pigment her skin retained. Bitterly she scratched at the mark, recalling how stupid she'd felt when she'd received it during her original sixth year. Death Eaters in the castle, let in by Draco. Dumbledore was dead, but they didn't know that yet, so they fought. She, Ron, Luna, and Ginny; side by side with the Order of the Phoenix. A stray hex came at her from around a corner and had the older Remus Lupin not knocked her to the side, it would have hit her in the chest instead of the forearm where the scar now sat permanently. She wasn't even able to spare a moment to acknowledge the fact she'd almost been killed, because Death Eaters descended upon them all, and shortly after they were too busy trying to get an injured Bill Weasley to the Hospital Wing. By the time Hermione was able to reflect on the day's event, she concluded she needed this scar to remind her what happened in the war, and how she'd almost lost her life. A reminder of Moody's words: _constant vigilance_.

"You know," Remus' voice called to her from the door of the tower. Mia turned around in surprise at his sudden appearance. "It's after curfew and as the honorable and constantly rule-abiding Prefect I am, I should have no problem taking away points from you, Miss Potter."

Mia snorted. "Taking points away on my account won't even make a dent in the lack of House Cup for Gryffindor," she admitted, turning back and resting her forearms on the railing as she stared up at the sky. "Sometimes I think Jamie and Sirius are purposely trying to lose it just for the sake of continuity." She smiled softly as she felt Remus' arms winding their way gently around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Hey, Peter and I do our part," he said with a smirk. "But I think you're right. Winning the Quidditch Cup but losing the House Cup is practically tradition now. Who are we to put an end to it?"

"You're especially cute when you're sarcastic." Mia turned and smiled sweetly at him. "Did you know?"

"I _did _know that." Remus grinned and Mia felt a warmth in her heart at the sight. _Why can't he always be this confident? _"However, I like to keep _you _around to remind me from time to time in case I ever forget. You going to tell me why you're up here?" He asked her, noticing immediately how her smile faded and she turned away from him.

"Needed some peace and quiet. Can't find that anywhere else."

"Are you _ever _going to tell me what's wrong?" Remus asked with an irritated sigh, clearly the past month had been wearing down on him more than he'd let on. "You've been... I don't know, distant all month. Have I done something wrong?" He asked with a frown, and suddenly that confidence so recently displayed was gone.

Guilt dropped into the pit of Mia's stomach. "No, absolutely not," she insisted. "It has nothing to do with you. I just need to work some things out in my head. I've been distracted."

"I've noticed," he answered worriedly. "Unfortunately, so has everyone else. Lily's blaming herself for whatever's going on with you. She thinks that her near-death experience traumatized you and now you've pulled away from everyone."

Mia sighed in frustration. "I have not. And it has nothing to do with Lily. I've just been... worried about N.E.W.T.s next year," she lied.

Remus narrowed his eyes at her as though he knew she wasn't being truthful. "I see," he frowned. "And you're planning on taking 'Advanced Slytherin' next year?"

"What?"

"You have a list that you keep in your robes with names of Slytherins," he stepped back from her, folding his arms across his chest. "Current students and even some that have graduated, like Malfoy."

"You went through my stuff? How _could _you!?" Mia snapped viciously, the lack of sleep and stress adding to her already irritable state.

"Of course I didn't!" Remus' wide green eyes stared at her, shocked at the accusation. "Lily saw it on your desk this morning and thought you were either planning some elaborate prank or that you were hell bent on revenge. Either way she thought it would be smart to tell me and see if I could talk you out of whatever crazy plans you've concocted," he scowled. "Care to let me in on whatever it is you're hiding?" He asked, his eyes suddenly narrowing at her expression. "And maybe take the 'fuck you, Remus' scowl off your face in the process?" He added sharply.

"It's none of your business what I'm doing!" Mia snarled defensively.

"No, you're right. It's not like I'm your boyfriend or anything," he said sarcastically. "Though to be fair, I barely see you anymore other than at breakfast and in class, so who knows what you're thinking these days."

"Godric, is _that _what this is about?" Mia rolled her eyes. "That I've been too distracted to shag you for a few weeks?"

"Excuse me?" Remus' face turned quickly from anger to shock, and his mouth fell open.

"Shit..." Mia winced. "I didn't mean..."

"You really think my concern for your well being is because we haven't _had sex _lately?" Remus gaped at her in disbelief. "Are you fucking serious, Mia?"

"I didn't mean that," she frowned, feeling horrible for her insinuated accusation. "I just snapped and I'm sorry... I haven't been sleeping well and..."

"Then take care of yourself!" He growled at her. "Merlin knows you're not letting anyone else do it for you lately," his voice deepened and his eyes briefly flashed gold and amber. Instinctively, Mia's own eyes turned skyward where she quickly noted the waning moon in the sky. Before she could bring her eyes back to look at Remus' face she heard him inhale sharply. "Did you just... are you checking to see what stage the moon is in?" He stared at her. "Are you joking? Please tell me you're joking."

"I just think you're being a little temperamental," she mumbled quietly.

"Right," Remus scoffed. "So that must mean that my anger is irrational and unjustified. I'm just a moon's glance away from snapping at any moment, right?" His nostrils flared.

"Don't put words in my mouth, Remus."

"Since when do you even _need _to look at the sky to tell when the moon's coming?" He asked her, gesturing to the sky. "You've had the dates for each full moon over the next decade memorized since we were eleven."

"I... I just..." Mia closed her eyes and put her fingers against her temples. Lack of sleep mixed with heightened emotions and increased voice volume wasn't helping her thought process.

"Mia what day is today?" Remus asked.

"I..." she paused, trying to think. "Sunday."

"The date, Mia, the _date_," Remus specified, waiting for her to reply. When a look of confusion fell over her face, he groaned and ran a frustrated hand through his sandy blonde hair. "Merlin, you don't even know?"

"I told you I haven't been sleeping well," she sighed.

"Why?" He asked, suddenly back to appearing worried. "Are you having nightmares again?"

"No, I just..."

"What's the list for, Mia?" He changed tactics again, hoping that she'd break and let him in. "I let you keep all of my secrets, don't you think it's only fair that you trust me enough to keep _some _of yours?"

"I trust you more than anyone, Remus."

"Prove it then!" He growled. "What are you up to?!"

"I'm spying on the Slytherins to see which of them are Death Eaters!" She snapped, blurting out the one thing that she hadn't planned on telling him.

"What?" He stared at her.

"I... I take Jamie's cloak every night and I sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and listen... and look for the Dark Mark. That's what the list is for," Mia frowned, watching as his look of shock and worry turned to foreboding.

"Why... why would you do something like that?" He asked. "Mia, what if there really _are _Death Eaters down there?"

"Then I'll find the proof I need," she answered clearly.

"If you're suspicious that there are actual Death Eaters in Hogwarts, then go and tell Professor Dumbledore!" He yelled, his voice echoing in the circular stone tower, causing Mia to grimace.

"I can't! He won't listen to me! I have to do this on my own," she tried to explain, hoping that Remus would just give up and let her have this. Let her try and do this for the rest of them. _Why does he need to know this? _"They tried to kill Lily. They tried to kill Sirius and Jamie. If they try for you next, I . . ." Mia said, her breath becoming short and heavy, her chest tightening at the mere thought of Death Eaters coming for Remus. "I have to stop them Remus. It's my job. I can't waste the chance... time's running out and they're going to just get away with everything." She breathed in slow and deep, not even noticing that he'd stepped forward to run his hands up and down her arms, trying to calm her down from her mild panic attack.

"Mia, what's _this_?" Remus soft voice broke through the momentary silence as his large fingers gently ran across the disfigurement on her arm.

"What?"

"This scar, it's new," he said, touching it carefully.

"I... " _I got it when you saved my life from Death Eaters. Right here, right outside this room where Dumbledore was killed._ "I don't know."

"Don't lie to me," he frowned, waited for her to tell him the truth. When Mia only averted her gaze, Remus exhaled and shook his head, stepping away from her grasp. "Nothing? You're not even going to say a word to me? Fine. I'll... I'll see you.." he turned toward the door. "I'll just see you later. My rounds are over and I'm going to bed."

"Remus!" Mia called after him, tears beginning to sting her eyes.

"Goodnight, Mia," he said sharply and then vanished down the staircase without looking back.

oOoOoOo

_**Flashback**_

**June 7th, 1997**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Astronomy Tower**

"Hermione?" The werewolf said as he stepped over the broken pieces of rubble that had yet to be cleared properly away from the entrance of the Astronomy Tower. The young witch stood leaning against the railing, her tear-filled eyes staring downward at the ground several hundred feet below. She gasped and turned around, brown eyes widened at the sight of her former Professor.

"Remus!" Hermione took in a breath. "Oh... sorry you startled me."

"Forgive me," he frowned, hands shoved into the pockets of his shabby second-hand robes as he slowly approached her. "I didn't think anyone would be up here. I didn't think anyone would _want _to be up here, not for a while at least."

"I couldn't sleep," Hermione admitted with a frown.

"Nightmares?" Remus asked, his brow furrowed; it was a look that made Hermione think he might actually be worried about her.

"What? No..." she shook her head of messy curls. "I've just been thinking about Professor Dumbledore, and well, everything I suppose," she admitted sadly. "I just can't believe that Professor Snape... I mean, I _know _he did it, Harry wouldn't lie about that." She wiped away a stray tear as it fell against her cheek. "It's just hard to imagine."

"I know what you mean." Remus nodded. "I've been doubting myself for years over everything I once believed. For twelve years, I thought Sirius was responsible for James and Lily's deaths, and now a man I trusted because Albus Dumbledore asked me to is a... I don't even know if we can call him a traitor. I have to wonder if he was _ever _loyal to our cause."

"Was he always this bad?" Hermione asked him. "You went to school with him."

"Went to school with a lot of Death Eaters," he said, letting a scowl pass his generally stoic face. "Of course we didn't exactly know it at the time," he frowned, appearing incredibly frustrated.

"Were you suspicious?" She asked curiously, taking note of the fact that he avoided looking her in the eye when he nodded his head, looking ashamed.

"_Some _of us were."

"I'm sorry," Hermione sighed. "I know it must be painful to talk about the past. What with losing..."

"Everyone?" Remus asked with a groan. It had been meant as a joke, but considering how truthful it was, even he couldn't bring himself to laugh. Hermione's heart broke for the man who had lost nearly everyone he'd ever loved. She didn't know much about his family, but considering the state he always seemed to be in, it didn't appear he had any left. The only family the werewolf had had been ripped away from him by Voldemort and Death Eaters. Harry's parents, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius less than a year ago, and now Professor Dumbledore.

"What's going to happen now?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject from past to present.

"There's the funeral I suppose," he shrugged his shoulders. "And then the Order needs to find a new headquarters because Grimmauld Place has been..."

"I'm sorry Remus," Hermione interrupted him. "I meant... what's going to happen with _you_?" She specified. "I know Profe... Snape," she corrected herself. "Was the one who brewed your Wolfsbane Potion. Is there another Potions Master who could help you?" She asked, a worried tone in her voice, and she felt guilty for some reason when he turned and smiled at her.

"No, unfortunately not," he answered. "Perhaps you could give it a try."

"Me?!" Hermione gasped. "You put too much faith in me Remus," she shook her head. "I'm not... _anywhere near _talented enough to brew such an advanced potion. I'd be terrified of hurting you."

"I won't put that pressure on you," he smiled sweetly at her. "It's not your responsibility. But for the record, I don't put _too _much faith in you, I have _just enough _faith in you and your talents, Hermione," he approached her, looking as though he wanted to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he stopped and ran it through his greying hair instead. "I'll be fine though. It won't be the first full moon I've gone without the Potion. Just the first in a... a very long time."

"Will Tonks make it easier?" Hermione asked and watched with mild amusement as Remus' eyes widened at the mention of the young Metamorphmagus.

"What?" He gaped.

"I'm sorry," Hermione couldn't help but smile. "I don't mean to pry but after the umm.. umm.."

"Spectacle in the Hospital Wing?" He raised an unamused brow.

"Yes," she nodded. "Well, I assume she's your mate?"

"How would you know that?" He asked, surprised.

"Books?" She shrugged her shoulders and laughed softly, though her answer was anything but a joke. "I once wrote a very interesting essay about werewolves, you see, and only in my third year. Two rolls of parchment worth," she grinned smugly.

"Three," Remus smirked, correcting her. "I read every word. I imagine then, in addition to being able to recognize a werewolf, you learned how a werewolf recognizes its mate?"

"You told Tonks that you were too dangerous for her." Her smile faded into a frown.

"Also that I was too old and too poor," he reminded her.

"Excuses," she insisted and Remus reacted with a look of surprise. Hermione couldn't deny that she'd clearly nailed it on the head with her answer. "You're not a very good liar, you know."

"Not many Gryffindors are." Remus smirked.

"The safety of a mate is a werewolf's primary instinct," she said, as though quoting a book. "It goes above and beyond that of the need to hunt, even."

"Rivaled only by the need to protect one's Pack," Remus frowned and turned from her, leaning against the rail to her side as he stared out at the open black sky, watching the approaching waxing moon with interest.

"Do you have a Pack?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I did," Remus nodded. "Once."

"And you lost them," Hermione sighed in understanding. "Is _that _why you tried to push Tonks away? Because you're afraid of losing someone else?"

"For someone so against Divination, you have quite the skill for it." He couldn't help but smile at her, and Hermione blushed at the way he looked at her. As if he were trying to share with her some inside joke to which she hadn't been made privy.

"No, I just have eyes," she teased. "I know my opinion doesn't matter."

"You'd be surprised Hermione." Remus was serious, and the genuine look in his eyes caught her off guard. "You... you're a friend," he said firmly. Hermione smiled at the word, grateful that a man she respected so much no longer thought of her as a swotty little know-it-all child. "And your opinion matters a great deal to me," he insisted.

"I... well..." Hermione blushed. "I think you should be with your mate. Professor McGonagall is right; Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think there was a little more love in the world. How long have you known that Tonks is..."

"Longer than I feel appropriate to mention aloud," Remus groaned in embarrassment, his eyes turning away from her face to fall on a large wound on her arm. His brows furrowed in what looked like recognition. "Hermione, are you alright? Let me see your arm." He reached for her.

"It's nothing," Hermione insisted. "Stray hex. Had you not been there I'm sure it would have been worse," she sighed.

"Did this happen in the battle?" He asked curiously and she nodded, not realizing she needed to explain it further. "Why wasn't it treated?"

"I cleaned it myself," she replied. "It'll heal naturally."

"Madam Pomfrey should have some Dittany back in the infirmary," he gestured toward the door.

"No. I ... I need it to scar," she pulled her arm away from him, nervously picking at the healing wound. "I need to remember." Hermione frowned and looked back to the railing. "I need to always be able to look down and remember Professor Dumbledore, and... and Snape. I need to remember to always be on guard. Remember that not everyone can be trusted. Remember that Hogwarts isn't always safe."

"I … " Remus began, a frown on his face as he looked at the young witch. His gaze was intense, and she couldn't help but feel like he was pitying her, something that made her grimace in response. "I should head back to the Hospital Wing. I want to check on Bill and make sure he recovers well."

"He's lucky to have you there for him," Hermione smiled. "Who knows, maybe.. maybe you could rebuild your Pack. Tonks and Bill," she suggested with kindness.

"Maybe," Remus nodded slowly, a sad smile crossing his features. "In the meantime, there's a war to fight."

"You shouldn't wait," Hermione blurted out. "You should.. you should let Tonks take care of you. And you her," she smiled.

"I'll make you a deal, Hermione," Remus chuckled. "I will _think _about taking care of Tonks, and even... letting her take care of me." He seemed displeased with the idea. "If you promise to take care of yourself," he frowned. "And Harry."

"Those two things are often mutually exclusive," Hermione smirked and Remus laughed.

"If anyone can figure out how to balance the two, it would be _you _Hermione," he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling the little witch tightly against his chest. Hermione breathed in the scent of him, smiling curiously, wondering how a gesture so unfamiliar felt like ... like home.


	63. Chapter 63

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Just a heads up, I had so much damn fun writing this chapter. The idea of it popped into my head one morning and I wrote it faster than I've written many other things. I love it because it logically helps Mia work through some of her issues about changing the past (it also lists some of MY reasons for not changing things), but more than that this chapter shows just HOW different Mia is from who she used to be as Hermione. And THAT took a lot of effort and editing on behalf of Fluffpanda who is amazing at character continuity issues! I really hope you like this chapter!

Q&amp;As - **gypsyfurface**, I totally agree about Mia/Hermione's friendship with Remus. They are just kindred spirits in whatever timeline and I love writing both of them. ** .PADF00T**, yes, the Pack older Remus referred to was James, Sirius and Mia who he will eventually lose (James to death, Sirius to Azkaban/Veil, and Mia to...). **corvusdraconis **and **believerofmajick **, Yes, for as "rule abiding" as Hermione was, Mia seems to struggle with the one rule she's supposed to be abiding in this timeline! Maybe she should have tattooed it somewhere that she could see it everyday LOL!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty-Three: Pronouns

_"...I hope you know, I hope you know  
__That this has nothing to do with you  
__It's personal, myself and I  
__We've got some straightenin' out to do..."  
__(Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie)_

* * *

**June 7th, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Astronomy Tower**

Mia let out an angry scream as the door slammed shut behind Remus' back. How could he be so upset? What had she done wrong? Concealed a scar and refused to tell him its origin? It wasn't the first, and certainly not the most lethal looking scar she bore and yet he'd seemed perfectly content to let her keep her secrets while she was shagging him in the Shrieking Shack! Tears stung her eyes as her stomach rolled and she suddenly realized that she hadn't eaten dinner. Did she eat lunch? Mia frowned as she tried to remember but couldn't place the last time she actually sat down to a meal. No, she certainly knew that she ate breakfast because she remembered Remus asking if she wanted coffee instead of tea while he fixed her...

_Shit. _

Mia sighed and slid down to the ground, leaning her back against the cold stone wall. She'd been ignoring her friends, family and boyfriend for a month, and Remus was still making sure that she at least got fed once a day. And how had she repaid him? Accused him of using her for sex, implying that his temper was because of the moon and not because of her actions and words, and then keeping _even more _secrets and lying to him.

"Are you quite done?" A familiar voice called out from the shadows and Mia's tired eyes looked up. She watched as a bushy-haired brunette stepped forward wearing a familiar set of black and crimson robes over a pleated grey skirt. Her red and gold tie was done up perfectly, while _Mia's _matching one hung loose around her neck. "Distress of this nature doesn't look well on you. Or _me_. Or is it _us_? I'm not entirely sure which pronoun would be appropriate in this situation," Hermione mused.

"What situation is that?" Mia blinked in exhaustion. "My complete and utter nervous breakdown?" She asked, rubbing her red rimmed eyes. _Merlin, I really have lost it_, she thought to herself.

"Thirteen years in the magical world and you still resort to physiological symptoms before considering a magical alternative?" Hermione tutted. "Well, at least not _that _much has changed."

"Has it really been thirteen years since I first got my letter to Hogwarts?" Mia briefly gaped, ignoring the fact that she was talking to her own doppelganger. "I'd lost count," she admitted.

"No you haven't," Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's all still in your head."

"Like _you_? Is this a dream or a hallucination?" Mia asked the swotty version of herself.

"Both is the most likely scenario," Hermione explained and then went on to detail her theory. "You're physically and magically exhausted. Pretty soon you are going to end up in the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey is going to be scolding you for letting yourself get this way. Dehydration, insomnia, nutrition deficiency, and Mum and Dad would be appalled to see that you've been grinding your teeth again," she said before taking a seat directly in front of her 1970's counterpart.

"I'm not dehydrated or lacking in nutrients," Mia narrowed her gaze. "I eat every morning, thank you very much."

"Yes, because Remus fixes your food for you," Hermione pointed out plainly. "Would you be taking care of yourself otherwise?"

"This is more important than studying for O.W.L.s. If I have to sacrifice a few nights of sleep, then so be it," she scowled.

"It hasn't been a few nights, Mia," Hermione sighed. "You've been too hard on yourself for years. Certainly there were moments of reprieve when you were actively reading Remus' letter and following its guidelines, but lately you've broken every one of the rules." She said it with such disapproval in her voice Mia almost started feeling guilty for somehow offending her 1990's self.

"Just because Remus says it doesn't make it true," Mia insisted.

"No," Hermione agreed. "But you know the rules of time-travel, Mia."

"The rules no longer apply, _Hermione_." She said the name as though it were suddenly offensive. She hadn't heard it in so many years, it sounded foreign to her ears and felt strange on her tongue. Somehow it felt like a nickname now. She hated nicknames. "Even Dumbledore said..." Mia went on but Hermione quickly cut her off.

"_Professor _Dumbledore."

Mia gaped at her former self and shook her head incredulously. "Godric, maybe Ron was right all along. You're a bit of a nightmare."

"Letting Ronald control our sense of self worth again?" Hermione rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, her Gryffindor student uniform suddenly shifting to floaty dress robes made of a soft periwinkle-blue material. Her hair was no longer bushy, but pulled back into a sleek and shiny knot at the back of her head. "I'd thought we'd gotten over that long ago."

"Are we a 'we'?" Mia asked, purposely ignoring the memories of the Yule Ball and ensuing fight with Ron over Viktor Krum as they crept up from her subconscious. "Are we even the same person anymore? Not even the same name."

"Not entirely," Hermione replied. "But then again the 'Hermione Granger_' I _am is certainly not the 'Hermione Granger' I was at eleven. Progression and growth are natural. Although, repeating our teen years has thrown a bit of a loop in our overall development," she admitted.

"And what's _that _supposed to mean?" Mia narrowed her eyes as though she were feeling out for an insult.

"That going through hormonal upheavals probably wasn't the best plan," Hermione said with wide eyes. "Although I do have to admit, you're handling it quite a bit better than I did," she blushed. "There appears to be a lot less weeping."

Mia smirked, remembering so many nights crying in the dorm rooms, in the Owlery, in the library and plenty of dark corridors. Crying over Ron being mean to her. Crying over her worry for Harry. Crying over Draco calling her names. "It helps having friends who don't constantly make you cry," she admitted.

"And yet you're going to lose them," Hermione pointed out.

"That's exactly what I'm trying _not _to do!" Mia growled and stood up, storming across the room.

Hermione turned to watch Mia's pacing. "It won't work. The rules say that..."

"I know the bloody rules!" Mia snapped.

"Language!" Hermione scowled.

"Oh fucking hell..." Mia groaned and ran her hand down her face in frustration.

"Of course you know the rules." Hermione stood up and made her way over toward Mia, her clothing shifting once again to Muggle attire. "Merlin, you've got them inked into your skin." She tugged on Mia's robes, pulling at the blouse beneath to reveal her inked shoulder blade. "I can't believe you've tattooed us!" She gasped at the sight. "You do realize that's permanent, don't you? It's magical ink," she said with narrowed eyes. "You can't even have that removed in the _Muggle _world."

"If I recall, _you _did permanent things to our body as well," Mia snarled at the girl, reaching out and lifting Hermione's red jumper, revealing soft skin beneath, flawless save for the purple scar that dissected her rib-cage.

"Yes well..." Hermione flushed, embarrassed as she tugged her jumped back down to cover herself. "Not _intentionally_. Your splinching scar will appear soon," she pointed out. "Just a few months."

"I know."

"You'll have to explain that one."

"I _know_."

"And even if you're able to get them to believe another lie, the scar that will appear after that is..." Hermione gestured to her forearm where letters had been cut into her flesh.

"I know what scar comes after that!" Mia yelled and turned away from the sight of it, her eyes looking down to her own forearm, which was still thankfully unblemished.

"It wasn't our fault," Hermione whispered, putting a hand on Mia's shoulder. "We did what we had to do, you know that. We bear the scars of our past because we sacrificed our childhood to help Harry. A childhood that Remus tried to give back to you. You're throwing it away."

"I'm trying to be useful," she said, shrugging off Hermione's hand. "If that means sacrificing again to help Jamie, then so be it. It's the same thing."

"It's _not _the same thing and you're well aware of that," Hermione snapped, her tone resembling an irate Molly Weasley. "You've just somehow repressed the part of your brain that's logical. Maybe _that's _why I'm here. Your subconscious knows what you're doing is detrimental, not only to your health, but to the relationships that you've spent years building. You're throwing away a gift that's been given to you, even though you know nothing can change what will happen. You are the catalyst," she tried to explain.

"I have to try."

"And if you succeed?" Hermione asked, hands on her hips in a challenging way.

"Then Jamie and Lily live."

"And who dies in their place?"

"No one, I'll fix everything," Mia answered.

"Mia, you need to listen to me." Hermione reached for Mia's hands. "History has already been written. Snape gives the prophecy to Voldemort. Peter betrays Harry's parents and he becomes the Boy-Who-Lived. It has to happen that way. We _defeated _him, Mia. Voldemort's gone and we finally have a chance at a peaceful Wizarding world."

"I don't want Harry to become the Boy-Who-Lived," Mia cried, letting tears fall and feeling bitter over it. "I want him to be the boy who has both of his parents!"

Hermione frowned with genuine sympathy and understanding. "And if you are successful what then?" She asked." If Lily doesn't sacrifice herself to save Harry, then Voldemort is still in power. He won't stop. He'll come after Harry again and again, and if he doesn't attack _Harry_, it'll be Neville," she explained. "Are you willing to sacrifice Neville to save Harry's parents? Do you know what Neville's doing now that the war's over? He's dating Hannah Abbot. Sweet, shy Neville actually had the courage to ask her on a date." She smiled brightly.

"It'll be fine. I'll save Alice and Frank too." Mia nodded, making a mental list in her head to be gone through later, especially since thanks to Dumbledore she was incapable of physically writing any truth of the future down, even if it was for her own benefit. "Neville can have both of his parents as well."

"Very well, it seems you're set on your course, so let's work it all out, shall we?" Hermione pulled Mia's hand back over to the center of the room where she tugged her down. They sat cross legged in front of one another. Hermione released Mia and suddenly in her hands was a scroll of parchment and a quill. "How do we save Neville's parents? They were tortured by the Lestrange brothers, Barty Crouch Jr., and Bellatrix, correct? Do you plan on killing four Death Eaters by yourself?"

"If I have to," Mia frowned watching as Hermione began writing something. "What're you doing?" She asked curiously.

"I'm doing the Arithmancy equations. If you plan on changing the future, you should be aware of what your success rate is, shouldn't you?" She asked the question with a tone of self righteousness that would have bristled Mia's fur if she was in her Animagus form. "Or have you already done the equations?" Hermione frowned knowingly, her lips a tight line. "No?" She said haughtily. "You're just jumping to conclusions, running head long into the fray, going up against Death Eaters to save your loved ones. Because that worked out so well for Harry," Hermione narrowed her eyes. "If I recall, it was an action like that which caused Sirius' death."

"We brought him back," Mia pointed out.

"He wasn't the only one who died due to someone acting rashly without thinking things through." Hermione shook her head. "You need to start thinking less like a Gryffindor right now and more like a Ravenclaw." She continued writing on the parchment.

"Actually this time I was almost put in Slytherin," Mia pointed out.

"I'm ignoring that comment, thank you," Hermione replied immediately. "Now, you'll have to kill Bellatrix, Crouch Jr, and both Lestrange brothers. That's four rips in your soul. Add that to Crabbe Sr, and that's five," she made a note on the parchment. "How many Horcruxes would you be making for yourself then?"

"Fine," Mia narrowed her eyes, getting the point. "I don't have to _kill _them, but I can stop them."

"How? Professor Dumbledore has prevented you from being able to tell anyone anything about the future. And if you are able to get them put into Azkaban, they'll break out. You know that. Crouch will escape as the polyjuiced form of his mother, and Bellatrix will escape with the Lestranges after Voldemort rises again," Hermione refused to make eye contact with her counterpart, continuing to write her equations down.

"I don't know!" Mia snapped. "I'll just... I'll get rid of them and then destroy the Horcruxes before Voldemort can come back."

"With Bellatrix and the Lestranges captured, how do you expect to get into the vault to get the Cup?" Hermione asked. "Draco got it for you last time," _Damn it_. Mia forgot about access to the Lestrange vault. "Does the Order of the Phoenix have a spy in place? No, they don't, because the only spies we had were defected Death Eaters. Snape, who only came back because of..."

"Lily. I know," Mia sighed. "I'll just..."

"And you won't be preventing Voldemort from returning, Mia," Hermione interrupted. "Because he'll still be in power. If you plan on saving James and Lily, then Harry wouldn't have defeated him. Voldemort would remain in power, and Death Eaters would continue attacking. Harry's parents can't stay in hiding forever. And while Voldemort searches for them, how many other people will die?" She asked. "Sirius? He wants to be an Auror, you know. We've read the statistics on the history of the First Wizarding War. You know how many Aurors died in the Death Eater attacks."

"Fifty-seven," Mia whispered.

"Maybe fifty-_eight _if Sirius ends up in the crossfire. Or he could just take a different job. Perhaps go into hiding with Harry's parents. After all, it's not like he's already trying to sign up for the war, right?" Hermione said sarcastically.

"You really are an insufferable know-it-all," Mia growled.

She hated it, but her old self was right. After knowing James she was surprised that he'd been willing to go into hiding at all, assuming that it had everything to do with protecting Lily and Harry. But to think that Sirius Black would go into hiding? That Sirius Black of all people would stay out of the fight? It was ridiculous to think such a thing. The man had gone out of his mind with boredom being trapped in Grimmauld Place before he fell through the Veil. Mia couldn't imagine a younger Sirius reacting much better to a similar situation.

"And what about Remus?" Hermione asked. Mia suddenly felt her defenses flare up again, her narrowed eyes turned on the witch in front of her. "Will he survive? Your other friends here? Mary? Pandora? Maybe she'll die instead and Luna will never be born," Hermione glared. "What about the Weasleys? They've been like a family to you for so many years. How many of them are you willing to risk? Are any of _Ron's _brothers worth sacrificing because you can't face losing your own? Is changing everything worth the chance that Ginny might never be born? You would give Harry back his parents and then take away the love of his life."

"No, but I..."

"You can't change anything, Mia," Hermione said firmly. She held out the parchment with the Arithmancy equations on them, showing her the actual results. Mia frowned at the sight, double-checking the calculations only to come up with the same results. _Nothing mattered. Nothing changed. _"Remus has already told you this," Hermione stated. "Which means that sometime in the future _you _will have told him. Which means that you've figured it out yourself. You know that his letter to you is just your words repeated back through time in _his _handwriting, don't you? You tell him, he tells you, it's a circle just like you've been told."

"I feel like a failure if I don't at least try," Mia admitted sadly. "Like this second chance I've been given will have been for nothing if it means that Jamie and Lily still die."

"What about Sirius and Remus?" Hermione asked, the parchment and quill vanishing into thin air. She stood and reached her hand out again to comfort Mia.

"What about them?"

"You made a promise to yourself years ago, that you were going to do everything in your power to ensure they were loved enough; to enable them to survive what's to come," said Hermione as she turned Mia forcefully by the shoulders to face her. "You saved Sirius' life, Mia. He would have been killed by his own family in his own home were it not for your emergency Portkey. That was brilliant, by the way." She grinned.

Mia mirrored the reaction. "Thanks."

"And Remus? You befriended a boy who needed love more than anything in the world. You've seen how terrified his parents were of him. His father still is." Hermione scowled at the thought and Mia nodded firmly. "_Now _look at him. He's strong enough to stand up to _you _of all people, and that took a lot of courage for him to do that. You've helped make him strong. You even provided him with the Wolfsbane potion."

"You mean I _stole _the Wolfsbane potion from it's actual creator." Mia lifted a brow.

"Well you _were _almost put in Slytherin," Hermione muttered.

Mia grinned. "Fair point."

"So, has your second chance been for nothing?" The Muggle-born witch asked.

"When... _if _I ever get back home," Mia ignored Hermione's question as a deep frown set into her jaw and worry crossed her features. "Back to 1998... Harry will hate me."

Hermione shook her head firmly. "Harry could _never _hate you."

"Sirius and Remus will..."

"They will understand," Hermione said quickly. "Sometime between now and 1998, Sirius and Remus come to terms with Lily and James' deaths and you in their lives. You think they're stupid enough not to have recognized you? Merlin, Sirius called me 'Mia' the moment I brought him back from the Veil. It was the first thing he'd said."

Mia's eyes widened in shock and she took in a sharp breath. "I'd forgotten about that."

"He knew who you were. Remus knew who you were, and did they hate you?" She asked, shaking her head. "Did Remus throw you out of his house? Did Sirius abandon you at first chance? No, they stood by your side. Sirius protected you, killed Bellatrix for you. They _love _you." Hermione smiled sadly. "So focus on that, focus on living and enjoying your life. Enjoy James and Lily's lives while you still have a chance to."

"What do I tell Remus?" Mia sighed.

"Well an apology might go a long way, considering how he left you," she said quietly.

"I meant about the scar." Mia narrowed her eyes. "He's going to ask."

"Then tell him the truth." Hermione exhaled.

"I can't! Dumbledore made it so..."

"_Professor _Dumbledore."

Mia's jaw tightened and her eyes flashed amber, briefly wondering what would happen to her if she attacked her own hallucination. "_Professor _Dumbledore," she said through clenched teeth. "Spelled me so I can't say any truth about the future."

"No, Professor Dumbledore spelled you so that you can't _intentionally _confess secrets about the future with the purpose of changing the future," Hermione corrected her, ignoring the murderous look in the witch's eyes. "Remus believes that you're spying on suspicious Slytherins. Tell him where you got that scar. From a duel, at the hands of a suspicious Slytherin. It's the truth."

"He'll want to know more."

"And one day soon he'll need to know more," Hermione nodded. "You didn't get sent back in time on your own you know. Eventually Remus will have to know the truth if he's ever going to be able to send you back again when it's time."

"Fine," Mia conceded. "Apology and then a half truth with a promise to confess everything one day. That'll go over well," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"You're very pessimistic when you haven't been sleeping," Hermione pointed out with a frown.

"I'm very pessimistic over the thought of having to sneak into my boyfriend's bed to apologize for something I can't properly explain, while trying to quietly slip past my brother, Sirius, and Peter," Mia snarled.

"I never said you had to sneak into Remus' bed," Hermione blushed bright red at the implication.

"Are you blushing?" Mia laughed loudly. "Godric, do we even blush anymore?"

"_You _certainly don't." Hermione refused to make eye contact with her doppelganger. "Do you even have anything to be ashamed of anymore?"

"I had nothing to be ashamed of from the beginning," Mia pointed out proudly.

"You're having sex with your professor," Hermione said with wide eyes, scandalized by her own admission.

Mia only grinned in reply. "Would you like me to stop?"

"Well..." Hermione thought about it for a few moments and then shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly. "I didn't say _that_. It's only natural I suppose. Remus has always been quite..."

"Fit?" Mia grinned.

"Attractive," Hermione corrected. "Now go before a Slytherin Prefect finds you here and gives you _more _detention!"

"Detention really isn't all that bad you know." Mia chuckled.

"I'll have to take your word for it." Hermione shook her head in disappointment. "I find your lack of respect for authority and structure to be a bit appalling."

"Will I see you again?" Mia asked curiously.

"Anytime you look in a mirror, I suppose."

"No..." Mia shook her head. "You're not there when I look. We're... we're different people now, aren't we?"

"Not entirely." Hermione shrugged. "I'm still somewhere in there. The logical and loyal part of you that's quite a bit less violent and openly wanton."

"And a lot less fun too."

"Don't you have an apology to make?" Hermione said while glaring. "Wake up and get to it!"

Mia's eyes opened and she gasped at the sudden chill that fell over her body. She was sitting up against the cold stone wall of the Astronomy Tower, her eyes still red and heavy as she looked around to find that she was perfectly alone. She sighed and mentally tried to remember the Arithmancy calculations from her dream. Admitting to ultimate defeat, Mia let herself cry for several long minutes, just to get it all out of her system. Then she stood, wiping her tears off on the sleeve of her robes before making her way from the Tower back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Tower**

After a quick dash up to her own room for something, she quietly made her way up the staircase to the boys' dormitories and slipped into the room shared by the Marauders. Tiptoeing past her snoring brother, she rolled her eyes at the way his leg hung off the edge of his bed, wrapped tightly around the twisted crimson bed-sheet. She was extra quiet as she passed Sirius' bed, knowing that his hearing was very nearly as sensitive as Remus'. She sneered slightly at the sight of Peter's bed, thankful that his curtains were closed so she didn't have to look at him sleeping peacefully when so many others weren't.

Herself included.

"Are you going to just stand there?" Remus asked from inside the closed curtains of his own four poster bed. Mia sighed, realizing it was stupid to think she could slip in unnoticed. Pushing down her lingering pride, she slowly pulled back Remus' curtains revealing the gorgeous werewolf leaning against the headboard of his bed, red sheets pulled up to his waist. Mia winced over the fact that he was shirtless. Merlin, he had to make this harder, didn't he? She brought her attention to his face and noticed immediately that his soft green eyes were glaring at her. Still pissed then, right.

"My my my, what big eyes you have," she said sweetly, trying to get a smile out of him. Remus wasn't playing, and his eyes narrowed further.

"The better to see through your bullshit with," he snapped and Mia flinched at his tone.

"I deserve that." She nodded sadly, pleading, "Scoot over please, I don't want to wake the others." She watched his face soften slightly as he moved to the side, allowing her to crawl into bed with him. She closed the curtains behind her and watched as Remus threw up a Silencing Charm.

Without another word, Mia turned and faced him, bringing her hands down to the hem of her jumper, pulling it up over her head and throwing it to the foot of the bed. Remus whimpered at the sight of her soft skin, his green eyes lingering over the swell of her breasts, encased in the pink lace bra that James had fetched from the lake. He loved her in pink lace.

"Mia..." Remus groaned painfully. "You can't just take off your clothes and expect me to..."

"I got this scar the summer that Sirius was attacked," Mia said, interrupting him as she pointed to the long, thin purple line over her rib-cage. Remus' eyes widened and his mouth fell open, shocked at her confession.

Mia frowned but continued speaking, doing what Hermione instructed her to do. Work through the loopholes of Dumbledore's truth spell. She lucked into the fact that the 'summer that Sirius was attacked' could refer to both 1976 when the Animagus had been attacked by Death Eaters in his own home as well as 1996, when Sirius fell into the Veil after being attacked by Bellatrix. No lies, no complete truth.

"I can't tell you how or why or honestly what curse it even was," she admitted with a frown. "It was a Death Eater, one that's already been dealt with," she said, knowing that Dolohov had been killed by Sirius in the Battle of Godric's Hollow. "Dumbledore knows, and he..." _has prevented me from telling you everything. _"It's sensitive information and I can't tell you. Dumbledore made it so that I can't tell anyone."

Remus sat up straight. Subconsciously he'd been running his finger over the scar on her ribs, his eyes never leaving hers as she spoke. When she mentioned Dumbledore, his gaze hardened. "He put you under an Unbreakable Oath? That's... that's illegal!"

"It's not that," she promised. "It's... something else."

"Does he know about that one too?" Remus gestured to the scar on her arm, the one that had caused their fight.

"No," Mia shook her head and sighed. "That one was my own fault. I wasn't paying attention and I ended up dueling some Slytherin piece of crap in the corridors," _Twenty years from now_._ And oh, by the way it was you who saved my life. _"I didn't see who he was, just his robes."

"Then why didn't you have Madam Pomfrey take care of it?" He asked curiously, running the pad of his thumb over the mark, trying to reign in the wolf inside who was angry over someone hurting his pack, angry that he hadn't been there to defend her. "Mia, you use Dittany on me every month to prevent me from scarring too badly."

"I wanted the scar," she admitted sadly. "I need to remember to always be on guard. Remember that not everyone can be trusted. Remember that Hogwarts isn't always safe."

He frowned. "That's a dark way to look at life, Mia."

"It's the truth. Jamie almost died. Sirius would have if my brother hadn't stepped in. And Lily was attacked just last month. It's going to get worse, Remus. I..." she tried to speak, but the words stuck in her throat and she inwardly cursed Dumbledore for silencing her this way. "I was only trying to help. Now I realize I can't." She frowned and stifled a sob when Remus leaned forward and pulled her into his arms.

"I just wish you'd have told me," he whispered into her hair. "You've barely been existing lately."

"I know, and you've been taking care of me."

"It hasn't been easy," Remus complained.

"I know, I'm so sorry Remus," she turned her head up and stared into his eyes. "Can you forgive me?"

"Are you done keeping secrets?" He asked bluntly.

"No." Mia winced, praying that he wouldn't let her go now. "Dumbledore is preventing me from saying more, but I will find a way around it because I want... I _need _to be open and honest with you. I promise you, I will tell you all of my secrets when I figure out how." It was the how that was becoming problematic. She had a few thoughts of course, but considering how delicate their relationship was after this fight, Mia wasn't certain it was time to tell Remus the entire truth.

"Are you done spying on Slytherins?" He asked, raising a brow.

"Yes," she admitted begrudgingly.

"Are we okay?"

"You tell me." Mia frowned, looking up into his sad eyes.

Remus leaned down and brushed his lips chastely against hers, sweetly and reverently as if he were trying to heal whatever break this night had caused in their relationship. He pulled away from her briefly to look down into the depths of her brown eyes, speckled with flakes of bright amber searching for answers. She let out a soft exhale and the sweet smell of her breath had him suddenly hungry and needy and their lips reunited under a bruising kiss. His demanding tongue invaded her mouth and Mia buckled beneath him, moaning with pleasure against the welcomed intrusion.

She felt his hands skim the flesh of her back until he found the clasp of her bra, undoing it with ease after months of practice, pulling the lace garment away from her breasts which he stared at desperately as he tore away from her mouth, his eyes flashing gold briefly before he hungrily took a tight pink peak into his mouth, plucking the other with his fingers; relishing the way she gasped when his lips released her; letting the flat thickness of his tongue run against the pebbled flesh while he stared up into her eyes.

"Oh fuck." Mia whimpered at the feel of his mouth, but it was his predatory stare that had her blushing and breaking eye contact. The intensity of Remus was often too much for her, and the little fox inside Mia forced her to submit, to turn her neck to the side and give in to the dominant wolf pressing his hot, bare skin against her. When Remus pulled himself upwards, to kiss and lick along the expanse of her neck, Mia reached her hand between them, dipping beneath the band of his pajamas until she grasped his hard length, grinning at the sound of him hissing in her ear.

She stroked him twice before she felt Remus' putting his own hand over hers, putting a stop to her ministrations. "Shit..." he groaned painfully. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I feel like after what you said earlier, about me being upset because we haven't..."

"I didn't mean any of that. Remus I know you're better than that," she promised him, pulling her hand out of his pants quickly, placing her palm against his chest, directly over his heart as though she were trying to convey how her need for his love overpowered her need for his body. At this point, though, those two needs were having a war inside of her head.

"I know." Remus nodded, his eyes shifting back to green as he leaned down and chastely kissed her. "But I feel like if I just give in right now and shag you then I'm just confirming that I was upset over not having sex in a while." he frowned. "That, or it'll feel like you've bought my forgiveness."

"You're seriously turning me down right now?" Mia's eyes widened a little. "I'm half naked in your bed. Beneath you."

"I know..." Remus winced, shutting his eyes tightly as he leaned his forehead against the soft valley between her breasts. "I know... I hate myself right now." He groaned.

"Alright; get off, you noble bastard." Mia chuckled and shoved at his frame, laughing harder when he refused to move away from her. She smiled and kissed the top of his head before he finally pulled away from her body, rolling to the side and onto his back, the perfect picture of absolute frustration and self loathing. "How about a consolation prize then?" She asked and watched with amusement as Remus raised a curious eyebrow as she reached for her jumper at the foot of the bed and removed a large wrapped chocolate bar from the pocket.

"Well... it would be rude to refuse _everything _you offer me," Remus conceded, snatching the candy from her hands quickly.

"He turns down _sex _but willingly accepts the _chocolate_." Mia smiled at him sweetly, admiring his body with yearning despite the fact that he was content to feast on sugar instead of her. "I guess you wouldn't be my Remus if you weren't at least somewhat predictable. I love you, you know."

"I love you too," he said, smiling at her affectionately, a look of apology in his eyes.

"Goodnight, Remus," she said, kissing his cheek before she slipped beneath the covers and rolled onto her side.

"You're sleeping _here_?" His eyes widened. "Do you have any idea what'll happen if Prongs wakes up?"

"Then lock the curtains," she mumbled. "If you haven't noticed, I haven't slept in about a month and I put every last ounce of reserved energy into snogging you, so I don't have the ability to go back to my own room."

"Fine," he conceded. "But if I wake up to find another antler stabbed into my rib-cage, I'm blaming you."

"Duly noted."


	64. Chapter 64

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Sometimes your reviews just floor me and humble me and turn me into an awkward mess, because I don't do well with genuine appreciation. But I do genuinely appreciate all of you and your kind words for this little story. Oh, speaking of "little" story, I should probably mention that this originally 3-part series, turned into a 4-part series as of yesterday because Fluffpanda and I decided that we'd be doing a disservice to the characters and readers by skipping over a lot of moments in order to get to the finish line. So for those who have voiced the opinion of "OMG I hope this story never ends" well... we're getting closer to pleasing you apparently.

Q&amp;As - **evilneevil**, I think when James originally found out about Remus/Mia and Sirius/Mia he would react that badly. James, like Harry, has a quick temper and they are WAY too impulsive for their own good. James also had to deal with the fact that two of his best friends had been secretly shagging his sister (whom he is VERY protective over because of her past, nightmares and general sibling love) and one of those friends was a werewolf, the other a wizard with a reputation for using girls. While James probably wouldn't hurt either of them now, Remus and Sirius still have that memory in their head. **lrmorena**, she did not know the restriction about the writing. I imagine during that last month, Mia tried many ways to get around Dumbledore's truth spell. As with most things in this fic though, it's all about choices and intentions. **takeiteasycharlie**, so glad to not disappoint! I agree with the Sirius aspect of Remus and Mia's relationship. Jealous love is frustrating and all too easy to write (just as anyone who's written Ron Weasley) and I wanted Sirius to be different. Sirius IS different, and his love for her is confusing and yet deep, and not at all jealous. A little envious sometimes, but not jealous.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty-Four: You Won't Change Me

_"...Tonight  
__We are young  
__So let's set the world on fire  
__We can burn brighter than the sun..."  
__(We Are Young - FUN)_

* * *

**June 25th, 1977**

**Wizarding London**

"Why do I feel like we're about to be mugged?"

"Because you lack a sense of adventure, Evans." Sirius grinned, looking back at the Muggle-born as she grimaced at the sight of a puddle. It was more than likely water, but in the darkness of the back alleys of London it could very well have been a variety of things, none of which any of them were willing to investigate closer.

"I would like to point out that I am not the one you had to strong arm into coming tonight," Lily said defensively, dodging another puddle in the middle of the alley and glaring at James when he tried to offer her a hand. Her bright green eyes turned back to smirk at Mia, who was tugging uncomfortably at her clothes. They were more revealing than almost anything the redhead had seen her best friend in since the moment they'd met in first year.

"I agreed to come along didn't I?" Mia hissed and yanked once again at the hem of her black skirt, still wondering how she ended up being coerced into this get up while Lily stood there looking comfortable in high-waisted Muggle denim. "I'm even wearing the outfit you lot put together for me, despite my better judgement."

"A sacrifice I am greatly appreciating, love." Remus grinned behind her, watching as she tried to jump delicately over the large puddle and. She failed, slipping backwards and tumbling into his eager arms. She growled at her blunder, but let out a small giggle when Remus kissed her as he brought her back to her feet. _So maybe the outfit isn't so bad._

"Moony, can you wait to assault my sister when I'm... I don't know..." James frowned. "Blind and deaf? And for the record, Mia, Lily, Wormtail and I had nothing to do with that outfit." He gestured to his sister with the same look he reserved for drinking Skele-Grow. "That's all Padfoot and Remus."

"Although you do look amazing in that skirt." Lily smiled at the curly-haired witch, who beamed in response. Mia knew that she'd spent far too many years during her original timeline silently harboring self-esteem issues in regard to her looks, but this time she was surrounded by boys who fancied her, a boyfriend who couldn't seem to get enough of her, and girlfriends - actual friendly girls - who didn't constantly put her down like Lavender and Parvati.

"Then why aren't you wearing one to match?" She asked the ginger witch.

Lily laughed whole heartedly. "First, because you have the hips for it and I don't," she said, counting on her fingers matter of factly. "And second because I saw the tag on the back before you put it on. I couldn't afford that designer if I emptied out my Gringotts vault."

"When you marry me Lily, I'll buy you all the skirts your heart desires." James grinned at her. "Ow! Damn, Evans!" He winced and rubbed his collarbone where she'd decided to pinch him. Lily had a knack for attacking the sensitive parts, not just punching a shoulder like Mia. She was ruthless when she wanted to be. James was relieved he'd decided to forego the open waistcoat and low neck shirt that he'd thought about wearing, knowing that the top would've revealed a portion of his lilies of the field tattoo.

"Don't count your Doxy eggs before they're hatched, Potter."

"Is anyone going to comment on the fact that Sirius and Remus have joined forces to somehow get Mia into a leather skirt?" Peter pointed out. He was doing his best to keep up with the rest of them as they rushed through back alleys and side streets of London, following Sirius as if they actually believed he knew where he was going.

"I've convinced myself I'm gaining the benefit of Padfoot's fashionable eye." Remus grinned.

"And Padfoot gets...?" Peter queried.

"Hey, just because I'm not allowed to climb to the top of the mountain doesn't mean I can't enjoy the view from the bottom." Sirius barked a laugh before taking a sharp left turn, looking down at his wand and muttering a quiet Point Me Charm and then following as his wand directed him.

"Sirius, are you sure you know where you're going?" Mia frowned, blowing a curl out of her face, wishing that she hadn't followed Lily's advice to let the hair - that had a mind of its own - run wild for the night.

"Please Mia," Sirius scoffed. "I could sniff my way through London with my eyes closed. It's just up here."

"Oh my Godric!" Lily screamed and jumped to the side, accidentally landing in James' arms. He grinned at her, but she scowled and pulled away just as quickly before pointing down at the side of the street behind a large bin. "There's a dead rat beside that dumpster."

"Don't eat anything off the ground Pete," James chuckled.

"Shut up, Prongs."

"I can't believe I agreed to this," Lily hissed, running to catch up with Mia and Remus who were on Sirius' heels. "Then again it _is _better than going to Petunia's hen party. Not that I was invited."

"You weren't invited to her hen party?" Mia rolled her eyes, making a mental note to deal with Petunia Evans - soon to be Dursley - the next chance she got. "Are you even going to the wedding?"

"Forcibly," Lily groaned. "She's got me dressed in the most hideous magenta dress." She tugged at her hair. "Mia, _me _in magenta!" her bright green eyes were wide. "Can you imagine?!"

"Unfortunately for you, yes," Mia laughed. "Please take photographs."

"Hey look, there's a tattoo shop across the alley!" Sirius said excitedly. "Want to go and get another one Prongs?"

"You have a tattoo?" Lily's eyes widened. A mixture of shock and... _intrigue _flashed across her features as she turned to stare into the face of a suddenly awkward-looking James Potter, who stopped mid step, letting Peter stumble into his back in the process.

"Uh yeah, Sirius, Mia and I got them for our birthdays," James mumbled.

"Can..." Lily hesitated, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Can I see it?"

"NO!" Shouted Remus, Mia and James all at once, leaving Lily even more curious and Sirius laughing at the front of the group.

"He's just shy Evans." The raven haired wizard grinned. "If you want you can see _mine_." He winked at the witch and watched with amusement as James' face turned briefly red.

"Shouldn't we be focused on getting to the venue?" James growled.

"Alright, alright Prongsie, keep your pants on," Sirius chuckled. "We're there," he said with a tone of victory as he held his hands upwards, gesturing to a small building across the street. No lights were on, the windows were boarded up and what used to be the neon sign of a Chinese restaurant had clearly been vandalized with paint.

"I don't get it. This looks like a condemned building." Lily paled at the sight and then narrowed her eyes at Sirius, immediately thinking that this was some sort of prank. "Sirius are you sure we're in the right place?" her tone more accusing than questioning.

"Muggles." Sirius rolled his eyes at her tone and then crossed the street quickly. After looking around for actual Muggles, he grinned and walked straight through the front window as though it were an open door, disappearing from view completely.

Mia grinned. "Modified Notice-Me-Not, like St. Mungos. I'm assuming there's an Extension Charm on the inside as well," she said thoughtfully. Taking Remus' hand tightly within her own, she crossed the street to follow after Sirius.

"Extension Charm?" Lily asked, speedily catching up. "Like your purse?"

"Not entirely," Mia smirked as she used her free hand to grip Lily's before dragging the witch through the glamoured front window.

oOoOoOo

The moment they crossed the threshold of the condemned Chinese restaurant, the view from the inside opened up into something that looked to be at least twenty times the size of the small building. The spacious room was completely crowded with witches and wizards from all over Britain, most gathered at the other end where a massive stage had been erected. Instead of bright electrical lights shining down on the large platform, several brightly glowing magical orbs hovered against the ceiling, casting light downwards.

"Wow," Lily breathed in astonishment. "This is... this is amazing."

"So a concert?" Mia smirked as they caught up with Sirius who had already handed over an unknown number of Galleons to what looked to be the head of security. "I had a feeling. Are you going to be okay, Remus?" Mia turned to look at her boyfriend with concern. Remus was never fond of crowded areas and loud noises to begin with, let alone this close to the moon.

"I'll be fine," he assured her, a dark look in his eyes that said headaches weren't the current pre-moon symptom he was suffering from. "Still a week off until the moon and I already took my potion tonight. It should help with the noise. Besides," he leaned in close and breathed against her ear. "If it gets too much we can leave early."

Mia shivered at the contact and grinned up at him. "We can leave early even if it _doesn't _get to be too much."

"Minx." he smirked and kissed her neck.

"Fox," she corrected with a grin.

"Public!" James snapped at the both of them and looked happy when the pair looked greatly put out at being parted.

"I'm going to go get us some drinks," Sirius announced, gesturing to a large bar on the left side of the room. "Firewhisky?" He pointed individually to each member of the group, smiling when they all nodded until his eyes fell on Lily.

"Absolutely not." She shook her head.

"Alright, so that's five Firewhiskies and a _water _for the _Hufflepuff _pretending to be a Gryffindor." He eyed Lily with a smirk.

"Excuse me, Black?" Her green eyes narrowed at him.

"I call them like I see them, Evans."

"Potter!" Lily screamed and didn't even look when James immediately came to her side. "Get me a Firewhisky," she demanded, but then threw him a silent 'please' afterwards before turning back to Sirius, her hair sparking. "I'll show _you _who's a Hufflepuff!" She said before storming after James toward the bar.

"Good, and get drinks for the rest of us!" Sirius called out, officially pushing the chore off onto James and Lily. "She's so easy to provoke," he laughed as he walked over to Remus and Mia. "I almost feel bad."

Mia shook her head at his nerve. "So you've kept it a big secret all night, who're we here to see?"

"Black Sabbath!" Sirius grinned brightly, bouncing on the balls of his feet like an eleven-year-old brought to Ollivander's for the first time.

"What?" Mia blinked in confusion. Certainly her musical tastes varied and she'd never been quite the type to indulge in rock music, often favoring classical, but she was well enough educated about bands of the era. Especially since Sirius never shut up about them. "That's a _Muggle _band! How's that even possible?" She said, gesturing to the obviously magical stage.

"Firstly, Black Sabbath is _not _a Muggle band," Sirius said, a look on his face seemed to say he was almost offended. "Just because they play for Muggles, doesn't make them Muggles. How do you and Remus know the magical status of every author and poet that ever lived and yet you don't know that Ozzy is a wizard?" He asked her incredulously.

"You're taking the piss, aren't you?" She stared at him.

"Not even slightly. Mia, their debut album had a song called 'The Wizard'. That's clearly about Dumbledore." He left out the silent 'duh' that came at the end of his statement. "The entire band went to Hogwarts! The only bloody Slytherins in the world, besides one Dorea Potter, whom I hold in the highest esteem," he shook his head, directing his attention back to the stage with a grin as he saw the opening band step out.

"Here's your drink love," Remus said as he took a small cup from James, passing it over to his girlfriend.

"Did you know that Ozzy Osbourne is a wizard?!" Mia asked, turning on Remus with wide eyes.

"_You _didn't?"

oOoOoOo

Two hours later, sure enough Black Sabbath stepped onto the magically lit stage, their instruments charmed instead of plugged into amps. Lacking microphones, Ozzy Osbourne held a yew wand to his throat after casting a Sonorus Charm allowing the sound of his voice and music to fill the atmosphere of the room. Despite her annoyance at Sirius and Remus both knowing something that she didn't, Mia was greatly enjoying herself.

Already three fights had broken out closer to the stage, two of which Sirius narrowly escaped; something that seemed to make him enjoy the night all the more. Each time he came back from evading a brawl, he'd grin brightly and just say, "Did you see how close to the stage I got!?" James, Lily and Peter attempted to get closer a few times as well, but when Peter accidentally got elbowed in the face, Lily held him back to make sure he didn't have a concussion.

Mia and Remus had little desire to get close to the band, considering they were perfectly content in the dark corner of the large room, the sound of heady rock music thrumming around them and the scent of Firewhisky between them. Dancing to the music, Mia turned and pressed her back into Remus' chest, enjoying the feel of warmth as his hands wound themselves around her waist and he buried his nose into the mess of curls at her neck, breathing her in.

She watched with amusement as James sweetly offered Lily what was very clearly a Shirley Temple. To Mia's great surprise, Lily actually laughed and accepted the glass with a nod of thanks before allowing him to sit down beside her and Peter. Mia turned to scan the large room for Sirius and smiled when she saw him in the middle of the crowd, his wild mess of black hair looking sweat soaked as he jumped and danced in time to the music, singing along with the band.

"_I'm just a man and I am what I am. Nobody will ever change my ways. I don't need money and I don't need no lies. I only need to live for today!"_

Mia chuckled to herself. _Well that's appropriate_.

She suddenly felt a vibration against her back and realized it was Remus growling. She grinned at the feel, knowing that it was his inner wolf's way of saying that he wanted her full attention. So she turned on the spot and grinned up at him, gazing into his eyes as the green began to ever so slowly shift to amber.

"_You understand me woman," _the band sang in the background. _"You give me time. But I don't need no sympathy. Still I wonder what it's like to be loved. Instead of hiding in myself."_

"Would you be terribly upset if we left early?" Remus spoke against the shell of her ear, nipping her lobe lightly before pulling away.

"Why? Are you okay?" Mia asked, suddenly worried as she searched his face for signs of pain, automatically assuming that the volume or crowd had become too much for him. "Is the noise making things hard for you?"

"That skirt of yours is making things hard for me," he said, his eyes shifting gold as he stared down at her with hunger.

"What's gotten into you?" She asked, actually blushing under his intense gaze, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

"Moon's a week away, Firewhisky," he shrugged his shoulders as he spouted off excuses before landing on, "Dozens of other males in this room and far too many of them have been looking at you all night," he glared at a few who were currently staring.

"I find that highly unlikely," Mia scoffed, not noticing the two wizards who averted their gaze the moment Remus snarled in their direction.

"Calling me a liar, witch?" Remus turned his attention back to her and tossed her a wolfish grin.

"So what, you're eager to stake a claim on me?" She grinned, biting on her lower lip playfully and watching with anticipation as his eyes lowered to that lip between her teeth, his nose twitching and his chest moving as he breathed deep, trying to control himself. Remus took her hand and roughly tugged her forward, pressing her against his hard body before leaning down and speaking softly against the skin of her neck.

"If you don't follow me out of this club in the next few minutes, I plan on _claiming _you right up against that wall over there," he gestured. "Would you like that, love?" He nipped lightly at her skin and grinned when she whimpered at the touch. "I could try and be discreet about it, but the things I want to do to you..." he growled. "I doubt you'd be very quiet. I bet I could make you scream my name louder than the music."

"Lily!" Mia shrieked, grabbing Remus' hand and dragging him as quickly as possible toward the exit while simultaneously calling out to the ginger witch. "We're leaving! Will you tell Jamie and Sirius that I'm taking Remus home? He has a headache."

"_Clearly_." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Lily." Mia glared, her cheeks still pink.

"Hurry." Remus pressed his chest into her back, his husky voice vibrating against the shell of her ear.

Mia grinned and nodded, following his lead as he now tugged her toward the exit. Something in the center of the room however caught her attention and she stopped moving, her body jerking a bit as she came to a halt though Remus continued moving. The werewolf turned back to spot his girlfriend glaring into the crowd.

"Isn't that..." her nostrils flared as she watched two familiar blonde girls approach Sirius. "Those bitches!" She snarled. "Is that Marlene McKinnon and Callista Hitchins dancing by Sirius?!"

"He's a big boy," Remus sneered in annoyance. "He can handle himself."

"I know he is but..."

"Do you want to stay and protect Sirius from all the random Ravenclaws of the world?" Remus asked her, his eyes filling with a mixture of irritation and hurt.

Mia frowned and looked back to Sirius, who appeared not to notice the two girls. She frowned, feeling incredibly guilty as she turned her attention back to her boyfriend. "No. I want to leave this place with you."

"Good." Remus grinned brightly and took her hand once more as the two darted out the glamoured window and back into the streets of London.

oOoOoOo

While neither seemed to have an actual plan of where to go once they'd left the concert, they seemed to be headed toward an Apparition point they both knew about. They didn't make it more than a block before Remus had Mia pinned up against a brick wall in a dark, empty alleyway. Had she not been a Gryffindor, she might have had the sense to be afraid. Then again, her boyfriend _was _a werewolf. Voldemort himself could walk right by and order them to stop snogging and she was pretty certain Remus would at least attempt to tear the Dark Lord apart piece by piece without even bothering to ask his name.

"This fucking skirt," Remus mumbled against her mouth, enjoying the way that she gasped against his lips as he lifted her into his arms and pressed her hard against the brick. As he pushed the leather up her thighs, he grinned when she had enough leverage to wrap them around his waist. He eagerly ran a hand under the hem of her shirt, his chest rumbling when she moaned as the pad of his thumb brushed against her breast, feeling the tightened peak of her nipple through the soft fabric. When she took in a sharp breath, parting her lips, Remus penetrated her mouth with a tortured groan, massaging her tongue with his own and drinking in the taste of her.

All that existed in the moment was the sensation of him, the overwhelming need to submit he created in her. When he broke the kiss and mouthed the side of her neck, she instinctively tilted her head to the side, granting him better access. He trailed soft but hungry kisses along the line of her neck, and she felt him tug her blouse and bra strap to the side revealed the flawless skin of her bare shoulder. His hot breath washed over her flesh. She turned her head to the side to watch him carefully as he ghosted his lips against her skin. Breathing heavy through his nose, Remus gently dragged his teeth against her shoulder, his eyes a liquid gold, almost glowing in the night.

She briefly thought back to the many other times they'd made love where Remus would hover his mouth and teeth against her hips, the traditional marking place for a mate, and how when he'd pull away she felt briefly disappointed, though she knew he wasn't hers to keep - not like that. She wasn't his mate. But this... the feel of his teeth against the skin of her shoulder made her shake with anticipation. She wasn't his _mate_, but she _was _his. They _all _were. Pack. A Pack with an _unsealed _bond.

"Do you want to...?" Mia whispered. "Do you want to mark me?" She asked, her now amber eyes staring at him with yearning.

Distracted by the sound of her voice, Remus turned and stared deep into her eyes, the gold quickly fading as Remus took control of Moony and the situation. He shook his head and swallowed hard and Mia frowned, knowing that he would soon be scolding himself for even considering biting her, regardless of the purpose or her permission. Before he had a chance to ruin the moment, Mia rolled her hips forward. Remus growled at the sensation and reached a hand beneath her skirt, his eyes rolling back as his fingers came in contact with damp knickers. She scarcely heard his buckle opening before the sound of her own gasping filled her ears as he dipped two long fingers inside of her, curling them and beckoning her forward, silently pleading, 'Come hither.'

Unable to bring himself to bite her the way his wolf wanted to, Remus sucked on her pulse point, pulling blood to the surface of her skin and leaving behind his own brand without breaking her skin, pleased to see that she would still be marked as his. He watched with longing as Mia threw her head back, grinding herself against his hand, pleading for more friction, and just when it looked like she was ready to tip over the edge, Remus removed his hand from her knickers and watched with interest as she brought her attention back to his face, narrowing her eyes.

"Wh... what's wrong? Why'd you stop?" She panted in confusion, but then she hissed with pleasure as she felt him push into her, one hand pulling her knickers to the side, having no time to pause and tear them away. Inch by throbbing inch Remus buried himself, groaning when she clenched tightly around his swollen cock; grinning at the way her soft flesh melted against his unyielding body.

His thick length thrust hard, pushing her back against the cold brick behind her, and despite still wearing her blouse, she knew she'd have scratch marks on her back to heal later - that is, if she didn't want them to remember this moment by. Feeling a sudden need to reciprocate, Mia wrapped her arms around Remus' shoulders. She dug her nails into his skin and smiled at the way his body tightened, the way a growl lingered against his lips, low and dangerous. Merlin, how she wanted to lick the noise off those lips.

So she did and then whispered, "Harder," watching with a sense of pride and power as his eyes darkened with lust and he pulled out, only to plunge into her hard and deep, causing her to cry out loudly. Her hands snaked into his shaggy hair and tugged on the sandy blonde strands with desperation, needing to hold onto something. He grunted in a primal way with each and every thrust inside of her, and Mia clawed at his back, struggling to breathe as he stole away each and every gasp and whimper with his mouth, claiming them for himself and pushing her closer and closer to that deliciously painful breaking point.

"Remus," Mia breathed and his name fell off her lips like a prayer, but not one of worship... one that seemed to plead for mercy. Begging him both never to stop and yet to send her spiraling at the same time, because she was certain the heat of the moment would kill her. A coil inside tightened hard and hot and then snapped violently and he captured her mouth with his own, muffling the sounds of her screams as she fell over the rapturous precipice, her body fluttering, pulsing, squeezing desperately around his hardness, begging for him to let go and give her his pleasure as he had taken hers. Remus held her tightly against him, thrusting his hips hard against her once more, spilling himself inside of her with a ravenous groan.

"Can... can you Apparate?" Mia exhaled against the sweaty skin of his neck minutes later, her legs shaking from trying to stay wrapped around him.

"I'm not even certain I can _walk_," Remus replied with a deep chuckle.


	65. Chapter 65

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you were all safe last night and are nursing your poor hangovers like the wizards in this chapter will be. **IHEARTPADF00T**, the new changes to the series will include a new Part Three between Part Two (The Time-Turner) and Part Four (The Soul Bond). Part Three will be called (The Promise). **gypsyfurface**, I had so much fun putting together the back story for Black Sabbath while researching lyrics. It was an awesome moment! And yes, for those who caught on to Mia tempting Remus to mark her (to seal the Pack Bond), an older Remus was indeed staring longingly at the blemish-free shoulder of a young Hermione Granger in Chapter 6. Wonder what that means.

I wanted to also say how thankful I am that most of the reviews have been so nice. I've got a plethora of fans of the fic, some Remus supporters, some Sirius supporters, and a great deal of triad dreamers hoping for a threesome LOL! I love that no matter who Mia is currently with, you're all still somehow respectful of my decisions with the story, and you seem to still enjoy the relationships (while rooting for your pairing) LOL I love it! One day I know I'm going to piss some of you off, and I hope that when it happens... we can continue the kind streak we've all been on! Kindness for 2015! Now... back to 1977...

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty-Five: An Understanding

_"...It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now._  
_Said I wouldn't call but I've lost all control and I need you now._  
_And I don't know how I can do without._  
_I just need you now..."_  
_(Need You Now - Lady Antebellum)_

* * *

**June 26th, 1977**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

After several Cleansing Charms and a few minutes relearning how to walk without her knees buckling, a blushing Mia and a smug Remus Apparated back to Potter Manor. There he walked her to her bedroom door, bent low to chastely kiss her knuckles and wish her a good night. Mia collapsed onto her bed, blissfully reliving the entire night. She was grateful she'd gone back to following her rules and was now more than ever living and enjoying her life.

Several hours later she heard a small thud and felt a depression on the side of her mattress. Reaching beneath her pillow for her wand defensively, her brown eyes widened and shifted amber so she could see better in the dark as she aimed the vine wand down at the shadow at the foot of her bed.

"What the... Sirius?" She gaped at the pile of raven-colored hair, lowering her wand.

"G'mornin' kitten," he mumbled into the mattress.

"Sirius... _Tempus_... Sirius it's half four in the morning!" She glared down at him, rubbing the exhaustion from her eyes before shifting them back to their normal chocolate color. "Did you just get home? Where are Jamie, Peter and Lily?"

"Evans 'n Wormtail App'rated home," he drunkenly stumbled through his words, and Mia flinched as she was assaulted by the stench of Firewhisky as he leaned up to speak to her. "Prongs passed out in the Floo. Tilly took 'im to 'is room."

"And is there a reason you're in _my _room?" She asked curiously, her eyes darting to her now open bedroom door. A momentary worry crossed her features as she imagined what would happen if James or Remus walked in.

"It's better than mine." Sirius shrugged and fell back onto the mattress.

"Why's that?"

"Not alone in here."

Mia frowned. "You could have gone to Jamie or Remus' room if you were lonely, you know."

"They're not as pretty as you," Sirius snickered. "Well ... _Prongs _is," he admitted. "But _that hair_... Merlin."

"Remus is _plenty _pretty." Mia smirked at him and sat up straight, tugging her nightdress down so that it completely covered her legs. It wasn't that he hadn't seen her bare skin before, but at least this way if someone _did _walk in they couldn't be accused of anything entirely inappropriate.

"Yeah, but if I went and crawled in Moony's bed, his girlfriend would get right jealous," Sirius muttered and Mia laughed as she imagined how she would indeed react to waking up in the morning to find Sirius snuggled up against what would certainly be an uncomfortable-looking werewolf.

"But you think it's wise to crawl inside said girlfriend's bed in the hopes that her werewolf boyfriend isn't the jealous type?" She asked him with a smirk.

"Moony 'n I have an understandin' when it comes to Mia," Sirius said, and his tone made Mia stop and listen closer. _Did he forget who he was talking to? Godric, Sirius is really that drunk_. "I know how _he _feels, he knows how _I _feel, she feels... she feels everything," he sighed and Mia frowned, her brow furrowing. _What did that mean? Everything. _"Just 'cause I want her too doesn't mean I don't want them both happy. So happy. Do you know how happy they are?" Sirius smiled, his eyes closed as he leaned against the mattress, bunching her blankets into his arms and constructing a makeshift pillow as he whispered, "Wow. Merlin, _that's _love."

"Sirius?" Mia whispered, unaware that she hadn't breathed during his short tirade. His eyes briefly opened and he tried to focus on her frame for a few minutes, one eyelid appearing heavier than the other. When recognition hit him, Sirius smiled up at her crookedly.

"Hi kitten." He beamed at her as though they hadn't just been talking. "When'd you get home? Why're you in my bed?"

"This is _my _bed," she informed him curiously.

"Moony's not gonna like that," Sirius shook his head, his eyebrows raised.

"I thought you have an understanding with Remus," she questioned him.

"Yeah," Sirius scoffed. "I understand that he's gonna scratch my face off if he smells me on you. Go back to your own room, Mia."

"This _is _my room," she huffed out a breath in frustration.

"Good," Sirius nodded and rested his head back down on his makeshift pillow. "You shouldn't be in my room. S'not appropriate."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, rolling her eyes. "So how was the rest of the concert?"

"Didn't stay," he mumbled. "Bloody women."

"You left with McKinnon and Hitchins?!" She snapped at him in irritation and disappointment, briefly scolding herself for leaving so early with Remus - though she had little cause to complain, all things considered.

"What? No..." Sirius laughed. "Fuckin'... had to tell 'em to shove off. For being Ravenclaws they don't take subtlety very well," he laughed. Mia snorted. No, the Ravenclaws of this time reminded her more of Lavender Brown than they did of Luna Lovegood; save of course for Pandora, who appeared to be one of very few Ravenclaws without an obsession for a Marauder.

"They went mental and tried in on Prongs, and for some reason that lit Evans' fuse." Sirius and Mia shared a knowing smirk, and the curly-haired witch couldn't help but want details on what exactly Lily might have done to the blonde slags. "Says that we were all drunk an' she knew you'd be upset if me or James did somethin' stupid. Bloody ginger witch pushed us out of the club." Mia openly laughed. "Threatened to Floo Mum and Dad."

"Well for what it's worth," she smiled sweetly. "I'm glad you didn't go home with those girls."

"Not like it bloody matters. They'll go an' tell everyone they did anyways," he said in an irritated tone of voice that reminded her immediately of Harry during fifth year anytime he picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet. She suddenly couldn't help but wonder of the Boy-Who-Lived picked up the habit from an older Sirius Black.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"I mean every girl I've turned down the past year still went an' told all 'er friends we shagged," he complained and Mia stared at him as he crawled his way further onto the bed, struggling to make himself comfortable. "According to the latest rumors, I've had sex with one-hundred and twenty-eight girls this year alone."

Her eyes widened and she snarled in distaste. "And how many has it _actually _been?" She asked with a little more venom in her voice than she'd intended.

"One," Sirius replied with a yawn, his eyes closed again. "Mia."

"What?" She paled.

"Don't tell her though," he mumbled as he began falling asleep, once more assuming it wasn't Mia he was currently talking to. A part of her felt bad for staying, inadvertently eavesdropping on a conversation she probably shouldn't be having. "You know how she gets. Reads into every damn thing, an' I don't want her thinkin' I'm just waitin' for her to drop Remus any second."

_Was he?_

"Are you?" She asked.

"No. She belongs with Remus," Sirius insisted. "_That's _love. Have you seen them? Wow. So bloody happy. I'm not gonna ruin that. B'sides I don't know what all this means," he groaned. "Fuckin' bonds."

_Fuckin' bonds indeed_, Mia thought.

"Sirius, why haven't you been with anyone since m... since Mia?" She asked curiously. Of course she'd never thought he'd stop sleeping around. He was Sirius Black for crying out loud. He had more rumors and 'legends' about him in Hogwarts than Draco Malfoy had! A part of her suddenly realized that she'd bought into all of those rumors that were apparently untrue. Certainly Sirius had a past, he'd as much as admitted it arrogantly throughout the years, but this past year girls were simply taking his rejection and then lying about it to... to what? Plant themselves in the Sirius Black hall of fame? Was there a monthly newsletter? Did everyone wear secret badges? Mia growled at the thought, feeling defensive on behalf of the raven-haired wizard.

"She thinks I'm a good man you know." he smiled sadly, and Mia was pulled from her angry thoughts. "Gotta try an' be one. S'fuckin hard sometimes though," he said with effort, groaning. Mia smiled. "Gotta do it, made a promise. _Ours _to protect, _ours _to keep safe. _Ours _to make happy," he breathed in deep and exhaled slow and after several moments of silence, Mia thought he'd fallen asleep. She threw her legs over the side of her bed and moved to stand knowing that she couldn't very well stay there. As she stood, Sirius' voice pulled her attention back.

"Do you think she'd be happy if I was a good man?" He asked her.

"You _are _a good man, Sirius," she frowned.

"That's nice," he nodded and then slowly opened his eyes, looking up at her. "Mia? You should go back to your own room," he insisted, his eyes fluttering shut once again. "I don't want Remus to think... think that you don't love him. Don't want him... think I betrayed..." And finally he fell asleep.

"Goodnight Sirius," Mia briefly ran her fingers through his long black hair before sighing and turning on her heels to leave the room. As she walked down the long stretch of hallway, passing by Remus' room, despite wanting to go inside, she knew better and made a beeline for Jamie's bedroom, slipping through the door to find her brother awkwardly positioned on his bed, dressed in his pajamas that were more than likely put on him by Tilly.

"Wha' happened?" Jamie muttered as Mia crawled in beside him. She smirked at the state of his hair, which was sticking straight out to the side as though someone had run glue through it.

"Scoot over," she shoved at him until he moved, giving her room enough to lay down on her side facing him.

"You okay?" He asked through half-lidded eyes.

"I'm fine. Sirius passed out in my bed," she told him.

"What? That arsehole... did he try anything?" James glared. She rolled her eyes, knowing that even if Sirius _had _tried something James was in no state to go and defend her honor against his best friend. She could only imagine the strength of their hangovers that would certainly come the following morning. Their mother was going to enjoy herself immensely.

"No, of course not. He just babbled a bunch and then fell asleep. He thought it was his room." She smirked and then watched as James rubbed at his tired eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Tired."

"Still drunk?"

"Lily was really pretty tonight, wasn't she?" James grinned, answering Mia's question.

"Yep, still drunk." She rolled her eyes. "If you moan Lily's name even once in your sleep while I'm in this bed Jamie, I will hex you into next year," she cautioned him.

"Why're you in _my _bed?" He asked her with a muffled groan as he rolled over onto his back.

"Because I can't go back to my own, Sirius is there."

"So go to Remus' bed," he grumbled and then immediately added, "But just for sleep!"

"I can't," she said, laughing quietly. "If I go to Remus' right now, he'll smell Sirius all over me and that's not a conversation I want to have with my territorial werewolf boyfriend at five in the morning."

"You canines and your smells." James grimaced.

"Speaking of which," she leaned over and rubbed her cheek against her brother's with a smirk. Like Padfoot would do in the grass on a warm summer day, Mia rolled over in James' bed, rubbing her hair against the side of his face as he struggled against her.

"What the hell? Gerroff me!" He yelled as she continued laughing. "Go rub Sirius' scent off on someone else," he pouted, wrapping his blankets tightly around his body before turning away from her. "That's right, I know what you were doing. The three of you are disgusting," he whined.

"I love you Jamie," she said on the edge of a laugh.

"Love you Mia," he murmured.

oOoOoOo

The sun broke over the horizon and despite not getting much sleep with James snoring as well as tossing and turning in the bed (once accidentally elbowing her in the neck), Mia woke eager to start the day. Yawning, she entered the dining room and looked up to see her mother pleasantly picking through a bowl of fruit, setting aside the blueberries and grapes for her husband, despite the fact that he wasn't even there. Mia silently laughed at the sight, something that Dorea had been doing for years. Mia recalled once asking her mother why she didn't just ask Tilly to leave the berries and grapes out of her breakfast the mornings that Charlus wasn't there to pick at her dish. Dorea's simple answer was, "Continuity, dear."

"Morning Mum," Mia said, kissing her cheek in greeting before taking her seat to Dorea's left and reaching for a piece of toast.

"Good morning, Mia." Dorea beamed at her daughter. "You look... less than well rested and yet positively delightful," she rose a brow. "Care to indulge an old woman with the sordid tales of youth?" The witch smirked deviously, and Mia could immediately see a vision of a young Dorea Black, slightly deviant and shameless. It had to be a redhead thing considering Lily and Ginny were varying levels of the same.

"Depends, do you consider Remus to be like one of your own children yet?" Mia asked with a knowing smirk and Dorea immediately nodded and chuckled.

"I suppose you'll just have to rely on Miss Evans and the other little Gryffindor girls when it comes to sharing details of your romantic life," said the older witch.

"A burden they all too eagerly bear," Mia smirked.

"Good morning, Remus dear." Dorea beamed upwards as the lanky werewolf slowly made his way into the room, still wearing the pair of snitch-covered flannel pajama bottoms Dorea had bought him last Christmas. James and Sirius had matching ones, with quaffles on James' and bludgers on Sirius'. Mia had wondered aloud why Remus was given snitches considering he didn't even play Quidditch outside of the few matches the boys had in the back orchards. Dorea had insisted it was too difficult a thing to find pajamas with chocolate and books printed on them, so Remus would have to deal with Quidditch-themed sleepwear.

"How did you sleep?" The Potter matriarch asked the young werewolf with a knowing smirk, her eyes briefly glancing to her daughter who flushed momentarily under the gaze of her mother.

"Well, thank you Mrs. Potter," Remus answered politely, reaching for the teapot in the center of the table and fixing a small cup before taking his seat beside Mia, placing the cup in front of her. When Remus had originally come to stay with the Potters, it had been a bit of a struggle between the werewolf and the house-elf as Tilly had watched with annoyed interest when Remus and Mia fixed breakfast for one another. It was one thing for a witch or a wizard to serve up their own plates, but Tilly couldn't fathom why her Young Miss would let the new Young Master serve her so willingly, when she herself fought tooth and nail to do the same. Eventually the house-elf conceded to the young couple, but only after Mia promised never to bring up the idea of paying Tilly wages ever again.

"James is on his way down," Remus informed the witches. "But... I don't think Sirius made it home last night. I went to wake him up but he wasn't in his room."

"He's in mine," Mia stated immediately.

"What?" Remus' eyes briefly widened and he turned to look at her. She watched with interest as his nostrils flared and she could tell that he was searching her for Sirius' scent, and when he instead found James', he rose a confused brow and Mia smirked, feeling proud that she had somehow thwarted the werewolf.

"Put your scowl away," she scolded him. "I'm clearly not there with him. Nor was I last night. I slept in Jamie's room until the snoring prat drove me out at the crack of dawn."

Suddenly a loud yell came from down the hall.

"Fuck off, Potter! My head hurts!" Sirius groaned loudly.

"So does mine, and I still have to bloody go to breakfast with the family!" James snapped back.

"Stop shoving me, arsehole! I am not above biting you!"

"Go ahead and see what happens!" James threatened.

"Sleeping Beauties are up." Mia smirked and sipped her tea, watching with amusement as Dorea's eyes seemed to light up at the sound of her sons arguing with one another. Mia knew that look on Dorea's face.

"Go sit on your own antlers you pushy sod!" Sirius snapped.

"Stop yelling, dickhead! I have a headache!"

"How very charming," Dorea commented calmly, a playful smirk on her face. "It's a wonder Miss Evans hasn't succumbed to his many marriage proposals over the years," she added and both Mia and Remus stifled their laughter. Charlus would have been beside himself over the language used between the boys, especially in the presence of their mother and Mia, but Dorea was more than entertained by the pair who were slowly making their way toward the dining room, still shouting at one another.

"Between the two of those boys I'm liable to never have grandchildren," the old witch sighed before turning her attention to Mia. "You'll be certain to carry on the Potter line for us, won't you Mia dear?"

Mia flushed. Remus' eyes widened in absolute horror as he realized that, should he and Mia make it long term, _he _would be the one to supposedly provide the grandchildren Dorea apparently desired, and it was something Remus knew could absolutely never happen.

"I'm pretty sure James will eventually be more than up to the challenge of providing an heir," Mia insisted with a knowing grin, and her eyes twinkled when they met Dorea's. Her mother smiled brightly in response, catching her meaning all too easily, and neither witch noticed the way Remus' face had paled.

"Morning Mum," Sirius groaned as he walked into the dining room still wearing the clothes he'd passed out in. He leaned down and kissed Dorea's cheek in greeting and she winced at the smell of him.

"Oh, darling." She shook her head. "Firewhisky is not the only drink available to you. You're drinking nothing but water today," she insisted. "And you're to bathe immediately after breakfast. I'll not have the entire Manor smelling like the Leaky Cauldron."

"Morning Mum," James laughed at Sirius before kissing Dorea's cheek.

"Oh my sweet boy, you don't look well." She felt James' forehead as though she didn't already know that it wasn't illness, but a hangover he was suffering from. "Tilly," Dorea called for the elf who appeared immediately, her large blue eyes staring disappointedly up at James' face. "Can you bring down some Sober-Up Potion for the boys? The clear vial in my nightstand," Dorea asked politely.

"Yes Mistress. Tilly gets it," she said with a grin and disappeared.

"Thanks Mum," James smiled at Dorea with a look of great relief. He reached across the table for the pitcher of water just as Tilly reappeared, holding out a small clear vial to Dorea.

"Tilly brings the potion for the young Masters," the house-elf declared proudly, turning to examine the table to see if any dishes needed to be cleared away or refilled.

"Thank you Tilly." James smiled and reached for the vial in his mother's hands.

"No, no," Dorea said softly, pulling the vial back from her son. "Let's not be hasty. Honestly, who drinks a Sober-Up Potion first thing in the morning?" She asked with a smile on her face, her grey eyes scanning the two hungover wizards to her right.

"Hungover people?" Sirius said incredulously.

"Perhaps," Dorea nodded. "But goodness, it's been years since I've had to take one of these myself. I don't know the protocols. Should you eat first? Does it need to be taken with a glass of pumpkin juice? Hmm... no," she shook her head. "I can't think to put my darling boys in danger by giving them a potion that I don't know the effects of. What kind of mother would that make me?" She asked, raising her brow at the pair of them in a challenging sort of way.

Mia burst into laughter as she realized how utterly cruel Dorea Potter could be. While Mia would have simply been as loud as possible to increase their headaches as punishment for over indulging in Firewhisky, Dorea Potter instead offered them sweet relief, only to pull it back at the last minute. It was pure brilliance, and Mia was growing fonder of Slytherin tactics the older she got.

"The most beautiful mother in the world?" Sirius smiled up at Dorea, using what little charm he had in him this early in the day, which was still more than the average young wizard.

"Oh lovely," Dorea smiled sweetly at Sirius. "Flattery like that will get you... two drops," she informed him and watched with amusement as Sirius' smile instantly faded.

They were going to have to work hard for this.

"Where are Lily and Peter this morning?" Dorea asked casually as she sipped on her morning tea, her eyes never leaving those of her pained sons, both pouting as they looked at the vial of Sober-Up Potion longingly.

"Peter's helping his Dad at the shop today," Remus answered Dorea, smirking across the large table at Sirius and James, not feeling the smallest ounce of sympathy for them considering they'd done it to themselves.

"And Lily has her sister's wedding this afternoon," Mia rolled her eyes.

"Ah yes, Lily mentioned that," Dorea commented thoughtfully. "Strange things, _Muggle _weddings." Dorea shook her head with amusement as she leaned over and tipped two drops into each cup for Sirius and James, watching curiously as each boy eagerly drank their water only to put their glass back on the table and look up at her expectantly.

"Of course the Wizarding world has adapted many of them, all silly superstitions of course, but apparently traditional in their world." she leaned forward and placed two more drops in each glass and chuckled as the boys drank again, refilling their glasses with water and waiting for more potion to be delivered. "In _my _day the bride was brought to the ceremonial circle by her parents or a chosen guardian to be bonded. There was no overly dramatic ceremony with flowers and cake. And the dresses these days," Dorea shook her head and placed two more drops into each of the boys' glasses of water.

"What kind of dress did _you _wear, Mum?" Mia asked curiously, watching from the side as Sirius and James guzzled the water.

"I didn't," she smirked. "In my day the bride was brought to the circle wearing nothing."

Sirius and James choked on their water and Dorea laughed quietly. "Naive boys." the matriarch grinned. "Of _course _I wore a wedding dress." She rolled her eyes and, when Sirius and James breathed a sigh of relief, turned to her daughter and slowly shook her head, causing Mia to blush and laugh softly to herself.

"Now, is the potion working?" Dorea asked James and Sirius.

"I think so," James nodded. "I still feel a little sore, but it's much better."

"Me too," Sirius nodded. "Is that your own brew Mum?" He asked her, his eyes glancing over the small clear vial. "I thought Sober-Up Potion was green."

"It is." Dorea smiled. "_This _is water," she gestured to the vial and immediately Mia and Remus started laughing. "Did I not just finish saying that you'll drink nothing but water today?" She eyed them. "If I let you fix all of your problems with magic, you'd be overly dependent on it, and I'll not have my children walking about like they're owed something from the world simply because nothing was denied them at home," she scoffed. "If you're foolish enough to drink yourselves stupid, you'll deal with the consequences."

Dorea stood from the table and smiled when Remus, James, and Sirius all stood with her, happy to know that even in their exhaustive states all three were perfect gentlemen. "Don't get into too much trouble today." She leaned in and gave them each a kiss on the cheek. "I have errands at St. Mungos that will surely take up my entire day."

"Don't worry." Mia smiled. "I'm going to try and get a head start on N.E.W.T.s revisions," she declared and Remus nodded his head, clearly in agreement with her plan for the day. She looked over to James and Sirius who were conspiratorially whispering to one another. Both Potter women stared at them with an identical raised brow of suspicion. James looked up innocently.

"We're just going to take Sirius' bike for a test ride," he explained. "Nothing big." He cleared his throat and averted his mother's gaze only to find Mia's eyes narrowed at him.

"Keep it on the ground," Dorea said, her grey eyes boring into the side of Sirius' face. He paled at the words and then let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine, but once I get the permits," he said stubbornly. "She's going to fly smoother than a Cleansweep."


	66. Chapter 66

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: So the past few days FFnet has been a little difficult in letting people view updated chapters. I hope whatever was going on has been resolved. In the meantime, I've been creating a website to provide an alternative reading method should this happen again. Once I've got all previous (65!) chapters uploaded, I'll provide the link. I'll still publish the story on both platforms for the record, it's just a way to let you get your fix when you need it most (and judging from the amount of PMs I got yesterday when FFnet was on the fritz, I've created a terrible addiction in all of you).

Also, we officially hit 1000 reviews this morning thanks to **IHEARTPADFOOT**! Thank you all so much for your lovely words! I'm humbled and honored and I adore you all!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty-Six: Unwell

_"...I remember the days you were a hero in my eyes_  
_But those are just a long lost memory of mine_  
_I spent so many years learning how to survive_  
_And I'm writing just to let you know I'm still alive..."_  
_(Emotionless - Good Charlotte)_

* * *

**June 25th, 1977**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

The sun had barely set over the horizon of orchard trees behind Potter Manor. Despite it being late June, a soft summer breeze forced Mia to helplessly cuddle into Remus' side, grinning when he wrapped a large arm around her shoulders, tugging her closer as the two stared out at the lush reds, pinks and oranges painted against the sky. For the first time in a long while, the two had relative privacy in the Manor, although Tilly was always somewhere nearby. She was all too eager to spy on the teenagers and report back to Dorea if the situation called for it. Besides the house-elf, though, Mia and Remus were alone. James and Sirius had taken the motorbike out for a test run after tweaking the engine. Dorea was at St. Mungos dealing with the hospital board members and something she was trying to organize but had yet to give details on. And Charlus had gone to the Leaky to meet up with some old friends; Mia gathered this meant 'secret meeting with Dumbledore'.

"What do you want to do after Hogwarts?" Remus asked, stroking his fingers up and down her bare arm.

"I thought we agreed no future talk?" Mia smirked teasingly, watching with a curious glance as Remus' cheeks colored a little. She'd not been paying attention earlier that morning when Dorea had insisted on future grandchildren, but Remus seemed unable to think of much else all day. What the future held, what Mia's expectations were, and he was dreading the eventual talk they would have to have regarding children, and how he could never give them to her. It wasn't worth the risk.

"I'm not sure," Mia answered with a thoughtful sigh. "I've thought about going to work at the Ministry." That had been true in her original timeline as well, despite the multiple times Harry and Ron had pleaded with her to join the Aurors with them. "Nothing too important at first, but maybe work my way up the ladder and actually make a difference."

"I could see you doing something like that." Remus nodded. "What department?"

"Don't get angry," Mia said as she slowly sat up, scooting briefly away from him.

"Ugh..." Remus scowled and stared at her incredulously. "Don't get me wrong, there needs to be some serious reform in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," he admitted. "But you forget that my Dad worked there for years and it's full of corruption." For all Remus knew, it was working in the Department that had caused his father's corruption. Perhaps if the Ministry had an ounce of decency and thought, there could be education about werewolves and other creatures instead of the 'control' and 'regulation' that ultimately bred fear.

"The entire Ministry is corrupted," Mia scoffed, thinking briefly of future Ministers of Magic Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour. "It needs a complete overhaul, but I'd have to start somewhere and where else would I get my foot in the door?"

"_Anywhere _else."

"You're biased." Mia rolled her eyes. "I think I could bring a lot to the Department. I happen to be quite an expert in a certain subject."

"Oh?" He raised a challenging eyebrow. "What subject might that be?"

Mia used the moment to try and talk him out of his sudden bad mood by scooting closer to her boyfriend and running her fingers up the center of his chest, dancing them up the side of his neck and using her index finger to draw a line against his bottom lip. Remus smirked and captured her finger gently between his teeth, trapping it. She smirked. "How to wrap a werewolf around one's finger, for instance."

Remus chuckled and released her finger, taking her hand instead with his own and kissing the inside of her wrist gently. "By that logic I'm an expert at how to wrap a witch around one's waist," he said seductively, reminding her of the night before where outside the concert in a dark alley he'd pinned her against a brick wall and drove her to unspeakable heights.

"You're terrible." Mia grinned. She kissed him deeply before suddenly pulling away to continue her point. "But don't you think I could do a lot of good there? Overturn archaic laws regarding werewolves and house-elves and centaurs."

"What's this about centaurs?" Charlus Potter's voice broke through the back door of Potter Manor, where he found his only daughter nearly sitting in the young werewolf's lap. At the sound of his voice, Remus thrust Mia away from his person, causing her to laugh at his behavior before turning her eyes upwards and smiling innocently at her father, who could immediately tell which of the two was the instigator.

"Mia wants to work for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Remus said, clearing his throat.

"That would be perfect for you, Mia." Charlus beamed down at his daughter, happy to hear that one of his children was making plans for the future. As far as he'd gathered in the few conversations he'd had with them so far, Sirius' plan was to drain the city dry of Firewhisky and James' only ambition was to marry Lily Evans. From the looks of it only one of them was anywhere close to their goal, considering Charlus' personal stash of Ogden's Finest was missing. "Though I would have thought that you'd jump at the chance to become a Healer." He spoke again to Mia. "Madam Pomfrey has mentioned more than once how she'd like to take you on as an Apprentice when you graduate."

"Really?" Her brown eyes widened at the thought. She remembered her first morning in the Hospital Wing following Remus' transformation when they were only eleven years old. Madam Pomfrey had asked Mia if she'd been a Healer in her previous time, suggesting that perhaps a future career in the field would be recommended. "I'll have to think about it. Are you going somewhere?" She asked, noticing the way he was fidgeting with the clasp on his robes.

"Yes," Charlus sighed and his cheerful demeanor faltered. "Your mother just Floo called from St. Mungos."

"Is everything alright?" Remus asked curiously.

"Not sure yet. She's there organizing a fundraiser with several other charity heads. Apparently there's been a bit of an outbreak in the Muggle world." Both Remus and Mia sat up straight at the news of this, each having personal investments with Muggles and Muggle-borns. "Some sort of flu that's come over from Russia; it's put quite a few Muggles and Squibs in the hospital. They've had to temporarily move the residents of the Janus Thickey Ward to another facility just to make room for the amount of new patients. Your Mum's trying to get some money brought into the Hospital to permanently add an entire floor specific to Muggle maladies and medicines."

"That would be wonderful!" Mia beamed at the thought, though a part of her felt the hope drop out of the dream since St. Mungos had no such Muggle floor in 1998. A part of her resolved to change that should she ever be given the chance to return to her original time. "Imagine how many people could be helped."

"If she can get the Hospital board to agree." Charlus winced. "Unfortunately, she's got a bit of rough patch ahead fighting off the likes of Abraxas Malfoy and Cygnus Black." Mia and Remus both grimaced at the mentioned names.

"So is that why you're headed over? Going in for backup?" The curly-haired witch smirked up at her father. Charlus simply laughed at the suggestion that Dorea would need him to help take down Malfoy and Black.

"As though your mother would ever need the assistance of a man, let alone a Gryffindor." He rolled his eyes. "No, I'm going because your brother and Sirius were apparently in a bit of an accident," he told the both of them. Immediately Mia paled and gripped Remus' hand hard in worried anticipation. "Mum says the boys are fine," Charlus assured her, seeing the distress in her eyes. "James has a bit of a bump to the head, nothing worse than he's had playing Quidditch."

"They were on Sirius' death trap, weren't they?" Mia hissed. "That stupid motorbike. Can we come with?"

"Maybe the Hospital isn't the best place to scold them," Remus offered.

"Are you crazy? It's the _best _place," Mia insisted, recalling the way Dorea Potter burst through the open doors of St. Mungos and set each and every Healer to tears as she demanded to be let into Sirius' room after his attack. Mia learned then that Hospital walls echoed wonderfully, and if she was going to yell at Sirius and James, she would prefer her voice to have a little extra volume.

oOoOoOo

**St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries**

The three entered St. Mungos through the Floo Network, stepping onto the Ground Floor through the green flames. Mia stood back with Remus as Charlus approached the Welcome Witch's desk and spoke softly so as not to draw attention. A few moments later Charlus was collecting Mia and Remus and leading them down a long hallway to a door guarded by two Aurors, one of them the very familiar face of Kingsley Shacklebolt, the other a scowling older Auror who wore different-colored robes than Kingsley. Mia could understand what looked to be a bitter and permanent frown on his face. She'd read more of Harry and Ron's Auror books than either of them had, and she recognized the variety of Auror robes and their significance. Kingsley's dark blue signified that despite his young age, he was above the man to his left.

"Why are Aurors outside the room?" Remus whispered to Charlus as they approached.

"Apparently Dorea forgot to mention that," Charlus groaned as he approached the two men, hand extended in polite greeting. Predictably, Kingsley smiled brightly, introducing himself while the other sneered and looked away from the group in annoyance.

"Charlus Potter, those are my boys in there. Is everything alright?"

"Not entirely, sir," Kingsley admitted. "We've already taken a statement from your sons, and though they're both of age, being that they're both still considered students we'll have to speak with you about the situation as they're under your care."

"Alright," Charlus sighed. He looked back to Remus and Mia. "Can my other kids go on and see them?"

"Go ahead." Kingsley nodded to them both. Mia smiled sweetly up at the familiar Auror before disappearing through the Hospital door, allowing it to close tightly shut behind Remus before she spun on her heels and hissed in Sirius' direction.

"What did you do?!"

"Evening, kitten," Sirius grinned up at her from a chair perched beside the long white bed where James was lying. Neither looked particularly injured, though James had a look on his face that Mia had become familiar with over many years of Quidditch. Muggles called it a concussion. Mia referred to it as 'Bludger Head'.

"Don't you 'kitten' me, Sirius Black!" Mia frowned, putting her hands on her hips as she stared at him in disappointment. "Why is my brother in a hospital bed!?"

"Because the chair was taken?"

"Mia I'm fine," James insisted. "Just a little bump on the head."

"And the Aurors?" Remus asked with raised brows.

"I'm sure they're fine too," James answered with cheek.

"Jamie!" Mia scowled.

"It's a big misunderstanding," Sirius sighed irritably. "We got into a little accident when a couple of..." Sirius paused as James cleared his throat and shook his head, his eyes wide. "What? Like she's not going to find out from Mum and Dad?" Sirius rolled his eyes at James. "Death Eaters chased us through the back streets of London."

"What? Why?" Remus asked with wide eyes as Mia paled and crawled into James' bed, wrapping her arms gently around her brother.

"Do I look like I have some insight into the mind of a bloody Death Eater, Moony?" Sirius growled and then narrowed his eyes. "Don't answer that," he insisted. "I'm guessing they recognized me and decided to try and wrap up a pretty Padfoot-sized gift for their dear and fluffy Dark Lord. We outran them though, but unfortunately crashed my bike in the process and got arrested by Muggles. Thankfully real Aurors showed up and took over, and thanks to Prongs' big swollen head we were brought here instead of the Ministry."

"Are they charging you with anything?" Mia gasped.

"They haven't said." James frowned. "Then again, they haven't been too happy about our story. Easier to pretend that two teenagers are liars than to admit that Death Eaters are officially daring enough to fly their brooms in the middle of a Muggle city."

Mia closed her eyes and focused her breathing as she slowly felt herself losing control. This was the Second Wizarding War all over again. Or apparently the Second War had been just like the First War. Death Eaters attacking out in the open and the Ministry looking the other way, blaming children - a Potter - for disturbing the peace and calling them a liar.

"So they think you made the story up and you're probably hiding something because of it." Remus shook his head.

"Which I don't understand," Sirius spoke again. "I happen to think I have a very sincere-looking face."

"A face that would look much better were it not attached to the rest of you, which seems to find itself in trouble more often than I care for," Dorea's voice called from the now open door, a stern but affectionate look on her face as she entered the room. She leaned first to kiss Remus' cheek in greeting before doing the same with her daughter as she perched beside James. "Hello darlings," she sighed and turned to Sirius and James. "Now your father has spoken with the Aurors and explained your history with... those sort," her grey eyes darkened in anger. "And they're just now trying to get hold of Professor Dumbledore for confirmation on the Carrow twins case. I thought I heard them mention Alphard as well, Sirius, so they might come back to ask you about Walburga and the others."

"Wonderful," the raven-haired wizard groaned.

"How's your head, darling?" Dorea asked as she approached James, running her fingers softly through the black tresses, examining his scalp for swelling herself.

"Better."

"Everything's cleared up," said Charlus as he walked into the room. "As soon as the Healer says James is good to go, we can all head home."

"You take the children..." Dorea began.

"Children?" Sirius scoffed.

"You take the... _little ones_," Dorea smirked at the young wizard before turning her attention back to her husband. "Home, and I'll see you all late tonight. Malfoy is putting up a fuss. He says if the care for Muggles and Squibs is so important, why don't we just ship them off to their own kind and let them pay for the privilege." She rolled her eyes and then added, "Tosser."

"Battle of the serpents," Sirius smirked looking up at Dorea with admiration. "Watch out for his venom, Mum."

"Oh darling," Dorea laughed sweetly. "He's a grass snake who merely thinks he's a cobra. I, however, am a viper, and my bite can take weeks to fester before I destroy you." She said it with a look of seriousness only detectable through her cold eyes, as her tone was as sweet as honey.

"Little scary, Mum," Mia pointed out.

"I'm aware. Now go on my lovelies," Dorea said proudly, ordering them home as soon as possible. "Take care of your brother." she kissed Mia on the forehead. "James, no flying for at least a week," she literally grounded him. "Sirius, don't you dare get on that motorbike until it's been properly fixed. And not by yourself," she added before kissing both boys and then turning to the werewolf in the corner of the room and sighing, the smile on her face fading only slightly. "Remus, love, I'd like to have a chat just the two of us later, alright?"

"Umm.. okay. Did I do something..." he began with a worried expression. Had Charlus told Dorea he'd found him snogging Mia when he got home? Did they now want him to leave Potter Manor? Immediately he began to panic, knowing he'd never be allowed back home; every one of his owls to Lupin Cottage had been returned and the Floo had been shut off months earlier, denying him access to both of his parents.

"Absolutely not dear," Dorea promised him, taking his face into the palms of her hands before kissing his cheek. "I simply have a little gift for you."

"Okay." Remus nodded, trying to relax a little despite his piqued curiosity.

"So what did the Aurors say?" James asked the moment the door closed behind his mother.

"Mia and Remus, would you mind fetching something to drink for us all?" Charlus asked, scratching the back of his neck, his jaw tight. Mia knew the look. While Dorea could sweetly scold when she wanted, Charlus Potter would not let his wife take all the credit when it came to disciplining the children, and despite Sirius and James being legal adults in the Wizarding world they were about to get a long overdue talk about responsibility.

"Are they in trouble?" Mia asked her father.

"Yes."

"And you're not going to let me watch?" She pouted. "That seems unfair."

"Go on." Charlus playfully shoved at his daughter's shoulder, ushering her out of the room with an amused smirk on his face. He closed the door behind her and Remus before throwing up a Silencing Charm and turning to reprimand his sons.

oOoOoOo

"What do you suppose your Mum wants to give me?" Remus asked the moment they began walking away down the hall, his hands shoved into the pockets of his second-hand robes. Dorea and Charlus had purchased him new ones of course, but Remus had politely insisted on saving them for Hogwarts. He didn't want anyone in Wizarding London or Diagon Alley to think that he was using the Potters for their money.

"She probably wants to give you grandmother Black's opal ring so you can properly propose to me," Mia said casually as she walked and quickly noticed that Remus had frozen in place, his soft green eyes wide. "Remus! Remus I'm kidding!" Mia laughed brightly, shaking him out of his stupor.

"It's not that..." Remus swallowed hard. "Because I... it's just... we're just so... I'm..."

"Incapable of forming coherent sentences?" She smirked.

"You're cruel," he laughed at the end of a nervous exhale.

"I happen to think I'm very funny. Don't worry Remus, I'm not expecting you to ask me to marry you," she promised him. She knew he never would. Tonks had fought like mad to get him to marry her, and Mia wasn't under any delusions that Remus had secretly married his childhood sweetheart in the past only to lie about it in the future when he married the young Metamorphmagus. "There is absolutely no need for you to get down on one knee. Both knees however..." she smirked, turning to find Remus staring away from her across the corridor, to where a familiar-looking wizard stood speaking with a Healer.

"Dad?" Remus called out.

Lyall Lupin turned at the sound of his son's voice, and Mia blanched at the sight of him. She'd met Remus' father on multiple occasions, and while he'd always looked a bit shabby and under the weather, he now looked positively ill. His stringy grey and brown hair was longer than it had been before, though he didn't bother pulling it back away from his pale face. The man turned and approached the young couple, looking at his son suspiciously.

"Remus! What're you doing here?" He asked.

"Mia's brother was in a small accident," Remus answered stiffly.

"Hello Mister Lupin, how are you?" Mia smiled politely at the man, hoping to somehow create a bridge between father and son since the two couldn't possibly do it on their own.

Lyall looked at her curiously, his emotions flickering over his face before landing on disappointed. "I see this is still going on." he frowned, gesturing to the way Mia held onto Remus' hand. "My dear I'm happy to see that you're..."

"Alive?" Remus growled. "Intact? Not disfigured?"

"All of those things, yes," said Lyall.

"What are you doing here?" The werewolf snapped.

"Your mother is unwell." Lyall spoke without bothering to look Remus in the eye, his own gaze stuck in the space between his son and the young witch.

"Oh, no." Mia frowned and clung tighter to Remus' hand, bringing her free palm up to grip his bicep. She could feel the stress coming off of him in waves. "Did she catch that Muggle flu that's going around? My father was just telling us about that. I'm so sorry."

"It's not _your _fault dear," Lyall said, his gaze finally returning to his son's face.

"Excuse me?" Remus green eyes widened and quickly turned amber when he blinked at his father. "You think... you think it's my fault that Mum's sick?" He asked in disbelief. It was one thing to blame his condition, but to blame him specifically?

"She's always been a bit fragile, and the stress of..." Lyall scowled at the sight of his only child "It's been a hindrance to her health. The constant need to move did not help in the slightest."

"And that's _my _fault?"

"Well if you hadn't gotten yourself bitten," Lyall mumbled, and Mia gripped Remus' harder, trying to reign in her own anger and disgust at the wizard in front of her, reeking of liquor and shame.

"I was four!" Remus shouted, drawing the attention of a few passing Healers.

"Remus..." Mia whispered.

"If it's anyone's fault it's yours for provoking the werewolf community!" Remus snapped at his father viciously.

"Defending _them _now? Defending the... thing that killed my son?" Lyall Lupin narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't die! And don't you dare accuse me of defending that monster," Remus snarled and visions of a bleeding Greyback in the Forbidden Forest flooded Mia's mind. Remus and Greyback were so different, and they'd conquered the vicious werewolf, even if only temporarily. Remus was Alpha now!

"A monster just like..." Lyall began but suddenly found his voice lacking when an amber-eyed witch glared at him, her vine wand aimed at his mouth.

"Remus, my love," Mia turned toward her boyfriend. "You need to calm down," she pleaded with him, her shifted amber eyes meeting his, willing Moony back into the cage of Remus' mind. As she felt his breath steady a bit, the witch turned and looked at Lyall Lupin, who was still attempting to speak. "Mister Lupin, I will remove the Silencing Charm. Please note that it is my respect for your wife and my love for your son that has you still standing here in one piece and not in a hospital bed of your very own," she said firmly, her tone mimicking that of Dorea's perfectly. "_Finite_!"

"I want to see my mother," Remus insisted immediately.

"Absolutely not," Lyall scoffed at the notion. "In fact I plan on..."

"You can't keep me away from her!" The young werewolf shouted. I'll just wait until you leave, or pass out. You've clearly been drinking again."

"Using that wolf sense of smell, eh?" The older wizard sneered. Mia flinched at the sight, shaking her head as she tried to will the look of disgust off the man's face that she'd so often seen on the likes of Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge. Somehow Mia knew it wasn't entirely prejudice in the expression on Lyall Lupin's face. There was a great deal of pain and hurt in the man's eyes, though she struggled to find sympathy for him considering the hurt he'd caused Remus.

"A _Muggle _could see that you're intoxicated." Remus narrowed his eyes.

"I'm going to tend to my wife." Lyall turned to go back down the hallway, stopping for a moment to look back at Remus and pointed at him. "You'll keep away if you know what's good for you. She's in a delicate state and I won't have you getting a rise out of her. If I see you near her room, I'll call the Aurors," the wizard threatened and Mia felt herself growl in response. "Don't think they'll take too kindly knowing that there's a werewolf on the loose in the hospital."

"Come on love." Mia tugged Remus in the opposite direction, watching the anger in his face give way to pain and worry.

"My Mum... Mia... what if..."

"Come on Remus." She pulled him tightly against her, wrapping her arms around his chest and holding him close. "We're going to see my mother," she nodded, spotting a large room where Dorea Potter could be seen standing beside a tall pale man with long white-blonde hair and several other witches and wizards in finely-made robes. "If anyone can make the people in this hospital cower, it's her. She'll make sure you see your Mum."

She took Remus' hand and moved toward the open door of the room, hoping she'd be able to sneak her mother away for just a moment. As they crossed the corridor of the hospital, though, Mia caught sight of Kingsley and his partner arguing in a corner. Then in her peripheral vision she caught sight of something black, and a creeping coldness shivered up her spine; something she hadn't felt in many years. Releasing Remus' hand Mia rushed forward, instinctively throwing herself in front of Kingsley and yelling, "_Protego Totalum_!"

She watched as four masked Death Eaters aimed their wands and curses flew off her large shield, protecting not only Kingsley and his partner, but herself, Remus and the entire board room her mother was, as well as the few Healers who lucked into being behind her at the time. Unfortunately the impact of the curses flung her backwards, and just as she felt a warmth run over the back of her head and her vision began to fail, she heard an explosion from several floors above.


	67. Chapter 67

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Okay, first of all, remember last week when everyone was getting email updates but no one could read the chapters on FF? Well I've created a backup website that way if FF is to ever have an issue, you can click over (link is in my Bio or here *sans spaces*: thedebtoftime. blogspot. com) and chapters will be there for your viewing pleasure. It's also got a lovely banner that I spent like three hours creating. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I spent it writing! As always a constant thanks to my Beta **Fluffpanda**, my semi-colon instructor **glittergrrrl05**, and my new ego-stroker **IHEARTPADFOOT**.

I've been meaning to ask by the way, do you lovelies prefer the A/Ns before the chapter or after? I don't want to distract from the reading if exceptionally long author notes take up space. :)

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Well Trained Unit

_"...Let the sky fall_  
_When it crumbles_  
_We will stand tall_  
_Face it all together..."_  
_(Skyfall - Adele)_

* * *

**June 25th, 1977**

**St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries**

"Mia? Mia!"

"Remus?" Mia's voice softly called out as her eyes fluttered open. Her vision was slightly blurred as she tried to focus on the vision of her werewolf hovering over her protectively, the look in his amber and gold eyes showing just how worried he was. She winced at the pain in the back of her head, wondering if Remus had even allowed anyone to get near her while she was unconscious. "Wh.. what... what happened?" She asked as she tried to sit up.

"You hit your head pretty hard. You've been unconscious for about twenty minutes," Remus informed her, sighing with mild relief over the fact that she'd woken up at all. She took note that his eyes shifted back to green. _Good, one less thing to worry about_.

"Death ... Death Eaters," Mia mumbled. Remus merely nodded, a sad look crossing his features as he helped her sit upright. Footsteps sounded nearby, and she turned to see a pair of finely made, though slightly scuffed, dragon-hide boots.

"Miss Potter?"

Mia turned toward the deep voice to see Kingsley smiling kindly down at her.

When she winced at the strain it took to look up at him, he took notice and knelt down beside her. "Are you alright?"

"Kingsley?" Mia muttered.

"You know me?" The Auror blinked curiously.

"You..." she began, remembering her ride with the future Minister of Magic on the back of a Thestral, flinging curses and hexes to all sides as the pair were encircled by Death Eaters in the sky. But of course she couldn't tell him that now, not even if she tried. "You were a Prefect."

He smiled at her, nodding. "Been a few years since Hogwarts. Didn't know I was that well known." He chuckled and the sound was wonderfully familiar. "Auror Shacklebolt now, however. I wanted to personally thank you."

"Thank me?"

"I had my back turned when those Death Eaters walked in. Your shield saved my life from what looked like a Reductor Curse," he nodded his head in deep gratitude to her before speaking firmly again, "I owe you a life debt."

Mia tried not to roll her eyes. "Doesn't everybody?" She moved to stand, wincing at the pain and gripping onto Remus' arms as she used him to pull herself up. "What happened? Death Eaters got into the Hospital?" Immediate panic set in. "My family!"

"Your Dad, Sirius and James are on the other side of the wards," Remus said in a calm voice. He gestured to the side, where three Aurors were waving their wands continuously at certain angles while a giant group of more Aurors and Healers stood conversing with serious looks on their faces.

"Wards?" Mia asked curiously.

"This floor has been quarantined," Kingsley informed her. "At least this section," he gestured around them.

"Abraxas Malfoy is dead," Remus said quietly.

_"Sir, I think you knew my grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy?"_ Mia remembered a smug looking Draco speaking from the Slytherin table in Professor Slughorn's class in her original sixth year.

_"Yes," _said Slughorn, without looking at Malfoy, _"I was sorry to hear he had died, although of course it wasn't unexpected, dragon pox at his age... "_

"Dragonpox," Mia muttered to herself.

"What?" Remus blinked, hearing her. "How did you know that?"

_Damn. Well apparently I can tell the truth about the future on accident, though I can't imagine how that'll be helpful_, she thought to herself.

"I think I might have... been in and out of consciousness for a while," she lied. "Picked up on a few words."

"Well you're right about that." Kingsley frowned. "Try and rest. I'll fetch a healer to come and see to that head of yours." He offered a smile again in thanks before moving toward the wards to speak with the Aurors on the other side.

"They found broken vials in Malfoy's robe pockets," Remus explained as he led Mia over to sit down in a nearby chair. "They're saying that he had an appointment later with a research team. Some people think he was looking for a cure, others think he was trying to turn the disease into a weapon for You-Know-Who."

"The vials contained the disease, didn't they?" She asked.

Remus nodded but then clarified, "It's not airborne, but anyone who touched him when it happened..."

"I need to get up. Need to go home," Mia tried to stand again but Remus stopped her.

"Mia..." he took in a slow deep breath before speaking clearly. "Your Mum was right next to Malfoy when he fell."

"What?" Her face paled as a coldness sank into her stomach.

"She's sick." Remus frowned, grief already settling in his eyes. "The Healers have her and a number of other people in secured beds down the hall." He pointed.

Without another word Mia leapt from her chair and made a dash for the end of the hallway, searching each and every room until she found Dorea Potter. Her mother lay unconscious in bed, looking worse than she'd ever appeared; her skin covered in a green shimmery tint, a purple rash growing up the side of her neck as she slept.

oOoOoOo

As the hours passed Healers and Aurors moved cautiously around the quarantined ward in the west end of the Ground Floor of St. Mungo's. When the quarantine ended and the wards were taken down, everyone moved with even more caution despite Healers insisting that those infected were not contagious. Dorea slept, even after Charlus, James and Sirius were allowed in to see her, even after Healers drew blood to run tests. After giving statements to several more Aurors, St. Mungo's was once again opened to the public. No sooner had the doors opened than Peter and Lily rushed in, the latter screaming to know the location of the Potters.

"Mia!" Lily shouted at the sight of the brunette. Mia let out a sob when she found herself caught in the emerald green eyes of her friend and she rushed to wrap her arms around the ginger witch. "Oh thank Merlin you're alright," Lily said as she hugged her friend tightly. "I saw the Dark Mark above the Hospital and I tried Flooing everyone to see if they knew anything, but Peter was the only one home. What happened?"

"The Dark Mark is above the Hospital?" Mia asked, brows raised high as she pulled away to look at Lily She took notice as Peter slipped by them to greet James, Sirius and Remus at the end of the corridor where they sat outside Dorea's room.

"I was a few blocks over at a chapel. Petunia got married today, so naturally I needed to get the hell out of there as often as possible." Lily offered a smile and Mia actually let out a short laugh at the witch's joke. It felt good to laugh. "I was out front chatting with my Mum when I saw the Mark in the sky. I Apparated to Alice's house since it was the closest and we tried getting hold of everyone. What happened?"

"Death Eaters attacked the Hospital," Mia explained. "We were here because Jamie and Sirius were in a little accident." She noticed the way Lily gasped and looked over Mia's shoulder to take note of James and Sirius' current condition before giving a relieved exhale at seeing they were physically alright. "Mum was... Mum was having a meeting with the board. Malfoy's father brought in vials of Dragonpox and they broke; anyone near him was instantly infected."

"Oh Godric... Your family?" Lily whispered, horrified.

Mia nodded. "Mum."

"Can they..."

"No."

And Mia fell back into Lily's open arms. "Mia, I'm so sorry."

oOoOoOo

Late into the night Dorea Potter's room was found to be a crowded place. Healers had taken to working around the bodies that surrounded the older witch, having already met the powerful rage that came from trying to separate the family members against their will. Charlus could have ushered the children out of the room, but as the love of his life lay unconscious, he just couldn't seem to find it in him to care for the comfort of a Healer who was used to more open space in the patient rooms.

Charlus remained by Dorea's side, her pale green hand held tenderly within his own. On the other side of the bed Mia had transfigured a small table into a small sofa where she curled into the arms of her brother. She had offered to make it longer to accommodate the rest of them, but each of the remaining Marauders had reasons not to get too close. Peter sat near the door, the furthest place from Dorea's side without actually leaving the room. For once Mia didn't take offense at Peter's actions, knowing that he was more than likely reliving his own mother's stay at St. Mungos after her attack by Death Eaters. Sirius, on the other hand, placed himself in the corner of the room, knees pulled to his chest, wearing a cold look on his face that Mia recognized instantly as guilt. She wanted to comfort him, assure him that none of this was his fault, but she didn't have the strength. Not yet.

Remus was the only one who stayed outside the room, though he kept a constant watch on it from his chair just outside the door. He divided his attention between Dorea's room and the long corridor where he'd run into his father earlier that day. Unlike James and Mia, who were worried for the one mother they had, or Sirius for the one he'd chosen, or Peter who reflected on his own back at home, Remus was anxiously and nervously worried both about the mother who'd taken him into her home when he no longer had one of his own and the one who'd given him life; the one who was, by all accounts, still alive somewhere a few floors above him.

"Here Remus." A slender hand held out a small cup toward him, thick steam billowing out the top of it. "I brought you some hot chocolate."

The werewolf looked up into the endless emerald eyes of his friend and he actually smiled a little as he accepted the drink. "Thanks Lily."

Lily quickly pulled a chair over to sit beside her friend, reaching out to take his hand within her own to offer comfort and support. She was one of very few witches who could do so without either making Remus uncomfortable, or angering his girlfriend. "Mia told me about your Mum. And your father." Her frown deepened. "Do you know anything yet?"

"No. I asked right after they brought the quarantine wards down." He sighed in frustration before taking a sip from the drink, wishing the chocolate could ease his discomfort as easily now as it usually did. "The explosion came from a few floors up where she might be. But when I asked, her name wasn't on the list ... the list of casualties."

"I'm sorry about your father." Lily shook her head. She'd been properly enraged when Mia had explained all the events of the day.

The object of prejudice herself, Lily had felt a special connection with her werewolf friend long before she ever declared she'd figured out his secret in first year. She'd seen how different he was from his friends, and how many of the Professors looked at him with equal parts pity and anxiety, like they were waiting for him to either hurt himself or someone else. She felt partly to blame for the way Severus had taken an interest in Remus and his condition. Considering the way the Marauders treated her childhood friend, and many others, Lily had no business being kind to any of them, but she had in fact taken a special interest in befriending Remus Lupin long before either wore Prefect badges. Severus had been suspicious and eventually jealous, especially when she'd willingly confessed the small crush she had on the quiet Gryffindor bookworm. Severus had been her friend for so long, and they'd always told one another everything, so Lily hadn't thought twice before confessing her schoolgirl feelings for her House-mate. It had been the first time Severus had turned his bitter anger toward her, and he'd stormed off in a temper. _Merlin, I should've seen it then_, the witch thought to herself.

Resolving to take the secret to her grave that Remus had been the original trigger for the slow downfall of her friendship with Severus, Lily was determined never to make him feel guilty about anything that wasn't a result of his own actions. "You know it's not your fault, right?"

"What? That my Mum's sick or that my Dad drinks too much and calls me a monster?" Lily winced at the word the same way she did when others called her a Mudblood.

"Both," she insisted and then added quickly, "You're not a monster."

"I know." Remus ran his hand down his face and Lily noticed how tired his eyes looked. They were red-rimmed, like the rest of those who'd been exhausted and crying throughout the night. Remus was also incredibly pale and the two scars on his face stood out dramatically, silver and pink stretched tissue over pale white skin. She made a mental note to ask Mia where Remus kept his Wolfsbane Potion, as she doubted he'd had a chance to drink it today considering they'd all been there for hours. "I didn't used to know, but I do now," he admitted.

"As long as you remember that. That's what's important. I'm sure once everything has calmed down they'll let you go and see-"

"Dad?" Remus stood from his chair, interrupting Lily and making his way down the stretch of hallway to where Lyall Lupin stood speaking with an Auror and a Healer, a large bag in his hands. His eyes, too, were red and glassy, and he strangely resembled Charlus Potter in the moment, though Charlus still had something left in his sad stare: hope.

"Oh no," Lily whispered as she watched Remus break into a run.

"Dad!" He called out again loudly as he approached his father, whose empty stare turned bitter and angry. "What happened!?" Remus watched in horror as Lyall Lupin turned his back against his own son and began to walk away. "Where's my Mum!? Where're you going!?" Remus called after him, trying to step forward only to be thwarted by the Auror from earlier. His eyes narrowed at Remus as he separated him from his father.

Lily heard a growl and immediately turned back and yelled, "Mia!" She rushed to Remus' side in fear he would get himself arrested for assaulting an Auror. "Remus," Lily said, reaching for his hand to pull her friend back.

The affectionate move was caught in the stare of Lyall Lupin, who shook his head in disgust. He turned and looked at the Auror before speaking loudly. "That boy is a werewolf," He pointed at Remus, whose eyes widened in shock and fear. "Please keep him away from my wife's ..." Lyall hesitated for a moment, emotion overwhelming him before he finally continued, "My wife's body."

"What?!" Remus shouted, though it sounded more like a howl and it took less than a second before his soft green eyes turned liquid gold, skipping the amber stage entirely.

"Mia! Peter! Sirius!" Lily screamed for them. "Potter!" She yelled for James as well, relieved when the four barrelled out of Dorea's room and took instant note of Remus's stance before rushing forward, wands already drawn.

"She's dead? My Mum's dead!?" Remus yelled. He moved to go after his father, who'd stepped into the Floo, but Lily stood in his way, trying to hold him back from doing something he'd certainly regret. At the sight of Lily in his path, James and Sirius ran faster, each jumping forward to take hold of one of Remus' arms, pulling him away from Lily before she somehow got herself hurt. The Marauders and Mia had been dealing with Remus and his wolf for years, and Lily was not at all ready for something of this magnitude. As James and Sirius held Remus back, struggling against the strength of their friend, Mia stepped in front of her boyfriend, taking his face into her hands and shifting her eyes to amber, hoping Moony would recognize her as the fox in his Pack, his Beta.

"Remus, Remus love," Mia spoke softly, unaware of the Aurors now surrounding the small group of friends. "Look at me," she said, staring into the beautiful depths of gold.

"Back off!" James shouted, turning his wand on the Aurors, a defensive look on his face. He released Remus' arm when he felt the werewolf's stiffness relax a bit in the gaze of his sister. "He hasn't done anything wrong!" James insisted. Sirius on the other side of Remus had his wand drawn as well, and Peter covered Remus' back to make sure no one got any ideas about cursing their friend with his back turned. Lily stood in front of Mia, glaring daggers at anyone who dared to cast a look of disgust toward her grieving friend.

"Easy there." Kingsley approached slowly, wand in hand though held upward as a sign of surrender. "We're just doing our jobs and making sure no one gets hurt," he promised. His partner scoffed at the calm sentiment. "We understand this is an emotional time, but do you really want to raise your wands against a group of Aurors?"

At Kingsley's question James and Sirius both looked even more daring, as though he'd just issued a challenge. None of the teenagers lowered their wands.

"What're you doing just standing there, Shacklebolt! Stun it!" Kingsley's partner yelled, pointing at Remus.

"_It_?!" Lily shrieked. Her green eyes glared into the face of the Auror. "You've got a lot of nerve, you know that!?" She aimed her willow wand toward him, and his eyes widened in response at being so specifically threatened by the girl. "I don't care if you are an Auror, my friend just found out his mother died and if you even _think _about raising a wand at him before we have a chance to console him, I will hex your eyes right out of your head!"

"Threatening an Auror?" The man sneered at the witch. He took a defiant step forward, his wand gripped tightly in his hand. "You listen here you little Mu..." but his sentence was cut off as an eleven-inch mahogany wand pressed against his throat. He stared into furious hazel eyes and a mop of black hair.

"Wrong witch to aim your wand at mate," James said, his voice low and dangerous. Suddenly the Aurors encircling the group were no longer keeping their eyes trained on the werewolf in the center of the room. "She'll hex you sideways for looking at her," James assured them all, not one to ever question Lily's ability to hex, having many scars on his body as proof of her talents. "But that won't be _half _as bad as what _I'll _do if you finish that fucking sentence."

"Everyone calm down!" Kingsley shouted, trying to take back control of the situation. He gripped his partner and yanked the Auror back, having heard the man almost call Lily a Mudblood. "Potter, get Lupin under control," he ordered.

"If you've noticed, _he's _not the one losing it!" Sirius snapped at the man. "Tell your mates to lower their wands because if you can't tell, we've got very little to lose here and have a bit of a short fuse when it comes to threats to our family!" The raven-haired wizard yelled, his grey eyes dark.

"He's a werewolf!" Kingsley's partner shouted. "Shouldn't have even been allowed inside the Hospital!"

"Mia, get Remus into an empty room and ward the doors like you did last time," James instructed his sister.

She nodded without breaking eye contact with Remus, who seemed to be calming down as he stared into the endless amber of her gaze. "Remus? Look in my eyes, love," she continued to speak as she reached for his tightly clenched fists. "Remus? Moony! Look at me. I'm here love, we're all here for you. I need you to come with me, Moony. Follow me." She watched as the gold of his eyes retreated a bit to reveal amber specks and breathed a momentary sigh of relief. Then, taking his hands within her own and leading him away from the group, she watched from the side as, like a well trained unit, the Marauders and Lily formed a barricade. Mia led Remus back down the long corridor, finding an empty room and shutting them both inside of it.

"Don't think Moody won't hear about this when we get back to the Ministry, Shacklebolt," the volatile Auror snapped at his younger superior.

"Oh, I plan on being the one to tell him myself!" Kingsley snapped. "Everyone lower your wands!" He instructed the rest of the Aurors, all of whom obeyed begrudgingly yet immediately.

"Sir?" One spoke. "You're really going to let them go? A werewolf in a hospital full of innocent people and a group of children who dared to threaten Aurors?!"

"Are we suddenly royalty because we wear a badge?" Kingsley rolled his eyes. "They were doing what any of us would have done for a fellow Auror. We drew against them first and they came to the defense of their friend."

"But he's a werewolf!" Another Auror shouted.

"I didn't see fur, did any of you?" He questioned, his dark eyes narrowed. "No? Well maybe I just have better vision. Perhaps that's why Moody left me in charge. Speaking of which, if something like this ever happens again, I'll thank you all to never question me!" He offered a brief look of apology to the Marauders and Lily, all of whom finally lowered their wands at the sight of the retreating Aurors.

"Evans, what happened?" Sirius finally asked. "Is it true? About Remus' Mum?

Lily nodded sadly. "His father told him and then outed him as a werewolf to the Aurors, saying they weren't to let Remus see his mother." She wiped an escaped tear from her face and turned to look inside the room into which Mia had pulled Remus.

"Thank you, Kingsley," James said as the Auror approached him. James extended a hand to the man, showing no feelings of resentment over a situation that had been handled poorly by all parties. "I'd apologize for our reaction, but as you said..." James trailed off. He looked inside the room's window as Mia stared down Remus, never taking her hands off of his face as she whispered words that no one else could hear.

"I heard what the boy's father said," Kingsley sighed. "Werewolf or not, I can't imagine anyone reacting differently than he did. It's a bad time I know, but you're all very quick on the draw. When you've finished your NEWTs, come and see me at the Ministry if you're interested in a job. As you can see, the Auror department is in need of new blood."

"Unprejudiced blood, you mean." Sirius glared.

"That's exactly what I mean." Kingsley nodded, ignoring the look of loathing on Sirius' face.

"Do you know what happened to our friend's mother?" Peter asked.

"I suppose he should know." Kingsley frowned. "While we were being attacked on the Ground Floor by those Death Eaters, we weren't aware more had broken in earlier and slipped by us without their masks. The second we were distracted by the attacks down here, someone upstairs threw a Bombarda Maxima and devastated the entire ward where the Muggles were being held." He sighed. "Only two survived and they're not looking to last the week."

The four friends watched the couple on the inside of the room, hearts breaking at the sight. Mia finally broke through Moony's defensive stare, the wolf retreated into the back of Remus' mind, and suddenly the young wizard collapsed to the ground, hands over his face, leaning into the tight embrace of Mia as he wept.


	68. Chapter 68

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: I wanted to give a little shout out to **Daerwyn**! While browsing the internet to see where The Debt of Time has been listed, I stumbled across her YouTube channel (**AnaReadsALot**) where she dedicated a Fan Fiction Friday to my story about 2 weeks ago! I am over the moon right now, so thank you so much! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews.

I know that we're entering a rough patch because you know... war and Death Eaters and such. It was hard to get through some of these chapters, but I knew that they were necessary because they really build the characters, as well as the events that are quickly approaching.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Last Enemy

_"...__A final song, a last request  
__A perfect chapter laid to rest  
__Now and then I try to find  
__A place in my mind  
__Where you can stay  
__You can stay away foreve_r_..."  
__(So Far Away - Avenged Sevenfold)_

* * *

**June 26th, 1977**

**St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries**

The rising sun broke through the open blinds in the room where Mia had secured a grieving Remus. He'd cried for hours and Mia said nothing, simply holding him like she'd done long ago post-transformation once he'd been healed. She didn't know how to heal him now, though. Nor did she know how to heal her own family as Dorea's condition worsened. She began wondering how Professors Dumbledore and Snape handled the drawn-out death of the former in her original sixth year. It was one thing to lose people suddenly, like when Cedric Diggory was killed, or when Sirius fell through the Veil, but simply waiting around, unable to do a thing to stop death, wasn't something to which the young witch was accustomed. She didn't know how to react.

"Remus?" She whispered, looking down at the werewolf who lay with his head in her lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She affectionately ran her fingers through the mess of sandy blonde hair, leaning down to place a kiss to his forehead before resting her cheek against him.

"Is she really dead?" Remus choked out a hoarse whisper, and in reply Mia simply held him tighter.

"Mia?" A voice called from the door. The witch looked up, surprised her father had been able to take down the wards she'd placed. Then again, she'd been distracted and wasn't maintaining them at the moment. "Dorea wants to see Remus," Charlus spoke, his own tired eyes looking defeated. She could tell he wanted to collapse and just let the sadness wash over him, but Potters pushed on.

_"No frowning now,"_ Dorea had said to Hermione the first morning that she'd woken at Potter Manor more than six years earlier. _"I know you have had some hardships lately, but we're Potters and we push on. You take what happens, learn from it and bravely move forward."_

"Come on son." Charlus reached down and helped pull Remus to his feet, patting the boy on the back when he finally stood.

"My mother died," Remus muttered quietly.

"I know, son. I know," Charlus frowned.

"What am I going to do?"

Charlus Potter took in a deep breath and made sure to face the boy directly. He looked him square in the eye. "You're going to let us take care of you. Now head on in there and I'll be right outside the door. Dorea's getting bored and needs someone to fuss over for a bit." He smiled softly. "You know how these Potter women like to dote." He shuffled Remus down the hallway, pausing to look back at his daughter who lingered behind him.

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

Charlus cleared his throat. "Mia, the Healer came by and..." He swallowed hard. "It doesn't look good."

Mia nodded in painful understanding. "How long?"

"They..." he stopped to clear his throat. "They say she won't last the night."

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and hex and possibly set fire to the entire building in a rage of emotions, but she was a Potter, and not just any Potter. She was Dorea Potter's daughter; such actions were rash and reckless, and despite her House colors from both timelines Mia had come to accept that she was a little more green than red these days, a little more silver than gold. She had to keep it together if she was going to be suddenly surrounded by grieving Gryffindors.

"Is she in pain?" She held her head higher, shoving down the need to cry in order to try and take charge of the situation. People depended on her right now. Her family depended on her. Her Pack depended on her.

"No."

"Where're Jamie and Sirius?" She asked curiously.

"Sirius didn't take the news well, naturally," Charlus sighed, clearly worried about all of his children. "No one did. He mentioned he was going to the roof for some fresh air, I assume that's Sirius speak for a cigarette?" He asked with a raised brow and Mia merely nodded at her father. "I asked Lily to look in on him. Peter took your brother outside for some _actual _fresh air."

"Good. Separating them for now is helpful. Peter will dote on James a bit and it's good that Sirius wasn't left alone." She nodded, grateful her father had somehow recognized what each of the boys needed. "Are you okay, Dad?" She asked, a worried look on her face.

"No," he answered honestly. "Don't imagine I will be for some time. But I can't fall to pieces. Got three, now _four _kids to look after. It's my job to take care of the rest of you."

Mia sighed at the statement. What was it with Potter men carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders? Green or hazel eyes, it didn't matter. As long as you wore a mop of messy black hair that stuck up in the back, you were somehow deemed capable of taking care of everyone but yourself. "I don't need you to," she informed him. "This isn't the first time I've had to..."

"I know you don't." Charlus smiled. "You're my strong girl." He reached out and pulled Mia into his arms, hugging her so tight she almost felt herself give in to the grief. "But it's my job to take care of the rest of you. You let me do my job, alright?"

Mia nodded but quietly thought to herself, _Our _job.

oOoOoOo

As Remus walked into Dorea's room he took immediate notice that the previously unconscious and sickly-looking witch was now sitting up in bed, looking no less green but certainly more awake and alert.

"Hello Remus." Dorea offered him a sad smile and reached her hand out to the boy, who rushed forward to take it like it was a lifeline being extended to him in a sea in which he was drowning. "I'm so sorry about your mother dear. Come, sit by me." She gestured to the chair beside the bed where Charlus had sat, watching his wife carefully through the night. "It's going to be a rough time for you. For all of you." Dorea frowned. "I can see by that look on your face you could hear Charlus telling Mia that I'm not going to make it."

"Please don't ..." Remus pleaded.

"You'll look after them won't you?" Dorea said, ignoring his pleas. "Look after my girl, my sons? And look after yourself?"

"Yes Ma'am." He nodded quickly.

"I mean that, Remus Lupin." Her grey eyes hardened in recognizable threat. "I will be very cross if you let something bad happen to yourself because you sink into grief instead of rising above it." Dorea patted the back of his hand with her free one as he held the other tenderly in his grasp. "These are dark times and our world needs courage like yours. Your father was a good man." She noted that Remus scoffed at the declaration but continued, "A good wizard who let his dark times take over. You can't do that now."

"He wouldn't even let me see her." Remus' jaw tightened.

"I imagined he wouldn't." She nodded. "Which was why when I saw him here yesterday morning, I slipped into your mother's room. Hope and I had a lovely chat."

"You saw my Mum?" He looked up at the elder witch with wide eyes.

"I did." Dorea nodded. "I had been planning on bringing you here today to visit her. Your father had a previous engagement he couldn't get out of, so he wouldn't have known." She sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, she was very ill and didn't know if she would make it in time to see you." She reached for her robes, which had been folded and placed on the table beside her bed. Digging a pale green hand into its pocket, Dorea withdrew a small stone on the end of a looped gold chain. "She asked me to give you this," Dorea said, holding the item out and placing it into Remus' hands.

"This is..." Remus gaped at the item, looking it over reverently. "This is her necklace. My father gave it to her on their first date."

"An Amethyst," Dorea nodded with a sweet smile. "It's very beautiful. She told me the story of how your parents met. Do you know it?"

Remus nodded slowly. "She was living in Wales, outside Cardiff," he spoke clearly, his green eyes focused on the purple stone in his hands. "She was taking a walk through a forest and was attacked by a man that turned out to be a Boggart." He'd known the story since he was a little boy. It had been the reason he'd been initially excited to finally see a real Boggart during his third year Defense class with Professor Prewett. "Dad was doing research on … " _werewolf habitats_. Remus cleared his throat and continued on. "He heard her screaming and he saved her. Turned the Boggart into a mushroom," he said with the hint of an amused smile.

"And then he asked her to dinner and gave her this necklace." Dorea smiled during the telling of the story even though she'd heard it just a day earlier from Hope Lupin herself. "The study of stones and crystals used to be taught at Hogwarts in depth, but not so much these days." The witch frowned. "Do you know what an Amethyst is used for?"

Remus nodded and spoke with a tone that sounded an awful lot like Mia's, as though he were quoting from a book. "Amethysts are meditative aides. They're supposed to help promote peace and tranquility, and heighten intuition and dispel fears." He let realization settle over him. "That's probably why he gave it to her. So that when he wasn't around to protect her, she wouldn't be afraid."

"Amethysts also protect against dark magic." Dorea watched as Remus suddenly seemed hesitant to accept it, his eyes looking for a place to put the necklace down. "Don't you dare," she cautioned firmly. "Werewolves are not dark creatures, they do not practice dark magic. Your mother gave me this to give to you in the case that she did not make it, so that you would have strength to fight your fears and an understanding of exactly what and who you are: a beacon of goodness and light magic." She smiled and affectionately touched his cheek the way she imagined Hope might have done had the woman not been trained to be wary of her own son. "She was a good mother; a good woman. Had she not been born a Muggle, she would have made a damn good witch, I'd say."

Remus couldn't help but smile gratefully at the witch.

"Now, be a good lad and go and fetch the others for me." Dorea gestured to the door.

oOoOoOo

Up on the roof Lily's eyes looked skyward, thinking how unfortunate it was that the sun was out and bright considering how dark it was inside the hospital. It should be grey and cloudy, maybe even raining. Lily wished it would rain so the world could be washed clean again. She had followed Sirius up the stairs leading to the roof after promising Charlus Potter to look after the Black heir.

She approached him from the side, watching as he inhaled the lit stick in his mouth, blowing the smoke out his nose. Lily smirked, knowing there was a high probability he did that because his inner child told him he'd look like a dragon that way.

"You going to stand there, or offer a girl a cigarette?" She asked after minutes passed them by in complete silence. Sirius had already gone through one smoke and was in the middle of opening his pack to find another. He rose a brow and looked into her bright green eyes suspiciously.

"You don't smoke, Evans."

"Shut up Sirius," she snapped at him, snatching the cigarette he was holding in his fingers. "We're bonding," she all but insisted as she placed the stick in her mouth.

"Oh? I wasn't aware." Sirius pulled another cigarette from the pack and returned the box to the pocket of his robes. He silently and wandlessly cast a floating bluebell flame in the center of his hands, lighting his own smoke and then holding the fire out toward Lily. "Have at it."

The redhead nodded at him triumphantly and leaned into his hands, breathing against the cigarette as the end of it lit up. She took in a deep breath and immediately began choking.

Sirius smirked at her as she continued coughing. The sight was well worth the lost smoke.

"Oh Godric, you do this to yourself on purpose?!" She gasped.

"Is there a reason you followed me up here?" Sirius asked irritably.

"Mister Potter asked me to look after you," Lily replied, looking down at the cigarette still in her hand. She mentally prepared herself to take another drag but then decided against it. _Let the bloody thing burn out_, she thought to herself.

"You'd be better off looking after James," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I left him with Peter," Lily said, ignoring Sirius' bitter tone. "I think you need me more right now."

"Why?" He turned and stared at her incredulously. He didn't need her. "We're not even friends. You're friends with Mia and Remus, you hate James and by extension me," he reminded her. Though he'd never been on the end of her hexes (which always seemed reserved for James), Sirius knew the glare of Lily Evans better than almost anyone. He'd tormented Snivellus for years, much worse than James ever did, and she had never been one to ignore that fact.

"I don't hate either of you," Lily confessed. "I just don't ... don't like the things you do sometimes." The witch frowned, trying to put the past behind them. "But that's hardly the point. It's not fair for anyone to lose a parent, and I feel sad for those who do regardless of whether or not I'm friends with them."

"I told you, I'm fine," Sirius growled. "Go bother James. It's _his _Mum that's dying after all," he said bitterly.

"She's _your _Mum too. And you've already lost one set of parents."

_"Am I back to Mrs. Potter again?" _Dorea had frowned at him when he'd called her that. _"Oh dear, so formal. As I've told you since you were a boy, you may call me Dorea or even Mum if it pleases you." _She'd laughed softly. _"It's always pleased me considering how amusing the look on Walburga's face would be should she ever hear it."_

He'd called her Mum from that moment on.

"_Fuck_." Sirius groaned as he felt the well of emotions rise inside of him. "Evans... can we... can we not do this right now?" He begged, actually begged the witch, flinching when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. She shouldn't be allowed to touch him like that. Like she cared. With softness and a strange type of love that Sirius wasn't familiar with. She wasn't Mia, she wasn't family, and he certainly wasn't fucking her. What right did she have to care about him?!

"It's okay to be sad, Sirius."

"No it's not!" He finally snapped, yanking away from her touch and glaring at the redheaded witch. "It makes me weak! If I'm sad then they win! I don't have a _right _to be sad. This is my fault," he cried, not noticing that tears had formed in the corners of his eyes and were already falling down his pale cheeks. "I brought this down on them, on the Potters," he confessed. "Death follows me fucking everywhere! It's because of _me _that Mia was threatened." He thought back to Bellatrix at Narcissa's wedding. "It's because of _me _that James almost died. It's because of _me _that you were attacked. Hell, the only reason we were in the hospital today is because Death Eaters came after us, more than likely to get to _me_!" He expected her to turn her back and leave him there, or maybe cry because he'd yelled at her. Most girls would.

Lily Evans however had never been like most girls. "Can you possibly pause the pity party for two seconds to realize You-Know-Who isn't planning this entire war around your ego?!" She glared at him, all softness gone from her gaze, though she still looked like she cared, which was continually strange. "Death Eaters attack blood-traitors, Muggles and Muggle-borns. You and Potter are blood-traitors. The Carrows would have attacked him even if you weren't there." She rolled her eyes and then gave him a daring look when he attempted to interrupt.

Sirius silenced himself immediately.

"I'm a Muggle-born, and one that was - up until recently - best friends with a Slytherin who has what I'm assuming are Death Eater friends. Godric, Severus might be one himself for all I know these days," she said with bitterness.

He took note of her confession, filing it away in the back of his head for later reflection.

"I was already a bloody target, you great big prat!" She stepped forward and shoved him. "You had nothing to do with the accident this morning other than buying that ridiculous motorbike in the first place, and you are not responsible for Death Eaters storming the Hospital! That woman downstairs is your mother." She pointed to the door leading to the staircase. "And you need to get it together because you will hate yourself if you don't go down there and tell her goodbye."

"I don't want to," he admitted, less like a petulant child being forced to clean his room and more like a terrified man being forced to face a dragon. _Some Gryffindor_, he thought to himself.

"I'm not asking," Lily held firm. "If you want my opinion - and even if you don't - I'd say that you've been quite ruined over the years," she declared.

Sirius furrowed his brow at the declaration, surprised she had the nerve to insult him regardless of whether or not it was true.

"A family that punished you for being _anything _other than yourself, and another family that doted upon you simply because you existed." She scowled. "Mia's the _only _one to ever order you about and even then she's biased because anytime she's not in a relationship with Remus she's likely to be caught staring at your arse!" Lily glared at him when he dared to smile at the revelation.

"Your other friends follow your lead, which only ever gets you lot in trouble, so the mantle falls to me to keep you in line. You and I are friends Sirius Black," she left out the 'whether you like it or not' and continued, "And I will _not _coddle you like the rest of the world. So you will give me a hug right this minute because it's been a very long twenty-four hours and I spent the first half with my nightmarish new Muggle brother-in-law before coming here and needing to deal with _you_."

He didn't wait a single second before his long arms wrapped themselves around the tiny witch, pulling her tight against him. She let out a choked sob and Sirius found it strange that she had been sent to comfort him and yet here he was, holding onto her as she cried. An unfamiliar warmth built in his chest as he breathed in the scent of the girl in his arms. It wasn't like when he held Mia, or any other girl for that matter. He held no desires for Lily whatsoever, and yet it felt right to hug her like this. Sirius smiled and wondered if this was how James felt when he hugged Mia.

"Right." Lily pulled away and wiped her tears. "Good. Now get downstairs," she ordered. "You need to be with your family."

"You're coming too." Sirius took hold of her hand and tugged her with him.

"No," Lily frowned. "You need to be with ..."

"Family," Sirius nodded. "Like it or not Evans ... Lily ..." he corrected himself, smiling at the use of her given name. "You've been one of us for a very long time."

oOoOoOo

When Lily and Sirius walked into Dorea's room, the older witch seemed to be in a fantastic mood as she dictated to her family. All with the exception of Charlus looked shocked and uneasy.

"... And for the flowers, I don't want roses or carnations. Roses have lost all meaning these days since they're so easy to come by, and I find carnations to be cheap." She rolled her eyes. "I do like hydrangeas and orchids, or...hello Sirius and Lily… ," Dorea smiled at the sight of the two before continuing as a stroke of genius seemed to hit her. "Oh! Lilies. I do love lilies," she said brightly. "The pink Japanese lilies are a particular favorite, not that I don't also like the kind that James had tattooed on his chest," she gestured toward her son who turned beet red.

"What?!" Lily paled and her wide green eyes turned on James, gaping at his chest where she knew he had a tattoo, but had never been told what it was.

"Mum ..." James cleared his throat, avoiding Lily's gaze as he tried to bring himself back to why they'd even been talking about flowers to begin with. "Can we not ... can we not plan your bloody funeral right now?"

"Should I be waiting for something?" Dorea asked plainly.

"You should be resting," Mia insisted.

"I can rest tomorrow dear." Dorea rolled her eyes. Everyone turned to stare at her incredulously, knowing she'd been told she wasn't going to see tomorrow. "Now don't look at me like that. Have I ever been the kind of witch to sit idly by and let things happen around me? Can I do anything about my fate?" She proceeded to answer herself. "No, therefore I will make the most of what time I have left; and frankly, you all have such abysmal taste in decorum I worry my tomb will be covered in daisies." She said the word with disgust.

"What's wrong with daisies, dear?" Charlus asked, placating his wife.

"They're _simple_," she scoffed, offended by the flower. As if Dorea Potter née Black were simple! "Fine, if you all _can't _allow an old woman a few moments of party planning bliss," she very nearly pouted, "I'll make a list for you later. In the meantime I want you all to buck up and act like the children I've raised." Her tone was reproachful as her grey eyes lingered on each of the teenagers in the room, Lily and Peter as well. "That includes _all _of you considering how often you're at my house. I have things to say and I expect not be interrupted, is that clear?" She asked firmly. Each person in the room nodded.

"James." She reached out for her son, the only one actually born of her flesh and blood.

James took his mother's hand delicately, treating her as though she were glass, despite the fact his gentle actions would undoubtedly earn him a glare from the independent witch.

"I expect you to go to Gringotts with your father and begin the process of claiming your inheritance," she instructed him. She was a Slytherin to the core and plans needed to be put into action. Her children _knew _that she loved them; it was unnecessary to act like a Hufflepuff, reminding them of that fact and that she would would always be with them. They _knew_.

"While you're there you will set up separate accounts for your sister and Sirius ..." She glared at Sirius when he moved to speak. "Do not interrupt me young man. I'm well aware of the grand sum of your vault, but you are my son and will not deny me the opportunity to give you what I want." She very nearly growled. "James, I want you to work hard on your N.E.W.T.s this year, and do your best not to harass this lovely young witch." She gestured to Lily, who flushed pink under the stare of the intimidating woman. "I know it's difficult because she is so very pretty." Dorea smirked when James blushed as well, trying to remember that lovely color on his cheeks. "But it's time for childish behaviors to be put to bed."

"Yes Mum." James nodded and reluctantly let go of her hand when Dorea beckoned Sirius forward.

"Sirius, you will stop blaming yourself for everything that happens," she ordered him. "Whatever guilt weighs on your heart is putting you in danger. You're a Gryffindor and one that is far too emotional and reckless," she scolded. "You are the heir to my Ancient and Noble House and one day I expect you to take control of it, cleanse it properly, and rebuild it," she said clearly, making certain he was aware this was, in fact, her dying wish. "Even if you marry a good woman, give her your name and let her do the cleansing for you." She squeezed his hand tight and smiled when he leaned down to hug her. "You take care of my children," Dorea whispered in his ear. "Promise me."

"I'll keep them safe," Sirius swore it. "I promise." He bolted from her side quickly before he started crying again. Almost on instinct he moved to Lily's side and smiled sadly when the redhead hugged him again.

"Mia ..." Dorea held her hand out to her daughter.

"No." The brunette refused to stand.

"Stubborn little witch." Dorea said the words affectionately, as a term of endearment. "You're to become the Lady of the House, representing both Potter and Black." She ignored the fact that Mia seemed to be trying to ignore her. "And I expect you to follow the rules that come with the life you've been given."

Mia's brown eyes rose up to meet Dorea's grey orbs.

"Follow the rules to the _letter_."

Mia frowned in understanding. Dorea was asking her to not change the past, regardless of what it meant.

"Remember it is the content of a life, not the length of a life." Dorea smiled when Mia finally reached out and took her hand. "I want you to fill many lives with joy and love," she said, gesturing to the others in the room. Dorea and Mia both knew that war was here; many would die and even more would suffer. "Nothing more can be expected of you. Death cannot be avoided, so live. All of you," Dorea looked around the room and met each set of teary eyes.

"We don't want you to die," Mia confessed. "We want you to fight."

"Am I not fighting?" Dorea smirked. "Do I look to be defeated?" She sat up straight, her head held proud. "I am Dorea Black Potter, and _nothing _is done without my say so. Things happen because I will them to happen. I _will _myself to fight, but I accept the inevitable," she admitted. "This is not my end my lovelies," Dorea smiled sweetly, her grey eyes sparkling. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is Death."


	69. Chapter 69

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Last chapter was a rough one, I know. I actually was stuck in about a two week writer's block because I knew what was going to happen and how, but the words just wouldn't come out. I ended up writing about ten chapters after this story line before I ever even sat down to complete it. I am however incredibly happy as a writer to see that something I've created has affected so many.

**Update**: Thanks to** Erulastiel-Ithilwen **for correcting me on the Charm used later in this chapter!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Safe Space

_"...Is it over yet_  
_Can I open my eyes_  
_Is this as hard as it gets_  
_Is this what it feels like to really cry..."_  
_(Cry - Kelly Clarkson)_

* * *

**June 27th, 1977**

**St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries**

Dorea Potter stubbornly proved the Healers wrong by lasting the night and the entire day that followed. She took her final breath just as the sun set against the London skyline, surrounded by her husband and multitude of children. The family was given a long while to sit in silence and say their goodbyes if they wanted, but eventually Healers came in to speak with Charlus about what would need to happen next.

Sirius led everyone up to the roof, parting with the last few cigarettes he had. Everyone took one save for Lily, who had linked arms with Mia and Sirius. Remus had his arm around Mia's shoulder, a smoke in his free hand. To Sirius' left stood James, staring out at the lights of the city as he took the cigarette between his lips. Lily realized he'd done it before. A small part of her brain mentally noted that she would need to break him of the habit, though she wasn't certain why she cared enough to put forth the effort. Peter stood next to James, a hand rested against his friend's shoulder. They all stared off silently into the distance.

Slowly Lily separated from the group, noting with interest the way Sirius and Mia immediately closed the gap her absence created. The redhead smiled sadly at the scene before she turned away and silently walked back down the stairs, eventually meeting Mister Potter outside of Dorea's room. She thought he would look like the grieving Lyall Lupin had only a day earlier, but Charlus looked strangely calm. Sad, and broken, but not angry or vengeful. He just looked ... lost.

"Mister Potter, is there anything I can do for you?" Lily asked him genuinely.

"Thank you, Lily, no." Charlus smiled sadly at the girl, clearly grateful for the offer. "I'm just going to spend a little more time here to collect my thoughts and begin preparations," he explained. "If you wouldn't mind seeing that my children make it home safely though?" The black and grey haired man kindly asked her.

"I'll do that. " The witch nodded, grateful for to be helpful. "I've also owled my parents and told them what happened. I'll stay at the Manor for a while and help where I can, even if it's just making sure Sirius doesn't snap and do something stupid. If that's alright with you, of course."

Charlus smiled kindly at her. "I would be very much indebted to you, Miss Evans," he answered.

Lily let out a small sigh of relief. She couldn't imagine going home right now, not with Petunia and Vernon potentially there to scold her for leaving their wedding reception early. The newlyweds had chosen to forgo the honeymoon due to financial matters; both had guilted Lily and their parents into gifting them more money than any of them could afford in order to help secure a new house the couple had found over in Little Whinging. Lily couldn't go home now, not to that. Not when her friends were suffering and there was maybe something she could do to ease their pain.

"If you'll allow it, I'd like to send Tilly to take care of you until you return home," Lily asked Charlus, worried that if left to his own devices he might not think about things like eating or resting when he should. Tilly would help him with that.

"That would be appreciated." Charlus nodded but then frowned. "I imagine she'll have already been alerted to Dorea's passing and will be very determined to try and make herself busy."

Lily mirrored his frown, wondering if Tilly's magic had been connected to Dorea. She felt a pull at her heart telling her to get to the Manor now and send Tilly to St. Mungo's; that way the little elf wouldn't have to grieve alone.

Once she was able to get the Marauders and Mia down from the roof, Lily ushered them all through the Floo Network, saying goodbye to Peter in the process who had a sudden urge to go home and check on his own mother. That was something they all completely understood.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

"Right, the lot of you off to bed," Lily ordered the moment they stepped from the fireplace into the large circular drawing room of Potter Manor. "It's been a long couple of days. I'll bring up some tea if anyone wants some." She watched sadly as James ascended the staircase without speaking to anyone.

"Firewhisky's in the glass cabinet just there," Sirius gestured to Charlus' recently refurbished stash of Ogden's Finest.

"I'll put some in your cup," Lily conceded. She watched as Sirius followed after James, leaving her alone in the drawing room with Mia; her friend was browsing through a book that had been left open on a nearby table, running her fingers over a soft green ribbon bookmark with a silver serpent hanging out of the pages. The ginger witch frowned and called out, "Tilly?"

A soft pop and the house-elf appeared looking worse for wear. Her large tennis-ball-sized blue eyes were wet with tears, and in her hand she held a small handkerchief she'd been blowing her nose on.

"Miss Lily called for Tilly?" The house-elf looked up at the redhead and then snapped her fingers. "Tilly makes tea. Firewhisky already in Young Master Sirius' cup," she gestured to one in the middle of the tray that appeared darker than the others.

"Thank you Tilly." Lily smiled sweetly at the little elf. "Mister Potter would be very pleased if you'd go to St. Mungo's and attend to him for a while." She noticed the nervous look the elf was giving her at the thought of leaving the Manor and the occupants of it. "I promise I'll take good care of everyone else while you're away, and will call for you if we need anything," Lily assured her.

Tilly still looked uneasy. Her blue eyes shifted to Mia, who had finally put the book down and walked over. "Tilly will leave ... if ..." the house-elf hesitated before finally speaking clearly, "If Mistress needs her to,." She fixed her eyes on Mia.

"What?" Mia paled at the word, a vision of Kreacher in the future calling her that word, 'Mistress', as though he had no control over it when it left his lips. Mia stared down at the house-elf who had fixed her meals and sewed her clothes and brushed her hair for the past six years and frowned.

"Does Mistress want Tilly to go to St. Mungos?" Tilly asked.

"Tilly, I'm not your ... " Mia tried to fight it.

"Mia, you have to," Lily pleaded with her friend.

Mia clenched her eyes shut tightly. It was one thing to allow a house-elf to take care of her, especially since Tilly was so damn stubborn and manipulative, but to have one bonded to her, passed down to her from mother to daughter simply because that was the way things worked ... it was horrifying for the witch who had spent so much effort defining a part of her own character by the fact that she would never willingly enslave another creature.

But the look in Tilly's eyes wasn't just grief. It was fear. Tilly was afraid of being cast out, or given away to another family, possibly given back to the Black family, Walburga even, and Mia couldn't allow that. "Yes Tilly," she nodded, swallowing back the bile in her throat. "Mistress insists that you please go and take care of my father. " She said the bitter words and frowned when Tilly let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Tilly does as Mistress wishes," Tilly bowed her head respectfully to Mia and then vanished with a soft pop.

"It's going to be okay, Mia," Lily whispered.

"No it's not," Mia shook her head, feeling dirty and disgusted with herself. "I own a house-elf now. The world is fucking upside-down." She reached for the silver tray and picked up Sirius' cup of tea purposely, draining it and letting the warm Firewhisky in it sear the wounds she felt she'd created by accepting a house-elf.

"It'll eventually right itself," Lily promised.

"Not without worse things happening." Mia sighed, thinking of the next few years and how awful things were about to get. "Thank you, Lily, for taking care of my family." She looked into the green eyes of her friend and momentarily got lost in them. So green, just like ... just like Harry's. Mia stifled a sob and exhaled sharply. "I'm ... Godric, I'm so tired. I'm going to go to bed."

"I'll walk with you." Lily reached for the Firewhisky in the glass cabinet and refilled the empty cup with it, knowing Sirius would prefer it straight without tea anyways. She levitated the tray behind her as she followed Mia up the stairs, down the long corridor and through the double doors at the end into Mia's room. Her eyes widened at the sight she was faced with.

Three grown wizards had crawled into Mia's overly large four poster bed, each of them already claimed by sleep. Lily's eyes turned to Mia, who didn't look surprised at all by the scene as she moved forward, crawling into the space between James and Remus as though they had purposely left it available to her. Mia leaned back against Remus' chest, and his arm instinctively wrapped around her waist. James' body moved as well, resting his head against Mia's shoulder just as another mop of dark black hair adjusted on the bed, eventually resting in the curly-haired witch's lap. Mia closed her brown eyes and let out a soft sigh as she placed her hand on top of Sirius' head, letting her fingers loosely run through his hair.

Lily blinked curiously as she watched the scene, suddenly realizing this wasn't new or unusual. Each of them appeared strangely content in the exact space they occupied next to, between and on top of one another. Almost in the way that animals curled up with one another for warmth, protection and comfort. Lily wondered if it was because of Remus being a werewolf, but something told her that no ... it wasn't.

She placed the silver tea tray on a table next to the bed, retrieving her wand from her robes and casting a Stasis Charm over it so that when they eventually woke it would be ready for them. She observed her friends closely, worried that Dorea's death would reignite Mia's nightmares. A part of her wondered if the boys would have them as well. Somehow they all looked peaceful, just like this. Remus appeared confident, the tallest as he leaned against the headboard, a protective arm wrapped around Mia. Sirius looked content, well cared for with Mia's fingers tangled in his mess of silky black hair. Mia appeared safe, cocooned in the center of this strange nest of boyfriend, brother and... whatever Sirius was to her these days.

James on the other hand looked ... alone; a part of something important and yet not entirely wrapped up with the rest of them. It didn't help that he'd forgotten to remove his glasses and the spectacles sat on his face crookedly as he rested his cheek against his sister's shoulder. Lily walked to the opposite side of the bed, pulling the black frames delicately from his face and setting them next to the silver tea tray before turning to a large chaise lounge chair in the corner where she decided to sleep.

oOoOoOo

_**Flashback**_

**June 17th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Hermione collapsed in the entrance hall of Number 12, holding her stomach and trying to focus so she wouldn't throw up. She hated traveling by Portkey, and International Portkeys were just awful. Her mess of wild brown curls held a little more frizz to it than usual and her eyes were red rimmed and glassy. The moment that she realized she wasn't going to vomit, she burst into hysterical tears.

The noise roused everyone inside the house. Soon she was descended upon by wizards on every side, but it was a werewolf who pulled her into his arms and let her sob against his chest as he took to the staircase, silently moving toward Hermione's room. Remus placed Hermione on her bed, sitting instinctively back against the wall and pulling her close to him in a hug, a large arm wrapped protectively around her.

"What happened?" Remus asked. "Were you able to see them?"

"They'll never know me again," Hermione sobbed. "I ... I went all that way. I knew they wouldn't remember me, but seeing them ..." she sobbed. "Remus my parents are ... they might as well be dead," she wept.

He frowned, running a hand down her hair. "In a way you're right." His green eyes looked up as he spotted Sirius, Harry and Ron standing in the doorway. The two younger wizards looked worried and uncomfortable at the sight of the young witch sobbing. Sirius, however, stepped forward quickly, pulling Hermione from Remus' arms and holding her against him, letting her cry into his shoulder.

"It's okay if you need to grieve, kitten," he whispered. He stroked his fingers up and down her back consolingly, kissing the side of her head and ignoring the curious looks he was receiving from Harry and Ron as he did so. "You don't always have to be the strong one," he promised her. Hermione nodded and looked up as she felt Remus take his leave of the bed, moving toward the door where he put a hand on Harry's shoulder and shoved him forward a bit.

As brown eyes met green, Hermione cried and Harry flew forward. He hugged her on instinct, clearly grateful he could provide her with something considering he blamed himself for the fact that she had to Obliviate her parents in the first place. Hermione clung tightly to Harry like he was her lifeline, neither noticing the mildly dejected looks on Sirius and Remus' faces, nor the way Ron lingered in the doorway feeling like he was intruding on a private moment.

"Wotcher Ron," said a bright voice as Tonks appeared beside the redheaded wizard. The purple-haired Auror peeked into the room and looked up at her husband with concern, silently asking what happened.

"Hermione saw her parents," Remus said with a frown.

Tonks sighed, looking at the younger witch with sympathy. No one walked out of the war without losing something, it seemed. Tonks herself had lost her own father, so she knew at least a little bit of what Hermione would be going through. "It's good she has you lot. Take good care of her, yeah?" She looked up at Remus just as he shook his head to argue. "Don't you dare." Tonks leaned up and kissed her husband quickly on the mouth. "All three of you," she said, gesturing to Sirius, Remus and Harry, "Have lost your parents. You know what it's like and what she needs. So do it and don't question me." She eyed Remus with a small smirk on her lips.

"What am I supposed to do?" Ron asked awkwardly, watching as Hermione clung to Harry while Sirius rubbed her back as she cried.

"You go home and visit your Mum and Dad," Tonks insisted with a smile. Ron seemed to understand. He nodded, casting a look back at Hermione once more before descending the staircase. Once he was gone, Tonks turned and looked up at Remus. "There," she smiled sadly. "Just family now. Just Pack," she clarified, and Remus nodded in understanding.

_**Flashback Ends**_

oOoOoOo

**June 28th, 1977**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Mia opened her eyes in the middle of the night, feeling Remus' hot breath on her neck and his arms holding her tightly. She tilted her head to look at him. She wondered if he was holding her so protectively to help her grieve through Dorea's death, or because he needed someone to hold as he grieved for his own mother. She frowned down at Sirius, his head still in her lap, and ran her hands briefly through his hair, worried he would wake any second and potentially fall off the deep end after losing the only mother who had ever shown him affection. The grief felt familiar and yet different at the same time. She had lost her biological parents to an Obliviate years ago, and though it wasn't to death it was just as unchangeable. This felt worse. Dorea had been her mother in every way but blood, and it was painful to think about waking up in the morning and not seeing her there, picking grapes and blueberries out of her usual bowl of fruit.

As the pain in her chest deepened, Mia pried herself from Remus and Sirius and reached out for James, clinging to him tightly, snuggling her face into the mess of black hair. A small part of her wished he was Harry; wished Harry was here, because then maybe the family wouldn't feel so broken with the sudden missing piece. Her eyes looked across the room where she spotted Lily sleeping soundly in the large chair. Mia couldn't help but smile as she remembered something Tonks had said long ago.

_Just family now. Just Pack._

oOoOoOo

**July 31st, 1977**

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Dorea's funeral had been one of celebration, as the Potters had insisted she would be incredibly cross if she knew they were mourning her passing rather than shouting her accomplishments. Somehow after the funeral things began going back to normal, though with a lingering sadness in the air that lessened day by day.

Lily stayed at the Manor for a few weeks to help the family before she felt she needed to return home. She hadn't been there for more than two days before Petunia's new husband was informed about the witch in the family and proceeded to burst at the seams with disgust. Lily's parents had uncomfortably suggested that perhaps it was time for Petunia and Vernon to leave, but Lily insisted that she would depart Cokeworth, opting for Potter Manor of all places to find refuge away from her torn family.

Everyone fell into a comfortable routine leading up to the second full moon in July. Charlus and James spent a lot of their time dealing with official things at Gringotts, where the father began teaching his son the family trusts and holdings as well as setting up individual accounts for Mia and putting aside money for Sirius (despite his refusal). James was also given access to the account the Potters had previously set up in Remus' name to which they secretly continued adding an allowance without the young werewolf knowing. Knowing his friend's pride, James promised not to overflow it with Galleons but instead add just enough to ensure Remus got through school without everything he owned being hand-me-downs.

Sirius spent most of his time restoring the motorbike he'd wrecked earlier, usually denying the help offered by James, Remus and Peter. Instead he opted either for time alone or conversation with Lily, and he happily absorbed her knowledge of the Muggle world while he tried - and failed - to introduce her to the pleasures of good Firewhisky and motorbikes. She did, however, admit to a slight preference for his music tastes and the two would often spend late afternoons debating Muggle and Wizarding bands.

Mia spent her days and nights taking care of Remus. In addition to the second full moon that month, Remus had been denied entry to his own mother's funeral. Not only that, but Lyall Lupin had placed specific wards around the family plot preventing the entrance of any creature, dark or otherwise. Remus had politely accepted the fact that he couldn't be there for his mother's burial, but days later when he'd attempted to visit her grave he'd been thrown twenty feet from the site, breaking his arm upon landing. It had required a return to St. Mungo's much sooner than anyone at Potter Manor would have liked.

Mia had requested that Tilly tend to both Charlus and Remus as often as possible, knowing they were presently suffering the most of everyone both emotionally and (in Remus' case) physically. That allowed Lily access to the kitchen, where she enjoyed preparing morning tea for everyone, feeling that it was the least she could do to contribute to the family seeing as they'd taken her in without thought or question.

"Oh ..." Lily blushed when she nearly ran into James the morning after the full moon. She'd not been told much about how Remus would be recuperating, nor about where he would be placed during his transformations. She had, however, been told to remain inside the Manor no matter what, and Tilly had been instructed to remain with her all night long. "I didn't think anyone was up yet."

"Yeah." James yawned, looking as though he hadn't slept all night. "Mia, Sirius and Remus are still sleeping."

Lily rose a brow. "Where?"

"What?" James blinked, bleary eyed.

"Where are they sleeping? I checked Mia's room this morning and no one had slept in it, and I know the four of you are still staying there." She watched him intently.

He looked as though he were waiting for her to attack him. "We need to enlarge her bed before tonight," James said, changing the subject a bit. "It's too small for the four of us."

"Or maybe you're too big to be sleeping in a bed with your sister and best friends," Lily teased with a smirk.

"Done it since we were eleven." James shrugged his shoulders and turned away from her toward a counter where he began preparing a tray filled with four teacups and a small collection of potion vials. By the looks of the colors Lily estimated them to be Calming Draught and several Pain Relief Potions. She didn't notice when James pulled out an extra cup and began pouring tea into it along with the others. "It was always to take care of her though," James explained and Lily realized she hadn't been paying attention so she quickly refocused on his words. "Never thought Mia's bed would just become..."

"A safe space for all of you?"

"Yeah," James nodded thoughtfully and then looked down at the extra teacup, taking it in his hands and holding it out for her. "Oh here."

"Is this for me?" Lily carefully examined the drink as though he'd slipped something awful into it, or charmed the cup to turn her hands blue.

"Sorry," James frowned as she inspected the liquid. "Do you not take lemon in your morning tea anymore?" He asked curiously as if recording the moment to his memory.

"You know how I take my tea?" She asked, though she shouldn't have been surprised. They'd sat at the same breakfast table for six years now, eventually he was bound to noticed especially considering how often she'd caught him staring at her.

"Yeah, you like it really hot even though sometimes you don't touch it until it's room temperature," he began.

Lily blinked, her eyes suddenly wide.

"And you take it with one slice of lemon and two sugars, but if you're reading a book at breakfast sometimes you forget to stir it and the sugar just sits at the bottom." James smiled wistfully, his eyes suddenly lighting up all over something so silly as tea. "You still drink it though, and then when you get to the bottom and it's all sweet you make this really cute face and … " he stopped as he realized he'd been speaking out loud, mildly embarrassed over his words. He cleared his throat. "I just ... umm ... yeah. Sorry, not supposed to harass you anymore and that came off a bit ... stalker." He winced.

Lily stood there, her bright green eyes still wide. Was she even breathing? No. Lily inhaled quickly, gasping, and to cover the noise she too cleared her throat. She hesitantly took a sip from the cup in her hand. "It's ... adequate," she said, hiding a smile as James beamed at the words regardless. "It would be better room temperature though," she admitted.

"I'm sure you've got patience for it." He smiled at her and levitated the tray behind him.

"Bringing that to the others?" She asked curiously, taking note of the wall James put back up between them. She'd always known the Marauders and Mia were overly protective of one another, Remus especially, but to see it this way was a bit overwhelming.

James answered her with a quick nod.

"Do you need help?" She offered.

He immediately shook his head. "Sorry. No offense Lily, it's just ... we've been taking care of Remus for years now, and he ... it's hard to explain. One day we will," he promised her. "But not the day after the full moon. Especially not this moon," he lowered his eyes.

Lily wondered if the deaths of Dorea and Hope had made Remus' transformation that much worse. She said nothing but simply nodded at James as he turned and made his way for the door.

"Potter?" Lily called after him.

He turned and looked up at her.

She was briefly shocked at his lack of normal enthusiasm at her use of his name, but somehow his relaxed demeanor was ... relaxing to her.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Lily offered a timid smile. "For the tea."

"You're welcome Lily." James gave her a crooked grin before leaving the kitchen, silver tray following behind him.


	70. Chapter 70

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Is anyone else ready for some happy times? Thanks for sticking it out with me through all the death and darkness. I know it's been rough. It'll still be rough in parts. It is a war after all. Speaking of rough, I've run out of things to read. Anyone have any Fic Recs?

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy: Primum Osculum

_"...She's in love with the boy. She's in love with the boy  
__She's in love with the boy  
__What's meant to be will always find a way  
__She's gonna marry that boy someday..."  
__(She's in Love With the Boy - Trisha Yearwood)_

* * *

**September 1st, 1977**

**Hogwarts Express **

"Right, so last year we had some trouble with points being taken away needlessly. Please try to remember that as Prefects not only are you representing your own respective Houses, but the school as a whole. Bias should not be brought into this," Lily informed the gathered Prefects in the large cabin at the front of the train.

"I know the previous Head Boy and Girl were a little ... relaxed in the organization of meetings, but I fully plan on keeping up on each and every one of you to make sure all Houses are being treated fairly. Yes, even Slytherin." She eyed Severus who was glaring at the Head Boy, his black eyes possibly even blacker than they'd ever been. "Considering Gryffindor has never won House Cup in the entirety of my time at Hogwarts, I don't intend to cheat during my last year just so my own House can throw a little party at the end of the year," she added, rolling her eyes. "Potter?" She turned to James, who stood beside her in loose-fitting robes looking more relaxed than ever, the only thing polished about him the Head Boy badge hanging off his robes. "As Head Boy do you have anything you'd like to add?"

"No," James smiled. "You've covered everything meticulously as usual, Miss Evans." He smirked and several Prefects laughed. When Lily flushed a bit at the noise, James turned and raised a brow at the crowd. "That wasn't a joke," he insisted. He sighed and ran his hand down his face. Being Head Boy was not something he'd asked for.

oOoOoOo

**One Day Earlier**

_"_Mia! Mia! Remus!" Lily shrieked loudly as she ran through the corridors of Potter Manor, a large envelope in one hand, shiny gold badge in the other and a look of pure rapture on her face. Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. "I got it! I got it!"

"You got it?" Mia sat up from the drawing room couch where she'd been snuggled up beside Remus. She was delighted for her friend, though a slight glint of jealousy shone in her eyes.

"Got what? What'd I miss?" Sirius walked into the room, a half-eaten apple in his engine-grease-covered hands. His long black hair was pulled back into a loose knot at the back of his head and oil stains covered his white tshirt.

"Here!" Lily grinned and thrust several other letters she'd been carrying out to each of them, handing the last to James without so much as a glance as he followed Sirius into the room. "Hogwarts letters just arrived and I'm Head Girl!"

"Congratulations, Lily." Remus smiled brightly. "No one deserves it more than you." he ignored the teasing glare Mia was throwing at him.

"Open yours Remus!" Lily squealed. "Let's see your Head Boy badge."

Remus suddenly frowned. "You don't know that I got it; in fact I'd prefer I _didn't_," he confessed. "I even asked Dumbledore to take my name out of consideration. Between N.E.W.T.s and ... everything else, I doubt I'll be able to keep up with the responsibilities of a Prefect, let alone Head Boy." He'd set up a meeting before term ended in June to discuss his future with the Headmaster. Remus had been top pick for Head Boy, but knowing that his future could depend on his N.E.W.T scores, he was determined not to let anything get in the way of shining.

"I'm sorry you feel that way Remus," Lily frowned. "But honestly, who _else _would they pick?"

"Oh, fuck."

Mia, Lily and Remus turned to look across the room, where James stood looking pale and wide-eyed as he held his Hogwarts letter in one hand and something shiny in the other.

"Merlin, this is the best day ever," Sirius laughed as he read over James' shoulder.

"You got Head Boy?!" Mia yelled excitedly. She shouldn't have been surprised, having known Harry's parents had been Head Boy and Girl; still, it was quite different thinking of them as Harry's parents and not Lily and Jamie.

"_You _got Head Boy?" Lily echoed Mia's statement, but with a slightly different tone.

"You've got to be kidding me," Remus laughed in disbelief.

"I don't understand." James looked up, confused.

"That makes two of us," Lily frowned and folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh Godric," Sirius guffawed. "I needed that laugh today. Prongs is Head Boy ... what the bloody hell was Dumbledore thinking?"

"I got Prefect again," Remus noted aloud as he opened his own letter.

"I'm apparently Lily's Prefect replacement." Mia pulled out a familiar looking badge, remembering how excited she had been the first time she got it at the beginning of her fifth original year.

"Well look at you four with matching badges," Sirius cooed at them as though they were babies. "Want me to take a picture?"

"I have to owl my parents." Lily rolled her eyes at Sirius and moved to leave the room.

Sirius called after her, "I'm sure they'll be fine with you sharing quarters with Prongs."

"What?!" The ginger witch's green eyes widened in shock and she spun on her tiny heels, nearly falling over in the process.

"Lily ... the umm ..." Mia tried to stifle her laughter, but Sirius was not having that problem in the slightest as he was leaning against the wall to keep himself from falling over. "Head Boy and Head Girl share a Common Room. Each with their own bedroom of course, but... it's not in Gryffindor Tower with the rest of us."

"I have to _live _with him?!"

"To be fair," Remus pointed out with a smirk. "You've been living with him for the last two months."

"Yes but ... that's different ... it's ..." Lily stammered.

"Not private?" Sirius grinned.

oOoOoOo

**September 1st, 1977**

**Hogwarts Express**

The Prefects began filing out of the cabin one by one leaving behind James, Lily, Remus, Mia, and a sneering Severus Snape. He ignored Lily entirely, putting his entire focus on his hatred for James.

"It's absurd that after everything you've done over the last six years, Potter, the old coot made you of all students Head Boy," Snape glared.

"Thought it would be _you_, Snivellus?" Sirius said as he poked his head into the cabin, having waited for his friends only to find them being verbally attacked by a Slytherin. "Right, like anyone would let you live in the same dorm as Lily after what you called her." He growled and made his way toward his friends, hovering near Lily protectively

Severus took immediate notice of the action and grimaced. "I've apologised for what I said repeatedly," the Slytherin insisted. "An _apology_, Black, is when you've accidentally or intentionally caused any form of injury to a person and regret the decision. Putting their life at risk, for instance." His black eyes flickered to Remus, who immediately looked away shamefully remembering the night he'd almost attacked the boy.

"I'm only sorry that I didn't try anything sooner you son of a-" Sirius was quickly cut off by Remus, who took hold of his arms and began dragging him out of the room by force.

"Alright, Sirius, thank you for waiting for us to finish our meeting," the werewolf snarled. "Let's go back to the compartment now." He threw a look of apology over his shoulder to his friends on Sirius' behalf.

"Wonderful sheep dog you've got there," Snape quipped. "Does he shed?"

Mia narrowed her eyes, her hands shaking as she stared at Snape. Even Lily was looking angry on Remus' behalf, considering the summer he'd had. The summer they'd _all _had. James, strangely was the mature one who kept calm and cleared his throat.

"If you'll excuse us, Snape," James gestured to the door. "We've got patrols to get through."

"Acting the part now?" Snape rolled his eyes.

"No," James insisted calmly. "I'm just doing my job and trying to get through it without causing a problem."

"You can't _seriously _think he's changed, Lily," Snape turned toward the redhead.

Lily looked positively offended that after everything he'd finally turned to speak to her, addressing her by her name even and acting as though they were still friends.

"Lily..." Mia reached for the witch.

"I'm fine," the redhead insisted. "Please excuse us Severus, we have patrols to get through," she said with a tone of indifference.

"He doesn't deserve it and you know that!" Snape snapped. "The only reason Dumbledore gave the position to him is because Lupin can't be trusted." He ignored the growls issuing from Mia's throat. "And he feels sorry for Potter."

"Why exactly would he feel sorry for me?" James asked, his temper finally rising.

"Because your mother died," Severus said heartlessly. "As if _that's _some sort of accomplishment ..."

He might have had something more to say, but whatever it was he would be saying it from the floor, tasting blood through the words if he dared. Mia stood over the Slytherin, her hand balled into a tight fist, glaring down as Snape clutched his jaw.

"Mia!" Lily yelled in shock.

"You horrid greasy little bat!" Mia screamed at Snape.

"You bitch!" He yelled back up at her, rising to his feet and drawing his wand on the curly-haired witch.

"_Expelliarmus_!" James called and watched as Snape's wand flew into his hand. "Ten points from Slytherin for pulling a wand on a Prefect." He glared with righteous anger at the boy, taking a moment to control himself considering how badly he wanted to hex Snape for daring to aim a wand at his sister.

"Are you kidding me?!" Snape shouted. "_She _punched _me_!"

"To be fair, it's been a few years since I last did it and you were due for another!" Mia snapped.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for assaulting another student," James said.

Mia's brown eyes turned and stared openly at her brother in absolute shock. "Wait, what?" She gaped. "Jamie, you heard what he said about Mum!"

"Yes I did," James said sternly. "But just because he said it doesn't make it true. Mum would be ashamed to see you resort to violence instead of taking the high road, or at the very least first planning out something a little more ... Slytherin." He winced at the way the statement tasted. "Not to mention you're both Prefects and should be setting an example. What if the first years saw this? In fact, detention for the both of you," he ordered, taking little time to wonder if he was letting the power go to his head. "Meet with your Heads of House before the Welcome Feast to schedule it."

"You can't-" Snape began.

James cut him off quickly. "I'm Head Boy, and I can," he assured him. "Mia, get back to the compartment. Lily and I have patrols to take care of."

"You'll regret this, Potter," Snape very nearly growled before storming out of the room and down the long aisle to the Slytherin compartment.

"I'm sure I will," James muttered quietly. He watched as Mia left the room as well. His hazel eyes followed her, making sure she passed by Snape's compartment and kept on her way to the one in the back that was still generally reserved for Marauders and Mia.

"Potter ..." Lily spoke softly. "Umm ... thank you. For ... for being fair."

"Can I get extra credit if I tell you how incredibly difficult that was?" James let out a long sigh of frustration.

Lily almost smirked at the sight. He was trying. Actually trying, and good Godric, she could see how hard it was for him. "Because she was your sister or because he's Severus Snape?" She asked bluntly.

"Honestly?" James rose a brow and Lily nodded. "Both," he admitted. "But I'm not afraid of him. I _am _however a little afraid of Mia." He laughed. "She's violent toward Slytherins, but she can be downright _Slytherin _to the rest of us when she wants to be."

"I wouldn't worry too much. She loves you," Lily smiled. "Just ... just maybe have Peter taste-test all of your food for a while."

oOoOoOo

**The Great Hall**

Mia scowled at James from across the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall as they sat down to enjoy the Welcome Feast. She tried to convince herself that, had she been in his position, she would have issued detention as well. How many times over the years had Mia scolded James and Sirius for picking on Snape? She'd lost count. Then again, Snape had been cruel and Mia hadn't punched him in a few years. _Godric, it felt as good as it did the first time._

"Oh it won't be that bad, kitten," Sirius smirked at her from beside James, reaching over and checking James' goblet to make sure that Mia hadn't slipped anything in there yet. "You've served detention _before _for punching Snivellus in the face_. I_ should be the one who's upset. You've hit that greasy git _twice _and I've missed it both times."

"I've had detention before but never issued to me by _my own brother_," Mia pouted.

"Mia, I can't believe _I'm_ the one to say it," Lily sighed. "But the Head Boy acted accordingly. I would have issued you detention as well, regardless of who started it."

"If you'd like, I could pick a fight with someone and spend detention with you," Remus offered with a mischievous grin as he slipped a consoling arm around his girlfriend, who finally let a smile break through her scowling exterior.

"Don't you dare!" Lily snapped at Remus, her green eyes blazing. "I've been Head Girl for less than twenty-four hours and already _two _of my Prefects have been issued detention for fighting. I will _not _have a third go down, especially from my own House!" She declared loudly.

"Can _I_ spend detention with her?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

"As if I could stop you," Lily sighed in defeat.

"I'm really sorry Mia, but you know I had to do it." James frowned at his sister, who finally looked up at him and smiled, offering silent forgiveness. "At least your punishment isn't until next Friday; that way you can still come to the party tonight."

"What party?" Lily looked up anxiously. "I don't recall giving permission for any party."

"Head Boy gave permission." Sirius grinned.

"What's this about?" Lily narrowed her eyes at James, who smiled innocently at her.

"It's nothing big, Lily," Remus promised her. "But since James is Head Boy now and will be officially leaving Gryffindor Tower we wanted to give him a proper send off."

"It's more of a celebration for us, though, now that we don't have to put up with his snoring," Sirius admitted with a teasing smirk as he patted James on the back.

James turned and glared at his best friend. "I don't snore."

"Yes you do," Lily scoffed. Suddenly all eyes turned on her with interest. Lily flushed, realizing the implications for what she'd said aloud.

"What was that?" Mary smirked and scooted down the table to sit on the other side of the redhaired witch. "Lily dear, how would _you _know if James snores?" Mary grinned. "Did the two of you get a head start sharing living space?"

"For your information, I did actually spend quite a bit of time at Potter Manor this summer," Lily freely admitted. "I've spent time there over the holidays before and ... and I happened to witness him ... napping," she admitted, clearing her throat. Of course she would never tell aloud that she had been sleeping on the chair in Mia's room while her best friend snuggled up in a large bed with three grown wizards. That was their private safe space and she understood it; she wouldn't sully it by letting rumors get started about her friends. Her friends and James. "That's all. Nothing as sordid as you're making it out to be."

oOoOoOo

The Gryffindor table had been so caught up in their own conversations they hadn't noticed the plates disappearing, nor did they hear Professor Dumbledore's send off, but suddenly all the students in the Great Hall were rising from the tables and Lily moved to stand quickly.

"Alright Prefects," she spoke loudly, but not shouting. "Please escort the first years to the Common Rooms and make sure they all know the passwords. And try not to let any of them fall through the vanishing step." She eyed the fifth-year Gryffindor Prefects, whom she'd already heard laughing about not telling the first years the secrets of the disappearing step. Lily and James walked to the front of the Great Hall where Professor McGonagall was waiting for them.

"Miss Evans, Mister Potter." The old witch gave a polite nod to each student.

"Hello Professor."

"I wanted to first congratulate you both on your new positions," she said proudly, not wanting to make an overt display since both Head Boy and Girl had come from her own House. "I trust they will be treated with the utmost respect and seriousness."

"Yes Ma'am." Lily nodded firmly.

"Potter," Minerva turned to James and her gaze briefly softened. "I was so sorry to hear about your mother. She was a good witch," she said quietly. "Please pass along my condolences to your father if you would."

James briefly flashed his grief to the older witch, swallowing hard to pull it back in. "Thank you Ma'am. Should I pass along your condolences to my sister and Sirius as well?" He asked, letting a small smirk slip through and watching with interest as Minerva narrowed her gaze, her lips forming a tight line.

"I imagine I'll be seeing them _both _next Friday," McGonagall hissed. "Fighting on the train; honestly," she scoffed. "Please see to it that you keep your Prefects in line this year Miss Evans. I should hope the Head Boy will have no problem attending to his duties as well with an ounce of maturity."

"I'll _try _Professor," James offered her a crooked grin.

"And I won't catch the two of you hexing one another in the halls?" The Professor eyed the pair.

"To be fair," James insisted, "I've never _hexed _Lily."

"And I've never been _caught _hexing Potter," Lily admitted smugly.

"Alright, off with you both." McGonagall began shooing them out of the Great Hall. "There are patrol schedules for the two of you to write up, and I'll be busy ignoring the rumors of a party happening in Gryffindor Tower. I'm certain neither of you are aware of such a thing." The older witch raised a curious eyebrow, and the corner of her lip turned up ever so slightly when James feigned innocence.

"Of course not, Professor," he declared. "If there _is _a party, you can be certain that I'll put a firm stop to it," he promised. "No parties in Gryffindor Tower after midnight."

"Eleven," McGonagall said after a moment of contemplation.

"Deal," James nodded with a grin.

"Miss Evans," the Professor turned to the Head Girl. "Can you show the Head Boy to your new quarters? I assume you've already been made aware of them since you've been pining for the position of Head Girl for six years?"

"I wouldn't call it _pining _exactly." Lily frowned, only slightly offended. "But yes Ma'am, I know where our rooms are."

"I'll bid you both goodnight."

"Are you going to the party, then?" James asked Lily as they walked out of the Great Hall and toward the staircase.

"No," Lily shook her head. "There's too much to do, I have to write up all the new Prefect patrolling schedules, especially with Mia and Sev- er" she paused and corrected herself, "Snape in detention next Friday. I'll have to figure out who to pair with their previous partners since they'll be unavailable. And with you being Quidditch Captain, I imagine I'll have to work around that schedule as well, not to mention planning for N.E.W.T.s..."

"You could just take a night off, you know," James suggested with a laugh.

"That's your problem, Potter." Lily put her hands on her hips and sighed irritably. "You treat every night like it's a night off. You have to grow up sometime and actually take responsibility for things."

"Fair enough. I'll think about it, yeah?" He smirked and turned his attention back toward the staircase where they saw a small girl in green and silver robes sitting on the bottom step looking positively devastated.

"Excuse me? Are you lost?" Lily asked sweetly.

"No … " the eleven-year-old scowled up at the redhead and then frowned, looking back down at the floor, embarrassed. "Er ... well yes, but ... I don't want to go to my Common Room," she confessed sadly.

"Why's that?" James asked as he took a seat directly beside the girl.

"I'm a Slytherin," the tiny witch said, as though James were stupid and didn't understand.

"I can see that." He nodded, gesturing to her robes. "What's the problem, you don't like green?" He asked with a teasing smirk on his lips.

The girl almost laughed, but caught herself before she did so. "I'm Half-blood," she admitted very quietly. "Slytherins are supposed to only be Pure-blood." The girl frowned. "If I go in there they'll just kick me out."

"They won't do that," Lily insisted, horrified that the girl had been led to believe such awful rumors. Then again, Lily had recalled Severus thinking something similar once or twice when they were children. His mother had apparently put his worries to rest, and Lily hadn't thought twice about it since. Though it was known that Snape was Half-blood, he certainly didn't go around broadcasting it to the rest of the school, and Lily could never recall him mentioning his parents in the presence of other Slytherins.

"She's right." James gestured to Lily with a smile. "And she knows everything. So I'm going to walk you down to the Dungeons myself." He stood up and held a hand out to the tiny witch, who reluctantly took it. "And when you go inside, you're going to go and find the seventh year Prefect, alright?" James instructed her. Lily gaped as the words poured out of his mouth. "His name's Snape. You tell him that you're Half-blood and he'll take care of you. He's a bit of a tosser-"

"Potter..." Lily scolded him.

" ... but Slytherins happen to be pretty good at looking after their own," James smirked up at Lily. "Plus, he's a Half-blood himself, I hear. And if anyone _does _cause problems for you, you come and tell us, right?" He insisted. "And the Head Girl will hex them silly."

The girl actually seemed to smirk at that, though she eyed Lily questioningly.

"You don't think she could do it, do you?" James asked the tiny witch with a grin. He pulled up the robes on his left leg, showing a small scar on his shin. "See that? That was in third year, when this lovely witch set my trousers on fire."

"Which you should never do," Lily insisted to the small Slytherin, eyes wide. "It's a very bad thing. I was awfully regretful," she promised the girl, though really Lily was thinking fondly of the memory.

"Okay," the tiny witch finally laughed out loud.

"I'll come and find the Head Rooms when I'm done with the party," James whispered to Lily before following after the little Slytherin. "That alright?"

"Fine." Lily smiled at the sight of James holding the small hand of the little girl. He looked strangely ... comfortable despite the fact that she was a Slytherin. "Thank you for ... taking care of her. I know how you feel about Slytherins and ... and Snape.

"Well," James shrugged his shoulders. "I've been told recently that I've got to grow up and start taking responsibility for things." He winked at her.

"Prat," she chuckled.

"Oh, here." He pulled a folded piece of parchment from his robes and handed it to her. "Will you take this with you to our Common Room and pin it to the wall? Just a reminder for me to take care of something later. I don't want to lose it," he insisted.

"Alright." Lily nodded and slipped the parchment into her pocket. "Goodnight, Potter."

"Goodnight Lily," he called back to her as he walked down the long hallway toward the Dungeons.

oOoOoOo

Lily made it all the way up the stairs to the third floor, where the Head Rooms had been stationed for years, stuck somewhere in the center of the castle to avoid House bias. She spoke the password to the portrait of the Knight that guarded her quarters, "_Verus Amor_," and then entered to look with amazement at the scene in front of her. Considering she and James were both Gryffindors, Lily had expected the rooms to be painted like the Tower, deep crimsons and bright golds. Instead she was faced with a mixture of all four Houses. The living area of the quarters was painted and decorated in dark greens and silvers, but the adjoining kitchen was the deep blue and bronze of Ravenclaw. Lily eagerly rushed to the top of the stairs where she opened her bedroom door to see familiar red and gold furnishings, while the adjacent bathroom was yellow and black.

She smiled brightly at her trunk, already placed at the foot of her new bed. She opened it to pull out several books and her school planner and descended the short staircase to the shared Common Room, glancing briefly up the other staircase to where the Head Boy's room was. Her green eyes lingered curiously on the door for a moment before she turned to take a seat on the couch, spreading her books and planner out on the table in front of her. It was only then that she remembered the folded parchment James had slipped her earlier, and she removed it from the pocket of her robes, unfolding it so she could pin it to their Common Room notice board.

Green eyes widened though as she looked at the parchment and her lips parted as she silently read every word. Somehow, and she wasn't certain when he'd done it, James Potter had already written out the Prefect patrol schedule, taking into account Mia and Severus' detentions as well as the upcoming Quidditch trials and practices all the way through December. It was well organized and even color-coordinated to show each House Prefect pair and their designated patrol routes. Had the words not been nearly illegible, Lily would have assumed James hadn't written it himself but instead perhaps passed the task off to Remus or Mia. As it was, Lily could barely read the chicken scratch, signifying that James had handwritten every word of it. Of course she knew he couldn't have done it alone. James hadn't been a Prefect and didn't know the patrol routes. That meant he would have had to ask for help from someone else. James Potter - arrogant Potter - asking for help, the thought was incredible.

A strange burst of pride filled up Lily's chest and she found herself exiting the Common Room, climbing through the portrait hole and dashing quickly through the halls, up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower where she came face to face with the Fat Lady.

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Common Room**

"There's our Head Girl." The Fat Lady beamed proudly.

Lily smiled. "_Primum Osculum_." She said the password and watched as the portrait opened up, revealing the Gryffindor Common Room within, alive with music, celebrations and a crowd of people singing what sounded like a Wizarding version of 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' to James Potter. He stood in the center of the room grinning, accepting a Butterbeer from Sirius as it was passed into his hand.

"JAMES!" Lily yelled. The room fell into complete silence.

"Did Lily just ..." Remus blinked his wide eyes at the sound of Lily Evans using James Potter's given name. Sirius and Peter had actually gasped at the name falling from Lily's mouth, and Mia was suddenly gripping Remus' arm tightly, her eyes alight with anticipated joy.

James' hazel eyes looked up toward the entrance and spotted her red hair through the crowd, and he smiled at the way his name sounded coming from her voice. Not his ego, smug, 'look at me, I'm James bloody Potter' smile, but a smile that said he was genuine happy that she'd showed up. He didn't make a fuss and certainly didn't draw attention to her like he'd done for years and years; after all, he'd promised his mother he wouldn't harass her.

And suddenly Lily realized something horribly, devastating, ridiculously awful.

She missed it.

Suddenly she was running toward him through a small path in the crowded room, a hard, blazing look on her face as she rushed forward. James swallowed at the sight of her and thrust his bottle of Butterbeer back into Sirius' hand as he turned to nervously meet Lily halfway, not daring to think he could ever be this lucky. But there she was, rushing into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Lily kissed him.


	71. Chapter 71

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: I am so happy that everyone enjoyed the last chapter. Building up James and Lily progressively and realistically was one of my biggest goals for Part Two. I wanted it to be believable, and from your reactions, I'm guessing that it was which just thrills me! Also, I LOVE that many of you caught the parallel at the end between James and Lily's first kiss and Harry and Ginny's first kiss. Have I mentioned I love parallels and history repeating itself? It does that A LOT in my story. I doubt I'll ever stop.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy-One: In Love

_"...And for the boy who's given me the sweetest love I know_  
_I wish for him another love so he won't be alone_  
_But I am bound to walk among the wounded and the slain_  
_And when the storm comes crashing on the plain_  
_I will dance before the lightning to music sacred and profane..."_  
_(Stranger to the Rain - Children of Eden)_

* * *

**September 3rd, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

**Gryffindor Common Room**

Mia snuggled into the warm chest beneath her, a sleepy grin crossing her face as she felt long arms wrap around her body. Jamie's farewell party had gone perfectly on their first night back to Hogwarts, ending with Lily kissing James in the middle of the Gryffindor Common Room. Mia's heart had swelled at the sight of the head of black messy hair attached to the long auburn locks, immediately reminded of Harry and Ginny's first kiss in the very same spot.

Sirius and Remus had eagerly stepped forward to tease the pair, but Mia stood firmly in their way allowing her brother and the love of his life a quick escape. James and Lily didn't surface by breakfast so when they turned up in Charms class holding hands, it was perfect opportunity for the entire Gryffindor House to turn into twelve-year-olds by whistling, hooting, and awing at the couple.

James had never looked so happy in his entire life. Lily had looked like a brand new witch, cleansed of all the sadness that had come from ending her friendship with Snape, the memories of being treated poorly because of her blood status, and thoughts of her home life and scornful sister. Somehow this new love was fixing them both, and by extension had offered healing to those in their tight knit circle of friends and family.

Lily - and therefore James - insisted they had Head Boy and Girl business to attend to Friday night, but despite the couple not even being there for it, Sirius insisted on throwing yet _another_ party to celebrate the fact that, though it had taken James six years to do it, he finally had his witch. The Gryffindors celebrated well into the early morning and Mia had fallen asleep on the couch, using a hard body as a pillow. For the first time in a long while, her dreams of the past weren't nightmares.

oOoOoOo

_**Flashback**_

**September 3rd, 1997**

**On the Run**

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and found herself on a large bed that smelled like cats. She blinked her chocolate-brown eyes around and noticed she was inside the tent they'd used during the World Quidditch Cup; the same tent she had packed when they'd all decided to go on the run in search of Horcruxes. But why was she in it? Weren't they staying at Grimmauld Place? Hermione tried to remember what happened and how she'd gotten there. She remembered going to the Ministry and finding the locket with Ron and Harry, catching sight of Sirius as Death Eaters and Ministry officials chased them, and then ... and then ...

Hermione tried to sit up and winced when something pinched in her back. She let out a hiss of pain and suddenly felt something shift beside her. She turned and looked down into the pale grey eyes of a big black dog, who whimpered next to her. Hermione frowned and tried to turn and face Padfoot, only to realize that she wasn't wearing a blouse. Her eyes widened and she turned back over and groaned.

"Sirius!" She hissed. "Where's my top? Why are you in bed with me? What happened? Where is Harry? And Ron?" She continued letting the questions tumble out of her mouth, fighting through the strange, completely unfamiliar pain in her back; a tightness as though her skin was being stretched. She felt him move on the bed and suddenly a human hand pressed against her bare back. She flinched away from it.

"Calm down, kitten," Sirius spoke softly. "I'm just checking the wound."

"Wound?" Hermione blanched.

"You don't remember?" He asked, with an audible frown. "You got splinched trying to get away from the Ministry. Tore your back open pretty badly," he sighed. "I tried to heal it as best I could, but _I_ wasn't ever the one to take care of Remus post full moon," he admitted. "All we had on us was Dittany. There's going to be a scar," he said softly.

"Is it ugly?" Hermione asked, tears in her eyes, upset over how vain she felt.

"Nothing about you could … " Sirius began with a catch in his throat. He cleared it. "It looks alright," he said quickly. "I've seen a similar one before," he admitted. "It'll heal up nicely. You lost a lot of blood though, so you need to rest as much as possible. We ran out of Blood-Replenishing Potion."

"And umm ... my shirt?" She asked timidly.

"Oh, umm ... you probably shouldn't be lifting your arms much," he said thoughtfully. "But I can keep you covered. Or ... I'll leave and sit outside if you need," he offered, sounding nervous. The change in tone was almost amusing to Hermione. She, of all people in the world, had apparently made Sirius Black nervous.

"Just umm," Hermione swallowed. "Don't ... don't let Harry or Ron see me like this?" She pleaded.

And for days she slept and rested. Eventually her back was well enough to be properly bandaged and dressed and still Hermione slept, because Sirius told her to. While the big black dog slept soundly beside her she would sit up and read, research and think about where the next Horcrux would be. Sirius would wake and feed her, check her wound and tell her that the scar wasn't ugly, once even comparing it to a beautiful river that spread its way down the back of her shoulder. Hermione had blushed at the compliment and graciously accepted the little food he was able to bring her. It was strangely domestic and comfortable, especially considering they were in the middle of a war.

_**Flashback Ends**_

oOoOoOo

Mia dreamt of the past and of an older Sirius. She could almost still feel him beside her as she slowly began to wake. If she concentrated hard enough she could hear his husky voice speaking to her, see his grey eyes look at her in such a way that could melt her from the inside out. He had the confidence that a younger Sirius had, but refined and almost controlled. He'd faced his issues, while the younger Sirius was still bearing the heavy weight of guilt his family had strapped him with. Younger Sirius feared the bond. Older Sirius had embraced it.

_"You . . . you know? You knew? This whole time?"_ Hermione had asked him.

_"About the bonding?"_ Sirius nodded.

She had blushed at him and he'd smiled.

_"One day you won't do that anymore," _he said as he stood up, reaching for his jacket.

_"Do what?"_ Hermione had asked quietly as he made his way to the tent door.

_"Be embarrassed about how I make you feel."_

And she wasn't embarrassed. Not anymore. Mia breathed in deep and smelled him. "Mmm ... Sirius," she moaned as she breathed in the scent. Parchment and grass and ... and ... _chocolate_?

_Fuck._

Mia opened her brown eyes wide. She leaned upwards against the chest she was sleeping against to come face to face with not grey, but _green_ eyes looking down at her curiously. Remus slowly raised a questioning brow and Mia held her breath and swallowed hard.

"I think it's time we talked," Remus said softly.

Mia quickly sat up, her heart pounding in her chest. How could she have done that? It wasn't her fault to dream of another man, especially when in reality it was more memory than dreams, but she'd sunk into the feel of the memories, yearned to relive them, yearned for ... for _him_. And had apparently been stupid enough to say his bloody name while sleeping on top of her boyfriend!

"Remus, I am _so _sorry," she began.

He held up a hand and sat up straight.

She watched carefully, biting her lower lip as the werewolf leaned forward, rubbing his face with his hands in consternation as he rested his elbows on his knees, facing the fire that had died out hours earlier. While Remus sat in silence, Mia looked around the Common Room and noticed that several blankets had been tossed casually over armchairs and couches where other seventh year Gryffindors slept soundly. They clearly hadn't been the only ones to fall asleep outside of their dorm rooms, but so far were the only ones awake.

"Let's go for a walk," Remus said before standing up and holding his hand out to Mia.

She stared at his palm for several seconds, her soft brown eyes lingering on the small scar that crossed over his wrist from the first moon after their mothers died. Moony had been difficult to control and it had taken both Padfoot and Prongs to secure the werewolf behind the wards erected in the Potter Manor orchards. Remus bore a fox bite scar he'd received when Moony attempted to attack Padfoot in a rage. Thankfully the following moon came with an entire week of strict Wolfsbane Potion schedule and strengthened wards.

oOoOoOo

**The Black Lake**

After grabbing their winter cloaks the pair left Gryffindor Tower and made their way toward the Black Lake, where Remus transfigured his House scarf into a blanket. The couple sat down together, looking out over the water as the sunrise reflected off it.

"I need you to be honest with me," Remus said, breaking the silence. "I have several questions I'd like answered so I can try and come out of this with some dignity intact," he stated clearly. "And please, don't take offense or think that I don't trust you, but I just need ... verbal confirmation."

Mia felt her chest tighten. She nodded. "I understand."

"Have you been with Sirius since we started courting exclusively?" Remus asked bluntly.

Mia gasped loudly and turned to look at him in surprise. "No!" She promised. "I've _only _been with you. I would never … "

"I know, I know," Remus nodded and let out a long sigh of relief. "I just ... needed to hear it I guess." He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. "When ... when you're with _me _do you think about _him_?"

"Merlin, no!" Mia said almost immediately. She recalled a few times years earlier that she had once compared their kissing, and she'd even gone into slight details with Lily over what it was like to be with each of them, but never once had she thought about Sirius while she was with Remus.

"Do you wish I were him?" Remus asked.

"No," the witch frowned and reached over to kiss him chastely. "Remus, you're perfect and I love you," she said with genuine affection for the werewolf. Godric save her, this was complicated.

"I love you too, and we've always known that," Remus said after returning her kiss, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against hers before speaking again. "But you dream about him?"

"Sometimes," Mia whispered sadly.

"You dream about … " he hesitated. "About when you were _with _him?"

Mia sighed and winced. "Sometimes," she admitted, feeling every bit as horrible as she thought she should. "But I don't do it on purpose, and there doesn't seem to be a trigger of any kind ... it's more ... _future _him."

"You see Sirius in your future?"

"Of _course _I do. You're there as well," she insisted. "But ... Godric, we've known about this for years. You have a _mate _out there somewhere and Sirius is-"

"I know," Remus interrupted her. "We've had this conversation before, but we also promised him we'd find out on our own," he reminded. "That we wouldn't let fate trick us into anything we didn't want. And we've been doing that pretty well I thought, but ... maybe we've just been avoiding the inevitable." He reached out and took her hand, tugging her up against his side and wrapping his arm around her shoulder so she would know she was still safe with him despite the horrid conversation they were having. After a few minutes of silence, Remus kissed the top of her head and whispered into her hair, "Are we in love?"

"Of course I love you," Mia replied, pulling back to look deep into his soft green eyes.

"Are you _in_ love with me?" Remus clarified and when Mia didn't answer right away, he fell into another series of questions. "Are we going to end up together? Do you want to marry me, Mia? Do you want children? Because I can't give them to you."

"That's rubbish," Mia growled. "I've told you for years that you can't pass Lycanthropy on to children."

She thought of little Teddy Lupin, whose hair was bright blue unless she was holding him; then it turned honey brown. Teddy had always felt like ... like a part of her. She'd been attached to the infant from the first moment, which was surprising as Hermione hadn't ever thought much of children. But Remus' son had been different. And it didn't matter what color of hair or eyes the boy mimicked, he was precious to her. Mia couldn't imagine a future without the little Metamorphmagus, and she felt a serious irritation with Remus for even thinking of preventing the boy's creation.

"We're not talking about my Lycanthropy," Remus said, interrupting her thoughts "We're talking about _our _future. Now answer the question: are you in love with me?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "Are you in love with me?"

"I don't know," Remus acknowledged aloud. "I'm terrified of losing you," he admitted. "You're not just my _love_, you're my best friend, my Beta; you're my _home_, Mia. You're my safe space and I don't want to lose that." He sighed sadly and then his jaw tightened. "And frankly it pisses me off because I don't think he understands how ... how fucking _important _you are to me, or to _him_. I wish he was just another bloke, just so that I could hex or punch him in the face and tell him to get away from my witch," he snapped.

Mia frowned, searching his eyes for the hints of gold and amber but finding only green. This was all Remus.

"But I can't because he's Sirius and my friend and he's Pack and I actually understand on some level whatever it is between the two of you." He shrugged his shoulders. "I need you, but Godric, I think he'd just die without you," Remus said with no hint of exaggeration.

Mia flushed at the words, terrified of the implication. What would happen, then, when and if Mia ever disappeared? If the future couldn't be changed, that meant Sirius would go to Azkaban, and if so where would _she_ be? A part of her suddenly began worrying about future Sirius. He'd clearly known she was being sent back to the past, their kiss in the library had practically been a farewell kiss. Was she ever going to see him again? Would he be there waiting for her, the day after her nineteenth birthday? Or would he ... like Remus declared, die without her?

"Do you love Sirius?" Remus asked.

"I … " Mia's throat tightened and she felt tears stinging her eyes. "I don't think I can say it."

"Why not?"

"Because he's not ready to hear it," she said and the tears finally spilled over onto her cheeks. She wiped them away as though they'd betrayed her emotional resolve. "And I'm not ready to see him walk away from me. Not again. He's done it twice now and I've tried to be strong but it hurt like hell. I don't think I could handle it a third time." She shook her head. Moments after their first kiss he'd turned her away. Minutes after the first time they'd made love he'd asked her to leave his room. "Besides ... if I am in love with Sirius I feel like the first time I say it, it should be to him."

"You really think he'd walk away from you again?" Remus asked worriedly.

Mia shrugged honestly. Sirius was a constant conundrum. It was an everlasting battle between his heart and his conscience, and his conscience was lying to him. "The night of the concert, when he came into my room drunk he didn't really know I was there," Mia told Remus. "But he was talking and kept saying how he knew how he felt about me, and that he didn't want to ruin us because we were in love and he couldn't do that to his friends. Then went on and on about how he needed to be a good man." She rolled her eyes.

Remus scoffed. "He really needs to get over that issue."

"I know," the witch nodded. "He ... he said he hasn't been with anyone since ... since me."

"Really?" Remus rose a skeptical brow.

"You didn't know?"

"No, I mean," he paused to think back over the last year. "We haven't seen him with anyone and he hasn't been bragging like he used to. But, well . . . " He blushed in mild shame. "You hear the way Ravenclaws gossip. He really said that?"

"You think he was telling the truth?"

"I think Sirius is incapable of lying when drunk," Remus admitted.

There had been very awkward nights following a bottle of Firewhisky when Sirius had let loose knowledge none of them could ever unhear, including a few confessions like how he'd once had a dream about sharing Mia with Remus and that, if well plied with Firewhisky, he could probably do it for real. That had earned the raven-haired wizard an awkward silent treatment from Remus and a black eye from James, who was then informed that Sirius could never sleep with James and Lily, but only because Lily was more like a sister to him. Sirius was uncomfortably honest when properly pissed.

"Not only that," Remus said, shaking Sirius' drunken confessions from his mind. "But if he was sleeping with a girl, he'd be _bragging _about it. Hell, it had been less than a week after sleeping with _you _that he'd told _me_."

"He _bragged _about me?!" Mia snapped.

"Less bragged and more ... _confessed_," Remus searched for the correct wording, hoping to calm her down. "He might have wanted my forgiveness or something even though it was completely unnecessary," the werewolf said as he rolled his eyes. "I think at that point he was already trying to get us back together, though, and didn't want there to be any secrets."

Mia nervously bit her lip as she stared at her ... boyfriend? Was he still that? "I don't want your friendship with him ruined over this."

"He's one of my best friends and I don't take that lightly," Remus raked his hands back through his sandy blonde hair and sighed. "Not only that but you're both Pack and that means more to me than anything. Family," he frowned and Mia stifled a sob as she thought over the summer and how much they'd all lost. They needed one another, especially Remus who had no family left to return to. "I'm just having trouble trying to figure out if what I'm currently feeling is how I actually feel, or how I think I'm supposed to feel."

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"I'm supposed to feel pissed off that my girlfriend moaned another wizard's name in her sleep," he admitted thoughtfully. "Then again, I suppose it could be worse. You could have said Sirius' name while we were having sex." He smirked and then seemed to realize something. A disappointed frown fell across his face. "Oh … " he groaned.

"No more sex." Mia nodded in understanding. Friends with benefits worked well the first time around, but that was before Sirius had gotten involved.

"Well now I'm pissed off for _another _reason." Remus pouted.

Mia couldn't help but laugh a little at what he'd chosen to be sad about in all of this. "I'm sorry, Remus." She gave him a sad smile.

"I know; it's not your fault." He sighed and pulled her back into his arms; strangely they still felt warm and safe and comfortable and ... like home. But different as well. "We tried. Honestly, I'm feeling a little relieved," Remus admitted. "You know I love you and want to give you everything, but I know I can't. And you've always been right about the whole mate thing," he grumbled. "I've been having nightmares lately that you and I leave Hogwarts and get married, and then my mate shows up at the wedding and Moony takes over, and I end up leaving you ... I don't want that to happen."

"You'll find her," Mia promised.

"We're not talking about that right now," Remus said, ignoring her. "Come on, let's get to breakfast." He stood up and pulled her to her feet in one swift motion. "But before we do anything, you need to go and find that Letter of Intent." He winced at the thought of it. "Bloody hell ... why'd I have to do something so public?"

"Because you're a romantic at heart." She smiled sweetly at him.

"I hope you know you'll not be getting poetry from Sirius," Remus said firmly as they made their way back up toward the castle, still hand in hand. "He might quote you some Sex Pistol lyrics at best," he snorted. "You're going to miss me."

Mia laughed and squeezed his hand. "I won't need to miss you. You're not going anywhere."

"Can you at least tell him I'm better at sex than he is?" Remus pleaded.

Mia laughed again.

oOoOoOo

**The Quidditch Pitch**

The former couple made it through breakfast without any problems. Mia returned to Gryffindor Tower to shower and change, only to look in the mirror and see the suddenly reappeared splinching scar across her back. _Well, that explains the dream_, she thought to herself, immediately worrying about what would happen when her 'Mudblood' scar reappeared later that year.

After James suggested the boys take a fly around the Pitch, all the seventh-year Gryffindor girls decided to make a day of it as well and followed the wizards outside. It was a bit chilly out, but nothing that their robes or a good warming charm couldn't handle. As the young men took to the sky on their brooms, Remus, Frank and Peter included, all of the girls sat down on a transfigured blanket and watched.

"I love Quidditch," Mary said with an interested sigh.

"I sure hope you're staring at Peter or Sirius, because the rest of those wizards are spoken for," Lily said emphatically as she looked over the weekly schedule James had made. She began rewriting it in her own hand, knowing the Prefects would have to be able to read it in order to comply.

"So you and Potter are serious then?" Alice asked with a happy smile.

Lily looked up and blushed when the rest of the witches grinned at her.

"I say it's about time," Mia admitted.

"I completely agree," Mary nodded. "But for the record, I was looking at almost all of them." The flirty witch smirked. "It's like art. Just because I didn't paint it and it doesn't hang in my house, doesn't mean I can't enjoy it."

"Not like any of our wizards would stray as it is," Alice pointed out. "James has been in love with Lily for years, Frank would never betray me, and Remus is head over heels for Mia." She smiled.

Mia looked up at her friends and sighed. "Remus!" She called up and reached into her school bag, retrieving the Letter of Intent Remus had sent to James a year earlier. "Get everyone else down here!" She avoided the looks on each of the faces surrounding her as they eyed the envelope in her hands. Lily, naturally, was the only one who looked curious as opposed to sitting on the edge of her figurative seat.

When all the wizards had landed, Remus nodded knowingly to Mia and he made his way over to her, leaning his broom up against the stone wall of the castle. Sirius and James followed suit, watching with interest, though Sirius looked more nervous than anyone there. Frank and Peter joined the girls on the grass, eagerly watching the couple standing in front of them.

"Miss Mia Potter," Remus began, placing his hands formally behind his back and standing tall. "I have sent you a Letter of Intent, have properly courted you for one year's time and I come now seeking your answer to my intentions."

Lily gasped and covered her mouth, finally understanding what was happening. Mary and Alice clutched hands tightly and everyone was ignoring the paling faces of James and Sirius, who were staring wide-eyed at Mia and Remus.

"Thank you, Mister Lupin, for your Letter," Mia smiled. "I have an answer to your intentions and here, before the representative of House Potter," she gestured to James. "And my mother's family, House Black," she added, gesturing to Sirius. "I give you my answer ... No," she said with a sad smile and Remus nodded, smiling back at her before leaning forward to kiss her cheek.

"It's alright, love," he whispered in her ear. "Go ahead."

"_Incendio_," Mia whispered. The envelope in her hand burst into flames.

"No!" Mary, Alice and Lily all shrieked.

"Mia! You can't take that back!" Mary screamed.

"I know." Mia nodded and smiled down at her friends. "Remus and I discussed it all this morning, and we're ending our courtship. Ending our relationship," she added, slowly taking in a deep breath before she reached out and took Remus' hand. "But not our _friend_ship," she insisted.

"But ... what happened?" Lily asked, frowning. "You guys are perfect together."

"Almost." Remus smiled. "_Almost _perfect, but not quite."

"And you're happy with this?" James asked as he walked over the blanket, stepping in between Mia and Remus to put his hands on his sister's shoulders. He caught her gaze, looking for any bit of anger or resentment toward the werewolf.

"It was the right thing to do Jamie." Mia nodded. "We got back together to figure things out, make choices; and now we've made them," she insisted. Her brown eyes looked over her brother's shoulder, where they made contact with pale grey as Sirius stared at her, mouth open, looking mildly panicked.

"Hey there, Black," a voice called from the side. Everyone turned to see the expensive green and black robes of Elora Zabini. She ignored everyone save for Sirius who winced at the sight of her. "You're looking good this year. Summer treat you well?"

"Treated me like shit actually," Sirius scowled.

"Shame. Want to ditch these … " she looked down at the gathered Gryffindors and just rolled her eyes. " ... _people_," she said the word in distaste. "And take a walk with me?"

"No." Sirius glared at her. "Just like every other time you've asked. And I'll thank you to stop telling the Ravenclaws you shagged me. I wouldn't be caught dead with my cock in a snake," he snarled at her.

"Oh sweetie," Elora laughed. "I'll do and say whatever I like."

"Hey Zabini," Mia called after the girl, her brown eyes now amber and blazing, ends of her curly locks sparking. "Can you swim?"

"What?" Elora glared at Mia as though she were an idiot. "Of course I can, you stupid little blood-trai-"

"Good. Catch," Mia said before tossing a shiny sickle toward Elora. Instinctively, the Slytherin Princess caught the coin and then looked up at Mia, confused, before a bright blue light encompassed her and vanished her away with a scream.

"What the fuck!?" Sirius shouted. Suddenly everyone was on their feet staring at Mia with wide, terrified eyes.

"Remember that Portkey modification I was making?" Mia said calmly, turning to face her friends. "I figured out how to do it."

"Okay," James took in a deep breath. "Ignoring the fact that you basically just attacked another student in front of the Head Boy and Girl _and _another Prefect ... _again_," James frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You linked the Portkey to … "

"I'm calling it a Tele-Portkey," Mia said with a bright smile, earning a laugh from Sirius.

"Fine ... the _Tele_-Portkey has a twin, doesn't it? That's the whole point, right? So where'd you put the other one?" James asked.

"Oh, I fed it to the giant squid."


	72. Chapter 72

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Thank you all as always for the wonderful reviews! I've been writing up a storm this week and going through some very important chapters that have had me stressed out. Your kind words have helped push me through some emotional writer's block. Who knew I'd get so attached to this story? I'm honestly terrified for when it ends (luckily for me I bit off WAY more than I could chew and will probably be writing this story for the rest of my life LOL).

**gypsyfurface**, No, Mia is not blood related to Dorea, but the woman did have a very big influence on her. Not to mention if Mia reacts to the unsealed Soul and Pack bonds the way she does, do you think that the family bond she shares with James and shared with the Potter parents was similar? **FaithNS**, I think after being sucked into Harry and Ron's trouble for so many years, this witch is no determined to make her own brand of trouble.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy-Two: Intervention

_"...And I keep waiting for you to take me_  
_You keep waiting to save what we have_  
_So I'll make sure to keep my distance_  
_Say, "I love you," when you're not listening_  
_And how long can we keep this up, up, up?..."_  
_(Distance - Christina Perri)_

* * *

**September 3rd, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

**The Quidditch Pitch**

Mia, in fact, had _not _fed the twin Tele-Portkey to the giant squid. She did, however, enjoy the few moments of hysteria her statement caused as Lily went into Head Girl mode. The redhead ordered James and the other boys to get on their brooms and rush toward the Lake to save the potentially digested Slytherin Princess. Only Remus and Sirius stood behind with Mia.

"You'd think after knowing you for six years they could tell when you're lying through your teeth," Remus said, shaking his head as Mia looked on proudly at the chaos she'd created, arms delicately folded across her chest and a satisfied smile on her face.

"Zabini had it coming," Mia stated firmly. "And Jamie gave me detention; he can squirm a little, thinking his sister fed a Slytherin to the squid."

"So where'd you _actually_ leave the twin Tele-Portkey?" Sirius asked with a smirk on his face.

"In the lake," Mia admitted. "The shallow end. Not even three feet deep." She grinned.

When James, Lily and the others caught back up with Mia after locating a drenched and fuming Elora Zabini walking back from the other side of the lake, Lily regretfully issued Mia two more detentions with McGonagall and took away twenty points from Gryffindor.

Despite her quick dip in the lake, Elora Zabini turned the tale of her humiliation into something much more sordid that involved Sirius, the Black Lake, and a distinct lack of clothing. Soon everyone in the school was under the impression that Sirius had a heart-shaped birthmark on his arse cheek. All of those who actually lived in Gryffindor Tower knew better, considering how often Sirius was willing to bare himself to show off his precious tattoo. It had taken four days before the rest of the Hogwarts female population were all eagerly gossiping over when and how they, too, had been privy to the now infamous and non-existing birth mark; for the first time in his life, Sirius hated the spotlight.

oOoOoOo

**November 5th, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

**The Great Hall**

"Drink this," Mia said as she approached the breakfast table. She slid a small vial across to a frustrated Sirius, who had his hands buried in the depths of his hair, covering his ears as the Ravenclaws at the next table stared and giggled in his direction. It was one thing to be praised on his actual prowess, but a heart-shaped birthmark and skinny dipping in the Black Lake? Soon they'd all be insisting he'd proposed to them, and there would be a school wide war over who would take the title of the future Lady Black.

"What color will my hair turn?" He asked suspiciously.

"It won't."

"Will my hair fall out?" He eyed the vial in his hands.

"No."

"It's not a Shrinking Solution is it?" He asked desperately, worried grey eyes looking across the table at Mia.

"It's a temporary fix for your current problem," she offered, tossing a scathing glare at the giggling girls behind them.

Sirius glanced down at the crimson bubbling liquid, pulled the cork and threw the potion back quickly, coughing a bit at the taste.

"Good, now go around the room and touch every single girl. Shake their hands, give them a hug, even brush up against their shoulder. Any form of contact."

With a raised brow, Sirius stood and slowly made his way through the tables, stopping to say hello and smile at the groups of witches who grinned up at him as if they really knew him. Some had years earlier of course, and it was those who tended to avoid his gaze, save for a few who had lied about recent encounters when Sirius rejected their requests for a repeat of a one night stand. It took him a full forty minutes to get through each table, considering most of the young witches wanted him to stop and sit down, some physically forcing him to join them for a few moments' time.

"Attending to your fan club?" James asked as he and Lily walked into the Great Hall. They took their new seats next to one another across from Mia and Remus, who'd joined his ex-girlfriend. Still ever the doting pair, he fixed her morning breakfast while she poured his pumpkin juice. Sirius rolled his eyes and sat down beside Lily.

"Don't ask _me_." Sirius shook his head. "Mia gave me a potion and made me go say hello to every girl in the school."

Forks and knives dropped with a loud clunk all the way down the table as wide, worried eyes looked upwards into the innocently concealed face of the brunette witch. Mia turned her gaze up toward Lily, who looked to be on the verge of a complete panic attack.

"Calm down." Mia smiled sweetly. "They deserve it; it's not dangerous and it's not permanent."

"Am I going to have to give you more detention?" Lily pouted. "Mia, I cannot afford to lose a Prefect right now."

"Sirius, have you complained about the problems the girls have been giving you?" Mia turned to Sirius.

He slowly nodded and rolled his eyes. "McGonagall said I was causing a disturbance, and when I denied doing anything and told her the girls were all lying, she said that unfortunately there was no way to prove it without using Veritaserum," he sneered. "At least she believed that I was telling the truth."

"See?" Mia smiled sweetly. "All we need is proof."

"Uh-oh," James muttered as Mia stood from her seat and moved to stand on top of the long bench. He was grateful that the only Professor currently in attendance in the Great Hall was Dumbledore, who seemed to have a strange indifference to Mia's pranks; more often than not he found them amusing and clever.

"Hem hem!" Mia said loudly, clearing her throat as she mimicked the voice of Dolores Umbridge, chuckling to herself. She cast a Sonorus Charm on her wand and cleared her throat again to get the attention of the entire Great Hall. "I'm just curious," Mia smirked. "Who here has had sex with Sirius Black within the past year?" She asked.

Suddenly the Hall broke out into whispers. Gryffindors were all blushing nervously save for Sirius, who didn't mind the attention considering his curiosity was definitely piqued.

Mia knew that no one would speak out loud in the affirmative, at least to her, but the thought in their head was enough. If they had said it out loud at some point within the timed parameters, the Potion and attached Charm would work. Mia smiled, held her wand in the air, and spoke loudly, "_Coccinus Mendax_!" A bright red light emerged from her wand and covered the Great Hall in a strange mist. At the Head Table Dumbledore watched on with great interest, his eyes twinkling at the scene.

It took all of five seconds for the screaming to begin.

No less than fifty witches had dark red splotches tainting the skin around their mouths. It looked something between a birthmark and a contagious disease and was incredibly unappealing. "Roughly translates to the 'Crimson Liar', although I'm considering changing the name to 'Spot the Scarlet Woman'," Mia said, her voice as sweet as honey. "The more you've lied about the question you were just asked, the more this particular charm will spread," she informed them all, noticing that while a few girls only had a small patch covering their lips, others had their entire faces encased in red.

Wands broke out, aimed at the Gryffindor table, and that was when Dumbledore sought to intervene on Mia's behalf. He cast a rather large protective shield in front of the table of red and gold, his blue eyes fixed upon the little witch. She stared right back at the Headmaster in a challenging type of way, and there seemed to be a silent understanding between the two. If Mia was unable to change the future, she was going to affect the present.

"Miss Potter," Dumbledore spoke loudly and the noise in the Great Hall began to die down save for the lying witches who now sobbed openly. "Lovely demonstration," he said praisingly. "However, I would be remiss in my duties as Headmaster if I were to leave so many lovely young women disfigured as such. May I request that you demonstrate the counter-curse?" He asked politely.

"Certainly Professor," Mia smiled sweetly. She could hear James mumble a shocked comparison over how much she sounded like their late mother just then. "Though it's up to each individual witch to remove it herself. The Charm showcases a liar," she explained. "To remove it, they simply have to tell the truth." Her tone of voice was simple and soft, as though she couldn't believe that everyone didn't know this particular spell that she herself had created.

"I did not have sex with Sirius Black," a bitter, familiar voice said. Everyone turned to see a teary-eyed and crimson-covered Callista Hitchins stand and shout. No sooner than the words left her mouth, the splotch vanished, leaving behind the scathing burn of embarrassment.

"I did not have sex with Sirius Black." an enraged Elora Zabini stood. She growled when her fellow Slytherins laughed openly at her, no more so than Regulus Black who actually appeared more amused than anyone over the declaration.

Echoes of 'I did not have sex with Sirius Black' rang through the Great Hall until awkward silence blanketed the students. When every girl had confessed her lies, Mia returned to her table to finish her breakfast in peace, ignoring the fact that everyone was now staring at her.

"Thanks Mia," Sirius muttered softly.

Mia looked up at smiled at him from across the table. "You're welcome. I should get to Arithmancy," she said as she cleared her throat and stood up quickly from the table, casting a sad glance in his direction before nodding to each of her friends and then leaving the Great Hall quickly.

Sirius frowned and looked down at his plate of food, still full. His jaw briefly twitched and he stood from his seat muttering, "I need a cigarette." He left the table.

"This is getting ridiculous." Remus shook his head.

"We have to do something about the two of them," Lily nodded.

"Or ... and just hear me out … " James offered. "We _not_ try to play matchmaker between my sister and my best friend. I vote for that idea, simply because it's the idea that doesn't make me want to pull my hair out."

"It'd grow back," Lily said, running her fingers through James' hair and watching with amusement as he melted at her touch. "Don't you want Mia and Sirius to be happy?"

"Yes," James groaned with a pout.

"And don't you think they'd be happy together?" Lily asked.

"If they didn't Avada one another first," James muttered. "But yes, it's been an uncomfortable six years watching them dance around each other and flirt shamelessly. At least when she was with _you_," James said looking at Remus, "Padfoot tried restraining himself."

"But now it's as if they're trying to avoid each other," Remus acknowledged aloud. "I honestly thought the moment Mia and I officially split, Sirius would be right there, but he hasn't so much as made a move."

"He's afraid." Lily shook her head. "So is she."

"What're _we_ supposed to do about it?" Peter chimed in.

Lily smirked.

"Oh Merlin," Remus winced at the sight. "How many rules are we going to break?"

"None," Lily promised, her green eyes turning to look at Peter. "Not _all of us_ are going to get caught." She grinned.

Peter shivered nervously under her gaze.

oOoOoOo

**Heads Common Room**

Later that night Mia made her way through the dark corridors of the large castle. She slipped casually down the marble staircase from Gryffindor Tower making her way to the third floor, down the long stretch of hallway that lead to the portrait of a knight sitting outside of the Heads' Rooms. Removing a large book from her bag, Mia casually muttered the password to the knight, barely taking notice as the door opened in front of her and she stepped through.

"Lily, I brought the old Arithmancy book," Mia began. She threw her bag down on the floor, eyes still glued to the textbook in her hands as she made her way into the shared Common Room. "I know you don't think it'll be on the N.E.W.T. but I don't see why we shouldn't … " she blinked and looked up, her brown eyes meeting those of her friends and brother sitting around a large table. Sirius was trapped between Remus and James; both had their hands holding him in place, and the latter had a hand covering Sirius' mouth. "What's going on in here?" Mia raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Run! It's a trap!" Sirius shouted after breaking away from James' grip for a moment only to be properly silenced by Lily's wand a split second later.

"Shut up Sirius." Lily smirked at the raven-haired wizard, who was fixing her with a glare. "Sit down Mia," the redhead instructed.

"No." Mia shook her head and took a step backwards. "You've got the same look in your eye you usually reserve for hexing Jamie," she insisted, part of her wondering if she looked that crazy when she was plotting something horrible.

"Sit down, love," Remus insisted, moving from his place beside Sirius to make his way to Mia, taking her gently by the arm and leading her toward the large arm chair that faced the sofa. He sat beside her while Lily took his empty place next to Sirius.

"Is this an intervention?" Mia asked irritably. "Because I'll have you know I've barely even begun studying, and I've been eating all my meals and getting eight hours of sleep each night ... okay _six_ most nights," she corrected with a roll of her eyes. "But I am perfectly capable of handling my schedule this year and I don't need any of you to ... is that Firewhisky?" Her brown eyes fell on a large bottle in the center of the table. "Lily, you let Sirius bring Firewhisky into your room!?"

"I asked him to, actually." The ginger witch smirked deviously, waving her wand and silently locking the doors while at the same time removing the Silencing Charm from Sirius. "Now sit your little Gryffindor tail down right there." Lily pointed at the chair and smiled proudly when Mia obeyed her commands.

"Why do I feel like I'm being set up?" Mia nervously asked, setting down the large Arithmancy book to the side of the table.

"Because this _is_ a set up," Sirius growled, his grey eyes narrowed at Lily. "And don't look at _me_, _I_ fell for her innocent load of shit too." He gestured at the redhead. "She may look sweet but she's a devious harpy. Surprised she didn't end up in Slytherin."

"Watch it, mate," James cautioned. "That's my girl."

"Your girl is a Slytherin-ish harpy who told me to bring Firewhisky because it was the ingredient in some Potions project she was working on!" Sirius snapped at him. "I only agreed because she said she'd found out our _secret_, and considering how many we bloody have and how _you've _probably whispered all our deepest and darkest tales during your pillow talk, I came prepared to cave under her blackmail," he admitted, folding his arms across his chest.

"Yes, well, James and I have no pillow talk, thank you," Lily blushed. "He's a gentleman. Although I would like to eventually know all these deep dark secrets you're all keeping from me." Her green eyes turned on James, who swallowed at the sight.

"One day," he promised.

"Fine," Mia interrupted the couple. "So it's a trap with Firewhisky," she conceded and then looked around the room curiously. "Where's Peter by the way?"

"Serving detention with Filch," Remus replied.

"What did he do this time?"

"Only what we asked him to," Lily smiled.

"We?" Mia's brows rose. "_You're_ in on this?" She turned to James and then to Remus. "_Both_ of you?"

"I recruited," Lily said with a smirk.

"Do you really think I had a choice?" James asked.

Mia scoffed in response. He was already too whipped for his own good. She mentally wondered how she could possibly use Lily's power over her brother for her own benefit. "So what, pray tell," Mia glared ahead at Lily, "Did you convince Peter to do?"

"He distracted Slughorn while James nicked this," Remus replied, holding up a familiar vial in his hands.

Mia's eyes went wide at the sight. She turned immediately and stared at Sirius, who wore a mirrored expression of her sudden horror. "I thought we'd all agreed that 'Veritaserum or Dare' was a bad idea and we'd never play it again!" Mia snapped, her eyes darting back to the vial in Remus' hands. She watched carefully as he brought it toward the bottle of Firewhisky, removing the top and pouring more than the necessary amount into the liquor.

"Just Veritaserum," Lily explained. "No dare."

"What for ... what's this really ... Remus?" She turned to her best friend with pleading eyes, ignoring the sudden glass of amber liquid he placed in her hands, the traitor.

"Just drink up, Mia." Remus smiled softly at her, reminding her that he was a devious little wolf whom she'd bite the second she had a chance. "Lily warded the room and we're all stuck here until she feels we've accomplished her goal."

"And what exactly is her goal?" Sirius glared at the redhead as James placed a glass of tainted Firewhisky in his hand.

"The truth." Lily smiled sweetly and looked to her boyfriend, who was pouring himself a glass of the same liquor. "Now James drink," Lily instructed and watched with a smile as her boyfriend drank the liquid, strangely trusting of her. "James, have we been sexually intimate?"

The messy-haired wizard blushed profusely and then, before he had a chance to even think about the question, blurted out the answer. "No, we've snogged a bunch and one time you let me put my hand up your blouse," James said quickly.

Lily's green eyes widened, clearly having not expected him to relay the details.

"I mean ... I mean ... why'd you do that?" James asked her.

"To prove the Potion works," she explained, nervously tucking a strand of long red hair behind her ear. "And to also make sure everyone was aware that you and I have not engaged in intimate matters." She cleared her throat.

"Tell that to Prongs' hand up your blouse." Sirius smirked.

"Sirius drink up." She glared at him threateningly.

He seemed to pause for a long moment, silently questioning if the truth would be more painful than whatever Lily certainly had planned as punishment should he not comply. After at least thirty seconds of absolute silence, the raven-haired wizard threw back the glass of Firewhisky defiantly.

"Is it true you haven't slept with any girl since Mia?" Lily asked.

"Yes it's true," Sirius confessed.

"Why haven't you?" She continued.

Sirius tried to struggle but there was no use. "Because I don't want her to think I'm some disgusting creep who just beds any witch who asks," he growled trying to hold back. "I wanted to make sure she knew that she was s-special. Fuck!" He shouted and stood up, eager to kick something or someone.

"Sit back down Padfoot," Remus instructed him.

"What the hell is this?" Mia gaped looking across the table at her friend accusingly.

"I'm happy James and I came together naturally." Lily smiled, reaching across the sofa - and Sirius - to hold James' hand. "But now that we've found ... this ... I regret the time wasted," the redhead admitted. "And watching the two of you dance around each other for the past few years with Remus caught up in the middle has been awkward and painful." Mia and Sirius both frowned as they looked at James and Remus, who were nodding in agreement. "You're both unbelievably stubborn, but you're my friends and I love you and I want, _we_ want you to be happy."

"Lily's right," Remus spoke firmly. "You're both holding back for one reason or another, just waiting for the other person to make a move first."

"I really hate to agree with them because you're my sister and you're my best friend and the idea of you together makes me physically ill," James groaned. "But Mia you've been lonely ever since you split with Remus; we can all see it," he said, frowning when Mia looked away from him, the truth clearly evident in her eyes.

"And Pads, you're going to drink yourself to death if you don't figure things out," James said, eyeing the way that Sirius was already looking at the bottle of Firewhisky, despite the fact that it was laced with truth serum. "Mia's a big part of it, I know, because anytime you drink all you do is talk about her."

"This is so manipulative," Mia mumbled.

"Shut up and drink," Lily said, gesturing to Mia's filled glass. She didn't wait as long as Sirius had, knowing that none of them would let up until this was all done and over with. A part of her wondered if Veritaserum would counteract Dumbledore's spell, and that part of her was just too eager to find out, so she drank. "Now, Mia ... why haven't you told Sirius that you want to be with him?"

"Because he'll just leave me again when it becomes too much for him!" She said, not realizing that the truth came out on the end of a shout. She flushed at the volume of her own voice and she quickly buried her face in her hands.

"What?" Sirius gaped. "Is _that _what you think?"

"It's what I _know_," she admitted, refusing to look at him. "It's what you _did_!"

"I just wanted something better for you," Sirius admitted.

"No." Her brown eyes looked up and glared at him. "You wanted me to tell you all my secrets, secrets that I can't tell you; not yet." _Damn _... Dumbledore's truth spell was stronger than the Veritaserum.

"Remus, drink," Lily instructed the werewolf who obeyed accordingly. "Why did you and Mia start dating again?"

"Because Sirius told us to," he gestured to his friend. "He said we gave up on our relationship and we owed it to ourselves _and_ him to find out if we really wanted to be together, or if we thought it was just fate keeping us apart."

"Mia drink," Lily pointed, not wanting to give a moment for anyone involved to get distracted enough for the truth serum to wear off. "What did you find out when you and Remus were dating?"

"That I love Remus but I'm not _in _love with him," Mia answered immediately. "That we _did _have a choice in the end and we chose _not _to be with one another."

"That doesn't make sense," Sirius shook his head firmly, and suddenly the truth - sans serum - was making itself known in the young wizard. "If you love him then why not choose to be with him?" He asked, his temper rising, his grey eyes dark and narrowed at the witch across from him.

"Because he's not _you_!" Mia screamed back at him.

The room fell into complete silence.

"Sirius, drink," Lily said after refilling the glass in his hands. "Why don't you want to be with Mia?"

Sirius frowned. "I _do_," he admitted. "More than ... fuck … " he growled as the truth forced its way out of him. "More than anything. But I'm not good for her. I'm not good enough."

"I believe that's _my _job to decide that," James interjected.

"Excuse me?" Mia stared at her brother.

"Shut up Mia," James snapped and turned to Sirius. "That's my little sister and I love her more than anything else in the entire world, Lily being a very close second and the rest of you right up there. So believe me when I say that if I didn't think you were good enough for my sister, we would _not_ be having this drunken intervention." His hazel eyes narrowed at his best friend, who refused to meet his gaze. "I think you're good enough," James hesitated before speaking again. "_Mum_ thought you were good enough."

Sirius frowned at the words and turned his eyes to the ground, clenching his fists tightly into balls.

"You two are meant to be," Remus added and the words made Sirius finally snap.

"I don't want to be meant to be!" He growled. "I want her to have a fucking choice so she's not forced into a shit life because fate thought it would be hilarious to have her bound to the Black blood-traitor!" He stood up and stormed across the room, only to find the doors still locked. He snarled and turned, pacing around the Common Room for a few moments before leaning his forehead against the stone wall in defeat.

"What do you mean by bound?" James asked pointedly.

"Sirius … " Mia cautioned.

"Mia and I are soul bonded!"


	73. Chapter 73

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: I love the weekends because I get no fewer than three PMs from lovely readers who are concerned for my well being because they get used to me posting daily Monday-Friday. Even those who know I don't usually post a new chapter until Monday morning send me a little message late Sunday night to see if everything is okay. I adore you all. I also think I've created monsters. Or minions. Anyone want some Kool-Aide? *grins evilly*

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy-Three: Mine

"_...Oh you're in my veins  
__And I cannot get you out  
__Oh you're all I taste  
__At night inside of my mouth…"  
__(In My Veins - Andrew Belle)_

* * *

**November 5th, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

**Heads Common Room**

"What?!" Remus was the first to rise from his chair, suddenly pale and looking unbelievably guilty. His green eyes tried to look at Mia but anytime they made eye contact, he'd look away as though he'd done something horribly, horribly wrong.

"Damnit, Sirius!" Mia hissed.

"I don't understand; what's happened?" Lily stared at her three friends, two of whom now looked incredibly guilty. One looked enraged. Then there was her boyfriend, who looked shocked and possibly horrified. Sometimes Lily really hated being Muggle-born.

"How do you know?" James finally brought himself out of his stupor to ask.

"Mum … " Sirius replied, looking properly reprimanded. He refused to make eye contact with Mia for outing their secret. "Mum told me last summer," he confessed to James. He turned and briefly looked at Remus, frowning. "It wasn't just _your _future mate I was worried about," Sirius admitted shamefully.

"Tilly can see the Soul Bond," Mia explained to her brother, who seemed to nod before removing his glasses and rubbing the palms of his hands into his eyes, groaning.

"It doesn't make sense though," Remus stated, still refusing to look at Mia and only speaking directly to Sirius. "If the two of you are bonded, then Mia shouldn't have been able to ... to … " he flushed. "To have been with me," he explained and turned back to look at James and Lily. "And Sirius would have never allowed it."

"The bond isn't sealed," Mia replied.

"Wait." James paused and looked up, recalling a conversation he'd had with Mia and Sirius in the Forbidden Forest. "I thought bonds are sealed by having sex."

"Those are just werewolf bonds." Mia shook her head.

"So are you bonded to _Remus_, then?" He pointed.

Remus paled and went wide eyed. A part of him knew the answer but the rest of him panicked.

"No," Mia answered, calming everyone in the room a smidgen. "I'm not his mate."

"But you had sex with him," James bluntly pointed out, thankfully avoiding using the word 'maidenhead' in the statement.

"Yes."

"And the Pack Bond?" James questioned curiously.

"Is still unsealed," Mia answered.

"You told me werewolves seal the bonds through mating," her brother continued, ignoring the uncomfortable looks Remus was giving him and the irritating huffing that Lily was doing in the corner as she tried to grasp the conversation that was clearly over her head.

"Yes, but then they have to bite you!" Mia snapped.

"While having sex with you?" James asked.

"I am so uncomfortable right now," Remus groaned. He sat down, putting his head in his hands.

"Yes, Jamie!" Mia shrieked.

"And you never … " he turned to Remus and raised an eyebrow.

"No!" Remus gaped wide-eyed at his friend, horrified to think James would even consider that Remus would bite Mia. Even more, he was shamed over the fact that they were all very openly discussing his and Mia's previous sex life and the implied werewolf complications of it.

"No biting during sex?" Sirius scoffed. "That sounds boring," he said with a short laugh to try and diffuse the tension in the room. Only Mia joined him in quiet laughter.

"Does someone want to clue me in on anything that's happening right now!?" Lily finally broke, her voice reaching new octaves, and the werewolf and both canine Animagi winced in reaction to the high pitched noise. "What the hell is a Soul Bond? Why would Remus bite Mia? What's with the Pack talk?"

And so, reluctantly, they confessed everything. They told Lily all about discovering Remus' Lycanthropy and how they were desperate to help him. How Sirius had figured out that if they all became Animagi, Remus wouldn't have to be alone. When Lily didn't believe them, James shifted into his stag form and Lily sat back on the couch for several minutes in shock, shushing anyone who tried to speak until she had grasped the situation entirely. When Sirius and Mia offered to show her _their_ forms she politely declined. She insisted that baby steps might be necessary, considering she just found out her boyfriend was 'Bambi's dad'. James immediately took offense until Mia explained the Muggle reference.

Once Lily had time to comprehend everything, Mia told her everything that happened during fifth year with Fenrir Greyback. She explained how, when Remus mentioned his 'Pack', he wasn't being facetious but was instead referencing a magical bond shared between himself, Sirius, Mia and James. Sirius then did his best to reiterate what Dorea Potter had told him the previous summer about the bond he shared with Mia.

"You fought Fenrir Greyback?" Lily paled once they'd all finished speaking.

"They _tried _to fight, _I_ fought him," James insisted smugly.

"And you're all animals," Lily stated, more to herself than anyone else.

Sirius couldn't help but smirk. "Some more than others." He winked and received a punch to the shoulder from James in reply.

"And Sirius and Mia have a bond? But so do the four of you?" Lily pointed.

Remus nodded. "Werewolves tend to form packs under an Alpha. By defeating Greyback, an established Alpha, I was able to stand as my own and create a Pack." A glow of pride enveloped him and Mia couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Members of a Pack share a bond."

"What about Peter?" Lily raised a brow.

Mia did her best not to audibly growl.

"Peter wasn't there when we formed the Pack; the bond doesn't affect him," Remus explained.

"But it's not finished? The bond?" Lily asked, turning to look at Mia.

Mia shook her head. "No."

"Because … " Lily began, her green eyes blinking rapidly, "Because you have to have sex and then bite each other?"

Sirius burst into laughter. Remus also couldn't help but smile a little at the blunt and simple way that Lily put it. Mia was smirking, nearing laughter herself. Only James looked uncomfortable.

"Technically it just has to be one of us," Mia explained. "If Remus marks one of us it'll essentially mark all of us because we're linked."

"While having sex," Lily clarified with wide eyes. She turned to stare at Remus as though suddenly the main character of the werewolf-centered romance novels she'd long ago borrowed from Mary had burst forth from the pages and was now sitting in the middle of her Common Room, appearing far more uncomfortable than she'd ever pictured him to be, and staring at her as though he could read her thoughts.

"Don't look at me like that Lily," Remus scowled, embarrassed. "I didn't write the damn werewolf rules; I barely know them myself. Mia only figured it out cause she reads so fucking much," he snarled, horrified that the intervention had somehow turned into a werewolf mating habits Q and A. "Weren't we here in the first place to deal with Mia and Sirius?" He asked.

"Oh we'll get back to _that_," Lily insisted, turning to look back at Sirius, Mia and James. "So when exactly are you going to seal the Pack Bond?" She asked.

"Never!" James shouted.

"But won't it strengthen the bond and your magic? That could be really helpful considering there's a war going on. Not to mention how it could keep you safe, even heal you if necessary," the redhead asked seriously.

None of them could deny her logic save for Remus who stated firmly, "I'm not going to bite anyone!"

Lily ignored him and continued. "I mean, it seems like it would be a good idea and if all of you are linked then really only _Mia_ has to-" she began but found narrowed grey eyes on her as Sirius let out a low and territorial growl.

"See?" Lily smiled at Remus, pointing her finger at the irritable look Sirius was giving her. "And _now _we're back to Sirius and Mia's problems." She beamed and turned her attention to the bad-tempered pair. "So ... you two ... get over it. It's not magic bringing you together. If it was, you'd be together. You're not," she stated in a tone of voice she usually reserved for ignorant third years. "You're both miserable prats when you're not together, but you've clearly made the choice. So make a different one and just be together."

"How romantic Lily," Mia said sarcastically. "You should write poetry."

Sirius snorted.

"Drink," Lily growled. She shoved a recently refilled glass toward Sirius, who had long since given up the fight against the ginger witch and did as she asked. "Sirius, do you want to be with Mia?"

"Yes," Sirius said, the word heavy on his breath.

"Why?"

"Because she completes me," he answered, relinquishing his control to the truth serum that coursed through his veins. The raven-haired wizard was certain the Firewhisky assisted in lowering what few inhibitions he possessed. "She was the first person to ever show me affection in my life without manipulating me at the same time," he confessed. He swallowed down the bitter memories of his family mixed with the pure elation he recalled in the visions of an eleven-year-old Mia stroking her fingers through his hair on the Hogwarts Express.

"She never hesitates to run her fingers through my hair because she knows it comforts me," he smiled to himself. "She makes me feel wanted, makes me feel ... good and not damaged." His grey eyes finally looked up at the witch in question, who looked to be struggling to breathe as her brown eyes met his. "Because she's the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Mia, drink," Lily said with a sweet smile as she pushed the glass of Firewhisky toward her friend.

Mia hesitated before swallowing it down, no longer wincing at the burn that used to scorch her throat years ago. Sirius had been right, she got used to it.

"Do you want to be with Sirius?"

"Yes," Mia answered.

"Why?"

"Because … " Mia started. Then she paused before she spoke, realizing the Veritaserum wasn't as strong against her as it was before. She wondered if she could lie, considering it wasn't forcing her to speak. But she didn't want to lie. Not anymore. So she told the truth.

"Because he's my future." She stared into grey eyes and imagined away the youth in them. She could see the beautiful lines of age around those eyes; could see the tattooed skin and marks of a hard life undeserved, and it was all beautiful. "Because when I close my eyes I can see the end of this war and he's there." She thought of her Sirius; older Sirius. But then wasn't this her Sirius too? "Firewhisky in one hand, cigarette in the other rolling his eyes while I nag at him to quit," she smirked and felt an elation when Sirius seemed to smile at her. "I want to be with him because I trust him to always put my safety and happiness first, even if he thinks I wouldn't be safe and happy with him. Because when I think about the past and the future the first thing I always think of is … "

Mia closed her eyes and felt the sting of tears as she envisioned the library of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

_"Before we dig into old magics, and awkward adult conversations, will you allow an old dog one last moment of recklessness?" _An older Sirius had asked her, his eyes pleading and anxious before he'd brushed his lips so softly against hers that she'd long since wondered if it had all been a dream. _"Happy birthday, kitten," _he'd whispered. _"No matter what happens, promise me you'll just try to be happy, alright?"_

"When I think about the past and the future," Mia reiterated, "the first thing I always think is ... I miss Sirius Black." She stifled a sob as she thought of her older wizard, the man who'd healed her splinched back. The man who'd saved her from Bellatrix Lestrange. The man who'd brought her back to life with his own breath in the caved-in passage on the fourth floor. The man who'd invited her into his home and stayed with her through the nightmares, cared for Harry like a father, and forced Draco Malfoy - of all people - to become her friend and help her through the aftermath of war.

Her eyes met those of the younger Sirius Black. The boy who'd extended a hand of friendship when she'd been shoved to the ground and skinned her knee. The boy who'd grown up alongside her, smiled at her and brought light into her life. The boy who looked and James and Remus - the other two most important people in her life - like brothers. The boy who had fought so courageously against the expectations of a prejudiced family, who had been wounded so often just because of who he was, and yet he always stood back up to fight for his friends. For her.

He was still _her _Sirius. The same man.

And it was all too overwhelming because she couldn't imagine losing him. Mia leapt from her chair and rushed to the door, waving her vine wand and lowering Lily's wards before she darted out the portrait hole, letting it slam behind her.

Sirius had stood when Mia made her way to the door, breathing heavily as he watched her leave his sight, swallowing down the rush of emotions her words had pulled from him.

"You're seriously just going to stand there?!" Lily shrieked.

"No." he turned back and looked at her incredulously.

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?" Remus snapped, gesturing to the door with wide eyes.

"I'm giving her a dramatic head start, damnit!" Sirius snapped. "It's hardly going to be memorable if I follow her right out the fucking door with you sods listening in, is it?!" Sirius growled and rushed over to James, reaching into his best friends' robe pockets and searching. "Give me the Map!" He insisted, pulling out the folded parchment and turning on the heels of his dragonhide boots and rushing out the door.

oOoOoOo

**Fifth Floor Corridor**

Sirius sneaked along the dark corridors as best as he could, using the Marauders Map not only to track Mia, but to dodge roaming Prefects and Filch. As his grey eyes followed the little dot on the Map that read 'Mia Potter' he noticed she was headed up the stairs to what he assumed would be the Room of Requirement. Immediately he doubled his efforts to catch up with her, knowing if she made it into the room, there was a likely chance she'd request it not to allow anyone else to enter.

By the time he got to the seventh floor, Sirius ran down the long stretch of hallway and turned the corner to see an empty corridor. "Shit!" He hissed, believing he'd missed her. What was he supposed to do now; try and get into the room? Sit and wait for her outside? How long would that take? Sighing in defeat, Sirius pulled out the Map once again to see if Remus had left the Heads' Rooms. Pale grey eyes flickered over the roaming dots on the large parchment, and one a few floors down surprised him. There in the back of a corridor on the fifth floor, was Mia. Confused, Sirius folded the Map and slipped it back into his robes before making his way back down the staircase, taking a turn off onto the fifth floor when suddenly his memory triggered.

_"Merlin, your eyes are the color of chocolate,"_ he had said to her while pinning her against the walls, his fingers slipped inside of her wet warmth. _"But I bet they look like Firewhisky when you come."_

He took a sharp inhale as he realized that when she'd left Lily and James' Common Room in order to run away from them all, himself included, the place she'd somehow ended up was the same place he'd cornered her after Remus' sixteenth birthday. Was it a coincidence, or was this fate again, trying to meddle in his life? If it _was_, there were far worse ways it could interfere. Sirius started walking again, and in the shadows of a secluded, familiar alcove he saw Mia sitting on the ground, her arms wrapped around knees that had been pulled to her chest.

"Hey kitten," Sirius whispered, kneeling down in front of her. "If you wanted privacy you sure picked a good spot." He smirked. "From what I remember, Prefects don't even bother coming around this corner."

Mia looked up at him and blushed as she, too, began to remember their brief moment of passionate insanity, pressing against each other in the darkness, fueled by Firewhisky and tension. She took in a slow calculated breath and let it out even slower, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat that seemed to grow faster the closer he got.

"Why is everything so damn complicated?" She asked him.

"Because we're both stubborn and stupid," Sirius snorted. "Or so I've been told."

"We're not stupid," Mia scowled.

"You make me a little a stupid," he admitted. "And to be honest, I think it's right stupid of _you_ to even consider wanting to be with someone like me." He frowned and met her disapproving glower without fear. He wasn't intimidated by her anger; he was turned on by it, always had been. "I am not good Mia," he insisted.

For once, instead of arguing the point, trying to convince him that yes, yes he was, Mia shook her head and met his stare before declaring, "I don't care."

Sirius barked a laugh and stood up, reaching down and pulling Mia to her feet in one rough tug. He shoved her hard against the wall like he had done that first night after Remus' sixteenth birthday. She squealed at the movement and gasped as she found herself against the wall once more, shocked a bit at his strength. Remus was strong thanks in part to his Lycanthropy, but the werewolf had always been very precise with his movements, calculating and collected for the most part, always holding back. She suddenly realized that the one time she had slept with Sirius _he'd_ been holding back, too. His grey eyes were dark, speckled with silver, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of them as he stared down at her like she was ... was ... prey.

"You don't care that I'm not good?" He glared.

"You're not bad," Mia finally spoke, staring up at him. "Why do you think you have to be some damn hero in order to be acceptable to me?" She asked him plainly.

"Because you're good and you deserve it," he answered immediately. "I'm more than likely one blink away from mentally snapping, considering my family. I'm constantly being chased by Death Eaters who seem to have it out for my friends. I've got a nasty reputation and an even worse temper. Need I remind you that I willingly tried to trap Snape with a werewolf?"

"Need I remind you that you felt remorse for what you did?" Mia narrowed her eyes at him. "And why on earth do you think I'm so above you?" She scoffed. "Blood or not, Dorea Black was my mother, same family as yours," she pointed out. "Never mind that I'm also Muggle-born and Death Eaters will come after me no matter what," she informed him. "I also have a bad habit of cursing any girl that dares to mess with you, and one I even Portkeyed into the Black Lake."

"_Tele_-Portkeyed," he corrected. "And it was the shallow end," Sirius argued on her behalf.

The witch smirked at him.

"Mia," he sighed. "I am not Remus. I am not sweet and doting. I won't read you poetry because frankly the shit bores me to tears. I am fucking selfish and greedy and when I look at you," he groaned and firmly gripped her hips, grinding his pelvis against her. Mia gasped at the sudden feel of his hardness against her belly. "When I _touch _you ... I don't know if I can control myself."

"I don't want you to," she breathed. "You are selfish and greedy and I'm well aware that you'll never read me poetry, nor would I ask you to. I didn't choose Remus," she insisted, threading her fingers through his hair and holding tight so that he wouldn't have a chance to look away from her. "I chose _you_!" She said firmly, her resolve unwavering. "I love-" she began but before she could say the words, Sirius crushed his lips against hers and Mia felt her skin ignite.

"Don't say it," Sirius muttered as he pulled away from the bruising kiss, his eyes shut tight as though he were fighting through physical pain. "Don't ... don't say it; not yet," he pleaded with her and pressed his forehead against hers, breathing hot against her lips as he involuntarily rolled his hips toward her again, needing the friction to ease the throbbing discomfort. "Mia ... if this is it, if ... if we do this, I won't let go." His grey and silver eyes opened and bored deep into hers. "I'm not strong enough."

"I've already said-" she began.

He cut her off. "No, Mia, I have never had a girlfriend before," he cautioned her, trying to explain. "I am incredibly fucked up and there's no doubt in my mind that I will be a shit boyfriend," he emphatically proclaimed. "Because I honestly don't know what the fuck I'm doing."

"The scar on my ribs is from an old curse," she explained. "The person who did it was punished, and you don't need to know anymore than that." The words left her mouth as some sort of peace treaty. She didn't want him to walk away this time, and considering he just declared that he basically couldn't, she felt she needed to give him something in exchange for pushing the issue. "I have another scar on my arm because I got in the way of a Slytherin," she said, using the loopholes in Dumbledore's spell to tell him the truth. "And ... and there's a large scar on my back because I splinched myself." She whimpered at the memory of how gentle an older Sirius had been with her while she healed.

Sirius swallowed, listening to the truth spill from her lips. He wasn't shocked to learn she'd been dueling Slytherins, but the splinching? That had surprised him.

"Not even Remus has seen it," Mia whispered about the scar on her back. Something in the words triggered Sirius' primal instincts, and she thought she saw the slightest hint of a grin on his lips.

All too quickly she found herself being turned around, Sirius' firm chest pressed hard against her back, his fingers slipping around her to slowly unbutton her jumper. With the fabric parted on either side of her breasts, Sirius pulled the cloth down over her back, revealing a long, silvery white scar that fled south over her shoulder blade beneath the small strap of a black lace bra, opposite the beautiful tattoo on her other shoulder. Sirius delicately peeled the bra strap down and placed an open mouth kiss to the healed track in her flesh. Mia shivered at the contact, and then moaned in pleasure when she heard him whisper from behind her, "Mine."

Suddenly he put his hands back on her hips and spun her again. Before she had a chance to say another word, his tongue was in her mouth and she was moaning at the pleasurable invasion. He wasn't sweet or gentle, nor loving and passionate. He was rough and hard and possessive in a way that burned hot. She heard him growl and the sound created a ripple effect in her body, starting out as a shiver that crossed her shoulders and moved south across her chest, her nipples tightening in response. A warmth flooded her belly and a deep ache began inside of her as moisture pooled in her knickers.

Before he had the chance to move her, Mia hitched her thigh up against his hip and Sirius grinned against her mouth, taking her bottom lip lightly between his teeth and nipping it before showing the same consideration to her neck, ear lobe and shoulder. One hand left her waist and she felt Sirius pushing her skirt up around her thighs before his fingers tucked beneath the wet, black lace covering her folds.

"Do you see what you do to me?" Mia breathed against his parted lips, gasping when he smugly slipped two fingers inside of her, curling and rubbing against a spot she hadn't known existed, but _Godric _was she thankful that _he _did. He watched her begin to break apart, an incredibly arrogant look on his face that made her want to fall to pieces in his arms and slap him at the same time. His fingers were doing delicious things to her, but he didn't have to be so smug about it. As a mild reprimand for his ego, Mia tugged on his hair. The action only seemed to further provoke him and suddenly the pad of his thumb gently, teasingly brushed against her clit. She let out a shaky whimper.

"Remember a year ago," Sirius whispered quietly into her ear, ignoring the way her body trembled and pleaded for more. "When you were in my bed, writhing beneath me." He grinned and nipped her ear softly. "I remember it vividly. Still just as tight and wet as you were then," he growled and Mia felt a flutter deep inside of her as his strokes became longer, deeper and the pad of his thumb pressed against her harder. "You're _mine _now," Sirius proclaimed as her breath quickened, his voice the only thing she could hear other than her own heartbeat, which was a pounding drum in her ears. She didn't hear the soft chuckle in his throat as he felt her begin to pulse around his fingers, nor did she hear the sound of his trouser buckle being undone. Only his voice and her own whimpers that now came out like soft cries as the tight, hot coil inside of her snapped and she shattered against him.

Her body went slack but she had little time to recover before Sirius had lifted her against the wall, wrapping her legs around his waist and she could feel him positioning himself against her entrance, the inside of which was still thrumming. "Say you're mine," Sirius whispered.

Mia opened her eyes to look into endless grey and silver, and she saw the desperation in them. The pain and the longing and the pure and complete need. He was so beautifully broken, and so was she. Neither entirely qualified to fix the splintered pieces of the other, but damnit if they weren't going to try. "I'm yours," she whispered, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him sweetly. "All yours."

The sound of her voice, the taste of her lips, and that devoted look in her eyes was all the confirmation Sirius needed, and he thrust his hard length inside of her. Burying his face into her bared shoulder, and without thinking he bit down on the skin beneath his lips. Mia hissed at the pain that all too quickly gave way to a throbbing, aching pleasure. She had offered such a privilege to Remus on multiple occasions, her neck and shoulder bared to the werewolf, but he'd always been too controlled, too afraid, and the memory of those moments felt suddenly Obliviated as Sirius took her, claimed her without her ever needing to offer or plead.

Sirius had wanted this to be perfect and last forever, but _Godric _it had been a year since he'd been inside of her, and he hadn't touched another girl since the moment Mia had left his bedroom. Too long. Much too long and Sirius knew it. He could feel himself pressing hard against a dangerous edge, could feel his body tightening, but he would be damned if he was going to leave her wanting. Slipping a hand between their bodies, he stroked her swollen clit, grinning at the way her walls clamped down on his cock in response. "Mine," he whispered again, reverently. "Your _body _is mine, your _pleasure _is mine … " he declared.

"My _heart _is yours," Mia added, staring deep into his eyes.

Suddenly his smug grin faded into something genuine and sincere as Sirius realized the fragile moment he held in his hands. Swallowing back his own emotions, Sirius nodded, giving her a silent promise. Not a promise that he would be perfect, or that he wouldn't do something incredibly stupid with the gift she was giving him. It was a promise that he would try, which was the best anyone could get from Sirius Black.

"Sirius," Mia moaned and he found himself staring deep into the suddenly amber eyes of the beautiful witch in his arms, her body fluttering around his length signalling how close she was to falling apart. He leaned in and kissed her lips softly, and when they parted, she whispered sweetly while staring into his eyes. "I love you."

Something broke inside of him. He closed his eyes and pulled her close to him, moulding her soft curves against his hard frame as he thrust deep and hard inside of her, stifling a sob as her words of love split him into pieces and put him back together. The golden bonding string between them strengthened with every touch, mingling their magic as it had the first time they kissed and the last time they'd touched each other so intimately. They came together, Sirius spilling himself inside of her with a groan as her walls held him deep. He crumbled to the ground in the aftermath, gently keeping her in his arms, still inside of her and desperate to never leave.

It was absolute, utter, infinite, complete and outright perfection.

* * *

**A/N**: You Sirius/Mia fans have been so patient.


	74. Chapter 74

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. I know it was a long time coming.

Q&amp;As - **Brian1972**, I'm glad you enjoyed what I did differently in my story with the bond. While most Soul Bond fics seem to automatically pair people up, I wanted it known that Mia and Sirius still had free will, which was exactly why Sirius insisted that Mia and Remus figure their relationship out. Mia owed it to Sirius to choose him for HIM and not because she was soul bonded to him. **gypsyfurface**, the shoulder bite in the last chapter's sex scene was not THE bite, as that would have to come from Remus to seal the Pack Bond. Sirius is just a biter. He did after all say that no biting during sex was boring ;) **Grovek26**, other than sexy Remus, I simply adore a freaked out Remus and an awkward Remus, and last chapter gave me a lot of both.

Lots more happy things up ahead, and someone else gets something that they've waited for for a long time: Revenge! Muahaha!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy-Four: Muffliato

"_...You don't know that I know you watch me every night  
__And I just can't resist the urge to stand here in the light  
__Your greedy eyes upon me, and then I come undone  
__I could close the curtain but this is too much fun…"  
__(I Get Off - Halestorm)_

* * *

**November 5th, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

"I take it you found Mia?" Remus asked with a raised brow as he stretched out on his bed, ankles crossed, a book in his hand looking ever the picture of introverted contentment. His green eyes scanned the overly pleased looking raven-haired wizard as he strolled into their dormitory just short of skipping.

"Do I look _that _disheveled?" Sirius didn't even bother hiding his grin.

"That … " Remus nodded and turned his attention back to his book before speaking again. "And the fact that I would recognize her scent a mile away. It … " his nostrils flared. "It smells different on you. I'm not jealous or anything, but I don't think I like it," the werewolf grimaced.

"_I_ love it!" Sirius smiled and then fell onto his bed with a bounce, staring across the room at Remus who seemed to be holding back a smirk. "I also love that Prongs no longer sleeps in this room so there's absolutely zero chance of me getting antlered in the shoulder. Mate really needs to reign in that protective brother thing."

"Sirius?" Remus said, closing his book and setting it on his side table.

"Yeah mate?"

"Just because it needs to be said ... if you hurt her again … " Remus slowly took in a controlled breath before speaking once more. "You're my friend, and I love you like a brother, you're Pack," he reaffirmed, hoping the word still meant as much to Sirius as it did to Remus. "But if I see that witch crying and it's because you've turned your back on her again, I won't be able to stop myself."

Sirius' smile briefly faded in order to give the now amber and golden eyed Alpha wolf his genuine attention.

"She's the line," Remus insisted. "Don't cross it."

"Understood." Sirius nodded firmly and relaxed a bit when Remus' eyes shifted back to green. It was a helpful telltale sign as to whom he was dealing with, Remus his friend or Moony the wolf, regardless of the fact that he used the nicknames interchangeably. "And you're really okay with me dating her?"

"Do you love her?" Remus asked and watched as Sirius seemed to have a poor reaction to the word as his shoulders stiffened and he mumbled something incoherently. "_That's _a yes," Remus chuckled and reached again for his book. "In which case, yes, I am okay with you dating her."

"She told me she loves me," Sirius blurted out.

Remus' eyes widened at the declaration, soon he closed his book once more, setting it to the side considering the conversation was certainly more entertaining than a novel. "Really? Wow," he smiled. "I mean _I_ knew she did, she almost said as much. Told me she wouldn't say it out loud unless it was to you, though. Said you deserved to be the first to hear it," he confessed. His words seemed to surprise Sirius, who clearly didn't know he had been a topic of discussion between Mia and Remus while the two were still dating.

"I didn't say it back," he admitted.

"Do you _feel _it back?" The werewolf questioned.

Sirius exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his long black locks. "That girl terrifies me, Moony. Do you know I've only heard those words spoken to me maybe a handful of times?" Sirius frowned and Remus followed suit.

The werewolf understood to a certain extent. His own parents hadn't said the words as often as he would have liked, and even when they _did _it was almost as though they were being forced to. The Blacks felt hate. The Lupins felt fear. Neither properly knew how to love their sons.

"Mum and Dad of course," Sirius said, referring to Dorea and Charlus. Remus nodded as well, knowing that the Potter parents had shown them both genuine love, and told them often. "Then casually by you, Prongs, and Wormtail, once by Lily even though she hexed me right after," Sirius chuckled. "Six years with the Potters and I'm still not used to it. And when _she _said it ... I don't know what happened. It ... it fucking hurt. Why would it hurt?" Sirius asked, his pale grey eyes looking up at his friend, hoping Remus' previous experience with Mia would grant him some sort of insight into the girl, relationships as a whole, and love in general.

"Because you finally have something good that's just yours," Remus suggested. "She loved me, but not like she loves _you_," he shook his head firmly. "That part of her is yours and yours alone, and I think you're scared of losing it."

Remus knew that a part of him fit permanently into Mia's heart, just the way that she fit into his, but there was certainly something different about Sirius. Deny it all they wanted to, but Remus now knew it had something to do with their Soul Bond. He remembered saying it once to Mia before, long ago. She was his heart, but not his soul. Somehow he assumed she felt the same way. Remus was her heart, but Sirius was her soul.

"I can't fuck this up, Moony," Sirius mumbled. "I don't want to fuck this up. How do I not fuck this up?" He asked desperately.

Remus' slowly rose an eyebrow as he eyed his friend. "You're asking me advice on how to date Mia?" He burst into laughter. "Do you have any idea how pissed off she'd be about that?"

"Don't care; need help," Sirius pleaded.

When the laughter died away Remus sighed happily, enjoying this brief interlude of time where _Sirius Black _didn't know how to do something that his ego couldn't compensate for. "Don't treat her like any other girl," he cautioned the Animagus. "If you start buying her flowers and stuff, she's likely to use them in a potion and then poison you with it. Also, she comes first." Remus paused and stared directly at Sirius, smirking. "And I mean that in _every _sense of the word."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I don't have a problem in that area, thanks," he said snappishly, though a grin slipped back across his jaw as he remembered the fifth floor corridor and the way she had desperately clung to him, fluttering around his cock and panting out each syllable of his name between breaths.

"I mean it though," Remus said, interrupting Sirius' brief recollection. "You treat her like Prongs treats Lily. Just ... be less embarrassing about it." They both laughed at this. "Also, don't lie to her and don't hold back," Remus said pointedly, and nodded when Sirius raised a brow. Yes, he _did _mean physically. It had been one thing that Remus was careful to do over the course of his relationship with Mia; the few times he felt he had lost a bit of control had seemed to thrill her, though the aftermath when he apologized for possibly hurting her only fueled her anger.

The thought brought up another point. "And stop talking about yourself like you're not worthy of her. If you can make her happy, that proves your worth."

"_You _made her happy," Sirius pointed out as though it was an argument in his favor. If Remus made Mia happy and she wasn't with Remus anymore, what chance did Sirius really have?

"Yes I did," the werewolf nodded. "I also made her content. She doesn't need content. She needs to be challenged."

"Well _that _I can definitely do," Sirius scoffed and then immediately silenced himself when the bedroom door to their room opened. He peeked his head around one of his bed posters and grinned when he spotted Peter walk through looking thoroughly exhausted.

"Did it work?" Peter asked, his watery eyes turning to look at the grin on Sirius' face. "I spent four hours polishing trophies with Filch. Please tell me that I didn't go through all that for nothing," he complained, looking between Sirius and Remus.

"Wormtail," Sirius stood and walked over, taking Peter's face in his hands. "I could kiss you," he declared and Peter quickly tried to break away from Sirius as though he expected the raven-haired wizard to follow through. Sirius only laughed and patted his friend gratefully on the cheeks.

"I owe you a thousand Butterbeers my fine furry friend!" Sirius declared. "Your sacrifice for my love life will not go unnoticed Pete. I promise you," he smiled brightly. "One day I will definitely pay you back for this."

oOoOoOo

**November 8th, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

The weekend following Sirius' eighteenth birthday was spent without thought of war or Death Eaters, or the worries of adulthood that waited for them upon graduation. Sirius had taken to the sky, Beater Bat in hand as he and James and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team faced off against Ravenclaw in the first match of the year. Both boys had never flown better, and it had little to do with the new brooms they'd purchased before returning to Hogwarts in September. Though Mia and Lily couldn't tell the difference from one broom to the next, Sirius and James had spent a great deal of effort trying to educate their witches about the obvious superiority that the Nimbus 1500 had over their previous Cleansweeps.

Ravenclaw was defeated in an epic showdown that put Gryffindor in the lead for the Quidditch Cup by over four hundred points. In a show of support, both Lily and Mia had run onto the field the moment their wizards landed, throwing themselves into the open arms of their boyfriends, both of whom would be hard pressed to find a happier moment in their entire lives.

The usual Butterbeer-fueled celebration took place after the game, which included a birthday cake for Sirius and presents from his friends. Buckets of candy, and things for both his broom and his bike, but Sirius had stared in awe as he opened Mia's gift, retrieving from a large red bag a black leather jacket. It was the most beautifully Muggle thing he'd ever owned, and it took less than five seconds for him to cast aside his robes and slip into the jacket. James, Remus, and Peter all grinned at the sight while Lily rolled her eyes. Mia however was staring openly and Sirius was not at all shy about noticing the way her brown eyes shifted to amber at the sight of him.

When Lily and James left Gryffindor Tower to return to their Head Rooms, Sirius and Mia properly celebrated his birthday by slipping up to Sirius' room. Mia soon found out a Marauder secret that had begun years earlier. Each wizard was given a one-time pass that allowed him to kick the others out for the night for any reason. So far none of the boys had taken the opportunity, so Sirius gave himself a birthday gift by kicking Remus and Peter to the Common Room for the night. Surprisingly Remus was amused by the gesture; Peter, of course, was a little put out.

When Sirius met Mia up in his room he found the devious little witch perched at the foot of his bed, her hair in a wild halo around her face, curls slipping down past her shoulders. The only scrap of her own clothing she wore was a pair of lace scarlet knickers that matched perfectly with the open red and gold Quidditch robes she was currently wearing, the name BLACK embroidered on the back.

Sirius stopped dead at the sight and briefly wondered if his lungs collapsed in the moment when his eyes connected with the view in front of him. _Merlin, Godric and Circe _... she was wearing _his _robes and _his _name and _his _colors and sitting in _his _bed. His mouth watered as his eyes moved south to take immediate notice that the robes weren't buttoned, so between the slip of soft red fabric was a pale valley of supple flesh, showcasing the soft curves of her breasts all the way down to her navel. Teasingly the fabric covered both nipples, and Sirius felt himself briefly irritable over the fact, but all too quickly he got over it when he realized she was not a picture, but a real woman that he could touch, taste, undress and devour.

"If you don't get over here in the next five seconds, Sirius Black," Mia threatened, her amber eyes dark and blazing, "I will charm these robes green and silver and the BLACK on the back of them might as well reference Regulus," she said with a daring smirk.

No longer in control of his human sensibilities, his inner Padfoot growled audibly, possessively and Mia grinned at the sound. Even all the way across the room, it was as though she could feel the vibrations of the noise that sent shivers down her spine and a warmth against her thighs. Sirius was on top of her faster than she had time to react, and Mia shrieked and laughed as the large wizard pinned her back down against the mattress, pushing aside the scarlet fabric revealing her left breast and eagerly taking the peak of it between his teeth, sucking, licking and swirling it teasingly before gently biting down, eliciting the most wonderful noises from the witch's mouth.

Her back arched off of the bed but Sirius growled once more and a firm hand on her hip shoved her right back down before it returned to her right breast, rolling the pebbled tip between his fingers while he devoured its twin with his mouth. Mia grinned as she ran her fingers through Sirius' hair, momentarily wondering if she would ever be able to do so lazily while sitting on the couch, reading a book with his head in her lap again without her thoughts turning wanton.

Inch by ruthless inch Sirius descended her body, kissing and nipping his way down to the apex of her thighs where she heard him breathe in deep and chuckle before nuzzling the scarlet lace that wrapped his favorite birthday gift. Mia whimpered when she felt him lightly bite against the fabric before leaning back on his heels to remove his new leather jacket, following it by pulling his white shirt over his head and then tucking his fingers into the band of her red lace knickers and sliding them delicately over her thighs, down her calves and then tearing them away from her ankles before pocketing them in his jeans.

"You are _not _keeping those," Mia insisted when she caught sight of his attempt at sleight of hand.

"It's my birthday," Sirius argued. "I get whatever I want. You should know this by now." He grinned and then leaned forward, pulling his long hair back behind his shoulders, securing it in a loose knot to keep out of his face before placing an open mouthed kiss to her center. Mia's hips bucked involuntarily at the sensation.

"This is supposed to be _your _birthday," she smirked. "Doesn't that mean _you _get the gifts?"

"I'm indulging in my favorite one right now," Sirius insisted, parting her folds with two fingers before darting his tongue out to taste his present. Mia let out a soft cry and Sirius grinned in reply before feasting on her wet center with enthusiasm. Licking, sucking, nibbling on her flesh as she chanted his name above him, moaning it in between encouragements of, "Don't stop," "Please!", and "Oh yes!"

Sirius delighted in each and every sound she made as it went from his ears straight down to his cock, which was currently pressed into the mattress, thrusting on occasion to relieve some of the pressure. The noise she made when he slipped his tongue inside of her caused his hardness to throb almost painfully, but he grinned through it, thanking Merlin for birthdays. Sirius eagerly wrapped his lips around her swollen clit before sinking two fingers inside of her and stroking her just the way he knew she liked. Mia's body tightened like a bowstring as he sucked and licked and stroked, beckoning her climax and screams out of her with determination. When she finally began to break, gasping and crying out, he couldn't help but remember Remus' words of advice on a relationship with Mia.

_"She comes first." _Remus had said.

_No mate_, Sirius thought to himself smugly. _She comes twice._

oOoOoOo

It wasn't even dawn when Mia's eyes slowly opened and she found herself in a bed that was not her own. She breathed in the scent deep and let it wash over her completely: parchment, grass and leather. Sirius. Her brown eyes looked down at the handsome pale frame beside her. _Godric but he was beautiful_, she thought to herself as she raked her gaze over the lines of his body, following the plains of his chest down the trail of course black hair under his navel that vanished beneath a white bed-sheet where their legs tangled together.

Mia smiled admiringly as she softly ran the tips of her fingers over his skin, mentally drawing marks where she knew tattoos would eventually be placed. Between his long raven hair, the promise of future tattoos and the black leather jacket that was now hung over his trunk at the foot of his bed, Mia couldn't imagine a more devilishly handsome wizard. Struck by the beauty of him, she silently prayed he wouldn't open his eyes. If she were to face the various shades of grey and silver in her current state, she might actually blush.

As it was, Sirius did _not _open his eyes. He did, however, moan at the feel of her fingers toying with the ends of his hair. The hand that was still firmly wrapped around her waist, tucked into the red and gold Quidditch robes that Sirius insisted remain on her body for as long as possible, tugged her closer to him and she could feel his morning hardness pressed against her thigh. Without ever opening his eyes to face the daylight, Sirius groaned as he ground himself against her leg before slowly, lazily parting her thighs, resting one on top of his hip. Mia could only smile with interest as she watched him closely as he sleepily slid into her. Hot, wet and still sore from the previous night, Mia whimpered softly at the completely welcome intrusion, tilting her hips forward when he refused to move faster. He groaned at the feel of her but then slapped her hand away when she moved a second time, causing her to grin.

"Sirius," Mia whispered. "I know you're awake."

"No I'm not," he mumbled quietly as he continued to move, pushing and pulling, in and out and in and out, tortuously slow and teasing. His hand moved from her waist to cup the curve of her arse and pull her tight against him as he finally quickened his pace. Still she watched his face closely, doing her best not to roll her eyes into the back of her head despite the delicious new angle his cock seemed to find purely by instinct. Eyelids shut and his lower lip caught between his teeth in focus, Mia bit her own lip to prevent herself from leaning forward and kissing him, nibbling on him. Eyes closed, Sirius concentrated on each thrust, every movement of his hips and hands and she watched with delight at the way the different moans and whimpers she made caused the corners of his mouth to turn up into a grin.

Her toes curled when, out of nowhere, he pushed into her hard and deep. She parted her lips, gasping to catch the breath that escaped her, heavy-lidded eyes still watching him do what Sirius Black did best. Not make love, not even fucking ... although _Godric_ how she loved when he fucked her. No, this was ... this was pure magic. He withdrew himself completely from her and then thrust back in with abandon, and the sound of his accompanying groan was all it took to send her over the edge. Tightening around him, her overly sensitive nerves could feel him tense and swell inside of her, and she watched in awe when, after two more thrusts, he came undone, eyes still closed and panting. Sirius came with a grunt and the most perfect look of relaxed bliss fell over his features when he eased back into the pillows and slowly began to soften inside of her.

When his eyes finally did open and she saw the silver-outlined grey irises staring back at her with such devotion, she could have very well cried if it weren't for the accompanying grin he suddenly wore. "Good morning, kitten." Sirius leaned in and pulled her bottom lip into his mouth, nipping it lightly instead of a typical kiss. "I've made a decision," he declared.

"And what's that?" She smirked at him, brushing his black hair away from his face.

"We're never leaving this bed."

"Are you two awake yet?" Remus voice could be heard.

"No," Sirius groaned and, instead of shoving his head into his pillow as he was prone to do when woken up earlier than he'd like, buried his face between her breasts causing Mia to laugh.

"That's interesting," Remus said from behind the curtains. "I don't remember her ever finding anything funny in _my _bed."

"Oh, what an arsehole," Sirius growled and rolled over, reaching one hand down to pull the sheets up around Mia's half-naked form before he threw open the curtains and glared up into the green eyes of a gloating werewolf.

"Oh Godric, you couldn't put on pants?" Remus grimaced and turned away from Sirius in his day-after birthday suit, appearing completely unashamed.

"Moony, it's the morning after my birthday and I have a naked witch in my bed. Why the fuck would I be wearing pants?" Sirius asked. "What do you want?"

"If you want me to leave, fine," Remus said and turned back toward the door. "I just naturally assumed when the chance came to get back at James for trying to skewer us last year, you'd want to take it."

"What?!" Sirius' grey eyes widened in anticipation and excitement.

oOoOoOo

**Heads Common Room**

An hour later Remus, Sirius, Peter and Mia found themselves sitting on the couch in James and Lily's Common Room.

"I feel weird just sitting here," Peter mumbled nervously. "Do you really think that they're … "

"Oh yeah," Sirius laughed.

"And we know this again because?" Mia asked, looking over to Remus who was smirking.

"Because I went down to the kitchens this morning to get some coffee, and I overheard the house-elves saying a tray needed to be put together for the Head Boy and Girl, who requested breakfast be delivered to their room," the werewolf grinned. "_One _tray, _one _room."

Mia looked at the similar expressions on Sirius and Remus' faces and couldn't ever imagine how she'd thought Sirius and James were the true trouble makers; Remus could clearly hold his own. Though the shortened post-coital bliss between her and Sirius was irritating, even Mia couldn't resist the plan Remus had come up with to get back at James for his big brother drunken 'talk' he'd given the three of them the year prior shortly after attacking both Sirius and Remus in Animagus form.

"Oh Merlin," Mia groaned when her canine hearing took over and noises from beyond the Head Boy's door were much clearer than she'd ever want them to be.

"What?" Peter asked, noticing the horrified look on Mia's face and the equally amused expressions worn by his two friends. "What happened?"

"_I'm _not that loud am I?" Sirius asked with a chuckle.

"No," Mia insisted at the same time that Remus said, "Yes."

"Out of all of us, how is it that Prongs and Lily don't know how to cast Silencing Charms?" Sirius asked, shaking his head in amusement as another moan came from behind the door. Mia grimaced at the sound as she was forced to remember that Harry, apparently like his father, also had trouble remembering Silencing Charms in the heat of the moment with Ginny.

"To be fair, they probably weren't expecting us to be waiting for them in their Common Room," Remus chuckled.

"Then they shouldn't have given us the password," Sirius stated firmly. "This is _their _fault."

"Are you sure you were able to slip it in their pumpkin juice?" Mia looked to Sirius, who turned and gaped at her, offended.

"Who are you talking to?" He scoffed. "Of course I was able to get the job done. House-elves didn't even question me."

"Do you think he's going to be mad?" Peter asked nervously.

"He has it coming," Mia insisted and both Sirius and Remus silently agreed as the door to the Head Boy's room clicked open and a robe-wrapped ginger witch stepped out onto the small staircase with a glass of pumpkin juice in one hand and a muffin in the other, humming to herself pleasantly.

"Good morning, Lily!" Sirius shouted brightly at her, causing Lily to jump and stare down at the couch, her green eyes wide, her cheeks flushed.

"Oh! Umm ... good morning." She nervously looked back to James' door and bit her lip before turning her attention back to her friends. "I didn't think anyone would be stopping by," she admitted curiously.

"Well when you and Prongsie didn't make it to breakfast, we got worried," Sirius frowned and stood up, followed close behind by Remus and Mia. Peter remained in his seat, not at all willing to participate in this and what would sure be an epic consequence.

"We were up late studying and so I just thought I'd have the elves bring something by for us," Lily smiled innocently.

Mia smirked as she watched Lily take a drink of her pumpkin juice just as James' door opened again and her brother walked out, shirtless.

"Morning," James muttered suspiciously, noting the looks of amusement on his friends and sister's faces. "We were umm ... having a bit of a lie in," he lied.

"In your room?" Mia asked curiously.

"We were going over the Prefect schedule," James answered, taking the glass of juice from Lily and finishing it off himself, ignoring the looks of success that crossed the features of the pranksters at the foot of the stairs.

"That so?" Remus asked.

"Yes."

"_Just _working on the Prefect schedule?" Mia asked.

"Yes," Lily insisted.

"You should tell that to you hair," Sirius grinned and gestured.

At once Lily and James turned to face one another and two sets of eyes widened at the sight of one another sporting an all too familiar shade of bright _'satisfying' _blue. Lily looked positively scandalized while James couldn't help but look a little smug, especially seeing the color on the normally redheaded witch.

"Mia!" Lily shrieked.

"Now, now; calm down Lily," Mia smiled at her friend. "We understand that when a witch and wizard are in love, they like to express that love in a _special _way." The curly-haired witch smirked teasingly.

"A very _loud _special way," Sirius added with a chuckle and looked to James. "Muffliato, mate; it's not hard."

"Alright, very funny," James scowled. "You've successfully embarrassed us, now get the fuck out so I can finish my breakfast."

"Not going to happen," Sirius shook his head and cracked his knuckles. "See ... Lily's like a sister to me."

"And me," Remus added.

"And me," Mia agreed.

"I'm sitting this one out," Peter insisted from the couch.

"And we feel the need to defend sweet Lily's honor after we discovered that some horrid wretch had come along and stolen her … " Sirius took a deep breath and stared into James' eyes before continuing, "_Maidenhead_."

"Oh Godric," James paled.

"What?!" Lily shouted. She jumped back when suddenly Mia and Sirius shifted into Animagus form, and the Head Girl finally came face to face with a little fox and a bear-like black dog that looked eerily like a Grim. Her eyes widened further when the two seemed to be snarling at James.

"Remus," James said warningly. "Call them off, this isn't funny."

"I happen to think it's a little funny," Remus chuckled, his arms folded casually across his broad chest. "They're not going to bite hard, just enough to draw a little blood and leave a few scars," the werewolf offered.

"Scars!?" Lily yelled.

"Yeah like _this _one," Remus said as he pulled up his shirt to reveal a small circular scar that looked to be placed between two of his ribs. "That's an antler by the way," he clarified to Lily, who gaped at the sight and immediately turned on her boyfriend, narrowing her eyes in shock.

"James!"

"They had sex with my sister!" He pointed at Remus and the growling Padfoot, who was slowly moving closer toward the staircase. "How was I supposed to react?!"

"Are they going to hurt him very badly?" Lily ignored James' excuses as she turned back to Remus.

"He'll live," the werewolf grinned.

* * *

**A/N**: Aww, poor Jamie. To be fair, he did have this coming. I think my favorite moment out of this whole chapter is still Remus provoking Sirius on the other side of the curtain. I simply adore their friendship and how they have the ability to both use humor to somehow fill in for what should be either jealousy or awkwardness, especially when it comes to Mia. Their friendship is one of my favorite things to write.


	75. Chapter 75

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! I hit a few writing milestones recently, made it out of Part Two (finally writing Part Three now) and I have also passed Chapter 100! I honestly originally thought this story would be maybe 75 Chapters tops, but it has turned into a life of it's own, or as **Colubrina** calls it, an EPIC. Speaking of **Colubrina**, everyone desperately needs to go and read her fic _The Die_ (followed up immediately by it's alternate ending, _After the Sea_). It's my latest obsession.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy-Five: Elf Wine and Ink

"_...So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you  
__And I'm gonna hold you like I'm saying goodbye  
__Wherever we're standing, I won't take you for granted  
__'Cause we'll never know when, when we'll run out of time..."  
__(Like I'm Going to Lose You - Meghan Trainor)_

* * *

**December 18th, 1977**

**Kings Cross Station**

Charlus Potter stood on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, smiling as the large scarlet train pulled into the station. His hazel eyes looked through the swarm of young wizards and witches of various ages; he chuckled at a young pair of first years, reminiscing about when James and Mia had been that small. He also remembered when his two children were the _only _two, though Charlus couldn't seem to recall a single Christmas holiday when he wasn't taking Sirius home with him as well. Despite Dorea being gone, Charlus' family had never been larger.

The older wizard grinned and ran a hand through his messy salt and pepper hair. It was certainly more salt than pepper these days, and despite it thinning around the edges, it still stuck up in the back. He waited patiently, knowing the Head Boy and Girl had duties to attend to as did the two Prefects he was planning on bringing back home to the Manor, not to mention the 'extra strays', as his daughter so affectionately referred to their friends.

A grin overtook his features when he spotted the ever growing crowd of teenagers moving his way. Remus, the tallest by far, pulled his trunk behind him whilst rolling his eyes and laughing at something Peter said to his right. The young werewolf then turned to his left and whispered something to the red-haired witch that caused her to laugh, blush, and bury her face into the chest of James, who looked more grown up and happier than Charlus had ever seen his son.

Despite reading news about Lily and James becoming an official item after all these years, Charlus couldn't help but smile at finally seeing the sight of the pair together. _Dorea would have loved this_, he couldn't help but think fondly.

"Hello Mister Potter," Lily said with a bright smile, her small hand clutched within James' palm.

Charlus teasingly tore it away from his son and kissed the back of the young witch's hand. "Lily," he smiled at the sweet girl. "Can't tell you how happy I am to see you both so ... well ... happy," he chuckled as he released the witch before wrapping his son in a tight hug and then doing the same to Remus and Peter.

Just as he was going to ask about them, Sirius and Mia came walking up to join the group, Mia laughing brightly as Sirius danced her down the Platform, spinning the little witch in his arms and dipping her low to place a kiss on her mouth. Charlus suddenly found himself frowning slightly at the sight, which caused James to laugh.

"Less happy about _this_," Charlus acknowledged as Sirius lifted his daughter back to her feet, taking her small hand in his own and leading her toward her family, both smiling joyfully. "When did this happen?" The Potter patriarch asked his son.

"Last month," James nodded, patting his Dad on the back.

Charlus turned his eyes toward Remus. "Do I get to blame _you _for this?"

"Would it help?" Remus offered with a smile and Charlus just laughed.

"Mia," he leaned forward to hug his daughter tightly, a large part of him thrilled to see her smiling so brightly, but the other part extremely nervous about this new situation. His hazel eyes fell on Sirius as his daughter pulled away from him. "Sirius."

"Sir," Sirius nodded to Charlus and everyone seemed to stop and stare at the pair of wizards.

"Sir?" Charlus laughed. "I haven't been 'Sir' to you, son, since you were twelve. When did I become 'Sir' instead of 'Dad'?" The old wizard asked.

Mia smirked, taking Lily's hand in her own and walking away from the scene, leaving the wizards to work out their issues while the witches made their way to the public Floo Network.

"When I started dating your daughter, sir," Sirius pointed out, swallowing hard. He had spent a good two hours on the train ride trying to figure out exactly what he was going to say to Charlus upon arriving at Kings Cross. Best case scenario was that Charlus would be thrilled to see his daughter dating his semi-adopted son. Worst case scenario involved a Wizard's Duel and for twenty minutes James, Remus, and Peter jokingly made bets on how quickly Charlus could disarm the Animagus.

"Has this been properly dealt with?" Charlus asked, turning to look at James. His son appeared pleased with the awkward way Sirius was standing, his posture straight and his eyes leveled with the older wizard, almost as if he were genuinely trying to appear proper.

"It's been taken care of." James nodded, recalling the moment he decided to try and sit Sirius down for the 'brother talk'. It had ended with both boys threatening to shift into Animagus form and fight. Sirius pointed out he'd already been given 'the talk' multiple times by James and been stabbed once, and if James tried it again he'd have more than just the few fresh bite marks on his arms and legs from when Mia and Sirius had taken their revenge a month earlier in the Heads' Common Room. "Although I haven't received any Letters of Intent," James pointed out with a daring smirk. "Have _you_, Dad?"

"Not a one." Charlus shook his head, feigning disappointment.

Sirius narrowed his grey eyes at James. "Well, I'm not as old fashioned as Moony," Sirius scowled. Bloody wolf set the damn bar too high. "I am, however, … " Sirius took in a deep breath. "Going to move out. I'll be looking for my own flat over the holiday."

"Son, you know that's not necessary," Charlus insisted, dropping the protective father bit and putting his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "You're just as much my son as James is, and your home is with us. Whatever new relationship you have with Mia ... Sirius, I trust you."

"I appreciate that ... Dad; you have no idea how much," Sirius sighed with relief and ran a hand through his long black locks. "But it _is _necessary. You've given me everything, and I'm not going to disrespect you by living under the same roof as my girlfriend and her family. Even if it's also _my _family."

"Moony did it for a year," James pointed out, but he already knew Sirius' answer. He'd been talking about it for weeks. A part of Sirius had wanted to get his own place the second he turned seventeen and the money his uncle Alphard left him became available, but the timing hadn't been right.

"Moony didn't have the money to get out on his own," Sirius pointed out and then grey eyes fell on Remus. "No offense mate."

"None taken," the werewolf nodded.

"But speaking of Remus, I'm taking him with me," the raven-haired wizard announced. Only Charlus seemed surprised; clearly the boys had worked out this plan in advance before it became public knowledge. "Don't think I'd do too well on my own anyways," Sirius sheepishly admitted.

Charlus nodded his head in understanding. "Alright, if that's your decision. You're both men now and you've a right to decide for yourselves." He patted each hard on the back. "But my home is always your home. That goes for the both of you. Now James, how are things going between you and the lovely Lily?" He asked with a smile as the five wizards turned and headed toward the Floo. "I don't see any hex marks or bruises," Charlus chuckled softly.

"Check under his clothes," Sirius suggested with a grin and James' face turned beet red.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

Christmas was celebrated with less enthusiasm than years past. Without Dorea there to lead the charge, it just didn't feel as spirited as normal. Peter went home to his family after only one night at Potter Manor, while Lily stayed three full days before Apparating home to Cokeworth to visit with her parents, sister, and brother-in-law.

The full moon fell on Christmas Day, so instead of opening presents early in the morning, they'd done it all the night before and spent December 25th napping the day away before setting up protective wards in the orchards out back. As night fell, the little fox, the dog, and the stag sprinted across the wide open space followed casually by a golden-eyed wolf. The four creatures fell asleep curled up together beneath a large tree near the river and woke to snow covering the ground. Mia smiled at the sight and cast a warming charm on Remus before transfiguring her scarf into a blanket to cover him with.

The rest of Christmas holidays were spent relaxing, at least for the young adults. Charlus had meetings to attend and though James, Remus, and Sirius were all curious about what these meetings entailed, Mia remained silent. She automatically assumed her father was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and that trouble was drawing near. Despite their offers to help, James and Mia were politely declined when Sirius and Remus left Potter Manor in search of a flat. They'd returned home hours later looking victorious, but insisted no one was allowed inside their new place until the summer when the boys had had a chance to put things in order.

Just before the New Year, the four young residents of Potter Manor decided to pay their mother a visit. Dorea's final resting place was in a lovely cemetery just outside of Somerset. Mia had taken out her wand and waved it, creating and then placing a Christmas wreath upon the grave of Dorea Potter, and in very little time the four found themselves in the mood to drown their sorrows. Apparating to the Leaky, they found themselves faced with an abundance of elf wine that Tom the barman had been gifted for Christmas and was all too eager to share with good company. Several hours later James was being carried into the Floo by a still-sober Remus, while Mia and Sirius slipped out the door and stumbled into Muggle London, mischievous looks on their faces.

oOoOoOo

**January 17th, 1978**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

A week later they were back at Hogwarts and routine became normal once again. In Gryffindor Tower, in the bathroom connected to the boys dormitory, the three seventh year wizards stood in front of the long horizontal mirror that hung above a row of sinks. Peter was busy trying to use his wand to shave the stubble from his face. Remus had taken the easier route and applied Herbert Hyslop's Magical Hair Removal Cream, yawning and glaring at the dark circles beneath his eyes, courtesy of the approaching full moon. Sirius, meanwhile, stepped from the shower, towel wrapped low on his hips as he faced the mirror and raked his fingers through his damp black hair.

"You going to be ready for practice, Padfoot?" James asked as he poked his head into the door. He was already wearing his Quidditch robes, eager to start 1978 off right by driving his team into the ground.

"Do you think I'd risk losing a game to my little brother?" Sirius scoffed at the notion. "Are you out of your mind? I've been just waiting for the day I can smack a Bludger at his smug stupid face and knock him off of his broom," he grinned.

"Padfoot? What is _that_?" Remus asked as green eyes focused on the left side of Sirius' chest.

"What?" Sirius blinked.

"Pads!" James hissed. He grabbed his best friend by the shoulders, spinning him around until he came face to face with inked script written across Sirius' pectoral. "Is that my sister's name tattooed on your chest!?" He glared.

Sirius raised a brow and tugged at James' robes. "Is that _Lily's _name tattooed on _your _chest?" He asked accusingly, turning the tables on his friend.

"That's … " James flustered. "That's completely different."

"If by different you mean Lily doesn't have _your _name tattooed on _her_, then sure." Sirius nodded and turned away from James, reaching for his Morning Mouthwash Potion.

"What?" Remus gaped at the Animagus. "She got ... you're kidding!" The werewolf laughed loudly, and Sirius grinned smugly.

"What can I say, the witch loves me," he sighed happily.

"You actually convinced Mia to get a tattoo of your name?" Peter stared at his friend in absolute awe. "On her body?"

"No, dumbass, on her book bag," Sirius glowered at his short friend, ignoring the noises that were coming from James on his other side. "Yes, on her body. And I hardly needed to do any convincing," he insisted and then added as an afterthought, "That I remember."

"You got my sister drunk and took her to a tattoo shop?!" James snapped.

"Not like it's the first time," Sirius rolled his eyes. "And _I_ did not get her drunk. _You _got her drunk. Technically you got us _both _drunk, and then just left us at the Leaky to fend for ourselves." He pouted. "Whatever else were we supposed to do?" He chuckled, tossing the potion into his mouth and gargling.

"_Not _get tattoos?" James suggested incredulously.

"Where's the fun in that?" Sirius asked as he spit out the potion into the sink. "Besides, she likes it."

"W-where'd she get it?" Peter asked curiously. Sirius turned and glared at him in the moment, remembering years earlier when they'd all found out that Peter had once spied on Remus and Mia having sex. Sirius was not about to fall into a similar situation.

"Nowhere Prongs wants to know, and nowhere either of you are ever going to see." He gestured to Remus and Peter both, the former laughing at the threat considering he could easily say he'd seen just as much of Mia as Sirius had. Peter, however, looked properly ashamed of himself for even asking in the first place. James just looked embarrassed.

oOoOoOo

Across the Tower in the girls' dormitories, Lily, Alice, and Mary all sat on the edge of Mary's bed staring at Mia, who was clad in a pair of purple lace knickers and an old well-worn Black Sabbath t-shirt of Sirius' that hung past her hips. All three witches were staring at their friend, heads tilted to the side.

"Oh my Godric," Lily gaped, her bright green eyes wide in shock and possibly horror.

"It sure is high up." Alice blushed.

"That is so sexy," Mary commented with a smirk. "Did it hurt?"

"Not that I remember!" Mia laughed and slipped her Muggle jeans on before throwing her House robes over her Muggle attire.

"You were drinking?" Alice chuckled. "Firewhisky?" She asked, knowing that Sirius had a preference and a reputation to match said preference.

"Elf wine," Mia corrected.

"The two of you have a drinking problem," Lily laughed, shaking her head.

"I'd say their addictions are of a more carnal nature," Mary pointed out with a grin and the other girls laughed in response. Mia smiled at her three friends, blissfully happy she'd bonded with the witches so well considering how she struggled to maintain female friendships besides Ginny in her other timeline. Hermione had always thought that Ginny was the exception to the rule, but now that Mia had become friends with Mary, Lily, Alice, and even Pandora, she couldn't help but think maybe Lavender and Parvati had been the problem all along.

"Did he really get one with your name?" Mary asked, her eyes alight with anticipation.

"On his chest," Mia nodded, blushing a little. She had to admit it was foolish and reckless, and the most spontaneous she'd ever been without putting her life in danger. All it had taken was Sirius saying he wanted her name against his heart forever, and she'd swooned like one of Lily's romance heroines. After that, it was just a few well whispered words into her ear from Sirius before she was agreeing to get one to match. Once she'd sobered up she felt mildly embarrassed, but when the mark healed, she couldn't help but notice Sirius became a lot more sexually aggressive at the sight of his name on her flesh, near one of his favorite parts of her.

"That is so steamy," Mary giggled, snapping Mia out of her momentary day dream.

"It's insane," Lily countered.

"Is _that_ what you tell my brother anytime he walks around shirtless?" Mia asked, daring the redheaded witch to argue with her, a victorious smirk on her face.

"What's this?" Mary's eyes lit up once again. "James has a tattoo!?"

"It's just a bunch of flowers," Lily said quietly while rolling her eyes.

"A bunch of lilies," Mia said with a grin.

"You two are so lucky," Mary announced dramatically.

Mia and Lily shared a look and both laughed. Mary certainly was one for theatrics, but neither witch could argue with her. They were indeed incredibly lucky, tattoos or not.

"Frank would never get a tattoo," Alice said while blushing at the thought. "He hates needles," she explained and then hesitated a moment before speaking once more. "But ... he did get something else a little permanent."

"Better than ink?" Mary asked curiously, rolling over on her bed just as Alice extended her hand toward her friends. The sunlight breaking in through the window shone over a sparkling ruby on her left hand.

"Merlin!" Mary squealed and fell off of her bed in the process with a loud thud. She quickly recovered, jumping to her feet and snatching Alice's hand to examine the jewel. "Look at the size of this thing! He really asked you to marry him!?" She asked.

Alice beamed brightly while nodding.

"Alice, congratulations!" Mia grinned, pulling her friend into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you! How did he ask?"

"Fumbled a bit, nervously," Alice said softly, smiling the entire time. "You know Frank. He was really sweet though. Apparently he had to fight his Mum and Uncle Algie for the ring," her eyes looked back down at it. "It's been in House Longbottom for centuries."

"It's so lovely," Lily said admiringly. "I can't believe you're engaged."

"We told you wizards work fast," Mary winked at the ginger witch, who suddenly paled.

"Do you think that James would … " Lily began and then panicked. "Oh no, I can't even start thinking like that."

"My guess is you'll be engaged by summer," Alice laughed softly.

"I'm going to say by this time next year," Mia threw in her two Knuts worth. She could have done the Arithmancy equations, consulted tea leaves or even looked into a crystal ball, but in reality all she had to do was take Harry's birthday, subtract nine months, figure out how long it would take to plan a wedding and then add what she thought would be an adequate amount of time for Lily, as a Muggle-born, to worry about sealing herself permanently to the Wizarding world.

"I'm going to say you're a bunch of slags and I'm jealous and I hate you all," Mary insisted with a smirk, falling back down on her bed and throwing one arm above her head jokingly, like a damsel. "Not only is Alice engaged and the two of you have secured the two hottest wizards in school, but Mia probably ruined Lupin for the rest of the world and now no other witch will ever compare. What're the rest of us left with?"

Mia laughed at this. "Peter," she pointed out.

"Ugh," Mary groaned. "I'd rather marry a Hufflepuff."

"There have been a few good looking Slytherins with their eyes on you lately," Lily teased her friend.

"Ew," Mary blanched. "I'd rather marry Pettigrew!"

oOoOoOo

**The Great Hall**

Twenty minutes later the girls made their way into the Great Hall and over to the Gryffindor Table, where James and Sirius waited for Lily and Mia. Both boys were wearing their red and gold Quidditch robes, and the witches couldn't help but appreciate the well worn attire as they sat down across from the wizards.

"Look at these beautiful witches, Mister Padfoot," James grinned, standing up and stepping over the table to sit beside Lily instead of walking around. Lily silently scolded him, rolling her eyes as he fell in place next to her. "Are we not the luckiest blokes in the whole Wizarding world?" he asked loudly, causing her to blush.

"We are indeed Mister Prongs," Sirius winked across the table at Mia. "Luckiest in the whole _world _in fact."

"Why, _so _lucky that I felt it was completely necessary to sneak into Hogsmeade last night and purchase a gift for my beautiful witch," James said before reaching into his robes and withdrawing a small package. With a flourish of his wand, the small box enlarged on the table.

Lily smiled down at it. "Good man, Potter," she nodded appreciatively. "You know I love Sugar Quills."

"Where's _my _gift?" Mia eyed Sirius teasingly, genuinely not expecting anything.

"Ah, I put a lot of thought into your prize, my lovely kitten," Sirius said. He followed James' prompt and stepped over the table much the the annoyance of Lily, who removed the Sugar Quill from her mouth to frown at Sirius. "And knowing you would find candy and flowers appalling and cliche," Sirius pointed out and Mia nodded in agreement, "I thought long and hard about what you would love as a token of my affection above all else."

"And?" She asked curiously, assuming he'd bought her a book. It was the fallback gift for Mia, and she'd grown to expect such from her family and friends. Remus knew her better, of course, but then again he still bought her books - at least books she didn't already own. Sirius had always been different, though. He gave her things that meant something to her, like the mismatched earrings he'd given her several Christmases ago, or even the Potter family bracelet an older Sirius had given her for her nineteenth birthday. Sirius never fell back on the easy gifts.

"I bought a very large box of Honeydukes chocolates," Sirius announced.

Mia furrowed her brows. She hadn't been expecting a gift at all. It wasn't a holiday, and she'd only joked about wanting something; but then he had essentially announced he'd gotten something for her, insisting that candy was cliche only to buy her chocolates?

"Seriously?" She asked him. "Appalling and cliche and you still bought it?"

"Yes and then I gave them to Moony because he looks like shit today," Sirius said with a smile.

Mia let out a soft laugh and wrapped her arms around Sirius' neck, kissing him soundly. Godric but she loved this man. "Despite the insult to his appearance," Mia commented thoughtfully. "Taking care of the people I love is the best gift you could ever give me." She kissed him again.

"Because your name on his chest isn't enough?" James scowled.

"Don't be a hypocrite, Jamie," Mia smirked without even looking at her brother as she let Sirius kiss her again and again and again.

Eventually Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly from the Head Table, causing Sirius to smile up at the Deputy Headmistress and slowly pull away from his witch.

"So why are you two in such good moods this morning?" James asked, watching with great interest as Lily continued to suck on her Sugar Quills.

"We found out that Frank proposed to Alice," the redhead announced quietly.

"What?!" James shouted, the color draining from his face.

"Oh Merlin … " Sirius groaned and leaned his head on the table. Both witches immediately rolled their eyes.

"Circe, you two are just as dramatic as Mary," Mia laughed. "Don't worry; he hasn't set a precedent for the rest of Hogwarts so ease back into your semi comfortable, non-ball and chain attached lives."

"What the hell, Frank!?" James shouted at his fellow Gryffindor as Frank Longbottom walked into the Great Hall, stopping to let go of Alice's hand as it was commandeered by a group of girls eager to see her engagement ring.

"What?" Frank asked incredulously. "It's not _my _fault I'm more mature than the rest of you and I've been thinking about my future instead of the next Quidditch match," he laughed. "I've got a career in the works and a wife to look forward to."

"Hey! It's not just _any _Quidditch match," Sirius insisted and Frank merely shook his head chuckling in reply. "It's going to be the Quidditch match where my brother gets knocked off his broom. Nothing is more important than that!"

"Nothing?" Mia raised a brow.

"The only thing in my entire life more important to me than knocking Regulus off his broom, is shagging you while celebrating knocking Regulus off his broom," Sirius said with the most genuine look on his face Mia had ever seen, which only caused her to laugh loudly at her boyfriend's antics.

"Oi!" James glared at his best friend. "My sister!"

"Is shagging your mate," the raven-haired wizard grinned wolfishly. "Get over it Prongs. I'll stop being quiet about it when you learn to cast bloody Silencing Charms." Sirius barked a laugh.

"So," James turned to face frank, his cheeks bright red. "Why are you so busy worrying about a career and a wife, Frank?" He asked, ignoring Sirius and Mia who continued to guffaw at his expense.

"Changing the subject?" Sirius smirked. "Classy move."

Frank laughed along with Sirius and Mia, but indulged James in his need to divert attention away from himself. "We weren't going to make a big deal about it but, Alice and I got accepted into the early program for Auror training. We're going to go right into the Academy after graduation as long as our N.E.W.T.s are up to par."

"Good job, mate! That's fantastic!" James grinned.

"Thanks."

"Should I have put my application in early?" Sirius stopped laughing and suddenly looked momentarily worried, the boyish features that became so dominant while he was laughing fading into the sharp angles of a mature - and stressed out - adult. "I thought I had to wait to complete N.E.W.T.s."

"You're still planning on being an Auror?" Mia asked with a frown.

"What else would I do?" Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "Sit on my arse and live off my money?"

Mia snorted. Granted, there had been a war going on, but in her original timeline an older Sirius seemed perfectly content to do just that. She couldn't remember a single conversation with future Sirius regarding employment or a plan other than survive the war and then get everyone back on their feet.

"It's just ... not a safe job." Mia worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Makes me nervous," she admitted as she once again recalled the statistics she had read long ago about the number of Aurors killed in the First Wizarding War.

"Aww kitten, you worried about me?" Sirius grinned, leaning in to kiss her cheek and then the space behind her ear that sent shivers down her back. Those shivers would be the death of her, and she would greet Death like an old friend willingly, as long as Sirius never stopped doing that. "Don't worry. I'll be one of the best Aurors the Ministry has ever seen," Sirius said, ego replaced with genuine confidence. "I'll change the whole game. Catching Death Eaters and dark wizards. Azkaban will never be the same when I'm done with it."

_Well that's for damn sure_, Mia snorted.

"Speaking of Death Eaters … " Alice whispered as she took a seat beside Frank, frowning as she set a copy of The Daily Prophet down in the center of the table. James snatched it up immediately and Sirius and Mia leaned over Lily to read as James held the paper outwards. In the center of the front page was a moving photograph of several surly looking Aurors, Alastor Moody and Rufus Scrimgeour among them. Beneath the photo read the caption: Death Eaters Strike. Family of Four Murdered.

"Oh Godric … " Lily gasped as she read down the article, taking note of the fact that two of the victims had been children under ten and there had been signs of torture before a Killing Curse was cast on the entire family. There had been many attacks over the years, and they'd all followed them closely, but this was the first public report of children being involved.

Almost instinctually, Mia's eyes turned and glanced across the room where she spotted the Slytherin table gathered around several copies of the Prophet as well. Some appeared to care less while a few others - notably Barty Crouch Jr. - were laughing. Two faces at the end of the table however stood out. Cold and nearly emotionless, Severus Snape sat side by side with Regulus Black, both looking unbelievably ill and ... and ... regretful.

* * *

**A/N**: Aww, yep, war's still going on despite all the sex and fluff in Gryffindor Tower. And because I know that a few of you will ask, YES both Snape and Regulus are Death Eaters at this point. And it doesn't look like they're too thrilled with their current choices.


	76. Chapter 76

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Important chapter today folks! Several questions answered! Also, I got about three chapters in to Part Three yesterday and already I'm excited!

Q&amp;A - **gypsyfurface**, Mia's tattoo is located on her upper thigh. I know I only sort of hinted at it. **Kyoii**, Peter's initiation as a Death Eater was never said via any Canon source that I could find, but most eluded somewhere between 1979 and 1980, so I kind of went with that. I very specifically chose the moment when Peter becomes a Death Eater. I can't wait for you all to read it! **Ash-Castle**, LMAO Snuffles (like Crookshanks) wanders about. He's there with her, just rarely mentioned. **glittergrrrl05**, Mary is one of my favorite of the girls to write. She's basically what Lavender Brown would be if Lavender wasn't so over the top emotional and rude. A girly girl who loves boys and doesn't take crap from people.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy-Six: Letters

"_...Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do  
__When they settle 'neath your skin  
__Kept on the inside and no sunlight  
__Sometimes a shadow wins…"  
__(Brave - Sara Bareilles)_

* * *

**January 17th, 1978**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Other than the constant stream of reports about attacks and murders by Death Eaters coming in via the Daily Prophet, school was turning out to be relatively simple compared to previous years. There were no evil Professors, no Death Eaters in the corridors - save perhaps for Snape and Regulus who had been keeping quietly to themselves since returning from Christmas holidays. There were no vicious werewolf maulings, no Wizards' duels in the Pitch, and no cursed brooms above the Black Lake.

And, surprisingly, both Sirius and James had stopped hexing Snape in the corridors.

At least when Lily was looking.

The seventh years buckled down and began studying for their N.E.W.T.s with great devotion, each with a specific goal in mind. Lily, reminiscent of Hermione Granger, felt she had something to prove to the Wizarding world as a Muggle-born. Frank and Alice worked hard to show they were worthy of the jobs awaiting them as Aurors upon graduation. Sirius was desperate to show off his intellect and talent so he could join his friends in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Remus needed high N.E.W.T. scores in order to justify to anyone outside of Hogwarts a reason to offer him any type of employment despite his condition. James still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life post-Hogwarts, outside of spending it with Lily, so he studied by her side to show her what was important to _her_, was important to _him_. Mary and Peter were the only ones who struggled with their studies, though while Mary did her best to ask for help from her Professors, Peter was incredibly put out that none of his friends would sacrifice their own study time to help him, and he outright refused to admit to a teacher that he needed assistance. Mia, not knowing what her own future had in store for her, worked hard on her N.E.W.T.s for the same reason she had done so for her O.W.L.s: to break records.

Completely devoted to their studies for the first time ever, Valentine's Day came and went with little attention despite it being the first the two new couples would spend together. James and Lily had gone into Hogsmeade but only officially as Head Boy and Girl, although James did take a momentary detour to feed Lily's Sugar Quill addiction. Sirius and Mia had remained back at the castle to practice for their Defense Against the Dark Arts practical, showing off their wandless magic by taking turns throwing mild hexes and jinxes at one another throughout the day.

The only reference to the actual holiday was that morning, when the owls brought in the mail. Despite the fact that Mia had now _twice_ cursed girls in regards to Sirius, the raven-haired wizard still ended up collecting the lion's share of Valentine's Day merchandise. However this year, instead of forcing Peter to taste test the potentially poisoned candies, Mia quickly Evanescoed the whole lot and went about business as usual.

The only time the seventh years took to let their hair down was during their birthdays, first for Lily's at the end of January. James charmed a small flock of Starlings - eighteen to be exact - to deliver flowers to Lily all day long, specifically bright pink stargazer lilies; one flower for every year since the witch's birth.

Remus' birthday was spent back in the Room of Requirement, this time with the Firewhisky but _not_ the Veritaserum. Per Remus' request, an informal Wizards' duel took place just for fun. By the end of the long competition Lily had James stunned into submission, Alice and Frank had called a draw against one another, Sirius had transfigured Peter into a Nogtail and Mary into a Niffler, and Remus stood as victor over them all, after sneakily defeating Mia with a Jelly Legs Jinx of all ridiculous things.

When March 26th rolled around on a Sunday, Mia and James insisted on celebrating despite their birthday not taking place until the follow day. Monday meant not only classes but exam preparations that could not be missed, and so the Potter twins turned eighteen in the Gryffindor Common Room one day early, sharing Butterbeer and stories with the people that meant the most to them in the world.

oOoOoOo

**March 27th, 1978**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Library**

Monday afternoon found Mia and Remus in the library going over Ancient Runes, their eyes wild with determination as they continuously scanned through the stacks of books piled up on their table. Mia's inked stained fingers were beginning to cramp, and anytime she cracked her knuckles Remus would chuckle and take a short break to stretch his long legs.

His soft green eyes glanced over at Mia's parchment, mentally taking note of her translations. A part of him double checked her work for her while the other half of him noted the differences in the way they broke down the text. Remus wasn't so smug that he assumed his way was the only way, and since Mia was at the top of their class he was going to take advantage of any tips and tricks the little witch had.

"You're staring," Mia muttered.

"I'm _looking_," Remus corrected with a grin.

"Prat," she smirked.

"Witch," he chuckled and continued to watch as she scribbled out a correction on the parchment, tapping her wand on the paper to erase the earlier mistake.

Remus yawned and stretched his arms over his head. He glanced out the window to the side where, if he focused his eyes, he could see the tiny figures of James and Sirius flying over the Quidditch Pitch where they were practicing for the upcoming game against Slytherin. N.E.W.T.s or not, Padfoot and Prongs were not going to be satisfied with leaving Hogwarts without a perfect record. The werewolf smirked at the thought of his friends and the approaching game that would have both Houses positively riotous by the end of the year. His eyes turned back to Mia, eager to see if she'd finished the last translation on the practice exam, when his gaze caught something moving.

He tilted his head to the side and stared down at Mia's exposed forearm where, as if an invisible hand were drawing on her with a purple quill, deep scar-like letters began appearing on her skin. Remus opened his mouth to speak purely out of curiosity but he held his breath when the letters began to spell out a word.

_'Mudblood'._

"Mia?" Remus finally uttered, his chest tightening painfully as he stared at his best friend's arm.

"Hmm?" Mia muttered to herself, her brown eyes scanning the parchment as she finished the final translation. When Remus didn't respond she turned to face him, watching in horror as the color drained from his face. She hadn't seen him look like that since ... well, since Greyback. "Remus?" She asked worriedly. "Remus, what's going on?"

"Mia, what is _that_?" Remus gestured down at her arm, swallowing back the bile threatening to rise from his throat.

Mia turned and looked down, assuming he meant the parchment. Not seeing anything, she looked back at him confused until he gripped her arm and tilted it toward her. "Shit," she muttered, obviously more upset that he'd seen it than at the scar itself..

"Shit?" Remus gaped at her in shock. "You say '_shit_'? You don't start screaming because suddenly a word ... _that _word appears on your flesh out of thin air?!" Remus shouted. He stood up, stepping away from Mia as though her flesh were cursed; then again, was it? His voice had drawn attention and Madam Pince turned and glared at the pair.

Mia tossed the old witch an apologetic glance before reaching forward and grabbing Remus' hand, pleading with him to be quiet. "You weren't supposed to see it," she frowned. "No one was. On my birthday, how horrible is that?" She scoffed at the thought that her Mudblood scar would appear today of all days. Then again, it was supposed to show up during the exact age she'd acquired it. Had it really been March 27th when she'd been taken to Malfoy Manor in her original timeline? "How did I not even know the day?" She muttered to herself, shocked. Then again, she'd barely known the month during that entire year on the run with Harry, Ron, and Sirius.

"Do you want to clue me in on this?!" Remus hissed loudly.

Madam Pince cleared her throat and threw the werewolf a nasty glare.

"I … " Mia began and then sighed. "Remus, remember how I used to tell you and Sirius to learn Occlumency? Did you?"

"No," he confessed.

"Damnit, Remus!" Mia hissed quietly in disappointment. She'd been telling the boys for years, and not even Remus could have bothered trying to learn the very helpful skill?! They were at war, for crying out loud!

"I don't need to, Mia," Remus clarified. "I'm a werewolf."

"What does _that _have to do with anything?" She stared up at him.

"If a Legilimens tried to get into my head, all they'd hear is Moony," he tried to explain, forcing his eyes to look away from her arm, "and unless they speak wolf, they wouldn't get much out of him."

She was now cradling it against her chest so that no one else would see it. "Are you serious?" Her eyes lit up with what looked to be relief. "Has this been tested?"

"Professor Dumbledore did it briefly before I turned eleven," Remus recalled aloud, remembering the day when Albus Dumbledore had shown up unannounced at the old Lupin residence, long before they'd ever moved into the Cottage. Both Lyall and Hope had tried to keep him out of their home in order to protect their family secret, but Dumbledore had made it inside within five minutes, eager to explain his plan to get Remus a proper education.

"I suppose he wanted to try and see how separated Moony and I were," Remus theorized. "When my Dad asked what he saw in my mind, Professor Dumbledore said that he couldn't make heads or tails of anything." Remus rolled his eyes as the memory surfaced. "And then he laughed over the fact he'd said 'tails' in reference to my mind."

"Oh, that'll make everything so much easier!" Mia smiled brightly, gripping his hand tightly within her own and making a dash for the exit, dragging the werewolf behind her. "Come on, I have something to show you."

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Tower**

She rushed them both down the long corridors and up the stairs, back to Gryffindor Tower. Remus waited in the Common Room while Mia slipped up to her dorm to retrieve something. When she returned, she was holding what looked to be an old piece of folded parchment, though by the way she touched it, it might as well have been Goblin-forged gold. She nervously extended the parchment into Remus' hands.

After seeing the anxious look on her face, the werewolf treated the paper delicately as he opened it and saw first in the corner a smudged date that read: September 19th, 1998

He read the words written in an eerily familiar script, and his eyes widened in confusion and curiosity at the story - because it couldn't be real - in his hands. Time-travel, Department of Mysteries, Unspeakables, and Portkeys. It was all too fanciful, but still so specific. Sirius had been mentioned not once, but twice and apparently in danger both times. There were words about a war, destiny, and someone named Harry.

And then there it was at the bottom:

_Your ever devoted and obedient friend,_

_Remus._

"This ... this can't be real," Remus stated firmly, swallowing hard.

"It is," Mia confirmed.

"Your real name is Hermione?" He questioned, taking note of the name at the top of the letter. Mia nodded thoughtfully, though her eyes looked distant as the name fell off of Remus' lips; it was almost as though she didn't like the way it sounded.

"Yes," she smiled. "Jamie said it was a mouthful and he nicknamed me Mia."

"You _hate _nicknames," he pointed out.

"I _love _Jamie." She shrugged her shoulders.

"I umm … " He hesitated, looking back down at what she was insinuating was his own script in his hands. "Is this real?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Every word. I imagine you have questions."

"Only about a thousand or so," he sighed, overwhelmed. He folded the letter back up, handing it out to her; pleading with her to take it from him so he didn't get lost in the words once more. He hadn't spent much effort reading about time-travel, just the few references some of their school books made, and even then Remus never thought that form of magic was plausible.

"I wish I could answer them," Mia admitted sadly.

Remus suddenly recalled an argument they'd had a year earlier at the Astronomy Tower. Mia had come back into his bed to apologise, explaining why she couldn't tell him the details about her scars. "Dumbledore," he blurted out. "You can't tell me. You _literally _can't tell me anything, can you? He's spelled you. That's what you told me last year."

Mia nodded, tears in her eyes. "I can't even write it down," she explained, wiping the moisture from her eyes.

Remus' heart went out to the witch, a part of him wondering what exactly she was keeping secret, the weight of such burdens, and how long she'd had to survive with them sitting firmly on her shoulders.

"I don't understand." He shook his head. "Why would I send you back in time? Twenty years from now, _Merlin_." He blinked, a part of him shocked to know for certain he'd lived that long. Death always seemed just a blink away, especially considering they were currently in the middle of a war. "Why would I do that? The laws of time are … " He briefly remembered the time-travel references as they'd been applied to legal matters and Ministry restrictions. "And we were in the Department of Mysteries? Why was Sirius there? Why did you have to save him in your third year? Why did he need rescuing? And who's Harry?"

"Godric … " Mia gasped at the flood of questions. "I wish I could tell you everything. Or _anything_."

"Try," Remus pleaded with her. She couldn't just show him a letter and leave the rest for him to figure out. She had too much faith in him, he certainly wasn't that smart. "Mia, you can't just drop this in my lap. Where did that scar come from?" He pointed to her arm.

Mia had already forgotten about it and growled at the sight. She reached for her wand, charming the sleeves of her blouse to lengthen and cover the offensive blemish.

"I was attacked by a Death Eater," she explained.

Remus noted that she was working hard to get the words past her lips. She was being purposely vague in order to work around Dumbledore's spell. "In the future?" He asked and she nodded. "Then why … " He couldn't think of the rest of his question, but wasn't 'why?' enough? Why any of this? "Oh, this is complicated."

"Try being the one who can't talk," Mia sighed defeatedly.

"Too bad I can't perform Legilimency." Remus ran a frustrated hand through his shaggy blonde hair. "Then I could just go inside your head and you could show me everything."

"You're a genius!" Mia suddenly shouted.

oOoOoOo

**Headmaster's Office**

Once more Remus felt himself being tugged through the hallways of Hogwarts by the young witch, but this time he didn't resist at all; his head and body had been disconnected, his mind caught up in the thoughts of time-travel and the possibilities and terrible consequences that would certainly come with such a feat.

Minutes later they found themselves inside Dumbledore's office, the older wizard looking positively joyful that the two of them stood before him. He greeted them by standing and then gestured to the chairs in front of his large, trinket-covered desk. "Miss Potter, Mister Lupin what a wonderful surprise," he said, his eyes twinkling. "I had been meaning to send for you later Miss Potter, as I happen to have a birthday gift for you. Well, not so much a gift, since it is an item you once let me borrow."

"An item? You mean it's my … " Mia looked longingly as she held out her hand and a small box was placed into her palm.

"Yes," the old wizard smiled. "Unfortunately I have been unable to find any use for it."

Mia frowned and tucked the box into her robes. "Thank you sir. Speaking of ... the item, other things in relation have surfaced." She held out her forearm to the Headmaster.

Dumbldore frowned at the scar. "Oh dear."

Blue eyes fell on Remus, and the werewolf shrank under the gaze of the Headmaster as though he'd done something wrong. But then again hadn't he? His future self had thrown back an innocent witch in time. It was awful, horrible, immoral and not to mention illegal!

"I suppose then it's time for Remus Lupin of the _present _to begin his journey to becoming the Remus Lupin of your _future_?"

"Yes Professor." Mia nodded. "Remus explained that as a werewolf no one can properly gain information from him by Legilimency. I've shown him the letter and I wish to explain things by way of Pensieve."

"Interesting way around the truth spell, Miss Potter since you neither had to speak or write words of the future yourself," Dumbledore commented.

Mia kept her face expressionless, eerily reminding Remus of Dorea.

"I did not think you would simply _show _anyone the truth."

"Yes, I've been told I'm quite _cunning _in this timeline," she said, letting the corners of her mouth turn up into a smirk.

"You know," the Headmaster said with a smile. "I sometimes think we Sort too soon."

"So it's true then?" Remus asked. "Mia's from the future?"

"Indeed it would appear so," Dumbledore nodded. "Before you learn any information Mister Lupin, I must request that the only questions you ask would be in regard to things you have already witnessed or will soon witness, mainly Miss Potter's scars and the letter in question." The Headmaster gestured to the witch who was still clutching the letter in her hand as though it were her lifeline. "The future is delicate, and while the letter indicates nothing can be changed, it is such that I am not willing to risk it whatever the reason. I would stake my own life on the outcome of the future; do you understand, Mister Lupin?"

"It's about the war, isn't it?" Remus asked. Why else would Albus Dumbledore stake his life on it? Mia's letter, or _Remus_' letter, he supposed, had mentioned the war, mentioned lost lives and how she couldn't change anything or save anyone. According to the letter, his future self had sent Mia back in time because he'd been asked to. "Mia knows what happens and you don't want me to accidentally or intentionally ruin the outcome."

"That is correct," Dumbledore replied.

"If the future is better and the war is over … " Remus hesitated as he thought of the most recent editions of the Daily Prophet. A family of Goblins had been massacred three days earlier, at least seven Muggles had been reported missing from Wizarding villages, not to mention the very public attack outside the Ministry of Magic in which two Aurors and three bystander Muggles had been murdered. "I wouldn't want to risk it either," Remus confessed as he thought about a potential future where they'd won the war. He was oblivious to the pained expression on Mia's face as he continued. "No matter what. I understand sir."

"Very good. I value your word a great deal, Remus; however, even though Legilimency cannot be used against you, you are not invulnerable to other spells, torture or even the use of Veritaserum," the older wizard explained. "The last of which I believe the two of you are most familiar with?" Dumbledore smirked as both Mia and Remus innocently avoided eye contact.

"So how do we then avoid it?" Remus asked.

"A vow: an Unbreakable Vow to prevent secrets of the future from being revealed," Dumbledore insisted.

"No!" Mia shouted, pushing herself to stand in between Remus and the Headmaster, as though the little witch could prevent the werewolf harm at the hands of the most powerful wizard in the world. "Sir, he would die."

"And that, perhaps, would keep him most unwilling to reveal what he sees," Dumbledore explained in a casual way that made Remus nervous. "But not only that, it would prevent _you_, Miss Potter, from showing him things that perhaps would _cause _him to want to reveal the truth, and make changes."

Remus watched as Mia narrowed her eyes angrily at the Headmaster. Clearly Mia knew something about the future that would, in fact, make Remus _want_ to take action. He tried to put the thoughts from his head. She wouldn't be able to tell him and soon he'd be bound to keep the secret himself. What was the purpose in being burdened with the knowledge? He already wished he didn't know her secret as it was.

"His life is quite a bit more precious to you than it is to himself."

Remus noted the calm threat behind the Headmaster's words. Dumbledore was using Remus as a tool to prevent Mia from revealing too much. Even if Remus himself cared little for his own life, he knew he would never allow himself to die because of her.

"I'll do it," the werewolf agreed. Mia seemed to turn on him, her eyes pleading with him to fight this alongside her, but Remus looked completely at ease with putting his life on the line on the chance that Mia would be able to control what he would learn about the future.

"Fine," the witch hissed, looking positively enraged by the idea that her friend was being used this way. "But he is bound to _me_, not _you_," she said, glaring at the Headmaster.

"I'll accept that and choose to be the Bonder if you both agree," Dumbledore nodded politely.

Instantly, Remus and Mia grasped hands and Mia's eyes lingered on Dumbledore's wand as it touched them.

"Will you, Remus Lupin, keep the secrets that shall be revealed to you today in regard to the future?" Mia asked him, her brown eyes connecting with his green ones.

"I will," said Remus and a thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the wand and wound its way around their hands like a red-hot wire.

"And will you speak the truth to those who already know it," Mia paused and then quickly added. "And reveal it only to Sirius Black in fifteen years?"

She spoke the words so carefully and specifically that Remus couldn't help but wonder what would happen in fifteen years, and why Sirius couldn't know the truth about his own witch until that time.

"I will," he replied and watched as a second tongue of flame shot from the wand and interlinked with the first, making a fine, glowing chain.

"And in regard to the future and the knowledge you obtain from me, will you defer to my judgement and my requests?"

"I will." He nodded and watched a third flame emit from Dumbledore's wand, wrapping its way around their hands tightly.

* * *

**A/N**: There you have it folks! Remus knows (and is about to find out much more), Mia worked her way around the truth spell, and Dumbledore has once again prevented the future from being changed. Oh! And side note, the birthday/scar reappearance was a total coincidence. I wrote chapters 8 and 9 LONG before I ever even thought about this chapter or even found out James Potter's birthday (which is Canon).


	77. Chapter 77

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: I'm beginning to think that the last chapter has turned many of you into detectives. I got a swarm of reviews and PMs with a tidal wave of predictions for this chapter. I'm interested to see what you think now. When I had the idea to reveal to Remus the truth about the future, it always came down to the Pensieve because (like apparently many of you) I love the scenes where people observe memories. As per past chapters, ALL memory dialogue in in _Italics_.

Q&amp;As - **TheWierdestSister**, Peter got a lot easier to write the older he got. As a child he basically bled into the background, but I have really enjoyed giving Peter obstacles that many have already faced, and then watching him (and writing him) pick the wrong answer and make the bad decision. When it comes down to it, Peter isn't evil, he's selfish and scared and easily manipulated. Peter is a tool, and not even a very sharp one. Peter is a means to an end and he has no idea. I enjoy writing that version of Wormtail for sure. **Duner89**, right now the only people that are aware of Mia's true blood-status are the Potter parents, Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, James, Sirius, Remus and Lily.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Long Story

"_...Trying hard to reach out  
__But when I tried to speak out  
__Felt like no one could hear me  
__Wanted to belong here  
__But something felt so wrong here  
__So I prayed I could break away…"  
__(Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson)_

* * *

**March 27th, 1978**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Headmaster's Office**

Remus stood in front of a shallow stone basin with runes carved around the edge of it. A part of him wanted to look closer and examine them, translate them, but his brain was too full of questions regarding the current situation for something as simplistic as Ancient Runes. Inside the basin was a substance that looked neither liquid nor gas but a strange mixture of the two. A bright, whitish silver swirled constantly, the surface of it rippling as though being touched by wind. He'd never seen a Pensieve up close before; they were far too expensive to just be sold in shops.

Behind him Mia stood, concentrating closely as Dumbledore held the tip of his wand to her temple and extracted several wispy silver strands. He inserted them into a large vial. When they were done, they approached Remus and he watched as the Headmaster poured the memories into the basin, observing with interest as the silvery strands swirled amongst the substance that was neither liquid nor gas.

"Could you lift the spell temporarily sir, or at least modify it so I can answer Remus' questions?" Mia asked politely.

It was obvious to Remus that she was still holding back her anger from earlier; playing kind in order to get what she needed from the Headmaster.

"Of course." Dumbledore nodded and silently waved his wand over the witch.

A moment later and Mia stood beside Remus, leaning forward to show him how the Pensieve worked. Though she'd never used one herself, Harry and Sirius had done so in her earlier years and described the experience for her. The moment her face actually touched the surface of the strange substance, the office around her lurched and suddenly she was tossed into darkness. Once inside the memories, Mia waited patiently for Remus and smiled when he landed there beside her.

"You alright?" She asked.

"It's still a little surreal," the werewolf admitted.

Mia nodded in understanding. "I suppose you're about to feel the same way I did when I was first sent back to 1971," she offered an understanding smile. "I can't tell you how shocked I was to see you, James, Lily, and Sirius," she chuckled. "Though 'shocked' might be an understatement."

"So you know us all in the future, then?" Remus asked. "I mean, obviously you know me since I'm apparently the one who sent you back … " he would have continued, but Mia cut him off and gestured to a scene in front of them.

"I've put together a short collection of memories to try and cover as much as I can without revealing _too _much," she explained as they stepped into what looked to be the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts. The details were difficult to make out as the room was entirely dark. "I'll answer the questions I can, and just … " Mia frowned and fell silent as she recognized the scene in front of her, the large silhouette of a figure sitting beside a bed.

"What?" Remus asked nervously.

"Can you forgive me for keeping this secret for so long?" Mia whispered.

Remus frowned, remembering the guilt he had heaped on her for keeping secrets; knowing Sirius had done the same thing only made it that much worse.

"According to my letter you have nothing to be blamed for." He offered her a timid smile.

"Alright, this is the worst of it." She wiped tears from her eyes. "This is how I got my scars; all of them."

_"What happened to me?" _A small voice whispered in the darkness.

_"Not sure," _said another voice after clearing his throat. _"You were hit with a powerful curse. Neville and Harry mentioned that the Death Eater who threw it had been silenced. We think you survived because of it." _The words sounded painful to him as he spoke them.

"Is that _me_?" Remus asked, listening to the voice in the darkness. "I can't see my face. Why am I in the dark?" He turned to look at Mia, who was staring into the shadow that was a much older Remus Lupin, a soft expression on her face,

"It's the Hospital Wing." She gestured to the second voice coming from the bed. "I'd been unconscious for several days and you didn't want the lights to give me a headache."

"How old are we?" Remus asked curiously.

"That's going to be awkward," Mia smirked.

"Why?" The werewolf eyed her suspiciously.

"In this memory I'm sixteen," she explained quickly. She did the math in her head before continuing, "You would have been thirty-six I believe."

"I'm twenty years older than you?!" His soft green eyes widened in absolute shock. All at once and completely unwillingly, a flood of his own memories passed through his mind. Far too many took place inside the Room of Requirement beneath a fake full moon, several within the curtain-drawn four poster bed in Gryffindor Tower, and one specific memory that took place in a dark alley of Muggle London. Remus felt his cheeks warm over and he put his face into the palms of his hands while Mia chuckled beside him.

"Technically, when I arrived in 1971 I was eight years older than you," she explained, hoping it would ease the blow. "I took a De-Aging Potion so I could attend Hogwarts with you and the others and be adopted by the Potters, all without drawing attention to myself. So instead of complaining about age, why don't we just call it even?" She put a hand on his shoulder, grateful when he didn't flinch away from it. "Besides, witches and wizards live well past one hundred. What's twenty years compared to a century long life?"

_"Can I see it?"_ Sixteen year old Hermione asked from the bed, pulling the younger Remus' attention back to the scene at hand. The girl in question seemed to be waiting for the older Remus to reply, but he didn't speak. However about a minute later, he wordlessly lit the end of his wand and handed it to her.

Remus watched with interest, his eyes falling to the girl in the bed instead of his own older frame as the witch took the lit wand and light passed over her face. "Godric, she looks just like … "

"She _is _me," Mia explained. "She's my past: Hermione Granger." She smirked.

Remus watched with interest as the girl in the bed tried to smile at the older werewolf before looking down at the bandages covering her small frame. The younger Remus smiled appreciatively when he noticed his older self turned away to offer the girl some privacy, and the flood of intimate images in his memories became slightly easier to deal with knowing that, at the very least, his future self hadn't used his connection to Mia Potter to take advantage of the girl called Hermione Granger.

He frowned as he watched the girl observe the long scar on her ribs. Remus knew that scar well: deep, thin, and purple, cutting across pale soft flesh. He'd intimately touched that scar, kissed it affectionately. Mia never seemed to mind the flaw on her flesh, but this girl in the bed certainly did. She lay there, teary eyed as she stared at the disfigurement and whimpered. Almost as though he could try and ease the discomfort of the girl, Remus tried to speak to her, but his older self got there first.

_"They're just scars Hermione," _the older Remus cleared his throat, having heard her whimper, but he still did not turn to look at her._ "'Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.'"_

And then the scene faded away in front of them.

"Were we close?" Remus asked Mia.

"We were friends," Mia nodded thoughtfully. "I respected and adored you above many others, though I can't exactly tell you the reasons why," she admitted with a smile. "But even though we weren't as close as you and I are now, I loved you. You were my friend and I would have done anything for you." She nodded firmly, briefly recalling throwing herself in front of Voldemort.

"Who are Neville and Harry?" Remus asked curiously as he recalled those names, one of which had been in the letter.

"I don't know if I should say," Mia frowned.

"I made the Unbreakable Vow," he pointed out.

Mia nodded thoughtfully. "Neville is Frank and Alice's son," she said with a soft smile, watching him carefully as he digested the information.

"Wow," Remus chuckled. "What's he like?"

"Brilliant when given the chance," she said in a sweet tone usually reserved for James. Remus could already tell by how she spoke that Mia thought of Frank and Alice's boy as family. "He's so much like his father, it's amazing," she laughed. "Neville was a very close friend of mine. He was the first person I met on the Hogwarts Express. You could say he was my first friend." Mia frowned a bit as she suddenly realized that over the years, she hadn't given much thought about missing Neville Longbottom.

"And Harry?" Remus asked, breaking her from her reflection on the past.

_Harry_. Godric, how could she even begin to explain Harry? As simple as possible, she supposed. So Mia took in a deep breath, smiled and just said, "Harry James Potter."

"Prongs has a son?" Remus' eyes lit up brightly and he grinned. "And is he ...?"

"Lily," Mia nodded, beaming. "Looks just like them. Identical to James, but Lily's eyes. Exactly." She hadn't realized she was crying again until she felt Remus wipe a thumb across her cheek. "Oh, I'm sorry," she flushed, embarrassed. "He was my best friend," she explained. "At least, before you. Before I was sent back."

Remus wanted to ask about Harry, to know more about him. He wanted to ask if James and Lily had any other children and what they were like. He wanted to know about Sirius and himself and Peter, and if any of them had families. Certainly not himself of course, and maybe Sirius never settled down either, considering he was soul bonded to Mia - but surely Peter eventually found someone. He never had the chance to ask, though, as the scene changed. Now they were in the Astronomy Tower, and it looked as though a herd of Hippogriff had been trapped inside it at some point. Rubble and dirt were littered everywhere, and up ahead a bushy-haired girl leaned against the railing.

_"Hermione, are you alright? Let me see your arm." _An older Remus reached for the girl.

"That's ... that's me," Remus said knowingly, and suddenly faced with his future self in better lighting, he frowned. "I look … " He winced, noting the additional scars, lines in his face and significantly grey hair.

"As handsome as ever," Mia whispered from behind him.

He turned and looked at his best friend, who was staring at his older self with pure admiration.

"Wow," she gasped. "I'd forgotten. It's been so long since I've seen you older you."

_"It's nothing," _Hermione insisted._ "Stray hex. Had you not been there I'm sure it would have been worse." _She sighed.

"What does she mean 'had I not been there'?" Remus asked, watching as his older self examined the wound on the girl's arm. His eyes turned to Mia, who was subconsciously picking at the triangular shaped scar on her arm: the one they'd fought about when they'd been dating.

"We got caught up in a fight," Mia explained. "I wasn't paying attention and you pulled me out of the way."

_"Did this happen in the battle?" _Older Remus asked curiously and Hermione nodded. _"Why wasn't it treated?"_

_"I cleaned it myself," _she replied._ "It'll heal naturally."_

_"Madam Pomfrey should have some Dittany back in the infirmary." _He gestured to the door.

_"No. I ... I need it to scar." _She pulled her arm away from him, nervously picking at the healing wound._ "I need to remember."_

"How long does the war last?" Remus asked Mia.

"Longer than I care to talk about," she admitted sadly. "It stops for a time, but … " Her eyes filled with tears once again. "Let's just keep going," she insisted as the scene changed once more.

Suddenly instead of the dark Astronomy Tower, the images bled away into a large, light-filled drawing room. "I need you to stay calm and remember that I'm fine now, alright?" Mia said quickly, turning to face Remus and reaching for his hand.

"Okay, I'll try," he promised, squeezing her hand. He wondered if she needed him for support, or if she was holding on to him to prevent him from panicking.

_"Wait!" _a high-pitched voice came out of a black-haired witch. _"All except … except for the Mudblood and Sirius." _She gestured to a black dog that was tightly bound and hovering in the air

Remus' green eyes flashed amber at the sight.

_"Keep the blood-traitor away from Potter," _the witch insisted.

_"Where did you get that sword?"_ The nasty looking woman asked the girl who Remus now recognized as Hermione. Before Hermione could even answer the question, Padfoot began kicking in mid air, paws lashing out against his restraints, barking madly and growling as loudly as possible. His barks echoed off of the marble floors and walls, nearly drowning out the screams of Hermione's name coming from the opposite direction. Remus couldn't place that voice.

_"Shut up, you damn blood-traitor!"_ The witch screamed at the dog. _"Cissy, take him in the other room while I deal with the girl. Can't get an answer out of her with him making all that racket!"_

_"Bella . . . the girl." _A tall blonde woman spoke nervously as she stared at Hermione.

"Is that … " Remus began, his eyes falling on a woman who looked similar to Sirius' cousin, although it had been years since he'd seen Narcissa, and this witch was quite a bit older. Before Mia could answer him, another voice confirmed his suspicions.

_"Narcissa, go!"_ Lucius Malfoy screamed at his wife, his eyes narrowed. _"Draco, go with your mother!" _He shouted to a blonde teenager who appeared to be the very image of his father. The boy huffed but took his mother's hand in arm and swept into the next room, flicking his wand upwards and levitating the Animagus to follow.

"Malfoy!?" Remus shouted, his eyes turning gold quickly. He stepped forward as though he could do something, but Mia clutched his hand tightly and pulled him back to her side.

"Quiet Remus," she shushed him. "We need to just get through this."

Remus noted that her breathing had quickened; if he focused, he could hear her heartbeat pounding hard against her chest. "Where'd they take Padfoot?" He asked, unable to follow the two blondes and the trapped Animagus.

_"I'm going to ask you again! Where did you get this sword? Where?"_

_"We found it ... we found it … PLEASE!" Hermione cried out._

_"Liar! Crucio!"_

"No!" Remus shouted, watching in horror as the image of his best friend was tortured right in front of him, while he stood there unable to stop it. When the black-haired witch stopped cursing Hermione, she knelt down and pulled a long dagger from her boot. Suddenly the girl was screaming again as the blade tore into the flesh of her arm. Remus couldn't look. He felt sick and his eyes fell on Mia, who appeared strangely, defiantly calm despite his werewolf senses picking up her racing pulse.

"I don't understand; where'd they take James?" He asked her, remembering that the black-haired witch had insisted Sirius and Hermione be kept away from _Potter_. "Why am_ I _not here?!" He demanded to know.

"Because it wasn't your job to protect me," Mia explained.

"Yes it is!"

"No, Remus." Mia reached out and took his hand. "It wasn't your job to protect _me_."

His face paled and his breath caught in his throat. "You mean … " He inhaled sharply. "A _mate_?"

"Yes." Mia smiled.

"But I … "

"We should keep going," Mia interrupted him. "Do you have questions about the letter?"

Remus could barely understand her words as he tried to process the knowledge: he had a _mate_. He'd known it since the first night he and Mia had slept together all those years ago. He'd fought it, but she had always insisted, promising he would one day find his perfect mate. And that was because this whole time _she knew_. Mia _knew _he had found her. Hope settled inside him, easing the nausea caused by the previous memory. He tried to pull himself together so he could answer her and ask the questions he knew he needed to know.

"Why did I send you back?" He blurted out.

"Apparently because I asked you to," she replied.

"When?"

"Now," Mia smiled. "I'm asking you _now_, Remus." She turned to face him, and her eyes bore into his. "September 19th, 1998: you will be in possession of a Time-Turner that's also a charmed Portkey. You will present it as a birthday gift and trick me into going to the past, specifically to August 1st, 1971. You charm the Portkey to land me in the Defense Against the Dark Arts room."

"_Trick _you?" He frowned.

"Yes." She nodded. "I wouldn't have accepted it otherwise."

"I can't do that," he shook his head.

"You have to," Mia argued, her face suddenly stern. "If you don't send me back, then Mia Potter will never have existed. I wouldn't have known you; wouldn't have loved you; or been friends with Lily; or been Jamie's sister; or fallen in love with Sirius." At that last declaration her stony exterior broke enough to reveal the utter panic in her eyes. "You have to promise me Remus: no matter what happens you will send me back."

Remus slowly nodded his head, a part of him wondering what his life would have been like if he'd never known Mia. He remembered sitting on the Hogwarts Express, terrified out of his mind not only that his secret would be found out, but that he'd end up hurting someone. Mia had changed all of that. She'd changed everything. She'd changed him.

The scene once again changed and suddenly Remus and Mia found themselves standing in a large, dimly lit library. Remus smiled as he watched Hermione tightly hugging his older self, a tall black-haired wizard standing nearby with a grin on his face.

"_That's _Sirius?" Remus chuckled. "Godric ... he really can't stay away from those tattoo shops, can he?" He observed the way Mia was staring at the raven-haired wizard from the future, immediately understanding why it had been so easy for her to fall in love with Sirius considering she appeared to be completely besotted with his older self.

"This is the night I go back," Mia pointed out, gesturing to a crimson box. "You put the Time-Turner in that."

_"Oh, let me open your present." _Hermione released the older Remus and reached for the small box.

Before her hand touched it, however, the old werewolf reached for her wrist._ "No," _he swallowed_. "Wait until I leave. It's … it's private." _He winced._ "I mean, it's just ... you might not like it." _He frowned. _"The next time I see you, you can tell me if you like it, alright?" _His soft green eyes momentarily flashed a familiar gold and amber.

"I liked it," Mia said with a grin, turning to look at her younger Remus.

_"Is everything alright?" _Hermione asked quietly

_"Hope so." _ The older Remus gave her a tight smile before letting her go and walking out the door, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder before walking away from the library.

_"Is he okay?" _Hermione asked, worriedly.

_"He's got a lot on his mind," _Sirius explained. _"We've been going through a few stints of nostalgia lately. Brought up some intense memories from the past." _He shrugged his shoulders and slowly walked into the room, reaching for her bracelet-clad wrist and tugging her toward him. _"It's almost midnight," _Sirius whispered_. "The day after your birthday."_

"Is that important?" The younger Remus asked.

Mia frowned. "We were supposed to talk about the Soul Bond; about us," she explained. "I'd only known about it for a year or so and it was confusing." She sighed. "Sirius knew, because he knows about it now, and he had promised to explain it all to me. But … but I went back into the past, so we never got the chance. Pretty sure you both set it up that way on purpose," she added with a slight glare.

"I've been meaning to ask this for … Mia," Remus sighed. "Why did you never tell me about the Soul Bond between you and Sirius?" His eyes drifted between the images of the older Sirius Black and the girl called Hermione.

"Honestly? I don't know," she admitted with a frown. "At first because I didn't know what it meant, and then I didn't know if I could because I wasn't sure if you … older, _future _you already knew about it, and in the end it just … it got too complicated," she sighed and looked over as Remus slowly nodded his head in understanding.

_"Before we dig into old magics, and awkward adult conversations, will you allow an old dog one last moment of recklessness?" _The older Sirius asked Hermione.

Remus widened his eyes slightly as he watched an older version of his friend lean in and kiss the young witch in his arms. She didn't look much older than Mia currently was, but Sirius himself appeared to be forty or close to it. It was briefly uncomfortable until Remus turned to see Mia, who was staring at the scene as though it was life giving. He suddenly understood: this memory wasn't entirely for him. She needed to see it. She needed to remember it.

_"Happy birthday, kitten,"_ Sirius whispered. _"No matter what happens," _he swallowed, _"promise me you'll just try to be happy, alright?"_

_"Sirius, I don't under-"_

_"Nope, no more talking until tomorrow," _he insisted._ "Now open Remus' gift. He's been fussing about it forever." _Sirius smiled, and Remus and Mia both snorted at the joke. Sirius stepped away from Hermione, moving toward the doors of the library and with great hesitation, he slipped out of the room.

"You miss Sirius Black," Remus whispered. "That's what you said the night we made you and Sirius drink Veritaserum to confront your relationship issues. You meant _him_, didn't you?" He asked her.

"If you bring up the age thing I'm going to hex you," Mia noted aloud without even looking at him.

Remus simply chuckled. "Not a word," he promised. "It says you used a Time-Turner before?" he thought back to the letter. "To save Sirius?"

"He got in trouble," Mia answered, leaving it at that.

"He does that." Remus smirked slightly, a part of him glad to know that not much would change in the future. Sirius was apparently still Sirius. "And the Department of Mysteries?"

"That's a long story," Mia shook her head, "and one better to be lived, I think."

"What lives are lost?" He asked immediately. "Who dies in the war?"

Mia frowned and averted her gaze. "You _know _I can't say that," she sighed. "I've already tried to fix things and it blew up spectacularly in my face." She growled. "Dumbledore, and even Mum told me not to change anything. Yes, she knew. She knew _everything_." She shook her head in frustration. "I couldn't even change things if I wanted to. I've actually done the Arithmancy calculations on my success rate as well, and none of them come out in my favor. If I were to change things, and actually have them change, it would make the future worse. Even so I don't think it would work."

"Why's that?"

"Because time is, in fact, a loop just like the letter says. If I were to successfully make any change in the past I might somehow prevent my future self from obtaining the Time-Turner to begin with, and thus never be sent into the past to change it," She reached into her pocket and removed the small box Dumbledore had given her. Opening it, she tugged on the gold chain and removed the item attached to it to show Remus.

Hovering there before him was a small hourglass wrapped in a silver casing. Inside was blue sand that seemed to be frozen, unmoving. He hesitantly touched the Time-Turner, looking at it carefully, tilting it to the side where he noticed a rune carved into the bottom.

"Predestination," he noted, and looked up to see Mia smiling at him. "I don't know how you've been able to wrap your mind around all of this."

"Well I've had almost seven years to get used to it." She shrugged her shoulders. "Plus there've been quite a few distractions. Did you know I dated a werewolf for two years?" She asked sarcastically. "And my current boyfriend is incredibly high maintenance."

Remus smirked, agreeing with her silently. "Is _this _why you were spying on Slytherins? Some of them are Death Eaters, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"Are we in danger now?" He asked. "With them in the castle?"

"I don't know," she admitted truthfully. "I only know three for certain, and two of them eventually defect to our side of the war. They're actually pretty crucial. In fact, if there was anyone I would try to redeem, it would be those two ... there's another but … " Mia closed her eyes and bit back the anger inside of her.

Remus stared wide eyed at the witch.

"I can't even try to do something. Simply by knowing the future I'm in danger. If You-Know-Who found out … "

"Okay … " Remus nodded, interrupting her, not wanting to think about what You-Know-Who would do to her. "Umm ... Why me? Why not Sirius or James or Lily?"

"Because I trust you above all others," was the instant reply. "You are my best friend, and it certainly helps that your mind can't be read." Mia paused for a long moment before speaking again. "Sirius is too emotional, too reckless, and he sucks at Occlumency." She rolled her eyes. "James is the same way, and Lily would ask too many questions."

Remus gave a nod of understanding. "Are we happy in the future?"

"There are a lot of bumps," Mia frowned. "But we get to a wonderful place that I wouldn't change for anything. I love my life here, but I still dream about the future often. I miss it so much."

"Future Sirius." Remus smirked as he recalled something. "You told me when we broke up that you were dreaming about future Sirius. And from the look of that kiss … " he teased.

"It's complicated," Mia said simply.

"Clearly," Remus shook his head. "He's twenty years older than you."

"Nineteen, and you weren't supposed to mention the age difference," she eyed him. "Believe me, _you _are not one to be challenging me on the age issue."

"What?" He blinked. "But you said ... and I saw ... you and I aren't ... I mean in the future?"

"What?" Mia turned to him and raised a brow. "No! But ... well ... your mate is a bit younger than you as well."

"She is?" He asked curiously, a part of him wondering how young. Initially the thought of his older self being with a younger Hermione had horrified Remus, but after seeing the memory of Hermione and Sirius, he couldn't help but wonder if Mia was right and age really didn't matter. "Who is she? Can you show her to me?"

"You know I can't," Mia frowned. "Just ... when the time comes, don't be afraid of her. Don't be afraid to fall in love," she pleaded with him and

Remus nodded with a smile on his face. "So if you're not Mia in the future ... what happened between now and then?" He asked her.

"I don't know." The little witch frowned. "That's something we'll both have to play by ear."

"This is unbelievable." He ran a hand through his hair, a part of him wondering how he was supposed to go on with life knowing all of this. How he was supposed to look at Sirius after seeing the man he would turn into? Remus was thankful she hadn't shown him memories of anyone else. He couldn't imagine what James and Lily would look like in twenty years. Remus wanted to see more, wanted to see his mate and James' son and Frank and Alice's boy, but he noted Mia had been quite specific when choosing memories; besides Sirius, the memories had only included private moments between himself and Hermione.

"So you've just been ... following my instructions this whole time?" He asked, glancing down as Mia clutched the letter tightly in her hand. "Living your life and … " he stopped and then grinned brightly up at her. "Your tattoo! You tattooed _my _words on your shoulder!"

"I did," Mia smiled.

"Wow," Remus laughed thoughtfully. Soon his chuckles turned into outright guffaws and he bent over, holding onto his stomach as he continued to laugh.

"What's so funny?" She eyed the werewolf suspiciously.

"Sirius … " Remus laughed. "Sirius was so smug when he told us all you got a tattoo of his name, and you've technically had _me _tattooed on you for the past year!"

Mia flushed at the fact that Sirius couldn't keep his damn mouth shut. "Godric." She rolled her eyes, making a mental note never to inform Sirius of this fact. "I don't even want to eventually have that conversation with him. Get rid of that cocky smirk, Moony." She smacked his arm.

"Fine, fine." Remus took a deep cleansing breath and released it slowly as his laughter died down. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, I've got to figure out a way to explain this new scar to everyone else." She looked down at her arm and frowned. "I suppose during Easter hols I can disappear for a while and then say I got attacked by Death Eaters."

Remus' former smile faded instantly and he shook his head. "You can't do that," he insisted. "Mia, if Sirius thinks you got attacked, he'll go spare. Not to mention James. They'll blame themselves," he explained. "_I_ would. I still kind of am," he frowned, a part of him still angry with his future self for not being with Sirius and Mi ... Hermione when they'd been attacked.

"I'll figure something out." She nodded. "Let's go." Hermione raised her wand in the air and gestured for Remus to do the same. When he did, the pair were pulled from the Pensieve and landed right back in Dumbledore's office.

Remus instantly turned to the Headmaster, although he didn't appear to have been waiting for them. A letter was in his hand and the twinkle had vanished from his blue eyes. Remus frowned at the sight and took a step closer to the old wizard.

"Sir? Is everything alright?" Remus asked.

"No, unfortunately," Dumbledore replied, still looking at the letter. "I would wonder if the two of you would be so kind as to fetch Miss Evans for me."

"What's wrong?" Mia paled.

"It appears that there was an accident," Dumbledore explained mournfully. "Miss Evans' parents died last night."

* * *

**A/N**: Should I prepare myself for Howlers?


	78. Chapter 78

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Okay so I don't purposely schedule cliffhangers on Fridays, I swear. But I do have a schedule set up and it just so happened to work out that way LOL! To answer a few questions... **LuresaSWTOR**, Mia/Hermione asks Remus to send her into the past because if he doesn't, then that means she was never James's sister, never fell in love with Sirius and never had young Remus in her life. At this point, that's essential to her life. But yes, time-loop! It's called a predestination (or causality) paradox. Everything she does she does because it's happened and it's happened because she's already done it.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Muggles and Maps

"_...Every demon wants his pound of flesh  
__But I like to keep some things to myself  
__I like to keep my issues drawn  
__It's always darkest before the dawn…"  
__(Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine)_

* * *

**March 30th, 1978**

**Cokeworth Cemetery**

Harold and Aster Evans died in an automobile accident in their hometown of Cokeworth. The couple had been driving away from their home when the car veered off the road and into a telephone pole, passing away almost instantaneously. Muggle police indicated that there had been no signs of the car stopping, no skid marks on the road and no sign of any other automobiles involved. Neither of the Evans parents had been found to be intoxicated in any way nor under influence of any kind. At least any kind that could be traced by Muggles.

Lily had been understandably devastated. Professor Dumbledore gave Lily access to his Floo which had been connected to a Squib acquaintance that lived in Surrey. The kindly old woman, who greeted Lily on the other end of the Fireplace, had offered her the use of her telephone so that she could get in touch with Petunia and Vernon. Lily's sister assured her that the funeral arrangements were being taken care of, though was also quick to point out the financial stress it would put on her and her new husband, and so Lily returned to Hogwarts, dismissed from her classes to be doted upon by James who refused to leave her alone all night, allowing her to sob into his shoulder until she cried herself to sleep.

Whether it was Prefect and Head Boy and Girl privileges, or because Dumbledore had a soft spot for the Gryffindors, the Headmaster allowed Lily to be accompanied by her friends to her parents' funeral as her emotional support pillars. Mia took it upon herself to make sure that the Pure-bloods were all dressed appropriately in Muggle attire, transfiguring their dress robes into long black overcoats and charming their trousers and dresses all black. Only Sirius looked out of place, and one glimpse of the raven haired Animagus and Lily actually laughed for the first time since she'd received word of her parents death, and she immediately pleaded with Sirius to put his jeans and leather jacket back on.

They all arrived at the Apparition point inside Cokeworth and made their way to the small cemetery where Petunia had instructed Lily to be. There were no speeches or stories, few flowers and even fewer people in attendance. Just a simple Minister who said a short prayer over the double plots, and then it was all done and over with.

"I'm going to go and say hello to my sister," Lily smiled sadly at her friends who nodded, agreeing to wait to see what plans would be for the Evans sisters before making any of their own to return back to Hogwarts.

Lily approached Petunia who was just as red-eyed as her younger sister, though she wore a much harder expression on her face, even when Lily wrapped her arms around her and pulled her tightly into a hug. "Thank you for taking care of everything," Lily whispered to her sister. "I know Mum and Dad had money saved up just... just in case, but I'm aware arranging this came at a personal financial loss to you both. Once I'm out of school, I plan on paying you back for what would have been my share," she insisted and then narrowed her eyes when Vernon snorted at the sentiment as though it were an outright lie.

"It's fine, Lily," Petunia said shortly. "There's no need."

"We can talk about it another time," Lily said, pushing the subject aside. "I was thinking maybe we could go back to the house and sit and visit a while. My Headmaster gave me the entire day off of classes, and it feels like it's been forever since we've spoken."

"We were going home," Vernon insisted.

"You can't go to Mum and Dad's instead?" Lily tried to reason with the stubborn and miserable man.

"We can't go there because... well," Petunia hesitated. "The house no longer belongs to us. At least, not entirely."

"What do you mean?" Lily's brows furrowed. "It's still our home, just because Mum and Dad are... are gone, doesn't make it any less home for us."

"Actually, Vernon and I have planned on selling it. Signed a contract this morning to a company that's looking to buy out the whole neighborhood actually," Petunia explained to her sister, refusing to make eye contact.

"You're selling the house?!" Lily snapped her voice a near screech, drawing the immediate attention of her friends and boyfriend who lingered in the background. James appeared ready to assist her, but Mia held him back hoping that perhaps the sisters could work out whatever problem there was without interference. Mia knew Vernon would not appreciate any of them stepping in to assist Lily. It would only further estrange the sisters. "Petunia, how could you!?"

"It was left to me and Vernon and we've already moved to Surrey," Petunia narrowed her swollen eyes at her little sister. "We've no need of an extra house to take care of, especially one so old."

"That was our home! We grew up there!" Lily cried.

"_I _grew up there," Petunia said bitterly. "That hasn't been _your _home since you left to that... freak school of yours."

Lily seemed to ignore the insult entirely, pressing her luck at finding out more information on her childhood home. "Why did Mum and Dad leave it just to you? It doesn't make sense."

"The last time they changed their wills you were still underage I suppose," Petunia shrugged her bony shoulders. "Goodness, I can't believe you brought those people with you," she said looking over Lily's shoulder as Sirius lit a cigarette with a Muggle lighter, immediately drawing the attention of Frank and Mary who were staring wide-eyed at the fire starting device.

"They're my friends and they came to support me," Lily frowned, even more upset that Petunia was now ignoring her. "If you've sold the house, where are my things?"

"Boxed up and ready for you to take back to wherever you want," the elder sister said without meeting the younger's gaze, a disgusted look on her face as she watched the witches and wizards behind Lily.

"Wherever I want..." Lily scoffed. "Right... because I just happen to have an extra house laying around!" Lily screamed and the ends of her hair started sparking, which immediately drew attention from her friends and James took the initiative to approach his emotionally unstable girlfriend. "I graduate in a few months. What am I supposed to do?" Lily asked Petunia, who briefly showed a hint of concern but covered it up all too quickly with indifference. "Where am I supposed to go? You're my sister!"

"How dare you raise your voice to my wife," Vernon stepped forward and glared down at the witch with disgust. "Don't you know she's just suffered through the death of her beloved parents?"

"They were my parents too you..." Lily began shaking with rage. "You... filthy Muggle!"

"Lily," James reached her, pulling the witch into his arms to try and calm her down. He wasn't aware of the entire argument, but the look of confusion and disgust on both Petunia and Vernon's faces told him enough. It took everything inside of James to remember the laws regarding attacking Muggles, even if they were privy to the secret of magic. "Calm down love," he whispered to her, and Vernon glowered at the strangely intimate embrace.

"And who is _this_?" Vernon glared.

"James Potter," James said as he turned and extended a hand to the thick chested man, hoping to help salvage Lily and Petunia's relationship by being as polite as possible to what appeared to be a very large obstacle. "I'm Lily's boyfriend."

"Potter," Vernon snorted at the name and stared at James' hand, making no move to shake it. "You're one of _those _aren't you?"

"A good person?" James raised a brow at the man, not liking one bit the horrified way he was glaring at them all, as though they were filthy. The same way that people like Lucius Malfoy looked at beautiful witches like Lily. "Yes. I can see how you'd struggle to know one upon sight," James snapped, his previous desire to be polite was gone like leaves on the wind.

"Now you listen here you freakish..." Vernon sneered and stepped forward as though he were preparing for a physical altercation.

Petunia looked scandalized, but Lily looked positively enthralled. She'd seen the aftermath of what happened when James went after his own friends in a minor brawl, and could only imagine what her boyfriend would do to a man like Vernon Dursley, who he'd have no desire to apologise to after he'd hit him. While Lily was never one to promote violence, she couldn't help but feel such a rage for the man who had turned her sister even more against her, and _here_ of all places where their parents were just buried.

"Okay," a reasonable voice said and Remus stepped between James and Vernon much to the displeasure of the men who seemed to still be trying to one up the other merely by height. James had Vernon on that angle, though anyone would be lying if they denied that Vernon had James beat when it came to width. "Everyone calm down now," Remus said quietly, putting a gentle hand on James' shoulder to hold his friend back.

"I don't take orders from riff-raff like you!" Vernon spat toward Remus, his face beginning to turn a shade of purple. His look of disgust only increased when he had a chance to look at the scars on Remus' face.

"Mate," Remus turned and looked directly at Vernon. "I am your best friend right now because I am currently keeping my friends over there, from coming over here and introducing themselves." He gestured to the group of witches and wizards who were all glaring at the man from where they stood, but none looked more menacing than Mia and Sirius who looked to be a hair's breadth away from shifting into Animagus form and mauling the Muggle.

"Upsetting Lily has not won either of you any good marks," Remus said, glancing to Petunia who briefly looked ashamed of herself as she hid behind her husband. "One more step out of line and I can promise it'll win you a trip to the hospital."

"Are you threatening me?" Vernon spat up at Remus.

"Yes," Remus answered, his eyes flashing gold. The sight caused Vernon to stumble over his next words and he hesitated before taking a step back, still much too naive about the Wizarding world that his sister-in-law had exposed him to unwillingly, yet he still retained an iota of self-preservation and felt that if he pressed the issue with the scarred man, he would deeply regret it.

"Where are my things?" Lily whispered through stifled sobs, her temper finally having calmed down only to give way to misery and grief once more.

"What things?" James asked curiously.

"They sold my parents house," Lily cried. "I don't... I don't have a home."

"Yes you do," Mia said immediately as she approached, casting a scathing look at Vernon and Petunia. "You'll come and live with the rest of us at the Manor," Mia insisted.

"Manor," Vernon snorted and rolled his eyes. Mia glared in response, a part of her wanting to take him to Potter Manor just then to show him. She wanted to kidnap the large Muggle and drag him through the Wizarding world by his neck rolls, show him Hogwarts and Gringotts, let him piss himself at the sight of Sirius' vault, and then just for the hell of it, leave him to rot inside the drawing room of Malfoy Manor.

"No," Lily shook her head at her best friend. "I couldn't impose."

"Lily, you belong with us," Mia promised the redhead with a smile.

"That's for damn certain," Vernon muttered under his breath.

"Mia, Sirius," James called to his best friend who was right at his witch's side, cigarette still between his lips as his grey eyes stared into the face of Vernon Dursley. Sirius inhaled and then blew smoke into Vernon's face without a care to the way the man choked in front of him. "Take Lily back to Hogwarts," James instructed his friend and sister. He knew that he could easily trust the task to Frank and Alice, or even Mary and Peter, but he himself was having a hard time controlling his temper, and knew that Mia and Sirius of all people were much too volatile to be around the Dursleys right now.

"Remus and I will have her things sent to the Manor," James said, looking at Vernon and Petunia. "I'll expect an address to where they're being kept," he insisted before turning back to his sister. "I'll let Dad know everything."

oOoOoOo

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Merlin," Sirius said in exasperation as the large group Apparated just outside of the school gates, waiting for one of the Professors or Hagrid to come and let them inside as Mia flicked her wand, letting a silvery fox rush away to alert the Headmaster to their return. "Did we just meet the Malfoys of Muggles?" Sirius asked.

"They're awful," Mia agreed. "Lily, I am so sorry you had to go through all that on top of everything else."

"I've lost everything," the redhead let out a shaky exhale, her normally bright green eyes were dim and no longer sparkled like emeralds in the light. Lily leaned against the gates and slowly slid downwards until she was sitting on the ground. "My home, my family.."

"Your family is right here," Sirius insisted, kneeling in front of the witch. "In fact..." Sirius said with a thought and quickly tapped his wand against the gold bracelet wrapped around his wrist, one of the two items he never removed under any circumstances, the other being the silver chain around his neck. His grey eyes looked up at Mia as though asking for approval, and his witch merely smiled sweetly down at him.

Sirius turned back to Lily, reaching for her hand where he clasped the bracelet around her wrist, turning it upwards to show her the House words engraved upon it.

"Sirius, no, this is expensive!" Lily began arguing.

"It wasn't even mine to begin with," he told her. "So it's not like I spent money on it."

"Just an old heirloom we had laying around," Mia smirked at her friend.

Lily took a slow breath and turned to look down at the bracelet, her hand still held by Sirius. "_Animo et astutia_," Lily read aloud. "These are the words of House Potter."

"By Courage and Craft," Sirius grinned. "Mia gave this to me when I lost my own family," he explained, though he kindly left out the rest of the detailed story about how he'd shagged her rotten shortly after. If such was a tradition after receiving a new bracelet, he'd gladly leave it to Prongs to take care of later. "She gave it to me when I became a part of the Potter family, now it's your turn."

"I'm not a Potter, Sirius," Lily frowned, shaking her head. "I can't accept this. Take it back."

"Nope."

"Mia..." Lily looked up at her friend, hoping for intervention on her behalf.

"Nope," Mia shook her head, cutting Lily off. "I agree with Sirius. You're my sister," Mia insisted with a bright smile as she moved to sit down beside the red headed witch, embracing her tightly. "And that makes you a Potter, or maybe a Black since Sirius is the one giving it to you," she laughed and her bright amber eyes seemed to sparkle. "Besides, James will just fall to pieces when he sees you wearing it. And if anyone honors the words of our House, it's you. Courage and Craft? Might as well just say '_Lily Evans'_."

"See?" Sirius smirked. "Mia says it's okay!"

oOoOoOo

**Heads Common Room**

It took an additional five minutes for Lily to stop arguing with Mia and Sirius, and even then Alice and Mary had to intervene and try to pull the gift off like a Pure-blood tradition that Lily was offending by refusing the bracelet. It was a rare occasion when they needed to trick the Muggle-born witch, but they only did it when necessary. Mia, a Muggle-born herself by birth noted the lie and shook her head in disapproval but understanding at the same time. A part of her briefly wondered if Ron and Ginny had ever pulled something like that over her eyes.

Once back inside Lily and James' Common Room, Sirius sat beside Lily on the couch, hugging her close to comfort her while Mia fixed hot chocolate in the small attached kitchen, not wanting to bother the house-elves for it, especially since it gave her something to do to keep occupied and not let her thoughts linger on the future where her own birth parents were long grieved over, but where Petunia and Vernon Dursley still existed. Had they not already written themselves on Mia's shit list based on the way they treated Harry for so many years, they would have been added today for how they had treated Lily.

"We got everything taken care of," James said as he and Remus walked through the portrait hole. Sirius vacated the spot on the couch, letting James take his place beside Lily with a tender smile. "All your things are back at the Manor," he assured her. "And I tried to stop her but Tilly's already gone through half the first box. She's setting up an entire room for you. Hopefully you like purple, it's the color I saw her charming the walls when we left," he tossed his witch a sweet smile and Lily actually laughed at the thought of the little elf who had always been kind to Lily, if not a little imposing.

"What happened?" Remus said as he stood in the center of the room looking alert and nervous.

"What do you mean?" Mia asked as she approached, placing the tray of hot chocolate on the table in front of the couch. "We've just been here since getting back. Frank, Alice, Mary and Peter headed back to the tower change back into normal robes," she explained.

Remus shook his head. "Something's different. Something changed..." his nostrils flared and amber eyes settled on the redhead. "Lily, are you..." he began and then looked around the room curiously as though he were missing something important. "What did we miss?"

"Just some girly bonding," Sirius teased. "I tried to convince these two to take their clothes off and have a pillow fight," he said, gesturing to Lily and Mia as he took his seat beside James on the couch. "But no one ever thinks to put _my_ wants and needs first. Ow!" He glared at his best friend who was retracting a balled fist from Sirius's shoulder. "It was a joke."

"Sirius gave Lily the Potter bracelet that I gave him a few years ago," Mia gestured to Lily's hand, ignoring her boyfriends depraved sense of humor.

"Is that all?" Remus asked, still on edge. "I... I feel something... I can't explain it."

"Oh!" Mia gasped, eyes wide.

"What?" Remus turned to her.

"Familial Bond!" She shouted. "Sirius, you provoked a Familial Bond by giving Lily that bracelet!" She said excitedly, remembering Dorea's explanation years earlier in regards to how Mia became a part of their family. "That's what happened to me. I got the bracelet when I was first adopted and it provoked a Familial Bond between me, Jamie and our parents. It's what made me a Potter."

"Wait," Lily paled. "I'm a Potter now?" She turned her green eyes to look at James with horror, a part of her wondering if she just magically became her boyfriend's sister. It was already a little weird to the redheaded witch that technically Mia and Sirius were second and/or fourth cousins.

"Well, not technically," Mia promised. "It's still an unsealed bond. You'd have to either be officially adopted or..." brown eyes drifted to her nervous looking brother whose face was a lovely shade of vermilion.

"Oh," Lily nodded thoughtfully looking down at the bracelet when suddenly she understood Mia's words and her green eyes briefly flickered to the blush on James' cheeks. "Oh! I umm..." she stammered and nervously chewed on her lip. "So but we're bonded? Like your Pack Bond?" Lily asked.

"That must be why Moony can sense something," Sirius added thoughtfully. "You're bonded to _us_ and we're bonded to _him_."

"She's Pack now," Remus grinned. "I mean, sort of," he added with a confused look. "It's different with the three of you," he said, gesturing to Sirius, Mia and James. "But now I feel... much more protective than before," he spoke to Lily before sitting down next to the witch, struggling to prevent his inner wolf from rubbing his cheek against hers. "This is amazing," Remus laughed. "I wonder if this means that anyone else that's either born into or marries into the family becomes a part of this," Remus thoughtfully looked up at Mia who smiled, knowing that Remus was referring to Harry.

"I'm a part of your Pack?" Lily smiled, emotions surfacing. "And your family?" It was clear that Lily felt both sadness and relief. She had lost her own family that very day only to be officially welcomed into another so quickly.

"You always have been," Mia promised her friend. "Magic just happen to agree with us now." Lily laughed at the words and let out a relieved sigh.

"I love magic," the ginger witch smiled through her tears.

oOoOoOo

**April 1st, 1978**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"What do you mean you lost the Map?!"

Mia hadn't seen her brother this panicked since he'd accidentally misplaced his Invisibility Cloak their third year. She'd walked into the boys dormitory to see all four Marauders tearing the place apart. The beds were practically dismantled as the wizards searched in vain for the family heirloom, and James practically crumpled to the floor in defeat, muttering 'Dad's going to Avada me' over and over again until Mia reminded her brother that he'd let her borrow the Cloak the day before to slip down to the kitchens in order to see if the elves would prepare something special for Sirius' birthday.

But the Map had not been lent out to Mia. It had been taken by Peter who was now cowering in front of two of his friends, all of them grateful that Sirius wasn't there to witness the scene.

"I didn't mean to!" Peter insisted, looking terrified.

"What the hell were you doing Wormtail?" James asked with wide hazel eyes. "Why'd you even need it? We had no plans, no pranks, and we haven't had a reason to use the Cloak in forever since we know all the secret passageways!"

"I-I was s-sneaking out to.. to.. to see my g-girlfriend," Peter nervously stuttered his way through a poor explanation. Remus and James looked positively shocked at the revelation, but Mia only rolled her eyes.

"You have a girlfriend?" Remus rose a confused brow. "Since when?"

"Who the hell is she and how come we've never met her?" James snapped.

"Because you..." Peter swallowed. "You wouldn't understand," the smaller wizard frowned. "She's.. she's a Slytherin."

All three faces looked shocked. Remus and James over the fact that their friend was willingly dating a Slytherin. Mia because she was shocked that _any_ girl, Slytherin or not, was willing to date the rotten little rodent. Never mind the fact that Peter would eventually become a traitor, Mia was still angry at him for spying on her and Remus years earlier.

"Pete, mate," James put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Who is she?"

"Her name's Iris," Peter frowned. "She's a sixth year."

"Iris what?" Mia asked curiously.

"Hmm?"

"What's her last name Wormtail?" James eyed his friend.

"M-Mulciber."

"Oh Merlin," Mia rolled her eyes and walked away from the scene for a moment as her brother officially lost control.

"Mulciber?!" James howled. "You're dating _Mulciber's_ little sister? Have you completely lost your mind?!" James threw his hands into the air in exasperation. Remus stood there, staring at Wormtail, completely gobsmacked.

"Mate, you've fancied Mary for years, don't you remember what Mulciber _did_ to her in fifth year?" Remus asked.

"Iris isn't bad," Peter insisted. "She's nothing like her brother, I swear."

"So you sneaked out to see Iris... _Mulciber_," Remus shook his head, still in shock. "And then..."

"Got caught by Filch," Peter nodded, frowning as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his robes looking properly shamed for his actions. "He saw the Map hanging out of my robes and snatched it up."

"Alright," James returned from a brief stint of pacing back and forth, now looking determined. "We can just have Sirius use his pen-knife to break in and take it back," James explained carefully. It wasn't the first time they'd broken into the caretaker's office, and knowing the Marauders, Mia assumed it wouldn't be the last.

"No," Mia insisted.

"What do you mean no?" James turned and glared at his sister.

"I mean first, you cannot let Sirius know why Peter actually lost the Map," she announced. "If he finds out that Peter's dating a Slytherin, let alone Mulciber's sister, you might as well tell him that you're dating Snape. He'll snap," she said, staring at the looks of agreement on James and Remus' face, particularly enjoying the expression of terror on Peter's at the thought of facing an enraged Sirius Black. A part of Mia really wanted to let her boyfriend dismantle the rat piece by piece, but she knew that the Map needed to stay in Filch's office, and Sirius would go back for it no matter what he did to Peter prior. "Secondly, it's time to let the Map go."

"Go?" James gaped. "Go where?"

"We're graduating soon and we won't need the Map anymore," Mia smiled. "I say leave it Filch's office and let some new student break in and steal it from him," she grinned. "Pass it down. A Marauder heirloom."

Strangely, James looked positively amused at the thought of something he'd helped to create being passed down through future Marauder generations, pranksters who were all too eager to evade Filch and Mrs. Norris, Prefects and Professors alike.

"What if no one ever gets it back?" Remus asked curiously, a part of him not wanting to let go of the particularly brilliant piece of magic that he and his friends had created together.

"Then they aren't deserving of it," Mia smirked and both James and Remus seemed to smile in agreement.

"Pete, mate," James sighed looking at his short friend. "You're so lucky that my sister's looking out for you," he laughed and ignored the scathing look that Mia gave him. She was most certainly NOT looking out for Peter. She was looking out for the _rest_ of them. Peter getting out of this scot-free was merely an unfortunate side effect.

"Thank you, Mia," Peter offered up a smile.

"Don't thank me," she insisted. "Just keep an eye on your snake and don't even think about agreeing to meet her family," she ordered the youngest Marauder. "I'm not exactly one to talk considering I'm dating Sirius," she said thoughtfully. "But you know what Mulciber is Pete. Iris may be okay, but her family is not."

"I understand," Peter nodded. "I'll be careful. I'm really sorry for losing the Map," Peter reiterated to James as they headed back toward Gryffindor Tower, Mia trying to think of a way to explain to Sirius why the Map was no longer in their possession.

"We all make mistakes, mate," James sighed, trying to focus on the silver lining. "Besides, Mia's right. It's not like we could use the Map once we all leave. It belongs to Hogwarts future Marauders," he grinned.

"What day it is?" Mia asked thoughtfully.

"April first," Remus replied. "Why?"

"Just curious," she grinned.

_Happy birthday, Fred and George_, she thought to herself.

* * *

**A/N**: So if you can't tell, I have major hate issues with the Dursleys. This anger will not go away.

Also, SO much love to the many of you who found this little (little... yeah right...) story this week and completely binge read it! I adore you! Massive love to **Colubrina** who binge read the whole thing in less than two days and then dropped reviews for each chapter on me. She's a trooper and my new cheerleader (Slytherin green pompoms). PS, are you all reading _After the Sea_ yet? Merlin!


	79. Chapter 79

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: I can't believe that this story has almost 1,500 reviews! You all are the absolute best and I adore each and every one of you! When I started writing this story I did it because it was a story I wanted to read myself. To see that other people enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it! **TheWierdestSister**, I'm glad that you caught Lily's angry outburst as something that's pretty harsh. I have issues sometimes with stories that paint the Potters out to be absolutely perfect. Any character really. They're teenagers, forced into awful situations in the middle of a war. They are human and have flaws. James was (and still sometimes is) a bully, Lily has a violent temper, Mia and Sirius both ride that line of sanity very carefully... they all make mistakes. I love those mistakes because it makes them so much more relatable I think. **jessicashoelover,** Part Two (the most ridiculously long part of the entire story) will finish at Chapter 100. I still don't know how long Parts Three and Four will be, but certainly closer to Part One. **HenriaSownbinder**, feel free to PM me in order to gush about _After the Sea_ anytime! **ObsessedWithHP2012**, it's explained in more detail in chapter 73 when Lily's asking all the questions. Werewolf Pack Bonds are sealed via mating _and_ marking.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's something that's been requested for quite some time.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Life Isn't Fair

"_...I stand naked before you now  
__No walls to hide behind  
__So here am I, you see all of my scars  
__Still here you are  
__I bare my soul and I'm not afraid  
__Not afraid…"  
__(Beautiful With You - Halestorm)_

* * *

**May 31st, 1978**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Gryffindor Tower**

The Marauders and Mia had decided to stay at Hogwarts during Easter holidays. The excuse was time needed to study, but in reality, they all knew that Lily was not yet ready to return to Potter Manor and call it 'home' so soon after losing her own. James stayed with Lily in her room for the first few weeks after her parents' death, and when time permitted Sirius slept on the couch in the Head's Common Room, with a strange need to be close to the witch he thought of as a sister, to make certain she was alright. Mia didn't mind in the slightest as it gave her one extra reason to avoid Sirius' bed at night, where he would undoubtedly catch a glimpse of the scar on her forearm; after the horrible way he'd reacted to seeing the purple mark on her ribcage, she was not looking forward to his eventual discovery.

The final Quidditch match of their school careers took place and as usual, Gryffindor dominated the Pitch. While they'd won the game and the Quidditch Cup, Sirius was mildly disappointed he hadn't been able to knock Regulus from his broom as the younger Black was not present for the game. Rumors had circulated that the Slytherin Seeker had been acting strangely, a bit morose since returning from Easter holidays, and his gaunt resemblance to a sixth-year Draco Malfoy did not go unnoticed by Mia. Thankfully with a silver Quidditch Cup to make sweet love to, neither Sirius nor James took much interest in Regulus, and their attention to their unblemished Quidditch record and accompanying new fame was helpful in diverting the attention that Sirius would normally be spending on her.

Unfortunately when it had been over a month since she and Sirius had been intimate in any way shape or form aside from snogging, Mia knew she had to let the secret of her scar out, at least a part of it. Sirius was already becoming suspicious of the fact that she wouldn't let him touch her, which resulted in two minor arguments, one where Sirius had a mild panic attack in thinking that Mia had rekindled feelings for Remus, and the other where he actually blacked out when he'd talked himself into thinking that she was pregnant.

"You certainly are reliable in a crisis," Mia commented sarcastically, looking down at the raven-haired wizard as he regained consciousness. "Go and get everyone," she said looking up at Remus who had been standing over Sirius, arms crossed over his chest in mild disappointment, not wanting to say a word knowing how he himself had reacted to Mia's lack of physical affection and suspicious activity while _they _had been dating. Then again, Remus hadn't jumped to insane conclusions, he'd only yelled quite a bit and then walked away.

"Everyone?" Remus questioned.

"Pack meeting," Mia sighed. "Marauder meeting," she clarified and then added, "Bloody _House _meeting. Mary, Alice and Frank will probably end up catching a glimpse if I'm not careful in the future. Considering two of them are going to be Aurors, it might be beneficial to not have them come to their own conclusions," she groaned in frustration.

"They'll understand," Remus assured her.

"Understand what?" Sirius finally asked, his heavy-lidded eyes looking up at his witch and the werewolf. "You _are _keeping a secret?" Sirius narrowed his eyes at the both of them.

"Don't sit up yet," Mia scowled at her boyfriend. "You hit your head when you fainted."

"I did _not _faint," Sirius glowered at the accusation but reached a hand around and rubbed a sore spot on the back of his head. "Why're you still keeping secrets from me?" He asked. "And why does Remus know?"

"Because Remus was there when it happened," Mia sighed. "Sort of. I'll explain it all soon," she said and nodded to Remus who disappeared out the portrait hole.

"How'd I end up on the couch?" Sirius asked, looking around curiously.

"Like I said, you fainted," she explained, running her fingers through his long black hair, moving her hand away when he went to grab it. Sirius narrowed his grey eyes at her, catching the way that she pulled from him.

"So if you aren't pregnant," he said the word on a sharp exhale of relief. "And you're not sneaking around with Remus behind my back," he added and then caught the deep look of loathing in her eyes at the suggestion. "I said you're _not_," he defended his words. "After everything we've been through I actually trust that if you still had feelings for him, you'd actually tell me," he sighed and leaned back into the pillow, enjoying her playing with his hair considering it helped with the pain in his head. "So what's the secret then? And why are you still keeping them from me?"

"I've kept this one from everyone," Mia explained. "Not even Jamie knows."

Sirius' eyes widened. "How bad?"

"I'll be making you all take a Wizard's Oath before I tell you," she told him, hoping that would explain the severity of the situation. "But you should know that my secret has nothing to do with you. You are not in any way responsible," Mia explained knowing that Sirius had long ago blamed himself for the scar on her ribcage. Inadvertently she had admitted that he was involved somehow, which was the truth. But this scar was different. Sirius - older Sirius - had nearly gotten himself killed trying to prevent it from happening, and she would not have his younger self thinking he was in any way responsible for it.

oOoOoOo

Twenty minutes later, the seventh year Gryffindors gathered in the boys dormitory where the door could be locked. Mia cast a quick Muffliato just in case before insisting they all take a Wizard's Oath. Predictably James was the first to offer his wand, swearing secrecy upon his magic, followed soon behind by Sirius, Remus, Lily, Alice, Mary and eventually a hesitant Peter.

"Some of you already know this," Mia whispered. "But I'm adopted," she explained, catching the surprised looks on Alice, Frank and Mary's faces. Peter stared at her for a long while as though he were trying to add it all up in his head. "I'm Muggle-born," she explained and watched his reaction go from confusion to surprise to irritation and mild disgust. _And there it is_, Mia thought to herself. _A Pure-blood Slytherin girlfriend for a few months and he's already slipping_. Peter's prejudices and damaged soul weren't her concern just then. If it wouldn't have looked a bit suspicious, she wouldn't have included him at all, and only his Wizard's Oath was keeping him involved now.

"My family was attacked by Death Eaters years ago," she went on. "When they were... when I found myself without a family," she said with regret. "The Potters adopted me."

"Is _that _your big secret?" Mary asked with a smirk. "Mia, you don't think we'd think poorly of you because you were technically Muggle-born, do you?" The witch smiled. "If that was so, then we'd have hexed Lily years ago."

"If I didn't hex you first," the redhead smirked.

Mia laughed. "No," the curly-haired witch shook her head. "I know you'd all be my friends no matter what. But... I was attacked as well," she cleared her throat nervously. "It left a permanent scar on my body, one that can't be glamoured. However, when I came to Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore was able to procure a potion that would hide the scar from everyone else. Unfortunately, it had a time limit," she explained to the best of her ability. Remus had informed her that a version of the truth would be best, and Mia understood. The best lies were based in truth. "The potion could only be taken once," she outright lied, "and unfortunately it seems that time has run out and my scar has resurfaced."

"It's okay Mia," Remus said, placing a hand of support on her shoulder.

"Remus knows?" James asked curiously, surprised that his sister had kept this from him for so many years, though he knew she had always been very secretive about her scars. When he'd spotted the one on her ribcage years earlier, James had asked his mother about it, and she informed him that when they'd adopted Mia, they all took a vow to start from scratch as a family, allowing Mia a chance to reveal her past if and when it was necessary to her. He hadn't liked the answer but had promised his mother that he wouldn't pry into that part of his sister's life.

"Remus was there when the potion wore off," Mia explained with a shrug of her shoulders. "And frankly, after seeing his reaction, I wanted him to be here when I showed the rest of you. Please don't panic," she pleaded with them which only seemed to make Sirius panic in advance.

Slowly, Mia pulled the sleeve of her blouse up, revealing the purple scarred word in her flesh. They each reacted exactly how Mia had assumed they would.

Lily had gasped at the sight of it and immediately pulled Mia into a sympathetic hug. Mia could feel her friend - _her sister _\- shaking and couldn't help but wonder if Lily was afraid something similar could happen to her. James stood looking unbelievably confused and helpless, like he wanted to do something to help but didn't know what. Remus made his way across the room and put his hands on James' shoulders as if hoping to help ground him.

Frank and Alice stood by with wide eyes, staring but collectively trying to remain calm and not show Mia an ounce of pity, knowing that it would quite possibly make the situation that much worse. Mary, on the other hand, had no pity, but plenty of anger. She reached out and took hold of Mia's arm, and stared down at the word on her friends skin and began cursing up a storm, "Fucking Death Eater pieces of shit!" The witch hissed. "Godric, please tell me they got what was coming to them?"

"They did," Mia nodded remembering a bleeding and gasping Bellatrix Lestrange. "They suffered more than I did, that was certain," she promised.

In the corner of the room, Peter sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes drawn away from everyone else looking a mixture of nauseous and terrified. A part of Mia wanted to ask him how he was if only to assuage his current thoughts regarding blood supremacy and Voldemort, but she didn't have the chance. There was a loud bang and suddenly they all turned to see Sirius had left the room.

"Where the hell does he think he's going?" Mary snapped irritably.

"Maybe he just... just needs some time to himself?" Alice suggested.

"No," James said as he and Remus took off after their friend. "If I know Sirius, he's going to want revenge."

"He can't," Lily said firmly as they all chased after the wizards who were already on their way out the portrait hole. "Mia just said that whoever did that had already been taken care of."

"That won't matter," Mia frowned, regretting that she hadn't warded the room to prevent anyone from leaving before they'd all had a chance to calm down. "If he can't find the Death Eater who attacked me, he's going after what he thinks is the next best thing," Mia scolded herself for not preparing for this scenario as they all rushed down the marble staircase.

oOoOoOo

**Dungeons**

When the large group of Gryffindors made it down to the Dungeons, they found a bleeding Regulus Black pinned against the wall, Sirius' wand shoved against his brother's throat and a mad look in the Animagus' dark grey eyes. Regulus actually looked properly frightened and Mia gasped at the sight and tossed Remus a panicked glance.

Remus and James went into immediate action.

"_Expelliarmus_!" James shouted, quickly pocketing Sirius' wand as it flew into his hands. When Sirius turned his rage on his friends for interrupting what looked to be less like an interrogation and more like a demonstration, Remus took over, using his werewolf strength to subdue the raven-haired wizard. Frank jumped in as well, restraining Sirius' arms while Lily pulled her wand from her robes and waved it over Sirius' body, muttering, "_Somnus_!" and watching as Sirius' body collapsed in Remus' arms.

"Don't worry, he's just asleep," Lily explained and let out a sigh of relief. "Take him back to his room. I can ward the doors there," she took charge. "Mary, can you see about getting a Calming Draught from Madam Pomfrey?" Lily asked.

"Sure," the witch nodded. "This close to N.E.W.T.s, shouldn't be hard to get a hold of."

"Frank, Peter, Alice could the two of you go to the Great Hall or head to the library? Maybe casually mention around that Sirius has taken ill, that way no one wonders why he's missing," James asked and watched as his friends nodded and dispersed from the Dungeons. James turned and looked back at Regulus who was now sitting on the ground, cold eyes staring at the opposite wall as he held a hand to his neck where he was bleeding from. "What about _him_?" James asked.

"Go," Mia insisted. "Take care of Sirius. I'll be there soon."

"Mia..." James stepped forward, his own wand clenched in his hands as his hazel eyes fell on the younger Black.

"Go," Mia insisted, her amber eyes hard as she looked at her brother.

Once Remus, James and Lily removed an unconscious Sirius from the Dungeons, Mia knelt in front of the Slytherin and frowned. "Let me see," she insisted, gesturing to his neck. Regulus raised his eyes to her face and looked at her suspiciously. "I'm not going to hurt you," she insisted and rolled her eyes when he scoffed at her. "I'm quite good with healing spells, but if you want to bleed to death, by all means."

"Is anyone going to clue me in on what exactly _that _was about?" Regulus snapped as he removed his hand from his neck revealing a large cut, that wasn't deep in the slightest. Mia knew how well Sirius' aim was, so this wound was meant to be a warning. She examined it closely and held her vinewood wand up, running it over the slash to close it up.

"Sirius has issues with Death Eaters," Mia explained. "After everything that's been in the Daily Prophet lately, he was bound to snap at some point," she said, lying through her teeth.

Regulus didn't seem to notice. "And he attacks _me _because?" The younger wizard hissed.

"Why do you think?" The witch eyed him carefully, her gaze drifting down to Regulus' left arm. Reactively, he pulled it close to his chest and stared at her carefully, as though he were waiting for her to make the first move and attack. When his eyes looked less cold and angry and more sad and empty, Mia sighed and then a thought occurred to her. "You'll need Dittany if you don't want this to scar," she said referencing the cut on his neck. "If you don't want Madam Pomfrey to ask too many questions, I'm sure you could just summon Kreacher and he'd bring some to you," she suggested and watched Regulus' reaction carefully.

Grey eyes widened only slightly as he stared suspiciously at the witch when she'd said the house-elf's name. "I'll be fine," he insisted.

"Oh?" She tilted her head to the side, watching the wizard carefully like a serpent would before striking. "Is there something _wrong _with Kreacher?" She asked pointedly.

"What do you know?" Regulus finally snapped, his eyes narrowing.

_It's starting_, Mia thought to herself, feeling a strange bit of relief.

"I know that you're not a bad a person," she answered softly. "You were a little prick when you were younger," she smirked. "But I know that Sirius wanted to save you, back when he was attacked. When they tried to mark _him_," she frowned at the memory and noticed that Regulus looked to be thinking along the same lines. "It's not fair that the two of you were put against one another like this."

"Yes, well," Regulus cleared his throat. "_Life _isn't fair."

"No," Mia agreed. "It's not."

"You're not going to tell anyone?" He asked her curiously, gesturing to his left forearm.

"No," Mia shook her head.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously, his brows furrowing.

"A few reasons," she sighed. "Firstly, I think if Sirius were to find out for certain, he'd hate himself for what he might do in reaction," she explained truthfully, remembering a deep hatred that Sirius had formed for his younger brother postmortem in the future, only days before they'd all discovered the truth about Regulus' defection. "And secondly, I don't think you're one of them. Not really. And I think you agree with me."

Regulus didn't react at all, merely stared at her coldly, holding back any emotion or hints to how he felt in regards to her words. Mia felt terrible that she couldn't help him, couldn't save him. But she knew how important it was that Regulus make his own decisions regarding Voldemort. Slowly Mia stood, dusting off her robes and pocketing her wand. "I'd avoid your brother for a while," she suggested. "We'll all be graduating in a few weeks, so after that it should be quite easy," she shrugged her shoulders and turned to walk away.

"Potter?" Regulus called after the witch and she turned to look at the young wizard. After a moment of contemplation, Regulus sighed. "Take care of my brother," he requested quietly.

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Tower**

Mia knocked on the door to the boys dormitory and watched as Remus carefully opened it revealing himself and James standing in the middle of the room while Lily sat on the edge of Sirius' bed examining the wizard. Mia frowned as she stepped inside, listening as Remus shut the door and re-warded it.

"How is he?" Mia asked.

"Pissed off," Sirius muttered quietly, his back turned from her as his face rested on his pillow. Mia sighed at the words and looked at Lily, pleading for a little more information.

"We woke him up to give him the Calming Draught.." she began.

"Tastes like piss," Sirius groaned behind her.

Lily rolled her eyes. "He's a little better."

"He also knows he's not allowed to leave the Tower without one of us next to him," James explained, arms crossed over his chest. Mia could see Sirius' wand still in the pocket of James' robes, for which she was grateful. "I'd honestly like to keep that rule in place until we graduate."

"Fuck off, Prongs," Sirius mumbled and then growled when Lily swatted the back of his head.

"Language," she scolded him. "You should be grateful that we're all being so calm about this. You attacked a fellow student, got caught by the Head Boy and Girl, two Prefects, and instead of reporting you, we protected you," she hissed.

"I don't need your bloody protection," Sirius snapped, still not moving to look at any of them. "And I didn't attack a fellow student. I attacked a Death Eater."

"You attacked your own brother," Mia corrected him.

"The only brothers I have are in this room right now," Sirius replied firmly.

"How's Regulus?" Remus asked Mia.

"I healed the wound on his neck, told him to find some Dittany so it wouldn't scar," she explained, but left out the details of the conversation she had with the young Death Eater. Sirius seemed to stir at her words, his body stiffening. "Yes, Sirius, I healed your brother so he wouldn't scar. You might have an idea as to how I feel about scars."

"We'll leave you two alone," Remus insisted, gesturing to Lily and James and the three made their way to the door. James stopped and looked at Mia, silently pointing to Sirius' wand in his pocket as though asking a question. Mia shook her head and pointed to the door, indicating that James should take the wand with him, just in case. When the door shut behind them, Mia re-warded it with her own security charms to prevent Sirius from escaping.

Mia turned and made her way back to Sirius bed, where she crawled over his body and fell onto the other side of the mattress, facing the angry yet passive wizard who was filled with bitterness and Calming Draught. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi yourself," Sirius replied sadly.

"You can't do that to me, Sirius," Mia frowned. "I know you were feeling helpless, and you needed to do something, but if you're going to be an Auror, you need to keep your temper in check," she insisted and when he made to argue she cast a daring look at him that silenced the Animagus immediately. "Sirius, I got over this scar and this word a long time ago," she admitted, rolling her sleeve back up and showing him and watched with sadness as his grey eyes looked away from it. "Am I so hideous now?" She asked teasingly, and Sirius turned his attention right back to her, offended by the accusation.

"Of course not," he snarled. "We've all got scars," he reached his left forearm up where an old faded burn scar rested from when Lucius Malfoy had tried and failed to place the Dark Mark on Sirius. "Fucking Death Eaters," Sirius glowered, comparing their arms as they lay side by side. "So _this _is why you haven't let me touch you all month?" He asked.

Mia nodded. "I didn't want you to accidentally see it like you did the other one," she subconsciously touched her rib-cage. "I wanted to figure out how to tell you first. Figured it would be easy telling everyone at once. Didn't think you'd snap and go on a rampage," she narrowed her eyes briefly.

"What the hell did you _expect _me to do?" He asked calmly, and Mia was incredibly grateful to Mary for procuring the draught for Sirius. "While I might not have been conscious for it, Prongs told me that when _I _got attacked by Death Eaters, you put up security wards around my hospital room that a _Curse-Breaker _couldn't even get through," he smirked. "When Remus was threatened at St. Mungo's we all drew our wands on _Aurors_," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Of _course _I would react violently to seeing that," his eyes drew down to the scar on her forearm.

"Well, we _all _need to get a grip then," Mia smiled and then let it fade away all too quickly. She brushed some of his hair from Sirius' face, letting the tips of her fingers linger on the skin of his cheek. "I need you to promise me that you're not going to go after Regulus again," Mia insisted.

Sirius scoffed at the request and looked away from her.

"I mean it Sirius," she frowned. "Please. We're leaving Hogwarts in less than a month, and I don't want to start our lives with you being arrested for attacking your own brother."

"If I challenge him to a Wizard's Duel, it's perfectly legal," he pointed out.

"Sirius," Mia growled.

"Fine," he relented. "Bloody witch making me not hex Regulus," he complained under his breath as he closed his eyes. A hand reached out and Mia felt him tug her up against his body, nuzzling his face into her hair as his body relaxed.

"Yes, poor Sirius can't hex Slytherins," Mia said sarcastically.

"I know," Sirius agreed, ignoring her tone. "You've just got that kind of power over me, kitten. No hexing," he promised, but still felt a bit put out by it. "I must really love you."

Mia gasped at the words but said nothing in return, not wanting to make a big deal out of it in case Sirius had said them on accident. She merely held him tighter against her and buried her face against his chest before eventually drifting off to sleep in his arms.

* * *

**A/N**: Since Canon wasn't very specific about Regulus' timeline other than the general year he became a Death Eater and his actual death, I took liberties a little bit. So yes, Mia's questions about Kreacher are her way of trying to figure out whether or not Regulus knows about the Horcruxes. Hope the scar reveal was satisfying! Oh, a big thank you to **j-jip**, who has spent the last few weeks reading this story and reviewing every chapter! I adore her! For you Remus/Hermione fans that are missing a little werewolf love, check out her story _As the Moon Rises_.


	80. Chapter 80

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: It seems like most of you enjoyed how Mia revealed her scar, and that makes me happy! Also, there was some serious love for Regulus Black! I have always thought that Regulus Black is Draco Malfoy without the love of Narcissa. His story just breaks my heart and I hope to one day (long after this fic is over) write a story about him.** Moon's dark twin sister**, Part Three is called 'The Promise' and Part Four will be 'The Soul Bond'. Speaking of Part Three though, I'm seven chapters in and already frustrated but still moving forward. I probably have more to say but yesterday was my husband's birthday AND his first day back to college, so I'm utterly exhausted.

Oh, this chapter is FILLED with lots of little nods to the movies and books. You know how I like to hide references.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty: Those Who Should Be Here

"_...But it's too late, to go back.  
__I can see the darkness, through the cracks.  
__Daylight fading, I curse the breaking.  
__The day is gone…"  
__(Day is Gone - Noah Gunderson)_

* * *

**June 2nd, 1978**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Dungeons**

The very last day of Advanced Potions had the students hovering over one last cauldron in front of Professor Slughorn. With little left to teach them, their Professor had requested his most brilliant students assist him with re-stocking the Hospital Wing with necessary potions. Only Damocles Belby was given permission to work on something else as he had requested Slughorn's help in patenting the potion he'd created years earlier in class. Damocles proudly called it Wolfsbane Potion, after figuring out that it could be helpful to the werewolf population. Mia, Sirius, and Lily had joyfully congratulated him on his discovery while Snape sneered at them from behind.

"Are you done already?" Mia asked as she watched her friend clean out her cauldron and reach into her bag, retrieving what appeared to be a small glass bowl. Mia rose a brow and watched with interest as Lily grinned and poured water into the bowl from the tip of her wand. "Do I want to even ask?" Mia rose a brow.

"I made a gift for Professor Slughorn," Lily answered with a smile. "He's always been very nice to me, and I know how he feels about Muggle-borns," she rolled her eyes. "Maybe now he'll see that blood has nothing to do with talent. Despite being a Slytherin, I want to thank him for all that he's taught me," she insisted, pulling what looked like a flower petal in sealed jar from her bag. "I'll be right back," Lily said as she excitedly stood and made her way to Slughorn's desk, carrying the bowl of water and the sealed jar.

"You done?" Sirius asked Mia after putting his things away and sealing the vials of Blood Replenishing Potion that he'd been assigned to brew. He glanced over his shoulder, already noticing that James was waiting by the door for them, holding his empty hand out toward the raven-haired wizard, silently requesting his wand. After Sirius' attack on Regulus, the Pack sat down and decided that unless he was using it for classes, Sirius would relinquish his wand to James, at least until Sirius himself felt that he could look at a Slytherin without wanting to attack. Sirius had rolled his eyes, but for the sake of his friend's conscious, he conceded.

"Go ahead," Mia nodded to her boyfriend. "I'm going to wait around for Lily. You two save us seats," she requested, thinking that the library would certainly be packed with their fellow seventh years who were all preparing for N.E.W.T.s. Sirius nodded and leaned down to kiss her cheek before turning and heading out the door, dropping his wand into James' palm as he walked.

Mia turned her brown eyes on the greasy-haired wizard behind her who was sealing up a dozen vials of Pepper-Up Potion. After her brief conversation with Regulus, Mia was realizing how many years she had spent in this timeline being angry about the future and what was going to happen. It had taken being confronted by a vision of herself, a slew of Arithmancy calculations, and taking Remus into a Pensieve to see that she had wasted too much time being bitter instead of doing what Remus' letter had instructed her to do. She wasn't really living her life if she was focused on the future and what was meant to be.

A great deal of those years had been spent being angry at the wizard in front of her. Angry at him for pushing her to the ground and sparking the feud between himself and James. Angry at him for being terrible to Lily, for being mean to her, for hexing James and Sirius and for never standing up for his friend. She was also angry in knowing that it was Severus Snape who would hear and then relay the prophecy about Harry to Voldemort, ultimately putting targets on James, Lily, Alice and Frank's backs. But her anger didn't stop there. She was furious that he had brought his bitter past into the future with him, taking his rivalry with James into another generation by being publicly cruel to Harry. It also didn't help that he'd called her an insufferable know-it-all.

But if she could bring herself to see the path to Regulus' redemption, if she could forgive Draco Malfoy for tormenting her for years, then surely she could somehow figure out how to remember that Severus Snape would one day be essential to ending the war. Would provide them not only with the Sword of Gryffindor, but would protect the students of Hogwarts from completely being man-handled by the Carrows, would help the Golden Trio and Sirius infiltrate the school, would spend decades as a spy, putting his life at risk, and ultimately losing it. Severus Snape would die a hero.

"Do you need help?" Mia offered.

"I can manage," Snape drawled, rolling his eyes at the witch.

"I wanted to apologize to you," Mia stated clearly, shifting the strap of her bag over her shoulder as she stood and faced him. "I shouldn't have punched you."

"Twice," Snape said without looking at her as he continued to work on his vials of potion.

"Twice," Mia smirked. "Granted you did deserve it, but I shouldn't expect others to be kind when I resort to violence so quickly. If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only Slytherin I've punched in the face," she smirked briefly thinking of Draco and Lucius Malfoy.

"I care as little for your physical altercations with my Housemates as I do for your pathetic attempt at an apology," Snape sneered, his black eyes looking up to meet her, appearing slightly annoyed that she wasn't reacting to his words at all, as she continued to stand there, smiling at him as though they were friendly acquaintances instead of nemeses.

"I also want to forgive you," Mia said quietly, her smile fading.

Without even bothering to ask what for, Snape glowered at her and hissed, "Why would I ever care to obtain forgiveness from you?"

"Because one day you're going to want it," she insisted. "One day you're going to do something you can't take back," her eyes flickered to his left forearm, and instinctively Snape pulled it to his chest as Regulus had done. _Merlin, they're both really going to need to work on that if they plan to properly defect from the Death Eaters_, Mia shook her head.

"One day you're going to realize the consequences of decisions you've made in anger and jealousy, and you'll want forgiveness from someone. But it won't be there," Mia looked over her shoulder to see Lily smiling brightly, being hugged by Professor Slughorn. A beautiful fish was swimming around in the bowl of water that now sat on Slughorn's desk. Mia turned her attention back to Snape who was looking up at Lily longingly, no longer the way he used to with desire, but with a sad yearning. Mia wondered if she ever looked like that when thinking about Harry.

"Snape," Mia whispered. "When you figure things out and you get in over your head," she again gestured to his hidden Dark Mark. "Remember that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it," she said with a sympathetic smile.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Snape scowled at her.

"You'll figure it out," she sighed. "One day."

"Everything alright?" Lily asked warily as she approached Mia from the side, briefly casting a suspicious glance at Severus who averted her gaze, clearly unable to stare into her eyes and Mia understood why.

"Everything's good. I was simply saying goodbye to Snape," Mia explained with a smile. "Seven years in a classroom together merits at least that, don't you think?" She turned to the redhead who frowned and looked down at Mia's forearm, knowing the word that was hidden beneath the robes. The same word that had severed her relationship with her childhood best friend. Lily's eyes rose up to look at the black-haired boy and she nodded thoughtfully.

"Goodbye Severus," she whispered. "Good luck on your N.E.W.T.s and... and whatever you decide to do with your life."

Unable to say a word, Severus' face was stony and expressionless, but he was struggling to swallow down the emotions that were fighting their way out, and he merely nodded to his former best friend, still unable to meet her gaze.

oOoOoOo

**June 24th, 1978**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Hogwarts grounds were opened up to family and friends of the graduating class of 1978. It was a beautiful day outside, so the staff opted to forego tents and have the ceremony under the bright sunlight and calmly drifting clouds. Rows and rows of colorful chairs had been transfigured, and parents were escorted to the seats to support the Houses that their children belonged in.

Charlus Potter sat proudly on a golden chair looking forward where his little band of misfits, all dressed in scarlet and gold were standing in a line, waiting to receive their certificates of completion. Beside Charlus sat Augusta Longbottom with a pet vulture on her lap, who had spent the last ten minutes complaining about the unpleasant couple to her right who Charlus informed her were the Pettigrews. Lady Longbottom was adamantly avoiding the couple in front of her, the Browns who were eagerly trying to get her involved in the wedding plans of Alice and Frank.

"Our oldest boy Robert just got married last year," Mrs. Brown smiled as she turned to face Augusta, gesturing to the brown-haired young wizard sitting next to her, and the blonde witch attached to his arm giggling, calling her young husband, 'Wobbie' in a hitch pitched squeal. Both Charlus and Augusta looked horrified by the display, though the former was stifling a laugh.

Mary's mother, Begonia MacDonald sat behind Augusta, casually eyeing the passing wizards who were trying to find their seats, winking as a passing Ravenclaw wizard stopped to say hello to Charlus. The man swallowed nervously and walked away just as quickly as he'd arrived, leaving Begonia laughing with amusement.

"Oh Godric," Mary groaned from where she stood beside her friends. "I'm pretty sure my mother just hit on Pandora's father."

"Oh, that's lovely," Pandora said with a smile, her blue and bronze robes parted to reveal the clashing bright orange dress beneath them. "My father's quite nervous around witches, I'm sure he appreciated being complimented by her flirting," the young witch said in an ethereal voice that had Mia laughing instantly.

"He didn't come," Remus muttered quietly as his green eyes scanned the crowd, spotting an empty reserved chair reading 'LUPIN' on it. Mia frowned and pulled her best friend into a tight hug, soon followed up by Lily and then Sirius and James. Eventually, all the Gryffindors clung to one another, laughing.

"It could be worse, Moony," Sirius chuckled. "_My_ parents could have shown up," Sirius gestured to the two reserved seats in the center of the crowd reading 'BLACK'. "Just in case they _did_ decide to pop in and say hello, I charmed those seats to bite whoever sits down on them," Sirius added with a devious grin, secretly hoping that Walburga would make an appearance.

"Sirius is right, Remus," Lily smiled. "Not about the charming chairs bit," she rolled her eyes. "But it could be worse," she insisted as her eyes fell to the Slytherin side of the crowd where she spotted a familiar face from her childhood. A sour-looking Eileen Snape appeared quite put out that she had to come to the event, and whether or not Dumbledore was allowing Muggle parents to attend, she didn't know. Regardless, Tobias Snape was not present.

oOoOoOo

The young witches and wizards walked to receive their certificates and praise from the Headmaster and their Professors. Slughorn spent extra time shaking the hands of his favorite students, slipping them an invitation to the next Slug Club Supper which was to be held in a few months just before the start of the next term. Professor Broadmoor, their seventh and final Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had stopped to congratulate Remus, James and Mia on their exceptional work in class.

As Sirius stepped up to receive his certificate from Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall pulled the parchment from Albus' hands and greeted the raven-haired wizard with a stern glare. Sirius paused nervously before reaching out to accept the certificate from the Deputy Headmistress who was now smirking at him. Glancing down at the parchment in his hands, Sirius grinned as he noticed one of his old essays on top of it. Specifically, the one that Sirius had charmed to stick to McGonagall's desk.

"Does this mean you're going to miss me Minnie?" Sirius winked at the old witch who fixed him with narrowed eyes.

"This means, _Sirius_," she said, using his given name. "That the only reason I'm allowing you to step foot off this platform with your hair intact after vandalizing my desk, is the fact that you helped win more consecutive Quidditch Cups for Gryffindor than we've had in fifty years," the witch finally let a small smile escape.

"Stop flirting with me," Sirius grinned at her and the smile on her face faded away immediately, replaced with a scowl. "You know I'm taken," he chuckled and moved across the stage. "Shame on you Minnie!"

Dumbledore gave a long speech that many nearly fell asleep through until he announced the many triumphs that had occurred from this particular class of students. Damocles Belby was praised for his work with potions naturally and had recently been recruited into St. Mungo's in their research department. Alice and Frank were spoken highly of by the Headmaster who proudly announced that not only they, but Sirius Black had been given early acceptance into the Auror program within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Otto Bagman had been signed on as a Chaser for the Wimbourne Wasps, the same team his older brother had played for.

James was publicly exalted for his Captaincy of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, leading them to many victories over his time as a student where he also maintained amazing exam scores and also worked hard during his final year as Head Boy. Mia had worried that such public praise would inflate her brother's ego again, but one glance at Lily told her that James no longer needed to puff out his chest and peacock about any longer.

Dumbledore proudly told the audience that four students had broken N.E.W.T. records and then clapped Severus on the back for achieving the highest Potions N.E.W.T. score in over a century. Lily, of course, beamed when Dumbledore announced that she had broken records on her Charms exam, much to the pleasure of a bouncing Professor Flitwick. Mia, naturally smashed Transfiguration records to the pride and annoyance of Professor McGonagall. But it was Remus who stood shyly smiling as the Headmaster told the gathered crowd that his overall average in N.E.W.T. scores went above and beyond every other student that year.

oOoOoOo

"I could not be prouder of any of you," Charlus said with a grin as he approached the teenagers with open arms, laughing when they nearly tackled him to the ground. "Why was Professor McGonagall glaring at you, Sirius?" Charlus asked curiously, a smirk on his lips.

"How should _I_ know?" Sirius asked innocently. "The woman can't keep her eyes off of me," he added with a grin, laughing when Mia slapped his arm.

"Now I am interested," Charlus began, looking between his daughter and the young werewolf. "How exactly Remus' average scores trumped Mia's." The witch turned and briefly scowled at her best friend who laughed in reply.

"Our practical Defense exam had two parts. One where you showed various offense and defense spells and charms," James explained. "Of which Mia aced of course," he added with a smirk. "The second part of the exam was a duel, and Broadmoor put Moony and Mia up against one another," the messy-haired wizard chuckled under his breath.

"It wasn't _that_ funny," Mia pouted.

"Oh kitten," Sirius grinned. "It _really_ was."

"What happened?" Charlus raised a brow.

"In the middle of the duel, Remus...," Lily said quietly, knowing that people who weren't privy to the knowledge that in the group stood four Animagi. "Transfigured Mia into a fox," she explained, stifling a laugh. The rest of the group burst into laughter at Mia's expense while the little witch stood, mildly irritated.

Remus had not actually _transfigured_ her into a fox, but instead he had silently used a charm that forced Mia to shift into her Animagus form. She'd been so shocked at the transformation mid-duel that she'd been unprepared to shield the attack. Not only that, but she essentially had to give up right then and there. Had she shifted back, she would have outed herself as an Animagus, so she pretended to be transfigured instead and waited for Remus to pretend to end the charm so she could turn back into her human form.

"He cheated," Mia huffed.

"I did _not_," Remus grinned. "I followed the rules very clearly. I took what I knew about my opponent and used it against them to win," he admitted and his green eyes twinkled, clearly enjoying his victory over his best friend who he had known was set to beat out his scores easily had he not overpowered her in their Defense exam.

"Well, regardless of how it all happened," Charlus smiled. "I am proud to know, and be the father to so many talented young wizards and witches," he admitted. "Albus also informed me that in addition to your certificates, you've all received an invitation from him," Charlus said quieter, his bright smile faded into something a little more serious.

One by one each of the Gryffindors nodded their heads. "Good," Charlus nodded. "It's time then for you to read the invitation, memorize it, and then dispose of it immediately," he instructed the graduates carefully. All at once, the teenagers opened the small parchment that had been handed to them by the Headmaster upon graduating. Though she had a feeling what she was going to see, it was no less a surprise when she read the words:

_'The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at Tuts Tower, Tutshill, England.'_

"I don't get it," Peter said.

"Memorize it, destroy it, ask questions later," Charlus informed the young wizard.

"_Incendio_," Mia was the first to burn the parchment in her hand, followed swiftly by the others, some who looked as though they understood what was happening, but others like Peter seemed confused still.

"It'll all be explained later," Charlus grinned proudly at the group and smiled when they were joined by the Browns, Pettigrews, Begonia MacDonald and Augusta Longbottom.

"Quite a group of kids we've got here," The Potter patriarch smiled at the other parents. "I say their achievements deserve a toast," he insisted, smiling as a house-elf heard the keyword 'toast' and popped up behind the older wizard with a tray of various drinks.

When Sirius and Mia each reached for a goblet of elf wine, James hurriedly said, "Absolutely not!" and handed out bottles of butterbeer to everyone instead.

"To our children, the future of the Wizarding world," Charlus smiled proudly. "And to those who should be here but are not," he smiled still, but sadder.

"To Hope Lupin," Remus nodded with a grateful glance to Charlus.

"To Aaron MacDonald," Mary said sweetly, casting a smile to her mother who nodded in appreciation of her late husband.

"To Edgar Longbottom," Frank said proudly, raising his glass and meeting his mother's approving stare.

"To Harold and Aster Evans," Lily said with a watery smile, leaning her head against James' shoulder as he wrapped an arm around the witch.

"To Dorea Potter," James added, raising his glass and meeting his father's teary eyes.

"To Dorea Potter," Mia echoed her brother's statement.

"To Dorea Potter," Sirius added quietly and finally, they all drank.

There was little time for nostalgia, for memories, or celebrations. No sooner than the Gryffindors toasted their late parents, than flashes of light were flying across the grounds of Hogwarts. Blurs of black smoke flew into the crowd and Mia gasped at the sight of Death Eaters. In a moment of panic, Mia flashed back to the final Battle of Hogwarts that ended the Second Wizarding War. Though there was only a handful of Death Eaters now, they were no less threatening than before. Instinctively, Mia stepped in front of Remus and Sirius but neither wizard was content to stand idly by and be protected.

The Gryffindors separated immediately, forming smaller groups, standing back to back to protect one another as they drew their wands on the attacking masked menaces, stunning as quickly as possible. With her back to Sirius and Remus, each of them pivoting to protect the others, Mia caught a glimpse of James, Lily and Peter doing the same. Across the field, Alice, Frank and Mary stood back to back looking determined.

"Jamie!" Mia screamed and threw a stunning spell at a Death Eater who had his wand aimed at her brother. The wizard flew backward, collapsing into a row of chairs. James went to apprehend the man but was cut off when another Death Eater approached, took hold of his fallen comrade and Disapparated.

It seemed the other Death Eaters were thinking along the same lines as one by one they vanished as quickly as they had arrived, and no sooner than they were gone, Dumbledore raised the protective wards on the grounds, looking positively furious that they had been attacked, and rightly so. It wasn't a power play, it wasn't an assassination attempt on Dumbledore. No, this was a message. This was Voldemort showing that he wasn't afraid to walk into Dumbledore's own backyard and take without asking. This was chaos for the sake of chaos.

It was also a massacre.

Students were rounded up first, led by Lily and James who stepped back into their roles as Head Boy and Girl to determine who was injured, who was killed, and who might be missing. Many students suffered small wounds, and three had been killed though more adults had lost their lives in the short-lived fight, but only one person was missing: Severus Snape.

oOoOoOo

**August 6th, 1978**

**Tuts Tower, Tutshill - Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix**

"I, James Potter…"

"I, Sirius Black…"

"I, Lily Evans…"

"I, Remus Lupin…"

"I, Peter Pettigrew…"

"I, Frank Longbottom…"

"I, Alice Longbottom..."

"I, Mary MacDonald…"

"I, Mia Potter to swear to pledge my loyalty as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, to serve to the best of my ability, willingly and honorably protecting my fellow Order members, the Wizarding world as a whole, and will do my part to put an end to the reign of Death Eaters and Dark wizards." She said the oath, noticing a distinct lack of magical binding. A part of her wanted to suggest one, knowing that a lack of such restrictions would allow Order members such as Peter to break the oath he'd so willingly just taken in front of the rest of the Order of the Phoenix.

She and the newest recruits to the Order sat in the back of the room while the elder members spoke of plans regarding the safety of the more famous Muggle-born families as well as business owners that were openly against blood supremacy. They were the largest targets for now and needed to be protected.

She looked to the side and smiled sadly at the way Alice was nervously fidgeting with her wedding ring. Though she and Frank had planned on marrying later that summer, they sped things along after the attack at graduation when Alice's mother was one of the deaths. It was too painful to plan a big celebratory wedding without her mother, so Alice and Frank eloped as best they could with Augusta Longbottom pulling rank on the whole ceremony where none of their friends attended; family only, the matriarch had insisted.

Frank and Sirius looked utterly exhausted and the latter was leaning his head on Mia's shoulder, doing his best to stay awake through Alastor Moody's rants about a lack of security around Gringott's where suspected Death Eaters Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange had been rumored to have visited recently. Though they had no evidence yet against the couple, Bellatrix had been loud enough inside the bank to draw unwanted attention, yelling about extra protections on her vault. Mia bristled at the news, and with every irritable sigh the witch let slip out of her mouth, Albus Dumbledore tossed her an interested look followed by a kind smile that caused her eyes to flash amber in response. She couldn't say anything because of the spell placed on her by her former Headmaster, and after coming to terms with the future, Mia had decided not to actively try and change anything. But sitting there and _knowing_ everything while everyone else _speculated_ was driving her spare.

"Sirius," Mia whispered. "Sirius, you're snoring."

The raven-haired wizard slowly opened his tired grey eyes and he looked up gratefully to his witch for waking him. "Thanks, love," he whispered.

"Constant vigilance," Mia smirked lightly.

Sirius rolled his eyes and tossed a brief glare up at the front of the small living room at Tuts Tower where the meeting was taking place and a two-legged, two-eyed but still fairly paranoid Alastor Moody was in an argument with fellow Order member and Auror Edgar Bones over the way a recent Death Eater arrest had gone south due to evidence being mishandled.

"Man's a right lunatic," Sirius explained to Mia while looking up at Moody.

It hadn't been a week after the attack on graduation before Moody was hauling Frank, Alice and Sirius into the Ministry to begin their training. Frank and Sirius were paired up together to be trained directly under Alastor Moody himself while Alice was paired with another witch to be trained by Edgar Bones. The two elder Aurors had clearly different definitions of what consisted of proper training. Alice and her partner Elspeth were loaded up with books and manuals during the first half of the day and sent to physical training during the second half.

Sirius and Frank on the other hand were told to study their manuals and texts all day long. Meanwhile, Moody would interrupt at various points during the day to ambush his trainees by hexing them in the back, jinxing them while they read, and cursing them any other time they blinked. Frank and Sirius had taken to sitting back to back while studying, taking turns keeping watch for their boss and mentor. Both were exhausted and paranoid by the end of their first week. As training progressed they seemed to continue being just as tired, though quite a bit more skilled and knowledgeable in their chosen careers.

When the meeting was officially over, everyone stood. Dorcas Meadowes, the owner of Tuts Tower offered everyone refreshments, and then trying to cheer them all up, suggesting that they take a commemorative photograph of the entire Order. Mia offered to take it, arguing that if her hair were in the picture, it wouldn't leave room for anyone else. A quick snap of a camera and the smiles faded once again from the faces of the Order members as many gathered in front of a large chalkboard where suspected Death Eaters were listed along with known associates, potential allies and investments, properties and criminal history. Alongside that was cut out Daily Prophet articles relating to Death Eater attacks and sightings. Mia's eyes lingered on one in particular.

_'HORRORS AT HOGWARTS'_

_Yesterday after the celebration of Hogwart's most recent graduating class, Death Eaters - servants of You-Know-Who - attacked the sacred institution without warning. While Albus Dumbledore and the teaching staff of the school fought to secure the grounds as quickly as possible, it was left to students and families to defend one another in the onslaught. Though the Death Eaters quickly departed and Aurors are looking into the attack, far too many lost their lives in yet another bloodbath in the name of war._

_Hearts go out to the families of those we have recently lost:_

_Elizabeth Abbott, Samantha Alton, Otto Bagman, Lucia Bagman, Amaranthus Brown, Julia Fawcett, Sarah Fawcett, Begonia MacDonald, and Charlus Potter._

* * *

**A/N**: Yep. I know. I'm evil. But this is a _war_ people.


	81. Chapter 81

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Last chapter was rough, I know. But if it helps there are literally no parents left to be killed. At least ones that matter. This chapter is a bit of a catch up and a little light-heartedness for the end to make up for the suffering I've caused. Oh, good news! I've finally overcome a bit of a writing block during Part Three! Still right on schedule! **LuresaSWTOR**, you can't take away all my things anytime I kill a character! Cruel and unusual punishment! **HenriaSownbinder**, yep, and for those who saw Dorea and Charlus' deaths as a surprise, you should go back and read Chapter 6 again. I foreshadow things 60+ chapters ahead of the game, LOL. **sugarxxx**, I made the cover for my story using Corel Paint Shop Pro X4.

Posting this update super early this morning (before I go to bed) because I like waking up to reviews LOL!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty-One: Outside the Order

"_...Put your lighter in the air and lead me back home  
__When it's all said and done I'll follow the echoes  
__I hear you night after night calling out my name  
__And I find myself running to meet you  
__I didn't want to escape  
__From the bricks that I laid down…"  
__(Break In - Halestorm)_

* * *

**August 6th, 1978**

**Tuts Tower, Tutshill - Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix**

"You ready to go, kitten?" Sirius asked Mia as he approached her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist.

She slowly nodded, mournfully staring at her father's name there on the paper.

In the aftermath of the attack at graduation, the Gryffindors had rallied together to offer assistance to the wounded. It had been absolute chaos. Both Alice and Mary had lost their mothers in the attack and while the witches had fallen to the ground consumed with grief, Peter was unable to handle the near fatal attack on his own mother, leaving her comatose. Evan Pettigrew turned absolutely murderous at the sight of his wife, assuming her dead. He drew his wand and started throwing hexes and curses at anyone that came near, his own son included, and when the Aurors showed up he had been arrested for accidentally hitting an innocent bystander with a Cruciatus Curse.

When Charlus' body was found, Mia broke.

Dorea's passing had hurt like nothing else in the world, but there had been time - even though it was a short amount - to adjust to the idea of Dorea's death. Mia had to be strong for the others as well. James and Sirius were losing a mother too, and neither had experienced death properly before. Not only that, but Remus had just lost his own mother and needed to be taken care of. But losing Charlus felt like the last straw for the young witch who fell to pieces in Sirius' arms at the sight of her adopted father, dead on the ground, a long purple scar crawling up his rib-cage.

Dolohov had been there.

Those who had seen Mia's scar instantly recognized the similar one on Charlus' body, but no one said a word about it, assuming that it was a Death Eater specialty like Sectumsempra would more than likely become. Mia however knew better, and she recalled an older Remus informing her that Dolohov being silenced in the Department of Mysteries, unable to cast the curse verbally, had probably saved her life. Now, Mia knew for certain that it had.

The funeral was a quiet event, nothing like Dorea's had been. There were too many deaths to handle in such a short amount of time, not to mention Sirius, Frank and Alice starting their Auror training. Despite how much it hurt and how hard they'd all cried, once each parent was in the ground the graduated Gryffindors made a silent promise to move forward. They were at war, and as horrible as it was, death was something they seemed to know they all needed to get used to.

"I'm ready," Mia nodded to Sirius who kissed her cheek and took her hand as they approached the fireplace just behind Remus, Lily and James who shouted, "Potter Manor!" before disappearing into the green flames.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor - Potter Residence**

"Master is home!" A high-pitched voice shouted as they exited the Floo and James was subsequently attack hugged by an overly enthusiastic house-elf.

After the death of Charlus, Tilly had become quite a bit more attached to the Potter twins, extremely protective and anxious anytime either of them left the Manor. Mia was initially angry at herself for allowing it, but she eventually conceded to James who set out a large list of tasks for Tilly to keep her occupied, knowing that boredom was a house-elf's worst enemy. It seemed to be even worse for Tilly who was having trouble not dwelling on the danger out in the Wizarding world, but the work appeared to ease her anxiety.

"Is dinner ready, Tilly?" James asked. "We need to eat quickly so we can keep packing everything up," he casually mentioned as the five residents of the Manor took seats in the large, circular drawing room.

"Tilly fixed Master's favorites," she smiled brightly. "Steak and kidney pie and treacle tart," she informed James. "And Tilly made roast chicken for Miss Lily, and chocolate cake for Master Remus, and lamb stew for Master Sirius, and trifle for Mistress," Tilly said as she addressed them all.

"You didn't have to do all that," Mia frowned.

James cleared his throat and silenced his sister's objections with a glare. "Of course she did," He insisted. "And we're very happy that you've made us all such wonderful things Tilly," he smiled down at the elf who beamed brightly and then vanished to set the table. James turned and sighed looking at his sister. "You know she'll snap if you try to keep her from working."

"I know," Mia frowned. "I don't want to keep her from working. Believe me, I got over that issue years ago," she rolled her eyes. "But I don't want her to hurt herself by over doing it," her eyes lowered. They'd already lost so much and the idea of losing Tilly, who actually had a hand in raising them all to a certain extent, was horrifying to think about.

"I promise you I will take care of her," James reached out and took Mia's hand within his own. "You could see for yourself if you want. It's technically _your _house too you know," he frowned.

"No," Mia smiled at her brother sweetly as she sat down on the long sofa, kicking her feet up into Sirius lap. "You and Lily can start your lives together in Godric's Hollow," Mia briefly frowned at the name. "Potter Cottage is your home. I'll make do with living with _these _mongrels," she smirked, gesturing to Sirius and Remus.

It had been one day after the funeral when they'd all sat down together to discuss plans for the future. Each and every one of them agreed that living in the Manor suddenly felt wrong without Charlus or Dorea there with them. Sirius and Remus were already planning on moving out and Sirius had put money down on a flat somewhere in Diagon Alley, though he and Remus had yet to let anyone over to see it. Even though it looked like they were all moving fast to the outside world, Sirius had asked Mia to move in with them, stating that he worried he and Remus would perish without her there to boss them around.

Mia had accepted the offer immediately, and then smiled when James asked Lily to move with him into Potter Cottage, a lovely home in the center of a Wizarding village called Godric's Hollow. Tilly had already been to the old Potter home to clean up the place and make it habitable for the new occupants and herself, as James had requested that the elf move with them, leaving Mia guilt free over owning a house-elf.

It also helped to know that Sirius would be forced to clean up after himself from now on.

"_'Mongrels'_, she says," Sirius scoffed and rubbed Mia's feet. "You'd think she didn't like us much Moony," he smirked up at his witch who affectionately reached out and brushed her hand against his cheek.

"You're both rotten," she insisted. "Do you know I still don't know where I'm moving?" She asked, tilting her head back to look at Lily who sat perched on James' lap as though it were a throne fit for a queen.

Lily merely shook her head and laughed. "Let them have this surprise," the redhead smiled. "They're slowly weaning off the need to prank Filch and hex Slytherins. Speaking of hexes," Lily smirked over at the curly-haired witch. "I'm very proud of you Mia."

"Why's that?"

"Marlene," Lily replied.

"I can't believe McKinnon is in the Order," Mia hissed under her breath and looked down at the end of the sofa where Sirius was aggressively rubbing the soles of her feet in what she assumed was a preemptive attempt to avoid an argument about the Ravenclaw blonde that had caused their first official date years ago to be ruined.

"Well, I know how you feel about her, so I'm happy to see that you've matured and are no longer eager to let your wand do all your talking for you," Lily insisted.

"Was I going to hex the cow in front of Dumbledore and a collection of Aurors?" Mia raised a brow.

"No, she'll wait until she's sent on a mission and Marlene is her partner. Then she'll hex her good," Sirius chuckled, receiving an adoring smile from Mia in return.

"Actually," Mia sighed. "I'll be on a permanent mission outside of the Order," she slowly explained.

"What's that?" James rose a brow. "'Outside of the Order', what does that mean?" He asked nervously, and Mia frowned knowing that Jamie was probably thinking that Dumbledore had recruited her as a spy, thus putting her in danger.

"I'll be fine," she promised. "It's more behind the scenes type of stuff. Arithmancy equations, attempting predictions of future events," she lied. "But I can't be at the meetings very often," she explained her rehearsed excuse. "If I'm too involved there's a chance I could try to work the equations in favor of a predetermined outcome, and that never works. So I have to get my information directly from Dumbledore," she frowned.

oOoOoOo

**Earlier That Night**

**Tuts Tower, Tutshill - Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix**

"So basically I'm an official member of the Order only because it would look suspicious to the rest of my friends and family if I wasn't inducted," Mia summarized as she stood in a secluded and silenced area of Tuts Tower looking across the room at Dumbledore who had the nerve to smile at her. "I suppose if my skills and exam results weren't as high as they were you could have easily said I wasn't qualified. As it stands, I'm the _most _qualified person to be in the Order."

"I do believe you could easily duel any member here and win," Dumbledore nodded with a strange look of pride for his former student. "Save perhaps for Remus."

"That was a fluke," Mia said, narrowing her eyes as the former Headmaster referenced her loss during her second practical N.E.W.T.s exam for Defense. "So what am I supposed to say? 'I know I'm actually a part of the Order, but I can't attend any meetings because Albus believes I'll get overly emotional, snap and confess everything about the future,'?" she huffed. "Except I _can't _confess everything, so I'll probably just throw a fit," she frowned and folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"The future cannot be changed, and I believe you being involved in meetings would only hurt _you _in the end," Dumbledore confessed, a look of remorse on his face. "The Order will be the front line of defense in this war, and none of us are too prideful to think that we won't suffer casualties. Casualties that you might be aware of."

"I am most _certainly _aware of them," Mia snapped.

"Which is why I don't think it fair for you to sit in a room with people you know may die, and hear them be put on assignments where you know they will not come back," he further explained. "It is a kindness I am trying to extend to you Mia."

"It would be kinder to prevent them from dying," she hissed. "But we've been arguing this point for years now," she conceded. "Nothing changes, I'm well aware," she took a deep breath and slowly let it out to try and calm herself.

"I have faith that we will win this war," Dumbledore smiled at her.

"No," Mia shook her head. "You have _my word _that we have _already _won it, Albus," she gave an exasperated sigh. "That is not faith. That's not even hope. It's assurance," she uncrossed her arms and looked across the room where others had gathered together, getting ready to be inducted. She smiled sadly at the sight of Sirius and Frank who were nodding off on the couch.

"Alastor tells me that our newest Aurors in training are doing well," Albus commented thoughtfully, following Mia's line of sight.

"I'll be joining the Ministry soon as well," the young witch spoke. "Wizengamot Administration Services," she explained. "A mild-mannered file clerk," she said with a soft smirk on her face. "I don't think I could draw less attention to myself if I spent the rest of my years Disillusioned."

"And in your new position you will have a great deal of access to public and sealed records," Dumbledore noted thoughtfully. "Involved in the meetings or not, Mia, you will become a great asset to the Order."

oOoOoOo

**August 6th, 1978**

**Diagon Alley**

After Tilly stuffed them all with their favorite foods, Sirius and Remus eagerly led Mia away from Potter Manor excited to show her their new flat. James and Lily were more than happy to be left alone, having the Manor to themselves for the first time ever, and quite possibly the last time as the couple was set to move into Potter Cottage the following morning.

When the trio stepped into The Leaky Cauldron, Tom rose a suspicious brow at the wizards and stepped from behind the counter, folding his large arms across his chest as he blocked the path to the back door, his eyes narrowing briefly. "You alright there love?" He asked the curly-haired witch.

"Tom?" Mia asked and then laughed, embarrassed. "Yes, I'm quite well. These two idiots have a surprise for me, and apparently I have to be blindfolded for it to reach maximum excitement," Mia promised the worried bartender who kept his gaze moving in between Remus' guilty expression, Sirius' elation, and the red blindfold that kept the young witch literally in the dark.

"Right then," the older wizard nodded. "Out you go I guess," he gestured to the door.

"I told you the blindfold was a bad idea," Mia hissed as they led her to the back where the wizards came face to face with the brick wall separating them from Diagon Alley. Sirius held Mia close while Remus used his wand to tap their way in.

"I believe your exact words were, 'blindfolds are not to be used outside the bedroom'," Sirius smirked.

"I did _not _say that! And I've _never _worn a blindfold in the bedroom, as you well know," Mia said with an indignant huff, crossing her arms.

"Really?" Sirius grinned and leaned in close to brush his lips against her ear. "Because the blush on Remus' cheeks tells me that you're lying," he gave a husky chuckle.

Remus narrowed his eyes, subconsciously wiping his face as if he could dispel the heat from his cheeks. "To be fair," he said as he cleared his throat. "_She's _never worn a blindfold," he clarified with the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. "And we weren't exactly in a _bedroom _at the time."

Sirius let out a bark of laughter and tugged Mia up against him as the brick wall began to give way. "You've been holding out on me, kitten," he leaned down and surprised her with a quick kiss. "We're keeping _this_," he said, gently touching the knot on the back of her head where the blindfold had been secured.

"Mother of Merlin, how am I going to _live _with the two of you?" Mia shook her head in exasperation as she felt Sirius take one hand while Remus took the other and they gently led her through the opening into the Alley where she was grateful to not hear that many people nearby.

"I think we'll all get along famously," Sirius beamed brightly. "Any problems we have, a few Silencing Charms can easily fix, isn't that right Moony?" Sirius said with a wink.

"Not sure why you'd even bother," Remus shrugged his shoulders as they continued walking. "Any noises Mia makes, I've already heard in abundance," the werewolf chuckled.

Mia flushed pink, briefly annoyed over the friendship that Remus and Sirius now shared where they lacked the jealousy she felt was needed to keep them from openly talking like this with one another. "And you're fine with hearing _Sirius_?" She asked, hoping to provoke at least one of them to embarrassment.

"I shared a bathroom with him for seven years, Mia," Remus laughed. "If he's as loud with _you _as he is with _himself_, then it's nothing I haven't heard."

"By yourself?!" Mia turned her blindfolded head in Sirius' direction as though he could see the strange disbelief in her eyes.

"What?" Sirius asked innocently. "I'm a very talented lover, and I like to let myself know when I'm doing something I like."

The trio burst into laughter and Mia suddenly felt the stress of the previous months melt away off of her shoulders. Grief was heavy and war was painful, but somehow the two wizards at her sides had a way of healing her pain. They always had.

"Alright," Sirius said with excitement. "Ready to see our new place?" He asked her.

"Get the blindfold off of me!" Mia snapped, tired of the anticipation.

Sirius reached for the red cloth and removed it in one swoop, doing his best not to catch it in her mess of wild curls. Mia slowly opened her brown eyes and blinked away her blurred vision and stared ahead at the building in front of her. "Oh Godric," she heard herself mutter just as her jaw fell open.

The all too familiar building lacked the bright colors and flashing lights. It didn't have revolving, popping and bouncing merchandise in the windows, nor was there a giant ginger wizard wearing a top hat perched over the entrance of the building. But sure enough, there it stood: 93 Diagon Alley, the future home to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"I don't understand," Mia said, her mouth still open like a goldfish.

"This is our home!" Sirius said excitedly. "Well, not the building, obviously," he gestured to the run down looking shop that had a '_Closed for Relocation' _sign on the large front window. "It used to be Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions Shop, but she's upgrading and needed to move somewhere bigger down the street. I bought the whole building from her, and there's a flat just above the shop," the Animagus said with a proud grin as he rushed toward the building, waving his wand and lowering the security wards that he and Remus had set up days earlier when they'd moved the rest of their things in.

"What... what are you going to do with a shop?" Mia asked as she was led in through the door where her eyes saw a massive empty space that would one day be filled with shelves full of Skiving Snackboxes, trick wands, boxes of Self-Inking, Spell-Checking, and Smart-Answer quills, Patented Daydream Charms, and Pygmy Puffs.

"I have no idea," Sirius answered with a grin.

"When we were out looking for a flat we came to Diagon Alley for lunch and he spotted the 'For Sale' sign in the window," Remus explained as they walked further toward the back of the shop where a small staircase ascended to the door that Mia was vaguely familiar with. "I barely finished my Butterbeer at the Leaky before he was signing the lease and handing over his Gringotts vault information to Madam Primpernelle."

She had only ever been to Fred and George's flat once, and it was shortly before going on the run with Harry, Ron, and Sirius, but Mia walked up the stairs to the flat as though she were already home, smiling at the piece of the future that has been opened to her in the past.

She wondered how on earth Fred and George didn't know about the fact that their shop had been previously owned by two Marauders. _There was no way they could have known. If they did, the whole world would have heard about it. The twins might very well have shut down their shop and turned the whole place into a proper temple_. Mia briefly wondered if future Remus and Sirius had known, but considering during that period of the war Remus had been under cover with werewolves, and Sirius had been either stuck inside the Veil or hunting Horcruxes, she assumed neither pair knew about the serendipitous connection.

Stepping through the front door, Mia smiled brightly at the sight. It looked so utterly normal and practically Muggle in decor save for the few photographs that Remus and Sirius had hung on the walls, all moving within their frames. She slowly approached a large picture on the mantle of the fireplace next to the Floo Powder. Taken just before graduation after they'd all completed their N.E.W.T.s. She picked up the photograph and grinned at the image.

Far to the left Mary and Alice stood with their arms linked together, Frank behind Alice with his hands on her shoulders, Alice's ruby engagement ring glittering in the light. Peter stood in front of the girls laughing, his head turned to the side as James lifted Lily into his arms, bridal style and the redhead laughed, smacking James' chest. To James' right stood Sirius, Mia, and Remus. In the photograph Mia began in Remus' arms, swaying back and forth as though there were music. The image of Sirius reached out and took Mia's hand, spinning her away from Remus and into his arms where he then dipped her low, the werewolf laughing behind them.

_This is my family_, Mia thought happily to herself and then replaced the photograph back on the mantle before turning her eyes to the rest of the flat. _This is my home._

The boys quickly gave her a tour of the dwellings which included a small kitchen, though Mia recalled Remus couldn't cook to save his life and Sirius had grown up dependent on house-elves. Refusing to dote on the boys the way Tilly did, Mia realized that they were going to be surviving on The Leaky Cauldron for the foreseeable future. Instead of a refrigerator there in the kitchen stood a large cabinet, spelled with a Cooling Charm to keep food fresh. She did take note that the boys had properly filled it with pumpkin juice, Butterbeer, and milk.

Mia briefly looked around the kitchen noting that Sirius had already stashed several bottles of Firewhisky in a nearby cabinet, and then with a smirk on her face she quickly looked underneath the kitchen sink where there sat a large black cauldron. Grinning, she reached inside and pulled out a handful of hidden Chocolate Frogs. _Predictable Remus_, she thought with a laugh.

Remus' room was the first down the hall and Mia smiled at the sight of what she considered a library with a bed in the center. It was simple and quaint, and very Remus. The walls were painted a soft cream color like the rest of the flat, and much like the decor of the living space, Remus' room was all neutral colors that were easy on the eyes.

"I hope you've made room for all of my books," Mia said threateningly to Sirius after observing Remus' large collection of tomes. "If not, I think I might spend more time in Remus' room than you'd like," she teased. The werewolf laughed and the Animagus scoffed before dragging her down the long hallway to the second, and larger bedroom.

The room was predictably decorated in deep reds and golds, reflecting Sirius' room back at Potter Manor, which Mia certainly didn't mind in the slightest. She noticed that boxes of her things were stacked at the far end of the room and she was grateful they hadn't unpacked for her as she liked to do things on her own and in her own way. She did take note that the large bookshelves stacked on the opposite wall were more than half empty, just waiting for her collection to fill them.

The boys opened the door to the attached bathroom and Mia's eyes widened at the sight of the largest claw-foot tub possibly in existence. "Sweet Merlin," she stared reverently at the sight, walking into the bathroom and crawling into the copper tub immediately. "This thing is big enough for two people!" She exclaimed.

"Three if we get bored," Sirius said teasingly tossing a wink at Remus who rolled his eyes in response.

"I'll keep to my own bathroom, thanks," the werewolf chuckled.

"Sure you don't want to stick around, Moony?" Sirius smirked, looking over his shoulder at his friend and flatmate. The werewolf just laughed and rolled his eyes. "Good, then get out," he nodded his head toward the door with a chuckle. "We need to properly break in our new bathtub," the dark-haired wizard said with a devious grin as his grey eyes settled on the brunette, sitting in what might as well have been a copper platter, served up just for him.

"Silencing Charms!" Remus called just as the door slammed shut.

* * *

**A/N**: So when I knew that Sirius and Remus were going to be looking for a place, I actually started researching London residential areas before I thought about sticking them in some randomly created flat in Diagon Alley. But that's when this idea came into my head and I was so massively excited about it because of course Sirius would buy an entire building just so he could live in the flat above it. It just seemed too perfect.

Oh by the way, I've officially run out of fics to read and my fellow Slytherins at the VirtualVeranda are threatening an intervention if I admit to reading _Bespoke Witch_ or _After the Sea_ again. So leave me some fic rec pretty please!


	82. Chapter 82

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: OMG Thank you all for the massive amount of reviews and PMs I got filled with love and fic recs (though I've already read most of them! I have no social life)! You are all incredibly awesome! Speaking of fic recs, you know how I gush and gush about my favorite RL/HG/SB fic, _Get Busy Living_ by **bluecurls**? Well, they have a new Sirius/Hermione fic called _The Love of a Good Man_, and the first chapter alone had me laughing, crying and gathering up all my feels because they'd spilled all over the place! Check it out!

The beginning of this chapter is a special treat for all of those Sirius/Hermione fans that waited so very patiently.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty-Two: Order Business

"_...So if I run it's not enough  
__You're still in my head forever stuck  
__So you can do what you wanna do  
__I love your lies, I'll eat 'em up  
__But don't deny the animal  
__That comes alive when I'm inside you..."  
__(Animals - Maroon 5)_

* * *

**August 13th, 1978**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Sirius Black, Mia Potter, and Remus Lupin**

Digging her nails into his shoulders for purchase, Mia slid herself down slowly over Sirius' cock watching with rapture at the way his body tensed, and the hissing sound that escaped his lips at the feel of her tight, slick heat as she surrounded him. She grinned at the noise, relishing in the bit of her that was more Slytherin than Gryffindor, amused that there was quite a bit of silver and green in Sirius as well.

Dorea had always insisted that within each witch and wizard, laid attributes of each House. Mia and Sirius were no exceptions to this rule. They were loyal Hufflepuffs in times of crisis, wise Ravenclaws when planning for missions, brave Gryffindors while fighting, but Merlin, they were pure ambitious Slytherins when they fucked.

The copper clawfoot tub had been used more than their bed in the past few days since moving into the flat above the empty shop at 93 Diagon Alley. As comfortable as every other surface in the flat was, there was something exquisitely beautiful about a wet Sirius Black. The way his long raven locks clung to the skin of his neck and chest when soaked, the glistening shine of his marble chest when damp. Mia always refused bubbles, though he offered every time. She simply couldn't stand anything that stood in the way of viewing every inch of him.

He gripped the thighs that straddled his lap, thrusting as she moved above him, grinding down and circling her hips while taking him deeper inside of her. His head fell back on the edge of the tub, eyes closed, basking in the way she dominated him. When he felt she was getting a little too smug for her own good, he'd swipe his thumb against her swollen clit and grin when she whimpered and lost focus.

Regaining control of her movements, Mia smiled down at him with lust-filled, Firewhisky-colored eyes, grinning as she leaned down to run her tongue along her inked name, permanently etched into the skin of his chest. She shivered at the rumble she felt at her actions, knowing that it was a promise of reciprocity. Never before had she been so delighted over the location she'd chosen to tattoo Sirius' name on her own body, knowing his tongue would pay it ample attention later.

"You're dragging it out on purpose," Sirius groaned as she circled her hips slowly once more, grinning when he reached out and took hold of her waist, lifting her with ease and bringing her back down onto his rigid length hard enough to make both of them moan at the new angle. "Stop teasing me, kitten," he growled, pressing his forehead between her breasts, reaching up and plucking a tightened nipple between his thumb and finger and grinning when she let out a soft cry, feeling her clench tightly around him.

"You know just because you're on top doesn't mean you're in control," he whispered, running his open mouth against her wet skin, breathing heavy against her flesh. "I think you like it too much when I tell you what to do, isn't that right, kitten?" He asked, and smirked when she moaned in response, pushing herself up and down his length with strained focus, the quickening pace causing the water to slosh around the edge of the tub. It certainly wasn't the first time they'd nearly flooded the room, and they'd been living in the flat for less than a week.

"I asked you a question, Mia," Sirius said in a gravelly voice as he thrust up into her hard and deep. The witch gasped in response and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him flush up against her body as she rode him. "I said you like it when I tell you what to do, don't you?" He repeated his words and then repeated his movements, driving up into her heat.

"Yes!" Mia keened in pleasure. "Sirius... Sirius, please..." The morning had turned around on her. Hadn't she just been in charge a few minutes ago? Mia whimpered at the tight grip he held on her hips, preventing her from seeking the deep friction she craved.

"Please _what_, kitten?"

"Harder," she moaned and he grinned and granted her wish. Sirius Black had a hard time saying no to the witch, especially when she was so damn polite about it. "Oh yes! Yes!" She whimpered loudly, her voice echoing off the walls like loud applause for his performance. Her noises only stoked the fires, made the deep burn inside of him more focused, more intense, and soon he found the game he was playing with her turned against him. Sirius was now the one silently pleading for release as he bucked wildly into her, simultaneously holding onto her waist and driving her down onto his cock.

"I need..." Sirius groaned, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to focus. "Mia... come," he begged her. "I need you to come now," he said pleadingly, and when he could feel her walls tighten around him, he growled deep in his chest as he came. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he moaned into the skin of her breasts, tonguing the peak of one as she screamed his name above him.

"Don't..." Mia panted, releasing her arms from around his neck. "Don't get used to being the dominant one," she grinned down at him.

"Wouldn't think of it, love," he smiled blissfully. "You can boss me around tonight all you want." Sirius grinned at the witch as he climbed out of the bathtub, reaching for the large crimson towel hung on the nearby wall, wrapping it low on his waist and shaking his head like a dog to rid it of the extra moisture and then laughing as Mia made a face at the scene.

"Go on," she swatted his arse as she stood and wrapped herself in her own towel. "Jamie and Lily will be over in twenty minutes for breakfast," she reminded him after reaching for her wand and casting a quick Tempus Charm to check the time.

"I said you can boss me around _tonight _all you want, I said nothing of this morning," he grinned at her as he dried the rest of his body and flung the towel over the edge of the sink, placing a kiss to her bare, scarred shoulder before strutting out of the bathroom without a care in the world, all while knowing that amber eyes followed him out.

Mia laughed and tilted her head to the side to use a Drying Charm on her long curls, wishing she had the time to properly tame them. Staring at herself in the mirror, Mia smiled. Basking in the afterglow of a morning bath with Sirius was becoming routine, and despite all the loss they had gone through over the years, despite being at war, she'd never been happier in her entire life

Mia was snapped out of her daze by the sound of a high pitched scream coming from the other room. Panicked, she rushed out the door, towel wrapped around her still only to hear a familiar voice follow the scream:

"SIRIUS BLACK, GO AND PUT PANTS ON! GOOD GODRIC, YOU'RE A GROWN MAN!"

A few seconds later, Sirius came walking back into the bedroom, still as naked as he was when Mia watched him leave their bathroom, an overly amused smirk on his face. "Prongs and Lily are early," he announced to Mia while chuckling.

"You're terrible, you know that right?" Mia smirked at her boyfriend.

"I don't know what Evans' problem is, I think I look quite fetching today," Sirius laughed as he reached into their shared closet, snagging the first pair of Muggle jeans he could find.

Mia, unable to resist, leaned against the wall of their bedroom to watch him dress. Eyes raked over his sculpted arse in tight denim and rose with a smile as she stared at the skin of his back. She ignored the few scars there from early abuses of childhood in addition to the few scars he retained from his attack several years ago at Grimmauld Place. Sirius was slowly beginning to cover them all with scars of his own choosing.

Already perched on his right shoulder blade sat a proud magically tattooed Phoenix that preened under the attention when it noticed Mia staring. The bird ruffled its feathers and held it's head high under her gaze. Opposite the Phoenix on his left shoulder was a simple, solid black paw print. Above it was written: '_I wanna be Anarchy' _and below read: _'No dogsbody'_, which Mia knew had nothing to do with Sirius being a dog, but were in fact lyrics to a Sex Pistols song.

Sirius wasn't picky with his skin, already lyrics from various Muggle - and Wizarding - bands began covering his body. Down the right side of his ribcage was Led Zeppelin lyrics: '_Upon us all a little rain must fall'_, and down the left side was written the words of Judas Priest: '_Hell bent for leather'_, which was quite possibly the most fitting tattoo Sirius had, save for the '_Toujours Pur' _on his arse. A series of numbers covered his left shoulder blade as well, and while they may have looked nonsensical to most, Mia knew that they were the birthdates of Charlus and Dorea Potter, memorialized on the skin of the son they never anticipated raising, but loved nonetheless.

"You're staring," Sirius said with a playful smirk.

"How can you tell, you're not even looking this way," Mia replied with a chuckle.

"You're _always _staring."

_Why the hell wouldn't I? _Mia thought to herself with an blissful sigh as her eyes raked over his frame one last time while she dressed herself, slipping into a pair of Muggle jeans and throwing on an old Puddlemere United t-shirt of Sirius' before heading out the door, swatting Sirius on the arse once before ducking into the hallway.

oOoOoOo

"You're out of pumpkin juice," James said as he walked out of the kitchen, draining the last of their juice from a large jug. Mia narrowed her eyes at her brother before turning her attention to the redhead who was sitting on the couch looking through a copy of Witch Weekly.

"You can't teach your wizard to drink from a glass?" Mia teasingly accused Lily.

"_You_, apparently, can't teach _yours _to wear clothing," Lily scoffed.

"He looks better without it," Mia laughed and watched as James groaned, tossing the empty jug of pumpkin juice in the trash can. "Something wrong, Jamie?"

"I just don't need constant reminders that my best mate is shagging my little sister," James rolled his eyes and took a seat beside Lily on the couch.

"I wouldn't sit there then if I were you, Prongs," Sirius smirked when he walked out into the living room, leaning in to give Mia a chaste kiss on the cheek as though they hadn't seen one another all morning.

James leapt from the couch, grimacing as he stared down at the green sofa with disdain and moved to the big fluffy armchair in the corner. Hazel eyes looked up questioningly at Sirius before sitting down, and the raven-haired Animagus merely waggled his eyebrows in reply. James groaned and decided to just stand in place.

"If you're that putout, Prongs," Sirius grinned. "You're really going to have a problem eating breakfast at the kitchen table."

"Sirius!" Mia hissed.

"We're going to The Leaky for breakfast," James insisted. "Someone go get Moony."

"Remus!" Sirius shouted through laughter over James' prudish sensibilities as he walked back down the hall and pounded on Remus' bedroom door. "Oi! Moony, wake up!" The Animagus called. He waited for a few silent seconds, his ear pressed to the door. "Alright, I'm coming in, so if you're in there having a wank, it's your own fault when I catch you," he laughed and opened the door.

"How's life at the Cottage?" Mia asked Lily as she sat down beside her friend, ignoring the mild tantrum James was throwing by purposely avoiding every piece of furniture in the flat, determined to avoid anything that his sister and Sirius might have touched whilst naked. He probably shouldn't be leaning up against that wall, Mia thought with a grin.

"It's so beautiful," Lily beamed brightly. "We're still unpacking everything -"

"She's doing it all the Muggle way," James chuckled.

"It's better," Lily insisted, scowling at him. "Mia knows what I mean," the ginger witch gestured to her boyfriend's sister.

Mia smiled thoughtfully, remembering a time when she did, in fact, enjoy doing things the Muggle way, as though it connected her to her roots somehow and the world she'd been born into. "Actually," Mia shrugged her shoulders. "The only thing_ I _unpacked by hand was my books," she admitted. "And that's just because a lot of them are really old and I wanted to make sure that Sirius and Remus packed them properly."

While it was nice to have something else in common with her best girlfriend, Lily knowing that Mia was Muggle-born often became a depressing thought. It had taken the redhead several months to stop staring at the 'Mudblood' scar on Mia's arm anytime the Muggle world was even referenced. Mia was abundantly pleased that Lily had seemed to finally come to terms with the word, or at least looking at it anytime Mia wore short sleeves.

"Pads!" James shouted. "Tell Moony to hurry the hell up!"

"That's going to be a problem," Sirius muttered carefully as he walked out of Remus' room, long black hair curtained around his face as he stared down at a parchment in his hands.

"What's that?" Mia asked, looking up at her boyfriend.

"Remus is gone," Sirius replied solemnly, holding the parchment out to the witch.

"What do you mean _gone_?" She asked in a high-pitched voice before drawing her eyes to the letter in her hand, the familiar script calling out to her as it always did.

_"Pads and Mia,_

_Sorry, I'll be missing breakfast this morning. Order business. I would have stuck around to say goodbye, but I'll be gone for a little over a month and I know you'd make a fuss. Please don't worry about me._

_Love,_

_Remus"_

"What does he mean _Order _business?" Mia's suddenly amber eyes looked up at the other three in the room, hoping they knew more than she did.

When they all seemed just as confused as she was, Mia began to panic. "No, no, no," Mia stood, dropping the letter on the couch before rushing down the hallway and into Remus' room. Ignoring the fact that she was intruding on Remus' private space, Mia began opening his dresser drawers, moving things aside and looking for subtle hints to where he was going. No clothing was missing save for his traveling cloak which he normally hung on the back of the door. She continued digging, searching until she finally came upon what she had been looking for. There in the drawer beside his bed lay seven large vials of untouched Wolfsbane Potion that Mia had brewed for him the prior week. She double counted them and frowned. _He should have taken one last night_, she thought as she felt her heartbeat in her temple.

"Mia?" A voice called from the door and she turned to see Sirius standing, looking at her with anxiety written on his face. "Where'd he go?"

"Undercover," Mia exhaled. "Dumbledore's sent him to infiltrate other wolf packs," she frowned and sank onto Remus' bed, putting her head in her hands. "He left his Wolfsbane Potion," she said, informing Sirius just as James and Lily followed him into the room.

"I'm sure he'll be okay," Lily said with a frown as she sat beside her friend. "Dumbledore knows what he's doing."

Mia scoffed.

oOoOoOo

**August 24th, 1978**

**Ministry of Magic - Department of Magical Law Enforcement**

**Wizengamot Administration Services**

Mia sat in the small file room where she spent the majority of her work day. A small room down the hall from the D.M.L.E. offices, Mia had been led there on her first day by an elder wizard who looked like escorting her into the file room was a large sacrifice of his personal day. Essentially Mia had no real boss to report to as she worked directly for all of the Department Heads and the Wizengamot and therefore had little personal interaction with anyone unless they were there to drop of paperwork for her to organize.

The small room contained a tiny desk in the corner and three large filing cabinets with Undetectable Extension Charms on them so that they could properly contain the centuries and centuries of laws, edicts and regulations passed by the Wizarding government. The witch who had the job before Mia left the place in complete disarray, so when Mia took the position she'd spent her first week cleaning the office and properly organizing the mess of files left behind. It was a much-needed distraction for the young witch, who had been spending every waking moment worrying about Remus who was still on a mission.

The full moon had been a week earlier, and without Moony there to take care of, Mia and Sirius felt awkwardly uncomfortable, as though the moon were affecting them as well. They'd tried to distract themselves with games, Firewhisky, and eventually even sex, but by the time the full moon was at it's highest point in the black velvet sky, the only thing that seemed to calm their nerves was shifting into Animagus form, and curling up together beneath the window of their flat that let the moonlight in.

In between filing away reports about cauldron thickness, law appeals, and arrest records, Mia spent her time reading over Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans and the original 1637 copy of the Werewolf Code of Conduct, which hadn't been changed once since it was put into place centuries earlier. Since her job was of little impact on her own life, Mia used it to learn about the laws and regulations currently in effect, as well as old laws and Pure-blood traditions that she was previously unaware of. It was amazing how many ancient customs were still viewed as legal in the Wizarding world.

"_Accusing a Pure-blood with more than four generations of pure magical ancestry of being anything but a Pure-blood is an offense worthy of action taken by the ancient laws, and the witch or wizard has the right to duel their accuser to the death for the slight against their name_," Mia read the laws aloud, rolling her eyes dramatically after every single one. _Godric, these insane traditions, and customs explained so much about people like the Malfoys._

"Good morning Mia!" A bright and cheerful voice brought her out of her distracting thoughts.

Mia turned her brown eyes up to the figure in her doorway and smiled brightly at the sight of a head of red hair. The tall lanky wizard stepped into her small office and sat himself down in the chair opposite the young witch. "Hello Arthur," Mia beamed at him. "How's your wife?"

"Not _pregnant_!" A young Arthur Weasley laughed.

She'd been in her new office for less than three hours before a young clerk from the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office came in with a stack of parchments needing to be filed away after someone hexed about twenty Muggle door knobs to lock and unlock at random intervals with the intention of selling them to Muggle criminals for the purpose of burglary. Mia had been shocked to meet up with the man she had once considered a father figure in her life, the actual father of one of one of her best friends in her other life. Arthur Weasley in this time was not much different from his older counterpart. Abundantly joyful and kind to everyone he came into contact with, but also extremely defensive of his family and those who couldn't defend themselves.

"Overjoyed?" Mia smirked at the man.

"After the twins?" Arthur laughed and ran a hand through his already thinning hair. "I have to admit I'm a little relieved. I don't think any of the other three boys ever caused such a fuss," he yawned, clearly exhausted from having two newborns back home, not to mention Bill and Charlie who, according to Arthur, were entering a trouble stage of life, breaking everything in sight and picking on their younger brother, Percy. "I honestly feel terrible that I'm not there with her all the time to help."

"You're a good man," Mia smiled sweetly. "From what you've told me about her, I'm sure she'll get along just fine. Maybe bring her home some flowers," she suggested.

"Flowers?" Arthur chuckled. "Haven't you heard? I've got five kids to feed. No spare Sickles for flowers."

"Are you a wizard or aren't you?" Mia rolled her eyes and picked up a spare bit of parchment, rolling it up and then waving her wand over the top of it. The paper seemed to melt away, revealing a lovely purple orchid.

"Brilliant," Arthur gave the witch a lopsided grin that was almost identical to Ron's. "Can you do carnations?"

"No, carnations are cheap," Mia insisted with a smirk.

"Shame I can't transfigure a vacation," the redheaded wizard chuckled. "I think Mollywobbles could use one. Feels like she's been pregnant since we graduated Hogwarts."

Mia very slowly rose an eyebrow. "Really now? Since Hogwarts?" She couldn't possibly imagine Arthur and Molly in Hogwarts, and was glad to know that the Weasley parents hadn't gone to school with the Marauders. It was already strange enough to know Arthur at this stage of life, but to witness his courtship of Molly Prewett would have felt incredibly awkward.

"Oh, not quite," he smirked. "We married straight after school of course, but little William didn't come along for another year or so," he explained. "We were very careful with the charms and potions there in the beginning."

"Smart man."

"Had to be. We had at least two pregnancy scares during our seventh year," he confessed.

Mia nearly choked on the gasp that was trying to escape her lungs. Her brown eyes widened at the news that Arthur so casually let slip out because Mia was a peer and not the swotty little witch who would befriend his youngest son in the future. To hear that Arthur and Molly had pregnancy scares while still in school had floored the curly-haired witch who could remember multiple instances of an older Molly Weasley scolding her boys for being overly familiar with young witches, threatening to remove Ginny's bedroom door at the Burrow if Harry didn't stop slipping into the room, not to mention the whole "scarlet woman" incident during her original fourth year thanks to Rita Skeeter. Mia carefully filed away this bit of new information in the back of her mind.

"Sometimes I think that's why she accepted my proposal so quickly," Arthur admitted. "Didn't want anyone to be suspicious if we did start having kids a little early. Weasleys are cursed with fertility."

"You couldn't have abstained?" She questioned him with a laugh.

"You should see my wife," Arthur waggled his eyebrows and Mia immediately saw Fred and George in the Weasley patriarch's flirtatious features. "Most beautiful creature to ever exist. Couldn't keep away from her if I tried, and why would I ever want to?"

"You're worse than my boyfriend, Arthur." Mia shook her head, smiling at the man who had come into her office at least once a week to file away his paperwork and go on and on about the wife he had waiting for him at home. "Molly is a lucky witch."

"A lucky and _exhausted _witch," he countered.

"I've got a friend I could volunteer for babysitting," Mia smirked at the thought of Lily who had just yesterday confessed to being bored at Potter Cottage where Tilly wasn't letting her do anything. "She might enjoy herself not being the only ginger in the room for once," Mia chuckled and then looked at the paper in Arthur's hands. "Did you come down to visit, or was there something you needed?"

"Oh, yes," his eyes turned to the parchment in his hands. "I have a rejection that needs to be filed away."

"Another one?" Mia frowned as she took the paper from the wizard, glancing down at the words she'd read multiple times over the last few weeks.

"Mark my words, one of these days I'll get them to pass my Muggle Protection Act!" He said with determination that made the young witch smile with pride at the man. "Just need to word it properly."

"Unfortunately, with people like Lucius Malfoy, Orion Black, and Theodros Nott on the Wizengamot, you'll have a fight there," Mia sighed as she turned to file away the parchment alongside the several others that he'd received since he'd begun writing out the act six months earlier after a small Muggle family was murdered in their home by Death Eaters but nothing was properly done about it because Muggles didn't fall under Wizengamot rule with the exception of Obliviation.

"Unfortunately, I think you're right," Arthur nodded. "It seems you have to know the right people.."

"Or pockets," Mia scoffed.

"Or pockets," he agreed with her. "To get anything done around here. Say, I'm not usually one to ask for favors," he frowned and Mia knew the expression well. Ron wore it anytime Harry offered to pay for anything that his friend couldn't afford. Weasley's didn't accept charity, something they'd apparently learned from their father. "But didn't you tell me that your boyfriend is a Black?" Arthur asked nervously.

"He is," Mia nodded. "Unfortunately he's the last person that would be able to help you when it comes to the Wizengamot. Orion Black is his father, and Sirius was disowned several years ago because of his affinity for Muggles and distaste in Death Eater attire."

Instead of appearing disappointed, Arthur grinned. "Sounds like a good man to me." Blood-traitors were nothing if not loyal.

"Very," Mia grinned.

"Right," he let out an exhale and stood as though preparing himself to go back into battle. "Well, I suppose I'll see you same time next week when my new proposal is denied," he chuckled as he made his way to the door.

"Keep up the good fight Arthur," Mia smiled.

"Mia..." a voice called as her door was opened and Sirius nearly collided with Arthur Weasley. "Oh, I didn't realize you'd be in a meeting," Sirius' grey eyes looked the man over as though sizing him up. Satisfied with what he found, Sirius nodded a hello in greeting to the redhead.

"I'm not. Sirius, this is Arthur Weasley," Mia introduced the two wizards with a smile. "He works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. Arthur, this is my boyfriend Sirius Black."

"Good to meet you," Arthur extended his hand to Sirius who took it instantly. "Lovely witch you've got here. Hang onto her."

"You think she's lovely _now_, you should see her when she's angry," Sirius winked and Arthur laughed in reply.

"You and I have something in common my friend," he grinned. "My own wife is quite the firecracker."

"With five children under ten years old, I imagine she'd have to be," Mia commented with a teasing smirk and watched as Sirius' brows raised into his hairline.

"Five?!" The Animagus gaped at the ginger wizard. "Did you lose a bet?"

"I'd say I _won _a bet," Arthur grinned and Sirius barked a laugh in reply. "I think we're done after the twins though."

"Would you care to make a wager?" Mia asked deviously, wondering how the exhausted Arthur Weasley she was now acquaintances with would react to know that he had not one, but two more children to prepare for, not to mention the extended children that would come along in the forms of Hermione Granger and Harry Potter in a number of years.

"Don't do it Arthur," Sirius cautioned the man. "She's either a Seer or a cheat when it comes to predictions."

"I'll take that into consideration," Arthur smiled. "Pleasure to meet you Sirius. Mia, until next week," he nodded to her before slipping out the door and closing it behind him.

"Nice bloke," Sirius commented, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his robes, a tell-tale sign that he was nervous about something.

Mia eyed her wizard carefully and frowned when he turned to look at her. "What's wrong?" She asked, a lump in her throat. They were at war and Sirius was right there on the front lines beside Frank Longbottom and Alastor Moody who declared that first-hand experience would do the new Aurors some good. Sirius had already been taken out on several reports of Death Eater sightings, leaving Mia in a constant state of worry.

"Dumbledore's called an Order meeting for tonight," Sirius said with a frown.

"And?" She asked, waiting for the ball to drop.

And it did.

"Moony's missing."

* * *

**A/N**: Happy weekend! *throws up a Protego*


	83. Chapter 83

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** So here's the deal. Yes, a surprise extra chapter today. I am NOT cracking under the pressure of you all hating what is now apparently known as Cliffhanger Friday, LOL. I did however look at the posting schedule and I noticed a pretty constant cliffhanger set up every Friday (not on purpose) and even my devious, slightly sadistic Slytherin self couldn't find it in me to harm you all to such a degree. So here's an extra chapter to help throw that schedule off course.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty-Three: Missing

"_...It is a calcifying crime, it's tragic  
__I've turned to petrified past life baggage  
__I want to disappear and just start over  
__So here we are…"  
__(Hercules - Sara Bareilles)_

* * *

**August 24th, 1978**

**Tuts Tower, Tutshill - Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix**

By the time Sirius and Mia enter Tuts Tower through the temporarily opened Floo Network, she'd created a cold stone wall lacking all emotions over her face. Mia walked into the room with her head held high and Sirius could strangely see Dorea Potter standing there in Mia's visage, a look that both fed his heart and terrified him at the same time. She hadn't screamed. She hadn't cried. Mia had barely acknowledged him when Sirius informed her that Remus was missing.

Word reached him through Moody of course, and soon an Order meeting was called. Despite knowing that Mia was supposed to be left to the sides for her own mission, Sirius knew he needed to bring her. Remus was not only her best friend, he was a part of the witch. As much a part of her as Sirius himself was. Unfortunately the second she erected a cold barrier of indifference, Sirius began regretting his decision to include the young witch.

_"She has found a beautiful balance between the bravery of a Gryffindor and the self-preservation of a Slytherin," _Dorea had once told him in regards to her daughter.

Sirius couldn't help but wonder what other traits Mia had picked up from their rival House. He. more than anyone. knew what it was like to try to find that balance. The bit of himself that was pure Gryffindor struggled against the Black blood in his veins that made him rash, reckless and often times riding a fine line between sanity and fury. Mia had a habit of doing one of two things when faced with a threat. Like a Gryffindor, she would bravely face it head on, with a wild and sometimes violent temper. Or, like a Slytherin she would appear completely in control, calm and indifferent until you didn't even notice that you'd been targeted until it was too late.

Sirius watched his witch closely, wondering which Mia he was in the presence of. Her best friend was missing, presumably in serious danger and she looked calm, which meant that she was quite possibly lethal. Her chocolate brown eyes remained emotionless until she spotted Peter in the corner of the room and Sirius caught it immediately when the shift took place and the witch's gaze flashed amber. _Instincts_, she'd called it the first time her fox form had tried to maul Wormtail in the Shrieking Shack. Considering they all found out later that Peter had once spied on Mia and Remus having sex, Sirius understood her mistrust of their young friend. Her instincts had been right, and while the raven-haired Animagus felt angry over anyone else - save Remus - seeing Mia in the throes of passion, he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Wormtail who until recently, never had a girlfriend. It was with this pity alone that Sirius stepped away from Mia and gestured to Peter.

"Might want to sit on the other end of the room, mate," Sirius suggested and Peter looked over Sirius' shoulder, his watery eyes connecting with the stare coming from the brunette witch and he nodded immediately and shifted his way around a few chairs to take a seat at the end of the row between Edgar Bones and Gideon Prewett.

When Sirius turned back, he found Lily tightly holding onto Mia, and his girlfriend responding by clinging to the ginger witch. The meeting began immediately and Lily pulled Mia to the couch to sit down beside her while Sirius stood and made his way up to the front next to Frank and Moody where the old Auror explained the situation.

"Most of you already know, but one of our own has gone missing," Moody began. "Lupin was sent to infiltrate a sub-group of potential allies to You-Know-Who's lot in the hopes that he could retrieve information for us, see where numbers stand. We lost communication with him a few days ago," he continued. "We've already got Aurors on the lookout for him, and we're doing our best to track the movement of the group, unfortunately it's a bit difficult due to their numbers and the danger it presents to the rest of us. So we're keeping on top of the situation in the hopes that Lupin reestablishes contact with us in the meantime."

"What group is this?" Marlene McKinnon asked from the front of the room where she was paying close attention. While it hadn't been clear what part Marlene would play among the Order, Sirius discovered that she was infiltrating the upper class social circles of Pure-blood debutantes, being considered quite the catch herself, though she'd already complained more than once about wanting a more active role as she considered herself quite adept at dueling.

"Werewolves," Moody answered, gauging the witch's reaction, just as Mia, Sirius, Lily, James and Peter were. Frank, Alice and Mary who might have suspected, but never known Remus secret all looked a bit shocked but didn't carry the horrified expression cast on several Order members faces at the simple word.

"Werewolves?!" Dorcas Meadowes shrieked. "And Remus is.. is.." the older witch gaped in horror.

"A good man," James chimed in, narrowing his eyes at those who seemed to be silently judging a fellow Order member who was currently missing in action.

"That's hardly the point," Sturgis Podmore snapped. "You've put all our lives at risk by letting one of those in with us," the young wizard proclaimed, his eyes turning to stare up at Dumbledore who appeared to be watching the members of this rag-tag troop with interest.

"_One of those_?!" Lily hissed and actually stood up, glaring down at Sturgis. "Remus is not some... _thing_ that we're here to discuss behind his back! He's missing and we're supposed to be figuring out a way to save him!"

"I don't understand," Marlene frowned, trying to shake the look of disgust off of her face as her eyes turned up to look at Sirius who was now glaring down at her. "And I mean no offense," she added. "But how do we know that he hasn't turned on us to join up with his own kind?"

"_Protego_!" Sirius and James shouted at once, their wands aimed at Mia who was now standing, Firewhisky colored eyes looking forward at Marlene, her left hand visibly shaking, her wand hand steady as the Black Lake on a windless day, and coincidentally aimed at McKinnon.

"Get her out of here Black!" Moody snapped. "McKinnon, while it may offend your delicate sensibilities, this bloody war doesn't just affect _you_," the old Auror growled. "Wizards, Goblins, werewolves... hell, You-Know-Who is trying to get Giants involved," he admitted watching with one wary eye as Sirius slowly approached his girlfriend, silently pleading with her to lower her wand while James kept his wand trained on his sister, shield firmly in place protecting the rest of the Order from her wrath.

oOoOoOo

Mia's rage was palpable, so much so that she couldn't blame Sirius and James for not touching her as they all but herded her into another room of Tuts Tower while the rest of the Order continued bickering in the main room instead of putting together a proper plan to rescue Remus from whatever hell Dumbledore had sent him into, quite obviously unprepared.

Once again torn between the present and the future, Mia sat down on the end of a bed in the small guest room trying to convince herself that Remus would be alright. He survived whatever this was because she knew him in the future. Without the ability to look into his eyes and see for herself that her best friend was safe and well, Mia couldn't help but wonder if she had in fact changed something and was now suffering the consequences of it. Would Remus make it out of this alive? Intact? Unharmed? Would he be able to live and move forward and meet up with a young Hermione Granger, just to send her back to 1971? Without Remus, Mia realized, her entire world would crumble. Without Remus there would be no growing up with Jamie as her twin brother, no dog pile snuggling in her bed after nightmares, no laughing with Lily over silly romance novels, no Mary, no Alice, no Frank... no Sirius. No Remus.

"Prongs, can you..." Sirius began, looking uneasy about leaving Mia on her own but knowing that he still had a job to do. The Animagus stared at the young witch, swallowing hard as he observed her anxiety and pain up close and looked himself the very picture of helpless.

"Go," James nodded to his best friend as he knelt in front of his sister, taking her hands into his own and offering Sirius a small smile to let him know that he would take care of Mia in Sirius' momentary absence.

The very second that the door closed behind Sirius, Mia burst into tears and fell forward into her brother's arms. James reacted on pure instinct, not surprised at all over the outburst and soon found himself holding onto the witch tightly, both crumpled on the floor of the small guest bedroom at Tuts Tower. Mia wept openly, clinging to James as he gently stroked a hand down the long honey brown curls that reached the middle of her back, offering soothing sounds of comfort knowing that words would be pointless in this moment.

"Why aren't they out there looking for him?" Mia sobbed.

"They will be," James promised. "_We_ will be. We'll find Remus, Mia, I promise you."

"What if you don't? What if something horrible has..."

"Stop," James ordered her, pulling her face into his hands so that he could look directly into her eyes which never before looked more like chocolate, no hint of angry amber in sight. "The Order will do everything we can to find Remus. And I know you don't want to hear this, but this is what we signed up for. War," James frowned. "Remus is out there fighting it."

"He shouldn't be," Mia stifled another sob. "None of us should be. I can't lose him, I can't lose any of you... I think it'll kill me," she admitted, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Don't you let it," James replied without thinking twice, his hazel eyes soft and yet commanding at the same time. Mia stared into their depths, losing herself in them, wondering how no one else saw it: _Harry_. Everyone always said that he was the spitting image of his father except the eyes, Lily's eyes, they always said. _No. He's right there_, Mia thought. The shape and the color were all wrong, but Mia could see Harry kneeling in front of her in the visage of his father. All strength and sacrifice and a boundless love.

"You have to fight too," James insisted. "We're all fighting now. Each for the same reason.."

"The greater good?" Mia spat sarcastically, bitterness in her eyes.

"What?" James almost laughed. "No," he shook his head. "Or well, maybe," he pondered the words. "In the end I suppose that's the goal isn't it? But... I'm fighting for you. For Lily and Sirius and Remus and Peter and... and Mum and Dad," he admitted quietly. "I signed up, agreed to put my life on the line for all of you. And I know Remus feels the same."

"What if none of us make it out of this?" She asked in a whisper, sorrow in her eyes.

"Then..." James frowned. "Then it's not a world worth sticking around for. But we won't let that happen. We're going to win this war. We're going to find Remus," he promised. "It's my job to make sure the rest of you get through this," he declared and Mia couldn't help but roll her eyes and grit her teeth, remembering that Harry so often had been the same way. All too willing to be Dumbledore's sacrificial lamb. The arrogance of a martyr.

_"Never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd agree with bloody Snivellus!" _An older Sirius had shouted as he moved through the Great Hall during the final Battle of Hogwarts, searching for Harry who had slipped into the Forbidden Forest to confront Voldemort._ "He really is as arrogant as his father!"_

"Jamie?" Mia said her brother's name, looking into his sweet, devoted face. She wanted to tell him everything and prevent the awful future that awaited him.

"Yeah, love?" James offered her a supportive smile, squeezing her hands in his own.

She opened her mouth, knowing the words wouldn't come out. Dumbledore had seen to it. But they continued to flow through her mind as though she could tell him. Tell him everything. _Oh Jamie, if you only knew. If you only knew that you and Lily would sacrifice everything for this war, to save the ones you love. Some of which don't deserve it. If you only knew that I'd lose you... would you still fight? Still let yourself die if you knew about Harry? Knew about the prophecy and Voldemort and everything that's going to happen on Oc- _"Octob-ber.." Mia heard the word come out of her mouth and her eyes widened slightly. Did I actually say that? She thought to herself.

"October?" James repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Mia's eyes widened and she stared at her brother in a panic. "Oct-t-t-ober," she struggled, forcing the word out. _October 31st, 1981. October 31st, 1981. October 31st, 1981. _"O-c-c-tober... t-thi-r-rty... f-f-f-..." she struggled, fighting against Dumbledore's spell and actually making progress for the first time since it had been cast on her. She felt a strange bit of relief that she wasn't completely stuck, helpless and incapable of anything. She also felt the walls spinning and her vision blurring. The struggle of fighting off the truth spell was quickly draining her magic.

"Mia?" James whispered, a look of concern on his face.

"Ninet-t-teen... eight-t-t-y..." Mia grit her teeth tightly and forced out the words. "One!" She said and the world around her went black.

oOoOoOo

Brown eyes opened an hour later and Mia could feel as though someone had cast a Reenervate on her. What had happened? She'd been talking to Jamie, trying to communicate through Dumbledore's spell when she'd... had she blacked out? Mia groaned as a headache settled in firmly, the light in the room only making the stab behind her eyes worse.

"Welcome back, Mia," a calm voice floated above her and Mia snarled in response. He had no right to have such a calm voice. Not now. Not ever. She squinted her eyes and looked up into bright blue orbs staring down at her from the face of Albus Dumbledore who appeared to have the nerve to be smiling at her. "We were all quite worried when James informed us that you'd fallen unconscious."

"Were you?" She snapped. "Maybe worry less about me and more about the wizard you sent into a den of wolves," the growl in her throat was more audible.

"I believe I sent a _werewolf _into a den of werewolves, though yes, Remus is also a wizard. I had hoped that perhaps he would find that in common with the other wolf packs," Dumbledore admitted. "You must understand that should the Dark Lord find the wolves allies, it would only mean the worse for us. Remus is our only hope to gather information on where they stand."

"The only wolf that'll have any effect on this war is..." _Greyback. Greyback. Fenrir..._ "G-g-gre... Greyb-b-back," she said the word through clenched teeth and the moment she spoke the headache became worse.

"Ah," Dumbledore nodded. "Now I see what James was saying," he observed with interest. "I see you've found a way to fight through the _Tacere Veritas_," the old wizard was nodding, and the simple movement was enough to make Mia dizzy. "Much like fighting off Veritaserum actually. You use the same magic and muscles used with Occlumency, but you already know that," he frowned. "The same way you now know the pain that comes from fighting it. You do realize I'll have to strengthen the charm," he said, the tone of his voice indicated he was actually upset by the necessity of it, but Mia couldn't find it in her to sympathize with the man.

"Remus is missing," she snarled as she changed the subject and forced herself to sit up. "You sent him in unprepared..." she muttered, holding her head in her hands.

"I have faith in Remus' abilities," Dumbledore admitted, waving his wand over Mia's head, presumably strengthening the Tacere Veritas spell.

"I didn't say _Remus _was unprepared," Mia glared up at her former Headmaster. "_You_ were unprepared. You have no idea the danger you've put him in," she shook her head which was still throbbing. "You know nothing of how werewolf packs work. He'll be attacked. He's been attacked and that's likely the reason you've lost contact with him."

"We expected that he would have to go through a physical altercation to prove himself worthy of joining the pack, temporarily at least," Dumbledore admitted. "Once properly infiltrated, Remus can gather the needed information and return to us. The pack we've sent him to is not Greyback's, and therefore he'll have no desire to permanently serve the current Alpha wolf."

"He can't join another pack!" Mia snapped. "Don't you get it?! Remus is an Alpha!"

Though he didn't appear to react to her words, Mia could tell that the twinkle in his eyes seemed to fade a bit at the declaration. "He is an Alpha?" Dumbledore asked her.

"Yes! Remus has his _own _Pack," she said as she moved to stand up. "Which means that if he walks into another den, they'll smell it on him, and instead of being given the chance to prove himself worthy of _joining _them, he'll likely have been challenged by the current Alpha, surrounded by an entire pack of werewolves who may or may not be associated with Voldemort!" The witch screamed and the walls actually shook with her rage.

The door to the small guest room burst open and in the frame stood a wand drawn Alastor Moody, followed closely by Edgar Bones, Sirius, Frank, and Alice. "Albus? Do we need to have another chat about the appropriate age for induction into the Order?" The old Auror said as he glared at the back of Mia's head, wand aimed at her back.

"I'm afraid, Alastor," Albus said as he moved to stand. "That we've made a grave error," the old wizard moved around Mia and toward the Auror who still had a defensive wand set upon the young witch. "Young Mister Lupin must be extracted immediately, wait for nothing," Dumbledore insisted.

"That wasn't the plan, Albus," Moody growled.

"New information has been made available to me," Dumbledore spoke softly. "I'm aware that many lives will be lost in this war, but I will not allow that to happen needlessly. As of right now, Remus life is of utmost importance."

"It wasn't before?" Sirius snarled from the doorway, his grey eyes fixed on the old wizard.

"Find Remus," Dumbledore ordered Moody, ignoring Sirius' comment. "Next time we will be... prepared," the Headmaster said, his blue eyes turning to make contact with Mia.

_Next time_.

oOoOoOo

**October 16th, 1978**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Sirius Black, Mia Potter, and Remus Lupin**

Seven weeks.

Remus had been missing for seven weeks.

The werewolf pack that he'd been sent to infiltrate had been on the move a week prior to Remus losing contact with Moody and tracking them down again was proving difficult. Not only was the pack exceptionally large, they were also being split into smaller groups during the move from county to county, always under the cover of darkness, generally Disillusioned, and always violent when confronted. It had been good timing that when the Aurors finally caught up with one of the smaller groups that it hadn't been a full moon as three Aurors were sent to St. Mungo's with clawed up bodies that - from what Sirius described - must have looked like Bill Weasley after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Luckily so far, no one had been infected with Lycanthropy.

Unluckily they had still yet to locate Remus.

The first few weeks Mia had tried to move on. Prohibited from directly working on the mission for the Order, Mia returned to her job at the Ministry where she tried to distract herself with work, and when that didn't help at all, she tried to secretly assist with Remus' recovery. However, lacking knowledge of Remus' mission and the details on the specific pack he'd been sent to were greatly limiting her ability to help in any way, shape or form.

When she threatened to shift into her Animagus form and just go off looking for the missing werewolf, Sirius had to request that she take a temporary leave of absence from work, and left at the flat with Lily to keep watch over her.

Sirius stepped through the Floo in the flat above 93 Diagon Alley and was met with a worried looking redhead. "How bad?" The raven-haired wizard asked immediately, looking beyond exhausted.

Despite being personally connected to Remus, Sirius insisted he be involved in the case regarding his missing friend. Due to it being Order business, Moody conceded, but still demanded that Sirius' job as an Auror was met with proper standards in addition to the work for the Order. If he wasn't given inside knowledge thanks to his position, Sirius would have completely regretted ever becoming an Auror in the middle of a damn war.

"I don't know how bad it is," Lily admitted sadly. "I can't communicate with her."

"Can't..." Sirius raised a brow in confusion until a thought occurred to him and he sighed. "Full moon tonight," he nodded in understanding. "Has she been like that for long?" He asked worriedly.

Lily nodded. "Since you left this morning," she admitted. "Should I be worried about James?" The ginger witch asked. "Will I find him at home in _bed_, or in the _woods _somewhere?"

"If he's not at Potter Cottage, send him a Patronus and tell him to get his hooves home," Sirius instructed the witch, tiredly running a hand through his long black hair as he removed his Auror robes and flung them onto the couch, not caring much about where they landed or in what condition.

"Have... has anyone thought to do the same for Remus?" Lily asked. "If we can communicate through Patronuses, maybe he can send one back?" She frowned. While Mia had taken Remus' absence the hardest, being as close as she was to the werewolf, Sirius and James were roughly handling the situation themselves followed shortly behind by Lily who felt helpless to comfort her friends while also worrying about the missing piece of their little family.

Sirius shook his head. "Since we don't actually know what's going on with Remus, if we sent a Patronus we could actually endanger him if he's managed to actually infiltrate the pack," he explained.

"Any new leads?" Lily asked.

"Not until tomorrow," he said, shaking his head in defeat. "With a full moon tonight, there's likely to be reports of sightings in the morning. We'll head out to wherever the reports lead us then," he said, repeating back words that Edgar had told him earlier that night when Sirius insisted on trying to find the pack during their transformations, despite the insane risk involved. The truth was, the people involved that could be trusted to help track down the wolves were sparse, and the Auror department was stretched as it was. There were still three split off groups from the main pack, and not enough Aurors and Order members to cover each group while remaining low risk. One group had been spotted just south of Suffolk, another near the Forest of Avon in Somerset, and the last were rumored to be around Cumbria.

"There's some food on the counter," Lily said as she leaned in to wrap her arms around the young Auror, pulling him into a tight hug. "I put a Stasis Charm on it. There's enough for Mia as well. I haven't been able to convince her to eat anything," she explained as she released him.

"Thanks, Lils," Sirius offered a small smile and watched as the redhead disappeared through the Floo.

The Animagus sighed and made his way down the stretch of hallway, stopping in front of Remus' room knowing there was no point in searching the rest of the flat. He slowly turned the doorknob and looked inside to find exactly what he knew he'd find. There in the center of Remus' bed lay the little sleeping fox. Red ears twitched at the sound of footsteps, and small amber eyes opened to look up at the face of the wizard in the doorway, but she made no other movements.

"Hello, love," Sirius smiled sadly at the little fox and then without another word, shifted down. Long black hair became soft black fur and Padfoot gently leapt up onto the large bed, spinning once in a circle before laying down behind the smaller creature. He sniffed at her face and nosed his own way beneath her, allowing for the little fox to rest her small head on Padfoot's large muzzle.


	84. Chapter 84

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I wasn't going to update until tomorrow but **Colubrina** convinced me to post early. So go and thank her by reading her latest Marriage Law fic _A Fine Institution_. Speaking of things you need to read, **glittergrrrl05** posted Chapter 77 of _Bespoke Witch_ and the story is coming to a close! Catch up now that way you can all mourn with me when it's over.

So this chapter... when I was searching for a place for Remus to actually be during this whole missing period, I stumbled upon the place mentioned and the trees mentioned are actually real. The wording of them was so serendipitous that I ran with it and integrated them with HP Canon.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty-Four: Alphas

"_...When the darkness tries to get me,  
__There's a light that just won't let me,  
__It might take my pride, and my tears may fill my eyes,  
__But I'll stand back up…"  
__(Stand Back Up - Sugarland)_

* * *

**October 17th, 1978**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Sirius Black, Mia Potter, and Remus Lupin**

Sometime in the middle of the night, the little fox opened her eyes and exhaled softly at the feel of the large black dog surrounding her, the constant feel of safety. It was just the two of them though, here in the small flat, sitting on Remus' bed. The little fox breathed in deep, pulling the scent of Moony as though she were afraid it would fade with time.

She closed her eyes, remembering a time when they hadn't been a pack; when they hadn't even been proper Animagi yet. Long ago in the Room of Requirement where Mia Potter dug her hands and bare feet into the dirt, closing her brown eyes and focusing on the faux full moon in the sky that connected her to Remus.

She remembered the feel of something pulling her toward outside the castle. The familial Bond that tugged her toward James. The Soul Bond that pulled her always closer to Sirius, forever connected through their magic. And then, something she hadn't known at the time, an invisible string that took her to the Shrieking Shack and then back into the Forbidden Forest. A connection she now knew to have been the unprovoked Pack Bond.

It had been invisible at the time though now she could almost see it behind closed amber eyes. A tight silver string that wrapped itself around her and tugged strangely from behind where Padfoot lay sleeping. She focused and followed the string as it broke off leading out of the Flat into a vision of a small village that she knew to be Godric's Hollow. The little fox could almost see Potter Cottage in the dream where she found a red-haired witch sleeping up against the form of a large stag, book fallen from her hands onto the floor where Prongs rested his large head, bathed in the moonlight seeping in through the large window.

The silver string pulled and tugged violently again and she followed it out of Godric's Hollow, over countryside hills, small villages and large cities until it seemed to disappear into a small forest that didn't look - but felt - familiar. The string pulled and tugged and she felt herself disappear through the trees, the sound of howling in the distance until she found her amber eyes facing something she had seen before. two large trees sat in an open area of woods across from a large river. One tree, an Elderwood tree stood tall and beautiful, it's only imperfection looked to be a large horn embedded in the trunk, appearing almost petrified as it had been there for so long.

The other tree was lush and beautiful, Hawthorn if she was correct, and she felt she had seen the tree before, somewhere in a book. But what book? Torn between the images of her dream and the memories flooding through her of ancient tomes and old textbooks, Mia's mind was split in two as the little fox focused on the strange feeling of the tree and why it was somehow important, while the mind of the witch thought back to the image of the other tree, horn embedded in the trunk.

Something about the type of trees and the horn seemed familiar to her. She could remember seeing the image of it in a book and finding something amusingly ironic about it, but what? What was so important about this tree? _Harry and Draco_. She remembered seeing something about the trees and thinking it was funny that the one tree was Hawthorn, the same wood that Draco's wand had been made of. The same wand that would one day become famous for destroying Voldemort. Then there had been the horn of a hart stuck in the trunk of the first tree, the Elderwood tree. A hart, or stag, which at the time she'd associated with Harry.

Then she remembered.

The first tree, the Elderwood tree with the horn in the trunk had been famous in the Muggle world. Called the Harthorn tree because of the horn, the young witch had once seen the image of it in a Muggle book which had thought the tree to be named after a stag had accidentally injured itself during a hunt, impaling the tree with it's antler while being chased by a Greyhound over the treacherous river nearby. The second tree too was famous, and the name of it was on the tip of her tongue.

The witch's mind closed briefly as the little fox felt another tug on the silver string pulling her between the two trees where smells became overwhelming. Blood and sweat. But parchment and grass as well. Moony! The moment she realized it, an image fell into her vision and there between the two trees was a wounded and bloodied sandy blonde wolf.

"Remus!" Mia shouted, shifting immediately on the bed as her eyes opened. She turned back and spotted Padfoot staring up at her with wide eyes. "Sirius get up!" She shouted, standing from the bed and vanishing out the door and down the long stretch of hallway.

"Mia?" Sirius said when he finally reached their bedroom in human form, staring down at his girlfriend who was practically destroying their bookshelf looking for something, tossing books aside like garbage. The sight was unnerving considering the revered manner the girl normally treated the tomes. "Mia, what're you doing?"

"I know where Remus is!" Mia shouted, turning to face her boyfriend, eyes wide and a small book in her hand.

"What do you mean you know where Remus is?" Sirius questioned the witch.

"I had a vision," she explained as she threw open the small book and began frantically looking through the pages. Her long curls of hair were wild around her head, and Sirius could almost see the magic radiating off of her.

"A vision?" He questioned her. "Mia... I know we joke about you being a Seer but..."

"Not like _that_," she answered quickly. "Remember how I told you that when I meditated in Animagus form I could see the Bonds?" She asked, looking up at him. "How I used to be able to track you, Jamie and Remus when I was in the Room of Requirement? How I saw the Pack Bond before we provoked it?"

"You can see it still?" Sirius' grey eyes widened. "You found him?!"

Mia nodded. "I think so," her voice shook when she spoke. "Does Whinfell Forest mean anything to you?" She asked him.

"It's in Cumbria," Sirius nodded. "That's where one of the pack groups was rumored to be near," he explained, running a hand through his hair. "Fuck... are you sure?" He asked her. "We need to be sure Mia." It was the full moon, and if Sirius was going to bring word to Moody, they needed to be absolutely certain before sending in a group to retrieve Remus from Cumbria, Whinfell Forest apparently.

"I saw two trees," she said, holding up the book in her hands.

"Mia..." Sirius face fell. "Mia this is a children's book."

"No, it's the Tale of Three Brothers," she explained.

"I know," he frowned. "I grew up on these stories, kitten."

"I don't care about the stories, I care about the pictures!" She tapped her finger on the drawing on the page. "Two trees sitting just on the other side of the river, the river that the original three brothers used magic to cross before they came face to face with Death. One was made of elder wood, where Death supposedly carved the Elder wand from," she explained. "Muggles call it the Harthorn tree because there's the antler of a stag stuck in the trunk."

"So you saw Remus in front of a tree with an antler stuck in it?" Sirius raised a brow. "How can we be sure it's the one in Whinfell Forest? Antlers get stuck in trees all the time, Remember when Prongs got caught in the Forbidden Forest sixth year?" He reminded her of the time when they had to literally pry Prongs' antlers out of a tree trunk when the large stag hadn't looked where he was going and ended up stuck.

"I know it's Whinfell Forest because of the second tree," she smiled brightly. "I saw a large Hawthorn tree next to the Elderwood tree. Hawthorn," she explained. "I'd know it anywhere. It's a landmark inside Whinfell Forest. I never put it all together until now," she beamed. "The Hawthorn tree, the one I know is in Whinfell Forest, it's called the Three Brother Tree," she said emphatically.

She was trying to focus on the matter at hand: finding Remus. But a part of Mia couldn't help but be excited at knowing the location of a very important magical site. The river the Peverell brothers crossed. Harry's ancestors - technically her own ancestors since she too was a Potter. The Elderwood tree, where Death carved the Elder Wand from. And the Three Brother Tree, named after the Peverell brothers, made of Hawthorn, the same wood used in the wand that defeated Voldemort. She couldn't help but wonder if Draco's wand had come from that very tree in Whinfell Forest, and if so, was it always destined to be the wand to defeat Voldemort.

"Knowing both of these trees, I can pinpoint Remus' exact location," she informed Sirius as clearly as she could. "But we have to go now," she explained. "He's injured."

"Mia, we can't," Sirius said, taking hold of her wrist as she moved to stand. "I need to contact Moody and then when the sun rises, we'll set up a rescue team to go and retrieve him." He had the look of an Auror on his face, something she'd previously seen in Harry, and it pissed her off.

"What if the wolf pack finds him first?" She asked. "What if they all transform back in the morning and drag him away before the Aurors get there? I know where he is," Mia explained. "And I'm going there now, with or without you."

"Fuck," Sirius growled and reached for his wand, flicking it forward and silently casting a Patronus. The silvery image of Padfoot appeared out of the wand, and the big dog turned to look at Sirius as though waiting for instruction. "Lily, tell James that Prongs needs to meet us in the orchards behind Potter Manor. Put up the monthly wards," he spoke to the Patronus and then added. "Do _not_ follow him," to make sure that Lily would be protected. With a swish of his wand, the Patronus disappeared out the flat, and Sirius turned and looked at Mia, reaching out to take her hand.

"I know what I'm doing," she promised him. "Shift the second that we land," the little witch ordered before she gripped Sirius' hand tightly and closed her eyes. _Destination, Determination, and Deliberation_, Mia thought to herself as she felt the blackness close in around her from all directions and she Disapparated herself and Sirius out of the flat.

oOoOoOo

**Whinfell Forest**

When they Apparated into the newly familiar forest, Sirius shifted down into Padfoot form instantly, turning on his paws to search quickly for the little fox who was running quickly in the opposite direction. The big black dog turned around immediately and began to follow her in the dark of the early morning, looking up and seeing the brilliant colors painted across the sky as dawn began to approach, though the full moon still hung against the backdrop of slowly brightening colors.

Padfoot's pale eyes widened as the scent of blood filled his nostrils and he sped up to where, laying between two trees fitting the description Mia had previously given him, lay a bleeding and unconscious wolf.

The little fox nuzzled against the wolf's face, willing Moony's eyes to open, which they slowly did. The gold in their depths was pale and faded, and the amber didn't sparkle in the moonlight like it normally did. His sandy fur was filthy, matted with dirt and dried blood and as Padfoot slowly approached, he could see wounds, both fresh as of that night, and recent probably from the last full moon left untreated. He growled angrily at the sight of his friend in such dire need of help.

He sniffed the air and turned suddenly to see three more wolves, blood dripping from their jaws in a way that reminded him of Remus' Boggart during third year. The three gray wolves snarled viciously as they approached the clearing between the two trees and Padfoot immediately stood tall, growling defensively as he guarded Moony and the little fox. The wolves however were not deterred in the slightest as they approached.

It was one thing to deal with Moony once a month. Another to have handled Greyback years ago, the entire Pack against the vicious Alpha. But for Padfoot to take on three fully grown werewolves on his own was beyond stupid. It was insane. And say what people wanted to about the Black family, Sirius was not that mental. He turned his large head and barked once at the little fox, hoping she understood him when he gestured to Moony's hind legs.

Moments later the little fox scurried to the backend of the large wolf, took a deep breath and did quite possibly the riskiest thing she'd ever done. She shifted into human form while still touching Moony. The witch kept her eyes on the werewolf form of her best friend who sniffed the air and turned to growl at her human self, held back only by his severe injuries. The wolves in front of them however caught sight of the witch and their eyes practically glowed with hunger. Padfoot let out another sharp bark and Mia nodded to the big black dog, gripping Moony's back leg tightly and Disapparating away.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor - Orchards**

Mia Apparated into the large orchards behind Potter Manor, grateful that she could feel the wards accept her through which meant James had arrived and set them up around the perimeter. She stood quickly and jumped away from Moony who seemed to be struggling for breath after Apparating. The second he recovered though, his eyes turned a brighter shade of gold and he viciously turned his head, snapping toward the witch.

"Prongs!" Mia screamed and then quickly shifted into her Animagus form just as a large stag jumped in front of her, separating her tiny frame from the snarling werewolf who was held back by bleeding wounds and a fence of antlers blocking his way.

Moments later the cracking sound of Apparition was heard and they all turned to see Sirius stumble out of thin air, hitting the ground with a thud. Prongs continued to hold back Moony while the little fox rushed over to examine the wizard, checking for scratches or bites to alert her to infection.

"I'm fine," Sirius promised, his grey eyes scanning the area where he saw Moony being contained by the large stag, thrashing violently as he attempted to stand in order to attack, the need to bite stronger than almost anything. To prevent his friend from further harming himself, Sirius shifted back into Padfoot form and slowly approached the wolf who instantly began to calm down.

With Moony sufficiently calm and no longer moving, the Pack surrounded their Alpha on all sides, doing what they could to keep him warm against the morning chill as his wounds drained him of energy and magic. The large wolf eventually fell into a soft slumber while the other three animals remained awake and alert, and no sooner did the sun rise firmly over the horizon did they all turn their heads and watch with nervous anticipation as Moony shifted into a screaming Remus Lupin, naked, scarred, and soaked in blood.

"Remus!" Mia shouted as she shifted into her human form and rushed forward to cradle the werewolf's head in her hands. "Remus, can you hear me?"

"M-mia?" He mumbled.

"Jamie, go and get Lily," Mia ordered her brother who stood looking down at the bleeding body of his friend, pale and horrified. "Then send a Patronus to Madam Pomfrey and tell her to get here now," she instructed before turning to Sirius. "Go and report to Moody, tell them what we saw, but do not let anyone in the Order return with you. If Dumbledore or Moody show up in the Manor, I will put a fucking Fidelius Charm around the whole place and keep them out permanently!"

Sirius and James both nodded immediately and set off in different directions, a silvery stag Patronus following after James before darting in away in the distance. Mia's eyes raked over Remus' wounded frame and she pulled her robe off, transfiguring it midair into a large blanket to cover his body. With the same wand, Mia cast a Warming Charm before leaning down and wrapping her arms around Remus' body. "Hold on, love," she whispered. "This is going to hurt," and Disapparated them out of the orchards and into the Manor itself.

When they Apparated into Mia's old bedroom, she levitated Remus instantly to the bed, wincing at his cries of pain. She forcefully wiped the tears from her eyes as she stared at her best friend, pulling the blanket down a ways from his body to look over some of the deeper wounds over his chest and stomach. "Remus, are these all bites and scratches?" She asked him knowing that they'd be harder to heal.

"No," he moaned. "Took a good... couple of hits from a Gouging Spell and a Severing Charm," he admitted, wincing as Mia held her wand upright, siphoning off the dried blood as best a she could without causing further harm. "They knew..." Remus muttered. "They knew I was different."

"That you were an Alpha," Mia nodded, fighting back the tears again. "That's what I told Dumbledore when the Order was informed you were missing. He actually thought you could temporarily join a pack," she hissed.

"I thought I could do it too," Remus frowned, dryly swallowing through the pain. "I just... just wanted to do something."

"Hush love," Mia frowned and then turned, wand held tight at the cracking sound of Apparition. The sight of Madam Pomfrey walking down the hallway gave her such relief that she nearly collapsed to the ground, although the gasp that came out of the Mediwitch's mouth was disheartening at best.

"Are you going to assist?" Madam Pomfrey said, immediately getting to work.

oOoOoOo

**November 10th, 1978**

**Potter Manor - Temporary Residence of Remus Lupin**

"So then what'll happen when he transforms?" Mia's shaky voice asked as red-rimmed eyes looked up into the pale face of Madam Pomfrey.

"I... I can't say," the Mediwitch replied. "But it's likely that he won't surv-"

"Thank you, Poppy," Sirius responded quickly, unable to hear the rest of the sentence.

Though his wounds had initially been superficial, the torture received at the hands of his own kind had devastated Remus physically and magically. Remus had gone into the werewolf pack as instructed, appearing to be seeking out the comforts and security offered by their numbers. Most had accepted him in quickly, noting that he appeared harmless to their rather large pack. He'd lived among the other wolves until the full moon approached and they all began to shift within a secure forest outside of Suffolk. Without the Wolfsbane Potion to keep him in control, the Alpha in Moony had taken over completely and the current Alpha of the large pack picked up on his scent immediately. The two wolves had fought brutally for dominance, and though Moony had appeared to be the stronger of the two, the sheer number of sired progeny gave the other wolf the advantage.

Remus had woken brutally wounded and beaten, covered in bites and scratches deeper than he'd ever given himself over the years, and in his weakened state he'd been chained and starved, then tortured for information. The only thing that offered Remus any hope in the success of his mission was that the pack believed he had been sent by You-Know-Who, which immediately made all of the wolves suspicious of the Dark Lord.

With Remus denying any and all affiliations, the pack became nervous and split off into smaller groups, the Alpha taking charge of his own heading south while three other groups headed in the opposite directions, Remus being dragged eventually to Whinfell Forest where he'd been cursed by wand and then attacked post-transformation, left to die between two trees just shy of a nearby raging river. Madam Pomfrey declared it a miracle that Mia and Sirius had found him at all. Alastor Moody declared it suspicious and put Sirius on immediate suspension pending further investigation.

The bite wounds from the other werewolves had bled Remus out, and the lack of food and poor living conditions had prevented him from properly healing even with Lycanthropy. He was weak, pale, and constantly running a fever. Worst of all, in an attempt to fight off the infections during his imprisonment, Remus had lethally depleted his magical core, making it that much harder to cope. The closer the full moon came, the more worried Remus' Pack was for him.

The worst moment came days earlier when after giving him his first dose of weekly Wolfsbane Potion, Remus began seizing, nearly falling into a coma. The Pack - now including Lily due to her familial Bond with Mia and Sirius - kept as close to Remus as possible knowing that even an unsealed Pack Bond would offer him strength. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, and when Peter came to visit, the youngest Marauder ended up on the wrong end of Sirius' wand. A duel had broken out between the two wizards over the fact that Sirius blamed Peter for Remus' condition.

"Had you not been a bloody coward and gone into the fucking forest with us to deal with Greyback, you'd have been a part of the Pack, and we might have had enough magic to save him now!" Sirius had snapped at Peter.

It had taken James and both witches to subdue the raging dark-haired wizard to allow Peter a proper escape, though Mia had only been helping in order to prevent Sirius from accidentally murdering the little rat and ending up in Azkaban years earlier, and guilty for the crime he'd eventually be framed for. At least in her future, Sirius was innocent.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," James said as he escorted the Mediwitch to the boundaries of the Manor where she could safely Disapparate away.

Anti-Apparition Wards had been stretched and erected around Potter Manor at Mia's insistence when Dumbledore had come, requesting some time alone with Remus. Mia had fought it tooth and nail, but Sirius and James both insisted that she let the wizard help if he could. When instead of offering help for the dying werewolf, Dumbledore left nothing but riddles and words of 'hope', James agreed that it was best to keep the Order out of the Manor until Remus recovered.

_...If _he recovered.

oOoOoOo

"Sirius?" Mia whispered as she sat up in Sirius' old bed inside the Manor. She gently shook her boyfriend awake, a frown that seemed permanently etched into her face made her look broken and fatigued. "Sirius, wake up."

"What is it?" The wizard groaned as he rolled over, grey eyes blinking up into the face of the young witch. "Is it Remus? Has something changed?" He asked, sitting up quickly.

"No," she slowly shook her head. "He's still..." she slowly inhaled a shaky breath. "It's four days until the full moon."

"I know," Sirius frowned.

"And Madam Pomfrey said..."

"I _know_," Sirius spoke again, this time with a sharper tone to his voice.

"Do..." Mia began but then hesitated. "Do you know that I love you?" She asked him, tears in her eyes. "Do you know that I love you more than anything else?" She leaned forward, taking his face into her hands and kissing him briefly, before pulling away, stifling a sob.

Sirius paused and looked deeply into the witch's eyes, searching for whatever it was that she was hiding behind her tears. Sirius knew that she loved him. Some days he didn't know how or why, but he knew. Godric he knew it every time she touched him and kissed him. Anytime he was inside of her, Sirius could feel the tug of the Soul Bond between them, but more than that, the way she stared deep into his eyes as though she could lose herself in them. He knew.

"What's going on?" He asked nervously.

"What would you do to save him?" She asked Sirius.

He contemplated her words for a long moment, already knowing where her thoughts were going. "I would do _anything _to save my friends," he promised her.

"_Sealed bonds of any kind, amplify our magic. It's the reason witches and wizards live generally much longer than Muggles, and why when we're injured, we can tap into our magics, and our bonds to heal ourselves," _Mia said and tears fell loose from her eyes. "Mum told me that when she... when she was explaining about the Soul Bond."

Sirius waited for the jealous feeling to burst inside his chest. When they didn't come, he looked up into Mia's eyes and swallowed hard. "You're going to seal the Pack Bond," he said aloud and watched as the witch slowly nodded.

* * *

**A/N**: And there it is. Now here's the deal my lovely readers. We knew this was going to happen. Never mind 95% of you BEGGED me to make this happen, but my Beta and I had this planned before I even started posting Part Two. It was inevitable. Now, I know that not all of you are going to like it therefore tomorrow when I update, I will be posting BOTH chapters 85 and 86. If you don't want to read the Marking Ritual where the Pack Bond is sealed, feel free to skip to Chapter 86. I'm telling you this now because I really do not want to read your complaints. One person's love is different from another's and it doesn't have to fit into a perfectly shaped box. So there's my warning, and pretty much the only one you'll get in this entire story.


	85. Chapter 85

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Remember my notes on the last chapter. If this isn't your thing, you don't have to read it, but don't ruin it for the rest of the class, LOL! I'll answer questions in the author's notes of Chapter 86 that way everyone can read them even if they're skipping this chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty-Five: Invigoration

"_...It's only half past the point of no return  
__The tip of the iceberg, the sun before the burn  
__The thunder before the lightning and the breath before the phrase  
__"Have you ever felt this way?"..."  
__(Glitter in the Air - Pink)_

* * *

**November 10th, 1978**

**Potter Manor - Temporary Residence of Remus Lupin**

And there it was.

Sealing the Pack Bond.

It had been something discussed over the years, usually in jest though Mia knew it had nearly been completed with her on several occasions during her relationship with Remus. There had been more than one tryst that ended up with Remus thrusting inside of her, teeth bared against the long expanse of unblemished shoulder, but he'd always held back. And now, when they needed the Bond, a properly _sealed _Bond to keep the werewolf alive, they weren't even dating. Worse yet, she and Sirius had been together less than a year and a good portion of that time was spent still handling several insecurities between the two.

_What if we can't survive this_? Mia wondered as she stared into the grey eyes of her wizard, her lover, the other half of her soul. But if she didn't do something drastic, Remus would die and then what? He wouldn't become the older Remus who had given her the Time-turner and she'd never have been sent back to begin with. So something clearly needed to be done. No, something already had been done. At least in 1998.

"Please say something," Mia whispered nervously, terrified that Sirius would be angry, demand that she choose. Him or Remus. Her heart wanted Sirius, forever and always, but she needed Remus to live and this seemed to be the only option. A part of her hated herself for thinking of the ritual like this, such a dire necessity, but wasn't it?

"Don't suppose we can see if Prongs wants to do it instead?" Sirius suggested with a short laugh, trying to joke his way through the tense situation he was now faced with. Mia didn't seem to respond to the attempt at humor, the stress of the moment was too great.

Sirius stood from the bed and Mia watched as he made his way to a large wooden cabinet in the corner, opening it to reveal a bottle of Firewhisky and two small tumblers. Filling the crystal glasses with the amber liquid, Sirius closed the top of the bottle and made his way back over to the bed, holding one drink out to her.

"Cheers, kitten," Sirius said and then threw back the drink quickly while she watched him with trepidation. Sirius let the liquid slide and burn its way down his throat before he brought his eyes back to the witch and smiled anxiously. "Let's go save Moony."

"Let's?" Mia questioned, raising a brow. "Let's as in 'let _us'_?"

"Well, I'll need a few more drinks first," Sirius admitted as he refilled his glass from the corner of the room. "But yes, I'm coming with you," he sighed a bit before tossing the second drink down his throat. "I may be a better man these days, a little more capable of sharing than I used to be," he conceded with a shrug of his shoulders. "But I know very few wizards who would be entirely fine with knowingly letting their witch fuck their friend down the hall."

"I was actually thinking the orchards," Mia said quietly, ignoring his crass phrasing.

"That's..." Sirius paused. "Strangely appropriate actually," he acknowledged before refilling his tumbler one last time and draining it instantly. "You going to drink that?" Sirius gestured to the tumbler in her hand that she'd yet to touch.

Mia's brown eyes looked down at the glass and she swallowed nervously before bringing the crystal rim to her lips and slowly savoring the burning liquid. "We should have done this years ago," Mia confessed. "I should have made sure it was done. Then we wouldn't even be in this mess," she sucked in a breath of air and tried to hold back her tears. "With a sealed Pack Bond, he wouldn't have been seen as a threat. He might have been welcomed as an ally instead of the spy that he was," she frowned.

"Well," Sirius sighed and stepped between her thighs, placing his hands on her shoulders where he attempted to rub the stress from them. "I can understand why Remus wouldn't want to. And maybe it should have happened when you two were together, or maybe we should have done this when Lily found out about the Pack Bond and bloody suggested that we seal it," he admitted. "But it needs to be done. I'm okay," he promised her. "But you need to get your shit together," he informed her. "Stop crying because you cannot go into his room and bring up the subject with tears in your eyes. He'll see it as a bloody pity fuck."

Mia wiped the tears from her face immediately and reached for her wand, casting a Cooling Charm on her skin to take away the swelling and blotchiness from her eyes.

"You're right, it should have been done a long time ago," Sirius acknowledged. "Frankly, I blame Prongs' prudish tendencies rubbing off on the rest of us," he smirked and Mia actually found herself laughing in reaction. "And I'd be lying if I said I haven't been curious," he admitted, but before she could think of how to reply to that, Sirius tugged on her hands and lifted her to her feet.

"Oh Merlin..." Mia immediately began to panic. "How is this even going to work? I've always assumed that when it needed to be done I'd be _alone_, or maybe one of you would be drunk and experimental, but with three... oh Godric... _three_..." she breathed in deep as she felt herself hyperventilating.

"Relax kitten," Sirius smirked. "I can count too. I'm pretty sure we can figure out the logistics as we go," he chuckled darkly, a part of him clearly becoming more and more intrigued by the idea. It should have possibly unnerved her to see the glint in his grey eyes which were slowly sparkling with silver, but in reality Sirius was right. She couldn't go into Remus' room looking like the world was ending, and she was strangely grateful for the curious arousal coming over the dark-haired wizard.

oOoOoOo

A very quick, very hot bath and a few drops of Calming Draught later and Mia stood at the entrance to Remus' room, her old bedroom where the werewolf had been resting since she and Sirius had saved him almost a month earlier. Sirius stood behind her, hands on the shoulders of the green and black robes she'd found in her mother's closet. They were long, simple and had been kept in the back of Dorea's closet, reminiscent of robes often worn during ritual magic. Mia found them to be incredibly appropriate, even if the color was likely to make both wizards raise a questioning brow at the witch.

When they entered the room, Mia and Sirius made their way to the foot of the bed where Remus slept. The fact that he didn't stir at the intrusion gave insight to his condition. Though his wounds had all healed, it was the drained magic that was killing him. Had he not had Lycanthropy, given a few months Remus would have recovered fully, but with the approaching full moon, Remus wouldn't have enough magic to survive the pain of one final transformation.

"Remus," Mia whispered his name reverently, doing her best to follow Sirius' advice and keep her worries and anxieties away from the moment.

Soft green eyes slowly opened and Remus looked up toward the foot of the bed where Mia and Sirius stood looking down at him. Immediately he caught the unease in Mia's stare, but a glance over her shoulder to Sirius' gaze showed little but determination. "What's wrong?" He asked, his attention returning to Mia.

"Are you in any pain?" She asked instantly.

Remus shook his head. "No, just... tired," he admitted. He'd been awake on and off during his recovery; if it could even be considered that anymore. The pain had gone away a week or so earlier, save for the momentary lapse when his Wolfsbane Potion basically almost poisoned him. It was the fatigue that was the hardest he was finding. Almost as if he could feel his own magic slipping away from him.

"Drink _this _then," Sirius said, stepping forward and placing an open vial into Remus' hand.

"What is it?" The werewolf asked suspiciously.

"Invigoration Draught. Concentrated," Sirius answered. "Trust me mate, you're going to need it."

"For what?" Remus asked.

"A get well soon gift," Sirius smirked and then moved back to stand behind the witch draped in black and green robes.

Remus could hear the pounding of her heart against her chest, and a nervous feeling washed over him at the look in her eye. Almost as though she were trying to overcome a deep worry by using something else, something incredibly familiar. The werewolf watched with curious interest as the dark-haired wizard stood behind Mia, slowly wrapping his arms around her body where her robes were tied. With long fingers, Sirius tugged at the strings and then very slowly he pulled at the fabric, letting it slip away from her bare, silky skin like water. First revealing the bare skin between her breasts, and the hint of her stomach and navel, and as the fabric of the robes fell to the sides revealing ample breasts Remus felt his lips part at the sight and his breath quicken.

Shocked and partially suspicious that this was a hallucination, Remus turned his attention to Sirius who was leaning against Mia, his chest pressed against her back tightly, lips mouthing the side of her neck while arms wound themselves around the witch's waist, one hand palming a creamy breast while the other slipped south and dipped into the apex of her thighs. Remus watched, confused and surprised at the sight. It was the sound of Mia gasping and the sudden smell of her arousal that focused his attention, putting the wolf inside him on edge.

If the point hadn't been clear enough to the werewolf, Sirius' eyes stared forward into Remus' as the raven-haired wizard pulled his hand away from Mia's breast and used it to tilt her head to the side, revealing her bared shoulder.

Remus' soft green eyes widened and he shook his head. "No," he insisted. "Absolutely not."

"Absolutely yes," Sirius countered. "I'd like to think I'm being very mature right now, Remus. Don't make me resort to less than honorable tactics in order to save your fucking life."

"You can't be seriously thinking..." Remus began, but Sirius cut him off.

"Get over yourself," Sirius snapped. "It needs to be done, _you _want it to be done, _we _want it to be done. The only thing standing in our way is your fear of taking the first bite - literally," Sirius rolled his eyes. "You won't hurt her."

"You don't know that," Remus shook his head.

"_I_ do," Mia spoke up, her suddenly amber eyes meeting Remus'. Unable to speak a word of the truth, she tried to convey what she could by going around the loophole in Dumbledore's spell. A part of her wanted to force the real words out of her mouth, but after collapsing at Tuts Tower months earlier, Mia was finding it more and more difficult to break through the truth spell. "Remus... I _know _you won't hurt me," she pleaded with her eyes.

"It's not just…" Remus began, unable to make eye contact with Sirius who lingered just behind the witch, continually touching her in ways that were incredibly distracting to the werewolf.

"It's not just _you _Remus," Mia frowned. "We put you in danger by letting you go off spying on other werewolves without a sealed Pack Bond. It left you vulnerable. And we're at war. What happens if one of us has to face another Pack? We'd be left similarly," she sighed. "It'll increase our magic, our ability to heal, and most importantly… right now, it'll save your life."

"And _you're _okay with this?" Remus raised a brow looking at Sirius.

"If it bothers you that much, I could always send the witch away and take care of things _myself_," the Animagus said challengingly and Remus actually snorted a small laugh in response, not overly inclined to tempt the dark-haired wizard.

"Do you trust me?" Mia asked softly.

"Yes," Remus said instantly, swallowing down his pride and fears.

"Do you _want _me?" She asked, whimpering slightly when Sirius took the moment to swipe his thumb against her clit.

The noise mixed with the heady smell of the witch caused Remus' eyes to flash amber and gold and the werewolf found himself nodding. How could he not? Briefly looking at the other wizard in the room curiously, Remus swallowed nervously and waited for the ball to drop.

"Drink the potion," Sirius instructed him. "Don't want you blacking out before it's done then, yeah?"

Remus threw back the Invigoration Draught which kicked in almost instantly, familiar energy flowing through his limbs and suddenly he found himself kneeling on the bed, facing the witch who had climbed onto the mattress with him, her silky robes pooled around her knees. Confused still and apprehensive, Remus looked over Mia's shoulder again where Sirius was breathing hot against the shell of her ear.

"Kiss him, kitten," Sirius whispered.

As if drugged by his instructions, Mia leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against Remus', taking in the familiar flavor that was distinctly him. Remus was hesitant at first, all nerves and fear of the unknown, but he fell into the kiss all too easily, groaning when he felt her tongue sweep across the seam of his lips, requesting entrance. Before she even had a chance to delve inside, Remus plunged into the heat of her mouth, drinking from her lips greedily. The hunger within him stemming from a lack of physical attention over the passing months, the approaching moon, the Invigoration Draught, and certainly, the prospect of death on the horizon added to the lack of inhibitions in the werewolf.

Mia let out a breathy sigh and Remus was suddenly aware that Sirius' hand had never left the swell between the witch's thighs. Golden eyes looked down, where he could see his friend staring at the glistening center of the whimpering witch in the werewolf's arms, a hand snaked down to unbuckled trousers where Sirius was already a step ahead, stroking his own length beneath the fabric. At the same time as his eyes drifted to Sirius, he felt a small hand rub teasingly against the growing hardness in his pajama pants and Remus felt himself growl hungrily in response. His mind was racing, searching maddeningly for a word to describe this moment.

_Complicated?_ Certainly, but not the right word.

_Stressful?_ A bit.

_Uncomfortable?_ Oddly enough, no.

He remembered Sirius' drunken confessions where the Animagus had admitted to being curious about sharing Mia between the two of them. Remus also recalled once confessing to the little witch that he'd had a fantasy about being watched while fucking her, and he blushed at the thought.

_Inevitable. _Yes, that was the word. Somehow, this moment between the three of them was just that. Inevitable.

Remus returned to Mia's lips and kissed her deeply, knowing that this moment was a sacrifice for her; opening herself up to such vulnerability. He also knew that this moment was fleeting, and he would need to take it for what it was. Remus began thrusting his tongue in and out of her mouth, nipping at her lower lip on a withdrawal, sending chills down her spine. He grinned at the way she mewled.

Suddenly the witch found herself wrapped in his arms and being lifted away from the foot of the bed and slammed down into the mattress, a golden-eyed werewolf hovering over her, his mouth lazily breathing against the skin of her shoulder. Mia froze up in anticipation of the approaching bite and she could hear Sirius chuckling from the side of the bed where he stood, staring down at her.

"Not _yet_, love," Sirius smirked at the flush on the witch's cheeks and the way the pink color on her skin spread down her neck and across her breasts. "Don't go running to the finish line," the Animagus said with an eager grin. "You let Moony and me have a little fun first."

Her amber eyes stared up into the faces of the two men and she felt herself suddenly incredibly intimidated by their presence at the same time, both looking at her with familiar gazes of love and desire. Feeling inadequate for the task at hand, Mia turned her head away from them both only to feel her chin being tilted back by Remus who stared down at her intensely. She swallowed, realizing her mistake and remembered that if the two wizards shared any one thing in common, it was that they both insisted she look at them when they pleasured her, burning the moments into her eyes so that when she reflected on it any time in the future, she would never forget that it was _them _who'd taken her to such amazing heights.

Remus' eyes pulled away from hers as the werewolf slowly fled south, lips and teeth grazing over hills and valleys of supple flesh, licking a circle around her navel before nipping lightly at her pelvis and settling comfortably in the open hollow of her thighs. The werewolf stared at her slit with a feral need, but the tattoo on her upper thigh distracted him from his prize. There, on her otherwise perfect flesh, she'd been marked by inked words reading 'Sirius'. Remus - or rather Moony - instinctively growled at the sight and could hear Sirius chuckling from above.

"Get over it, mate," the Animagus said smugly.

Mia's attention was drawn to movement at her side and her amber eyes turned and looked into Sirius' face, eyes dark with lust as he stared down at the witch, hand eagerly stroking his throbbing cock as he watched the scene before him. It was only then that Mia realized Sirius had shed himself of his clothing. Eager to level the playing field for all three of them, Mia tucked her toes into the waistband of Remus' pajamas and pushed them down around his hips, but stopped her movements when she felt a firm tongue dip into her soaking heat and then drag slowly upwards to circle around her clit with teasing precision.

She convulsed under Remus' licking, back arched and her eyes still stuck on Sirius' face, and she noticed he seemed to be curiously amused at her reactions. She had worried he would observe with jealousy, comparing the way she moaned with him to the way she moaned with Remus, something that would certainly cause a fight in the future. But instead the Animagus watched diligently with entertained interest that reminded her of the way he would pay attention in class while learning a new Charm. _Good Godric, he's taking notes for later_, Mia thought with a roll of her eyes.

"How does she taste, Moony?" Sirius whispered huskily as he leaned down by the side of the bed, hovering his bare chest over Mia, silver-grey eyes boring into her with an intensity she was not yet emotionally ready for.

"Like honey," Remus mumbled from below.

"I know," Sirius replied with a dark grin. "Not to call into question your talents there Remus, but she'd be screaming by now if _I _was down there. You going to need a hand?"

In reply, Remus seemed to growl ferally, and the clit caught in his mouth at the time reacted to the vibrations by sending a rippling heat into the witch's quim and she let out a loud cry as her body tightened in response. Her eyes narrowed up at Sirius who was beaming with excitement, laughing at her reaction despite the glare she was giving him.

"Oh, it's alright kitten," he grinned at her. "A little healthy competition is encouraging. And you certainly seem to be reaping the benefits," he said smugly before leaning down and tonguing the peak of one breast, never taking his dark eyes off of her face as he lapped at the nipple before pulling it into his mouth and suckling eagerly.

She felt the hot, tight coil inside of her twisting and twisting as the heat between her thighs grew hotter, scorching under Remus' mouth while Sirius continued to lavish attention upon her breasts with his lips, his hands threading through her mass of curls. She let out a stifled, whimpering noise that both wizards knew too well as her riding close to that delicious edge of oblivion. Sirius pulled away from her breast, leaving it wet and wanting in his absence. He hovered above her, lips barely grazing her own as he stared into her eyes with inquisitiveness as her face began to flush the closer she came to shattering.

"I wonder..." Sirius whispered curiously as her body began to shake beneath them both. "Do you think you taste different when _he _makes you come?" Sirius asked, his eyes blazing with lust.

"Oh Merlin," Mia whimpered at his words, finding herself nearly incoherent as he spoke. Normally Sirius switched between speaking and moving, teasing her with his words until satisfying her need with his body. But now, shared between the two men, she was being tended to at once by both and _good Godric_ it was almost too much.

As Sirius spoke, Remus thrust two long fingers into her tight, wet sheath and the combination of every touch, lick, and whispered word had the coil inside of her snapping, breaking, unfurling in a violent storm of pulsating pleasure. The resulting noises that escaped her mouth were claimed by Sirius as he licked them from the tip of her tongue, capturing each cry as though he were testing his most recent theory, grinning triumphantly over the results.

When they each pulled away from her quivering body, the witch was panting, quaking in the aftermath. Remus looked smug but still hungry, while Sirius looked elatedly pleased with the turn of events. That was until something occurred to him.

"So, did either of you remember to throw up a Silencing Charm?" He asked.

Mia's eyes widened and before either of them could move - or even worse, Jamie burst through the doors - she Disapparated them out of the Manor and into the orchards where she had originally planned to complete the ritual.

They landed on the soft grass beneath the large trees, and with her wand in the robes that were still pooled around her body, she cast a Warming Charm around the three of them. Her amber eyes looked skyward where above in the blackness of the night sky, the waxing moon shone down on them. Then there, just between the branches of two intertwined trees, Mia could see it. The brightest star in the sky.

"Distract her, Moony," Sirius instructed the werewolf and suddenly Mia felt hands in her hair and lips descended upon her own, tasting herself on the tongue that slipped between her lips as Remus deepened their kiss.

Her hands rubbed up Remus' bare, scarred chest, and his skin felt like beautiful braille, spelling out the history of his heroics. Mia grinned through the assault on her mouth when she felt Remus growl against her as she brushed her knuckles against one of his nipples. Eager to see how else he would react to touch, her hand dipped low and lightly touched his straining erection. Iron hard and hot to the touch, Mia gripped him tightly and felt a surge of power when he groaned in reply. Not to be outdone by the witch, Remus brought a hand down from her hair and punished her teasing by plucking at a tightened nipple.

"Stop moving so damn much," Sirius snarled from behind the witch and Mia gasped when she felt Sirius hand dip between her thighs from behind, gathering the leaking moisture from her aching core and using it to lubricate himself and his chosen entrance.

Nervous but wantonly curious, Mia didn't resist when she felt Sirius push her forward onto her hands and knees, her eyes looking up into Remus' face as he observed Sirius from over Mia's shoulders while the Animagus teased her first with his fingers and then lined himself up, slowly pushing his rigid length inside of her. The witch winced at the intrusion at first, but when she felt Sirius' fingers swoop around to her front and tease the tender flesh he found at her center, she found herself both relaxing and tightening at the same time, her body welcoming him.

"Oh fuck!" Sirius hissed, grey eyes rolling at the exquisite tight pull of her delicious body. He fought back against the burning desire to thrust and plunge and drive into her with abandon, taking instead slow, calculated moves, creating a sensual pull and push. "So... fucking... tight..." he groaned loudly as he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her from her hands until her back was flush against his smooth, marble chest. Sirius, still buried to the hilt inside of her, used a knee to spread her thighs from behind, putting her eagerly on display for Remus who knelt in front of the witch, watching with heavy-lidded eyes.

"Are you ready for this, love?" Remus asked, no amount of hesitation in his voice as he approached her, taking her face gently into his hands and looking into her eyes with pure adoration.

She felt completely dominated and yet safe at the same time. Trapped and held in place tightly by the lover at her back who was offering her up as a sacrifice to the predator at her front, his golden eyes looking her over with deep hunger and want. Unable to coherently speak with Sirius slowly pushing and pulling behind her, Mia only nodded anxiously.

Refusing to take his eyes off of hers, Remus took his cock in hand and placed the tip of it against her entrance. "Stop moving, Pads," he instructed the Animagus who halted immediately though looked a bit put out by the need to stop his movements. Slowly, watching her reaction, Remus entered her inch by excruciating inch, watching as her eyes widened and her lips parted, inhaling sharply with every new depth explored by his aching hardness. When it felt like she could take no more, Remus growled deep in his chest and thrust upwards, stretching and filling her completely. The wolf inside his head howled with a raging, needy lust and Remus could feel it, could feel the pulsating desire, not just for sex or the inevitable orgasm that was quickly building. No, he could feel the hunger, the primal need to dominate, to bite and claim and Mark, sealing his Pack together.

Unable to stand the stillness, Sirius cock twitched inside of her and almost immediately Mia found herself gripping onto Remus' shoulders to balance herself, nails digging into the flesh of his shoulders. The small movement from behind her, inside of her, nearly tipped her over the precipice of sanity. At the small flutter of her velvety walls and tight passages, both wizards bucked forward simultaneously groaning out an array of swears and gasping breaths at the clenching tightness around their throbbing cocks.

"Godric..." Remus moaned. "Never... so... tight... so... good..."

"This... fuck..." Sirius panted. "Merlin... fuck... need... coordination..." He mumbled inarticulately.

At Sirius' words, Remus nodded his head as it pressed against Mia's shoulder. Shaking with anticipation and the need to move, Remus pulled back, glancing over the witch to give Sirius the go ahead to push forward, and slowly the two found a rhythm that had them pistoning in and out of the witch who was writhing between their sweat soaked bodies.

"So good," Mia heard Remus moan as he thrust hard into her eager body, eliciting deep gasps from the witch as she grew more and more overwhelmed by the multitude of sensations overtaking her.

Sirius seemed to be agreeing with Remus' statement, though somehow the filthy talking wizard had been brought to silence save for deep, feral grunting as he continually drove into her, breathing hard against the skin of her back where he'd pause every few moments to kiss and lick at the salty skin between her shoulder blades.

"I... I can't..." Mia cried, feeling her body beginning to break down. It was too much. Too powerful, and the additional feel of magic around her only made everything feel that much more sensitive. "I need... please, Remus..." she pleaded with the werewolf, the only one who could end it, who stared into her amber eyes, his golden orbs nearly glowing in the dark.

"Do you... do you feel that?" Sirius moaned from behind the witch and both she and Remus nodded in reply. A magical silver cord wrapped around the trio tightly, squeezing, binding and pulling them. _The Pack Bond._

"Remus..." Mia moaned again and felt Sirius tilt her head to the side once more, baring her flesh to the werewolf while the Animagus captured her lips with his own in a soul searing kiss.

All three seemed to hesitate in the moment, feeling the magic building and building around them, but Remus sped up his thrusts inside of her as though working himself to the edge; a point of no return. Then it hit him all at once. His body tightened viciously as his cock swelled and then stilled within the witch, and he came. The overwhelming urge to mark her washed against his senses like a tidal wave, and he thrust forward once more, hard and deep inside her tight heat before sinking his teeth into the sweet flesh of her shoulder, breaking skin and letting the copper taste bathe his tongue.

The silver cord of the Pack Bond tightened almost painfully before releasing them all at once. The moment that Remus bit down hard, piercing her shoulder, Mia felt the hot spring inside her body burst and she clamped down, pulsing hard as she came. The strength of her climax gripped Sirius who followed both Mia and Remus over the edge, spilling himself inside of the young witch, shouting out his release as his fingers dug into her hips, unaware of the deep scar magically forming over his own bare shoulder, matching Mia's fresh wound perfectly.

In the aftermath of their ritual coupling, Mia hissed as each of the wizards pulled their softening cocks from her sore and swollen body. Knees buckling, they collapsed into a pile against the grass, legs intertwined. Wiping the blood from his mouth, Remus stared into Mia's eyes and smiled as he felt the powerful magic settle inside of him. The color had almost instantly returned to his face and the sparkle had returned to his eyes. He grinned and leaned forward, kissing the witch soundly.

"Thank you," he said to her as he broke the kiss, admiration in his eyes. Mia merely smiled brightly at the werewolf, pleased to see the life returning to him. Remus turned and looked over Mia's shoulder at the exhaustedly spent Animagus behind her. "Thank you, Pads," Remus said.

Sirius waved him off with a lazy hand before nuzzling into the nest of Mia's hair and muttering, "I should share more often," he chuckled deeply.

* * *

**A/N**: Worth the wait?


	86. Chapter 86

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** For those who decided to skip the obvious threesome scene in Chapter 85, let me summarize: Sirius, Mia and Remus sealed the Pack Bond which involved sex and Remus biting Mia. Magically when Remus bit and marked her, a matching scar appeared on Sirius' shoulder. For those paying attention, you'll remember that scar from Chapter 6.

A few questions from Chapter 84... **Kyoii**, Tonks most definitely is Remus' mate, but since he hasn't met her yet, he can still be attracted to other witches. The Marking ritual for the Pack Bond in no way changes what will happen when he is finally with Tonks. **Duner89**, The Pack consists of Remus, Sirius, Mia and James but others can be added into it. We know already that Lily is a part of the Pack simply by her provoked Familial Bond with Sirius and her technically being James' mate. Likewise, Harry is also considered Pack because he's James and Lily's son. Tonks will be Pack as well as Teddy. While they wouldn't be marked, others infected with Lycanthropy can choose to submit to Remus as their Alpha and join his Pack, much like Bill Weasley has essentially done, and you can tell in Chapter 4. **KaseyKay10**, Mia will not become a werewolf after being bitten by Remus. If anything, she could end up a bit like Bill Weasley, with some mild wolfish characteristics, but seeing as she's already a canine Animagus, they'd be a minimal change.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty-Six: Perfect Match

"_...I set out on a narrow way many years ago  
__Hoping I would find true love along the broken road  
__But I got lost a time or two  
__Wiped my brow and kept pushing through  
__I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you…"  
__(Bless the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts)_

* * *

**November 10th, 1978**

**Potter Manor - Orchards**

The physical exertion, lack of sleep, and the overwhelming surge of magic had drained the trio who now slept soundly on the grass in the orchards behind Potter Manor, limbs tangled together in a mass of pale skin. Remus' soft green eyes opened slowly at the first flutter of morning light that broke through the trees. He stared down at the witch in front of him, curled with her hands against his bare chest, pouty lips slightly parted as she took in slow, shallow breaths in her deep slumber.

Overwhelmed by his love for the girl, Remus smiled and leaned forward, placing a kiss on her forehead, letting the tips of his fingers roam over her cheeks, marveling at the magic that one witch was able to summon. There was no denying the truth. She'd saved him. She had always saved him. As though he suddenly remembered that it wasn't just Mia who'd come to his rescue, Remus' green eyes looked over the shoulder of the girl to come face to face with Sirius who was now awake and looking at Remus, arms wrapped around Mia possessively as though he were suddenly afraid the werewolf would take away his prize in the aftermath of the night before.

"Relax mate," Remus smirked. "If I was planning on stealing her away, I would have done it while you were sleeping."

Sirius snorted as though he were silently saying, 'I'd like to see you try.'

"I thought you'd admitted that sharing was nice," the werewolf teased.

"In my defense, I'd just had quite possibly the best sex of my life," Sirius huffed slightly. "It's a little... relaxing not having to do all the work," the Animagus admitted with a slight chuckle.

"Lazy arse," Remus smirked.

"The aftermath however is a little..." Sirius struggled for the words as the chuckle all but disappeared from his voice. "Jarring."

Remus laughed quietly and looked back down at the witch in Sirius' protective embrace. He smiled fondly at the girl, and then at the couple in general before his eyes looked back to his friend. "I still can't believe you were willing to seal the _Pack _Bond before your _Soul _Bond."

Sirius raised a brow. "We both had sex with Mia last night, at the same time, and what you can't believe is that she and I haven't sealed our Soul Bond?"

"You're supposed to be with her," Remus replied with a smile, once again grazing the curves of the witch's face with his fingers. Sirius leaned over, watching closely as though he were trying to see if Mia reacted in her sleep to Remus' touch. When she didn't, he seemed to sigh in relief.

"Well, if we had sealed our Soul Bond you'd probably still be laying in bed all sickly grey and dying wouldn't you?" Sirius smirked.

"No," Remus shook his head. "She still would have sealed the Pack Bond," he replied, not bringing his eyes back to Sirius who he knew was probably questioning the truth of the statement. Remus knew Mia. She was his best friend and would sacrifice anything for him. Even if she hadn't wanted to save Remus, she would have sealed it to secure the future. "Last night wasn't about sex."

"Sure felt like sex to me," Sirius chuckled.

"Bonds are all about intentions, Sirius," Remus rolled his eyes at his friend. "You know that. She came to me with the intention of sealing the Bond, cementing the Pack. If it had been about signing a document or sacrificing a chicken, she would have done it." His eyes raked over the healing wound on her shoulder. When he'd imagined this moment, he had worried so often that he'd see that mark and feel disgusted with himself, but now, looking at the wound he felt possessive, powerful, and an all-consuming responsibility not just for the witch, but for everyone connected to the Pack. Sirius, James, and Lily, not to mention the few glimpses of the future Mia had allowed him to be privy to. His own future mate, and Harry.

"It just so happens that sealing the Pack Bond involved sex," Sirius smirked. "Wish Soul Bond sealing was that easy."

"Werewolves, mate," Remus shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, bloody werewolves," the Animagus chuckled and then grinned when Mia rolled over in his arms, turning away from Remus and snuggling into his body. Sirius took a sharp breath, letting the moment wash over him as a warmth settled in his chest. She couldn't have known what her sleep ridden movements meant to him. That in the aftermath of such an intense night, she'd unconsciously chosen him instead of Remus.

"So why haven't you done it?" Remus asked, not appearing to care about the way the witch cuddled in her lover's arms. "Why haven't you sealed your Bond?"

"If it was just sex I'd have no problem with it," Sirius admitted. "But... marriage?" He almost laughed. "Merlin, I'm surprised I can put pants on every morning. And sometimes I don't even bother with _that_, just ask Lily and Prongs," he smirked deviously. "Besides... there's still this... this fear that even after sealing it... she'll want... you," Sirius admitted looking up at his friend.

"She doesn't love me," Remus replied. "Not like that. It's always been you."

"Are you mental?" Sirius raised a skeptical brow. "You were her first boyfriend..."

"Because _you _walked away," Remus argued.

"She lost her virginity to you..."

"Because _you _were busy sleeping with every Ravenclaw in the castle," the werewolf countered.

"Anytime she and I... for whatever reasons," Sirius sighed. "She went back to _you_. It's _always _been you."

"Until it wasn't," Remus replied with an understanding smile. "In the end she chose you. She _really _chose you. Not because it was Fate or destiny, but because she loved _you _more."

"Well, it sure took her long enough," Sirius pouted and Remus frowned. Clearly the Animagus had been holding this all in for a long time with no one to properly talk to. Not with James being Mia's brother, and Remus being involved with the witch. He imagined Sirius could have opened up to Lily, but she did have a habit of blushing at the more scandalous aspects of Sirius' relationships.

"She was with me because I was safe," Remus confessed. "She and I both knew that we weren't mates. I'm the person that she could trust with her life and her heart while she waited for you to get your shit together. While she waited for you, she wasn't lonely with me, and we both took advantage. Pads, we've been through this before. Why do I have to constantly repeat myself?"

"Because I saw her last night, and I can't help but feel a little... inadequate," Sirius sighed shamefully at the admission. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not jealous. I've never really been jealous, strangely enough. Not with her. Not with you," he shook his head. "I would have stepped aside you know, let her be with you forever."

"I know," Remus nodded.

"Moony, she'd do absolutely anything for you," Sirius sighed. "And that's kind of what scares me."

"Yes," Remus nodded. "But she would do _everything _for you."

"And you know this because you know all her secrets?" Sirius scoffed.

"Don't be bitter," Remus frowned. "I'm getting up. In desperate need of a bath," he glanced over his shoulder to the sounds of the nearby river and grinned. "I bet my magic's strong enough again I could wandlessly cast a Warming Charm over the water," he said with confidence, the color in his cheeks signifying a level of health that Remus hadn't experienced long before he was attacked by the werewolf packs.

He turned back and saw Sirius move to get up and Remus shook his head. "No, you stay with her. She needs to wake up next to you. She needs you to tell her that you were okay with what happened last night," he insisted firmly. "That you don't think badly of her, and that you're not going to run out on her. You need to take care of her now. She needs to know how you feel, Pads."

"I'm not good with feelings, Moony," Sirius groaned, pressing his forehead into the shoulder of the warm witch as though he could hide from his problems.

"Deal with it," Remus growled and moved to stand up. "That's an order if you can't take the hint. All official now, Alpha approved and everything," the werewolf smirked.

"You going to hold the whole Alpha thing over my head forever now?" Sirius cocked a brow.

"Only if I have to," Remus grinned and then sauntered off toward the river.

oOoOoOo

Mia's brown eyes opened to the light of the morning, the warmth of the body next to her was comforting and she snuggled into the sweet embrace and breathed in. Parchment, grass, and Firewhisky. Without looking up at him, Mia leaned forward and placed a kiss to the hollow of his throat and smiled when she felt him nuzzle into her hair.

"Did it work?" She whispered.

"Yes," Sirius nodded. "Either that or Remus has decided that skinny dipping in the river is his dying wish," he chuckled and Mia laughed softly, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

Suddenly the previous night came back in flashes and Mia swallowed hard. A delicious ache had settled between her thighs acted as a quick reminder of their activities and the witch blushed in response. Unfortunately, the potential consequences of said activities began listing in her head in alphabetical order. _Anger, Brawling, Contention, Disputes..._ by the time she reached _Pregnancy _and remembered that Sirius had cast a Contraceptive Charm on her before they'd gone into Remus' room, she'd driven herself to three separate panic attacks.

"Stop worrying, love," a husky voice spoke from behind her. Mia turned her head and smiled up softly as her eyes gazed into endless silver-grey depths. "I can hear your brain working itself into a frenzy," the dark-haired wizard said.

"Are _we _okay?" She asked immediately, worry sinking into the pit of her stomach like a rock. She brought her hand up to gently touch his cheek, smiling softly as she rubbed her thumb across the bit of early morning stubble there.

Sirius leaned down and kissed her warmly. "We're perfect, kitten," he promised.

"Are you sure?" Mia asked nervously. "I don't want you to think that last night was anything but..."

"It was magic," Sirius confessed and Mia couldn't help but agree.

Having slept with both wizards in the past, Mia thought she knew what she was getting into when she had suggested sealing the Pack Bond, though she'd naturally been uneasy about being with both at the same time. And as much as her body was now reminding her of their activities, she couldn't help but remain focused on the magic of it all. The feel of the Pack Bond solidifying around them. The way the wound in her shoulder didn't hurt but seemed to tingle and make her feel connected. The silver string she'd seen so often during meditative states was now palpable inside her consciousness and she could follow it easily now.

"But it was also more than just a ritual to save Remus," Sirius continued. "I _know _that."

"No, it was..." Mia tried to argue, not wanting Sirius to think that she had lingering amorous feelings for her best friend.

"It was goodbye."

"What?" Mia's eyes widened.

"The two of you needed closure, one final moment, and I think I needed to see it," Sirius admitted with a slight frown as though he were embarrassed about such a weakness. "See for myself the connection between the two of you, and... and understand that what _you and I _have is stronger," he said confidently and Mia smiled at his words. "I know I'm not good with words unless I'm using them to make people angry, or... frankly to get you off," he chuckled and Mia flushed pink. "Which, for the record, is incredibly easy."

"Sirius..." she narrowed her eyes.

"I know I've only said it casually, and never clear enough that you'd understand completely," he took in a slow and deep breath and then stared into her eyes. "But... I love you," he declared and Mia audibly gasped at the sudden announcement.

Staring into his eyes, she could see the vulnerability, the openness that Sirius had never been known to display. A part of her briefly understood how Sirius could be terrible at Occlumency. When his walls broke, they were shattered and she knew that she'd have no resistance whatsoever if she attempted Legilimency on him right then. But she'd never do such a thing, especially not now.

"It's bloody terrifying and painful," Sirius said, putting a hand over his bare skin where her name was visibly inked into him, just there over his heart. A drunken laugh turned permanent romantic gesture. If Mia hadn't known Sirius better, she'd have thought he had planned it out all along. "And most days when I look at you, I feel like my chest is crushing down on me unless I say something, and I still usually choose not to say anything."

"Why?" She asked with a frown, tracing the edges of his lips with her finger, smiling softly when he paused to kiss the tip.

"Stubborn pride?" Sirius shrugged.

"I love you too, Sirius."

"More than Remus?" He asked, teasingly of course, as he raised a brow at her.

"Prat," Mia rolled her eyes, slapping his chest which only prompted him to grasp her hands and flip her onto her back. Sirius grinned down at the witch as he positioned himself above her, slender wrists caught in his much larger hands, and that typical smug smirk on his face that was silent praise to himself for catching his prize.

"So was last night a thing of poetry?" He chuckled, leaning down to place open mouthed kisses along the length of her collar bone. "Isn't _that _how sex with Remus is supposed to be? I have to admit, I'm feeling a little let down. I wasn't romanced in the slightest."

Mia blushed a bit at the memory of Remus and Sirius surrounding her body, pressed tightly between them. She recalled years earlier in the basement of Grimmauld Place when she'd first seen Sirius' Pack Mark. He'd shown herself, Harry and Ron while they all argued with Remus over the fact that only a fully transformed werewolf could pass along Lycanthropy.

_"Moony, if saliva, semen or blood transferred your furry little problem to others, then I'd have a furry little problem of my own!"_ The older Sirius had yelled at his worried friend, not catching his words or the shocked looks on the teenagers faces that surrounded him. Sirius had blinked a few times trying to understand their expressions before clarifying. _"It was like a blood brothers thing,"_ He had cleared his throat nervously. _"Like Muggles do. Not with . . . semen, you know . . . nothing with that."_

_Fucking liar_, Mia thought smugly.

She audibly chuckled at her boyfriend. "I think last night was a little more... rock and roll than poetry."

"I'm good at _that_," Sirius grinned. "Can't quote Lord Brian to save my life."

"Lord _Byron_," Mia corrected him.

"See? I'm rubbish," he smiled and leaned up, gesturing a hand forward to pull a few fallen leaves from the tangles of her hair. "But give me some good lyrics and I could make your skin sing if I wanted to."

"Is that so Mister Black?" Mia rose a delicate eyebrow.

He narrowed his grey eyes. "You doubt me?"

"I challenge you," she said with a defiant grin that he'd come to know so well over the years.

Suddenly Sirius was hovering over her body, his pale frame glowing with the empyrean light of the sunrise behind him, his ebony hair a stark contrast to the surrounding illumination and the very color of his skin, tainted by ink as black as his locks and a variety of pink and silver scars. He no longer looked at the blemishes on her body, caused by dark magic, unfortunate distractions and miscalculated Apparitions as something to be horrified over. Now, especially with matching werewolf bite wounds to their shoulders, they seem to match more perfectly than ever before.

"_Night visions of fantasies are laying in bed with me,_" Sirius whispered to her, his voice husky to the point where she could feel the vibrations in the air and on the breath that brushed against her ear and down the side of her neck. "_In the dark I can see you smiling_," he grinned at her, and her mind drew a blank at the variety of poems, proverbs and quotes in her head that described how he made her feel. It took the witch less than a minute to remember that his love wasn't delicate poetry, it was lyrical, calloused and unyielding.

"_You touch my body and set my soul on fire_," Sirius said, and Mia could feel his mouth hovering just beneath her ear, not kissing - despite how badly she wanted him to - and his hands drifted, ever so slowly south as though he meant to set her skin aflame the way he proclaimed she ignited his very soul.

"_I can see morning light, the sun is rising, shining in your eyes_." And suddenly he kissed her. Finally kissed her and somehow everything was different in that one kiss. They'd shared a thousand by that point. From that first - and second - kiss in the caved-in passage on the fourth floor leading up from Hogsmeade, to his bedroom at Potter Manor, the fifth floor corridor of Hogwarts, to the copper clawfoot bathtub they shared at 93 Diagon Alley. But this one... this one was different.

The golden string of their Soul Bond that was normally alight whenever they touched was still vibrating, tugging, pulling on her from somewhere deep inside, but it was no longer the musical equivalent of a fiddle with some invisible force (most likely Fate) plucking at the string to elicit sound. Rather someone had gently, but purposely, taken a bow and was sliding it across the string like a properly wielded violin and played, turning to sound the variety of shades of grey in Sirius' eyes, the exact scent of grass, parchment and leather she smelled when she breathed him in. And somehow, in the back of that song, she could even taste the lingering Firewhisky.

"_Suddenly you're gone and I'm left here all alone_," Sirius continued speaking to her, and somehow her heart was so full that she had almost forgotten where his hands had traveled, and instead of someone playing the golden string of their Soul Bond, he was playing her like a Stradivarius, performing Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake while somehow simultaneously whispering punk rock lyrics in her ear, from an all-girl band at that, and _Oh Godric, he's multi-tasking so well_, she thought as his teeth found her lip the very same moment that his fingers brushed teasingly against her clit.

She writhed. He chuckled. She whimpered. He groaned.

"_I know you're here, I can feel your presence_." Sirius kissed a trail along her jawline back up to her ear. "_And that sound you're making_," he grinned as his fingers circled her entrance, never penetrating, but instead basking in the delight that she was lavishly wet, and with Remus vanished from the scene, that meant every ounce of the reaction was _just _for him. "_It's getting me so hot_," he breathed and they both hissed when he found himself suddenly inside her, right where he belonged.

Her nerves lit on fire, her body throbbing and aching and still responding with eagerness to his touch. Every thrust looked to be her complete undoing and every withdrawal left her nearly in tears.

"_Am I dreaming? Were you really here?_" He kept speaking to her, and music wasn't needed, though she couldn't help but wonder if the beat to the song is harder, rougher than what he was currently doing to her. Somehow Sirius found a perfect line between soft and hard, and he was perfecting it. "_Is it just a fantasy? Or am I dreaming?_" He asked and suddenly she was pulled from the ground, into his arms as he sat back on his calves.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, chest pressed against chest with leaves scattered in their hair she couldn't help but imagine that they looked like woodland nymphs. Or maybe just her. She was the wood nymph Echo, and the beautiful man driving into her with abandon was her Narcissus. Only instead of sorrow and heartache, they'd changed the story and cursed the Gods and suddenly she understood. _This _was what they'd always meant to be. _Knowing. Willing. Loving._ Requirements for the Soul Bond were so specific and they'd never both been completely on the same page until now. Finally given a choice, they'd chosen one another and Soul Bond was merely a word that defined this feeling, this moment.

Sirius shouted his climax against the hollow of her throat and Mia cling to him with all her might as she undulated around his still thrusting hardness. In the aftermath, she could hear nothing but the sound of his breath, the beat of his heart, and the rushing of the river in the distance.

"I love you, witch," Sirius said in between catching his breath.

"I love you, mutt," Mia smirked and kissed his temple.

"So this is what I've got to look forward to?" A voice interrupted their post coital bliss and Mia looked over Sirius' shoulder and laughed into the crook of his neck at the sight of Remus, staring at them with a raised brow, freshly bathed from the river and looking amused at the position in which he'd caught them. "The two of you unashamedly going at it in broad daylight?"

"To be fair Moony," Sirius said as he pulled away from the witch, but just enough to still cover her modesty and keep the wolf at his back. "It's nothing you haven't already seen."

"Are the two of you alright then?" Remus asked, averting his gaze as best as he could while the other two did the same considering they'd Apparated into the orchard with no clothing save for Mia's now torn black and green robes that had been shoved to the side in the middle of the night.

"We're great Remus, thank you," Mia said honestly and leaned in to kiss Sirius as though sealing her words with a promise.

"No, thank _you_, love," Remus said and his soft green eyes met hers, filled with nothing but gratitude. His gaze lingered over the wound on her shoulder and there was only a brief moment of regret, but it was nothing like he thought it would be. Instead of the worry about possibly infecting her, he was only sorry that she would have to let it heal naturally, and that upon sight others might not understand what it means. Remus was, however, grateful, and strangely proud to see the matching mark on Sirius. It was a reminder that what happened between the three of them was a ritual. A magical binding, something powerful and sacred and it filled him with pride and honor that he was loved by them both that much.

"No, thank _you _Sirius," the Animagus interrupted the revered thoughts sarcastically. "You're such a wonderful lover and so very generous when it comes to sharing your witch. What? You saved your best friends life? How noble and handsome you are! The songs people will sing about your legend will be legendary!"

"Ugh, get dressed," Mia laughed and shoved at Sirius' chest. "We need to inform everyone that Remus isn't dying."

"Dressed with _what_, kitten?" Sirius looked around, and smirked when he caught the look in Mia's eyes as she realized just exactly how naked the three of them were, and somehow in broad daylight - as Remus so kindly pointed out moments earlier - she'd found her inhibitions once more and squeaked before trying to cover her exposed bits, causing both wizards to laugh at the unnecessary display.

"Remus tear up my robes," Mia gestured to the black pile of fabric at the foot of a nearby tree. "I'll transfigure something for each of us I suppose."

oOoOoOo

Minutes later the trio made their way to the Manor, Sirius wrapped around the little witch who was draped in a transfigured bit of black cloth that looked more like the leather skirt they'd had her wear to the Black Sabbath concern a year earlier, her top resembling one of Mary's bikinis. Remus and Sirius each wore a set of black and green loose trousers, but there hadn't been enough fabric to create shirts, so the wizards remained bare-chested.

"Do you think Lily and Jamie are awake yet?" Mia asked and before either wizard could reply, they came face to face with an annoyed looking redhead and James who looked quite a bit less irritable than any of them imagined he would after waking to discover his sister, best friend and dying mate gone from the Manor.

"Oh, I think that's a distinct possibility," Lily answered Mia's question, arms folded angrily over her chest.

"Why are you three naked?" James asked warily.

"We're sort of clothed," Mia shrugged.

"Oh Merlin..." the messy-haired wizard groaned.

"Remus, are you... you're _alright_?" Lily asked, her green eyes alight with hope, sparkling like emeralds in the light of the risen sun.

The werewolf grinned at the ginger witch. "Never been better Lils."

"Thank Merlin," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I can't tell you how happy that makes me. We were all so worried," she rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her friend and hugging him tightly. James doesn't object to the scene, instead deciding to focus intently on his bare feet.

"I'm sorry," Remus frowned as Lily pulled away, tears in her eyes.

"It's not your fault," she insisted. "But now you're better, and I suppose seeing you healthy, and the three of you looking well..." she turned and eyed Mia and Sirius, subconsciously counting the number of leaves stuck in their hair. "Like you do... that explains a lot."

"Explains _what _exactly?" Sirius asked curiously as Lily returned to James' side, appearing annoyed once again.

"_This_," she said and tugged on James' shirt, baring his left shoulder, now blemished with the silvery-pink scar of what looked to be a bite wound.

Mia's eyes widened at the sight and she instantly felt her face flush. At the exact same time, the Potter siblings avoided eye contact as each recalled previously awkward conversations where Mia had to explain in detail to her brother exactly what it would take to seal the Pack Bond. Somehow in the worry of figuring out how to save Remus' life as quickly as possible, Mia and Sirius had forgotten that their original Pack consisted of not three, but four members and when properly sealed, they were all connected, not just those present for the actual sealing ritual.

Sirius' smug face was not helping the awkward tension coming off of James and Mia in the slightest. Nor was his excited declaration of, "Hey! Look Prongsie! We match!" As he gestured to his own Pack Mark with delight.

* * *

**A/N**: Sirius has no shame. I adore that about him.


	87. Chapter 87

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I am thrilled with the response that came from Chapters 85 and 86! You people are amazing and I love you all! **catchmydrift95**, Part Three is called 'The Promise' and Part Four is 'The Soul Bond'. **apriljunemay**, the wandless magic was taught while the A.D. was still together at Hogwarts. It was briefly mentioned but never actually written out. Sirius has been using wandless magic since then though to light his cigarettes with wandless bluebell flames.

The following chapter is one of my all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty-Seven: Understandably Bitter

_"...I knew I loved you before I met you_  
_I think I dreamed you into life_  
_I knew I loved you before I met you_  
_I have been waiting all my life..."_  
_(I Knew I Loved You - Savage Garden)_

* * *

**December 13th, 1978**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Sirius Black, Mia Potter and Remus Lupin**

Following the Marking Ritual that sealed the Pack Bond, Remus had never looked healthier. Initially, some had been concerned that the sharing of magic among members of the Pack would mean that others would be left depleted but, as a stark contrast, it seemed somehow that they instead fueled one another. Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding Remus' sudden leap off of Death's door left the Order members suspicious, not the least of whom was Alastor Moody who agreed to take Sirius back as an Auror, but put him through hell for keeping secrets from his boss and mentor. To compensate for his sacrifice at work Sirius was greeted at home each night with a plate of chocolate covered éclairs from a Muggle pastry shop that Mia had found while browsing for Christmas presents.

It wasn't the only gift that Sirius had been given by the suddenly insatiable witch. Peter's absence went beyond Remus' health crisis and when the werewolf inquired as to the whereabouts of their young friend, Sirius' reply was, "Fuck _him_." Mia had to be coy about rewarding her wizard for the crass verbal assault against the person she hated most in this timeline, and though he didn't question the reason he found his girlfriend wearing nothing but his leather jacket in their bed one night, the tattoo of his name on her upper thigh prominently displayed, Sirius appreciated the gesture regardless.

Somehow despite the war, despite the stress of suddenly being adults in a world where they all wanted to cling a little longer to the innocence of adolescence, the Marauders and Mia, or well... the Pack, had never been happier as a whole. James and Lily rarely found their way outside Potter Cottage, and no one had the interest of disturbing the young pair by Flooing in at random without prior notice. Unfortunately for Remus he lived with the other disturbingly amorous couple in his Pack, and avoidance was nearly impossible when Sirius Black had little to no shame and even less understanding of what 'shared living space' should not be used for.

"The least the two of you could do is reverse positions so I have a better view." Remus yawned, making his way into the small kitchen and stepping over the two bodies that were wrapped around one another on the floor. By the position of the table cloth pooled near their heads, he could only assume that the current - or (considering the way Sirius was trying to catch his breath) recent - tryst began on the table. "No offense Pads, but I've seen enough of your pasty pale arse to last me several lifetimes."

"Sorry Remus," Mia laughed, glad that she was at least mostly dressed.

Sirius grinned as he stood and pulled his jeans back up around his hips, watching with amusement as the little witch sighed with satisfaction at the sight of him, bare-chested in Muggle jeans. "My deepest apologies Mister Moony," Sirius made a low, dramatic bow of remorse. "But I simply couldn't help myself," he said and reached down to pull Mia to her feet, stopping only to plant a kiss to the side of her neck just over the Pack mark. "The little witch seduced me by saying 'good morning'," he said with a wink tossed in her direction.

Mia replied by rolling her eyes at him and kissing Remus good morning on the cheek before moving to put the kettle on the stove.

"Well, if _that's _all it takes," Remus folded his arms across his chest as he stared at his raven-haired flatmate. "I'm shocked that _you and I_ haven't been shagging for the past eight years, Sirius."

"I also poured him a cup of coffee," Mia smirked as she passed by both wizards again, tugging down the red and gold Quidditch jersey that served as her night clothes, grateful in this moment that it at least covered the upper half of her thighs.

"Ah, and therein lies the secret key to unlocking the famous chastity belt of one Sirius Black," the werewolf said sardonically. "I'll be certain to avoid offering him coffee in the future lest I be shagged in the kitchen. Maybe just stick to tea?" He suggested with a raised brow.

Sirius barked a laugh. "No can do Moony my friend, offering me tea implies a blowj-"

"Hush!" Mia hissed as she leapt at Sirius, wrapping her hand tightly around his unfiltered mouth. She blushed profusely and Remus laughed at the color before turning back into the kitchen and digging around for something to eat. The witch glared at her boyfriend who looked far too pleased with himself.

"Godric, don't even tell me what _pumpkin juice _might signify," Remus laughed and then winced as a sharp pain shot through him.

Instinctively, whether by their own will or driven by the Pack Bond, Mia and Sirius found themselves closed in on the werewolf, offering support and magic should he have need of it. The full moon was the following night and it would be only the second one since the Bond had been sealed; they all still had a habit of worrying about Remus' transformations, especially since he had come so close to death not a month earlier.

"How are you feeling?" Mia asked with a frown, brushing hair from Remus' forehead affectionately, noting that Sirius was busying himself behind her, pouring their flatmate a tall glass of pumpkin juice. "Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"

"No, thank you, love," Remus smiled at her, kissing her forehead and then gratefully accepting the drink from Sirius. After drinking it down quickly, Remus knelt down in front of the cabinet under the sink where he kept an emergency stash of chocolate for the bad days. "Feeling a bit under the weather. Let's save the big meals for _after _the moon. I might just take some Sleeping Draught and go back to bed to be honest. I hate pre-moon symptoms. If it's not the agitation and jitters, it's the bloody headaches."

"Go and take a hot bath in the big tub in our bathroom," Mia insisted, all but shoving him out of the kitchen and down the hallway. "It'll help relax you."

Remus made a face at the suggestion. "When was the last time it was Scourgified?"

"Go," the curly-haired witch narrowed her eyes at him and smiled when Remus laughed softly at her. "I'll run down and get you some of that Christmas fudge they've been selling over at Sugarplum's Sweets Shop."

"And some Pumpkin Pasties?" Remus asked, his eyes bright with hope.

"And some Pumpkin Pasties," Mia nodded.

"And some Cauldron Cakes?" Sirius shouted from the kitchen.

"Do I look like a house-elf to you?" Mia snapped back at her boyfriend as she rounded the corner.

"You're getting _Remus _a bunch of treats," he said, pretending to pout. "I just shagged the daylights out of you, quite well I might add if the noises you were making were any indication," the Animagus waggled his eyebrows, "what do _I_ get for all my hard work?"

"You got coffee."

oOoOoOo

**Diagon Alley - Sugarplum's Sweets Shop**

Mia stepped into the sweets shop and smiled looking around knowing that she was smart to have come alone. Fully grown men and yet Remus and Sirius would eagerly empty their Gringotts vaults to buy out the entire store. If she did anything these days for the boys, it was act as their impulse control monitor.

Loading her basket with Christmas Fudge, Pumpkin Pasties and Cauldron Cakes, Mia paid for her treats with a happy smile to the clerk behind the counter, took her bags in hand and headed for the door when suddenly a shocking sight had her stopped in her tracks. There before her was a generously curved woman pushing a large pram, followed behind by two young boys, another on her hip all with familiar flaming red hair.

"Pleeeease Muuuum!" The eldest boy whined loudly, dragging his feet as though he were ready to throw a tantrum at any moment should his mother give a proper signal. He was tall for his age, which Mia guessed had to have been about eight. "If you get me a Chocolate Frog today, I won't ask for anything else for Christmas!" He declared and then threw himself to the ground.

"William Weasley," the witch turned around and put one hand on her hip, the other adjusting the two year old in her grip, firm eyes looked down at the whining son, William - or Bill as Mia would later known him - and she set her mouth in a firm line. "You get up off that floor right this second young man! I will not reward poor behavior!"

"Told you it wouldn't work," muttered the six year old as he looked down at his elder brother who stood with a pout on his face, dirt on his cheek and a dragon on his hand-me-down shirt.

"Muuuum..." Bill wailed as Molly Weasley continued to ignore her son's plight. "If you don't get me a Chocolate Frog, I'll... I'll... I'll never cut my hair again!" He threatened.

Mia snorted at the sight recalling a future long-haired and pierced Bill Weasley.

"Fine," Molly shrugged her shoulders, not giving in to his threats. "I've always wanted a daughter, and you'll make such a pretty little girl," she cooed at him and grinned when Bill recoiled in horror. "Now the two of you behave yourselves while I order your father's Christmas gift," the ginger witch insisted as she turned, pushed the pram ahead of her toward the counter.

Mia couldn't help but lean around a nearby shelf to peek into the carriage where she spotted two sleeping identical babies.

"How come _Dad _gets sweets for Christmas?" Bill continued to press his luck.

"Because one sweet deserves another," Molly said with a mild blush.

Mia couldn't help but grin at the sight. Being friends with Arthur in this timeline and knowing the love he had for his wife was adorable, and seeing her reciprocate that - to her children no less - was nothing if not enlightening.

"If you behaved yourselves for once, you'd learn that good behavior is rewarded. Now stand right there and don't move," Molly ordered the boys.

Mia watched closely as Fred and George slept soundly in their pram, the quiet toddler version of Percy sat obediently on his mother's hip, thumb stuck firmly in his mouth. Her gaze drifted down to the two small boys who were whispering conspiratorially to one another, Bill was clearly the ringleader as Charlie just grinned and eagerly nodded to everything his elder brother suggested.

The sight was too surreal and Mia wasn't certain if she could handle a face to face meeting with Molly Weasley should she stick around, so the brunette witch headed for the door. Just as she made her way close to the exit, she felt a small tug on her robes and turned to see the two little ginger boys with sad looks on their faces, appearing the proper paupers that Draco Malfoy had always accused them of being.

"'Scuse me Ma'am," Bill said, batting his big eyes up at her. "Could you spare a few Sickles for two starving orphans?"

"We're ever so hungry," Charlie frowned, wrapping his arms around his stomach as though suffering from starvation.

_You have got to be kidding me,_ Mia thought, stifling her laughter.

"Orphans you say?" Mia knelt down in front of them and frowned. "How awful. Perhaps I could help you find a new family," she suggested and watched with a glint in her eyes as both Bill and Charlie suddenly saw the flaw in their plan. "I see you've both a lovely shade of red hair, perhaps that kind looking ginger witch over there with the three other children would like to adopt you," she said, gesturing to Molly who was haggling over the price of what sounded like some Muggle imported candies from America.

"Oh no Ma'am, she seems quite awful," Bill insisted.

"Terrible really," Charlie nodded.

"Looks like a right wicked one, she does," Bill said emphatically.

Mia wanted to burst into laughter at the way they finished one another's sentences, much like their younger brother's would do one day in the future. She couldn't help but wonder if Ginny had been a boy, if she would have been closer to Ron like each set of brother - save for Percy - was. "Tell you what?" Mia smirked at the pair. "Even though I know you're lying little monsters, I'll give you a few coins on one condition."

"Really?" Bill gaped.

"That worked?" Charlie stared.

"Hardly," Mia said, rolling her eyes. "But it _is _Christmas after all. Here," she reached into her purse and pulled out a small stack of Sickles, handing them over to the eldest Weasley boy. "It's enough for three licorice wands."

"Or one box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans," he grinned greedily as he eyed the coins in his hand.

"Three licorice wands," Mia insisted. "Give one to that little brother of yours," she said, gesturing to Percy, knowing that it was rare for him to get any type of special treatment from his brothers. If Arthur's tales were accurate, Bill and Charlie were proper nightmares to their little brother. "And also promise to behave yourselves for the rest of the day. Your Mum looks quite tired, and good little wizards take care of their Mums, right?"

Charlie shrugged as though the thought had never occurred to him. "I guess."

"What my little brother means to say is thank you," Bill said, eyeing Charlie with mild disdain as though he were aware that the witch could snatch back the gifted coins easily.

"You're welcome," Mia smiled brightly down at the boys, an old familiar familial feeling washing over her. She could almost envision the Burrow and the wonderful smells that came out of it. Molly Weasley's cooking was high on a list of things she missed most from 1998. "Happy Christmas," she said to them both before gathering her bags and leaving the shop.

Lost in thoughts of the 1990's, summers at the Burrow and the family that had all but adopted her into the Wizarding world, Mia wasn't paying attention to where she was going. Unfortunately, neither was the small witch that crashed right into her.

"Whoops, sorry!" A small voice called up just as Mia braced herself against the brick wall of the building, looking down at the back of a small head of black hair belonging to a little girl who was now kneeling on the ground having collided with it.

"Are you alright?" Mia asked quickly, leaning down to offer a hand to the girl.

"Sure am," the five-year-old declared, taking Mia's extended hand and then releasing it upon standing to dust off her clothes. "When you're dead clumsy you learn to be res-res-resilient," she smiled up at Mia with a toothy grin though the center two teeth were presently missing. "That's what my Dad calls me. Says I got enough scar tissue to make myself a good set of armor. See?" She said proudly, gesturing to the patches of scars on her knees. Just as she looked away from Mia, her head of black hair quickly turned brown and then blonde in an instant.

Mia's mouth fell open. "Tonks?" She uttered quietly.

"Do we know you?" Another voice spoke, pulling Mia from her gaping stare and her amber eyes turned to see an image that startled her. Black shiny hair and deep-set eyes, though these were kind as opposed to angry and insane. The witch in front of her wore a long black dress beneath her robes, her hair pulled back in a tight knot with perfectly set curls that reminded Mia immediately of her late mother Dorea.

"You must be Andromeda," Mia smiled brightly at the older witch who looked the perfect picture of what a Pure-blood witch should be, save for the Half-blood child now dangling off of her arm, sticking her tongue through the gap in her teeth, clearly bored and easily distracted.

"Do I know you?" Andromeda raised a questioning brow, her attention turning briefly to her daughter before a protective blaze reflected in her eyes as they returned to Mia.

"Sorry, umm... I recognized you because... well..." Mia frowned.

"Ah, you must be acquainted with my sister, Bella," Andromeda sighed. Clearly she spent a great deal of time being mistaken for her crazier sister.

"_Acquainted_ is such a strong word," Mia snorted.

"Is there a better one?"

Mia smirked. "Well, she once threatened my life at a wedding."

Andromeda seemed unaffected by this statement and Mia grinned at the composure of the woman. "And how did _you _respond?"

"I reciprocated her kind offer," Mia admitted casually with just a hint of smugness.

The wary look on Andromeda's face fell away and the woman beamed at Mia. "You're Mia Potter, aren't you?" She chuckled softly and extended a hand to the younger witch. "Call me Dromeda please," she said calmly, before reaching forward and pulling her daughter up and away from accidentally tripping over the uneven cobblestone. "We're practically family, after all."

"We _are _family, in fact. My mother was Dorea Black," Mia said proudly.

Andromeda frowned. "I know. I'm sorry to hear about your parents. The Wizarding world is much worse off without them in it. Your mother was always very kind to me, especially after..." her black eyes drifted down to her daughter who was now sporting a familiar shade of pink hair.

"And you must be Nymphadora," Mia smiled as she looked down at the child who turned and snarled at her like an animal. Mia was briefly taken back and stood up tall, casting a confused glance to Andromeda who was rolling her eyes, embarrassed.

"Ignore the growling, it's a strange phase she's going through. She prefers to be called Dora."

Mia chuckled in immediate understanding. "And what finds you in Diagon Alley this fine day _Dora_?" She asked the tiny Metamorphmagus, a part of her heart clenching a little reminding her just how much she had missed little Teddy Lupin over the years.

"We're going to go see my cousin!" Dora said brightly, her hair shifting to black once more.

"Oh?" Mia rose a brow. "You're coming to see Sirius?"

"Did he not say?" Andromeda frowned. "It's been much too long since we've had a visit, and he mentioned he was living in Diagon Alley these days."

"Yes," she nodded and gestured down the street. "It's just down the way. He didn't mention anything. I'll walk with you both if you don't mind. It'll give me a chance to slip into the flat and make sure it's company appropriate," Mia chuckled as she led the way toward their home. "Living with two wizards can make cleaning a little difficult."

"I can imagine," Andromeda said with a small laugh.

oOoOoOo

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Sirius Black, Mia Potter and Remus Lupin**

"Your cousin is downstairs!" Mia snapped as she burst through the front door of the flat, pulling the bag of treats away from Sirius as he dove for them.

"Oh shit," the Animagus frowned. "I forgot Dromeda was stopping by today."

"Yes, a little warning would have been nice," Mia hissed and pulled out the Cauldron Cakes for Sirius, leaving them on the coffee table so he would be forced to share with Dora if the little girl requested.

"It'll be fine," Sirius said casually as he moved to open the door. "The place looks great."

"At least put on a shirt," Mia rolled her eyes and tossed him one of his plain white t-shirts that was hanging over the back of a chair. "Alright, let your family in, I need to go and check on Remus," she insisted, a moment of panic flooding her.

"He's still in the bath," Sirius announced as Mia made her way quickly down the hallway.

"Yes well, better _me _see him than him accidentally walking out here naked like _you _have a habit of doing!" She called back to Sirius just before bursting through her bedroom door, shutting it behind her and setting a decently strong Locking Charm.

"Remus!" Mia screamed, throwing the bag of treats onto her and Sirius' bed as she stormed toward the bathroom, ready to break down the door just to get as much of a head start on this problem as possible.

"Merlin!" The werewolf jumped in the water and Mia almost laughed at the way the water splashed about. It wasn't easy to ever startle the man, and she couldn't help but feel momentarily smug about the fact that she'd done it so seamlessly without even trying. "Mia... I know that we've reached a comfortable level in our friendship," Remus said with briefly narrowed eyes. "But really, I think Sirius might take issue with you watching me bathe."

She briefly considered that, and her eyes raked over Remus' figure in amusement. He was still quite aesthetically pleasing but, despite knowing what his body was capable of, she felt nothing. No lingering stir inside bringing up nostalgic moments of past passion. He was just Remus. A _naked _Remus who was quite pleasing to look at, but not quite so pleasing as Sirius was these days. Torn from her thoughts by the uncomfortable growl coming from the werewolf, Mia remembered why she'd stormed in.

"I need you to remain calm," she said immediately which probably hadn't been the best of words considering the instant nervous look that crossed Remus' face.

"I don't like that look in your eye," Remus said as he reached for a towel. When he missed the first grab, Mia rolled her eyes and handed the fluffy bathrobe that was hung behind the door. "The last time you looked at me like that you took me into a bloody Pensieve and showed me a future where I have grey hair and you were..." Remus paused mid-sentence as he climbed out of the tub. His eyes shifted to amber instantly and his pupils dilated as his nostrils flared.

_Uh oh_, Mia thought to herself as she slowly backed away from him, reaching for her wand.

"What's... what's... what smells so good?" Remus asked, the amber in his eyes glinting gold for a few moments. "Did you bring me fudge?"

Mia let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, it's in the other room," she said without clarifying which other room she meant.

"I'll go get it," Remus said immediately and made a dash for the bedroom door without pausing.

Mia hissed and put her hands up against his bare chest, briefly looking away and praying that Sirius didn't try to walk in at that moment. Thank Godric she locked the door when she first came in the room. "Remus! You're naked."

"Nothing you haven't seen..." Remus scoffed and kept moving forward, his eyes set, his jaw tight and Mia could tell he didn't even realize he was doing it. "Besides, I need... I _need _to go out there. Something smells..."

"Remus!" Mia snapped. "You cannot go out there! Especially naked."

"Why? I mean, not the naked part, that's fairly obvious," he said and almost as if the words reach his own ears for the first time, Remus realized that yes, he was indeed still naked standing soaking wet in the middle of his best friend's and ex-girlfriend's bedroom. Flushing red, Remus snatched up the bathrobe and wrapped it around himself.

"Sirius' cousin came over with her little girl," Mia said softly.

"Andromeda?" He asked, raising a curious brow. "Isn't she supposed to be the _good _one?"

"She is."

"Then why..." His nostrils flared once more and a glazed look fell over his amber eyes. "Is it _you_? You smell.." He whispered, leaning forward to actually sniff at her, which under normal circumstances might have earned him a smack to the head, but she couldn't help but feel slightly sympathetic to his plight, especially since he didn't even know what it was yet. "But not _you_... your hands..." He reached down and took Mia's hands, bringing them up to his face and sniffing them deeply. "What were you..."

"_Colloportus_!" Mia called, wand aimed at the door as she added another, stronger locking spell on top of the general one she'd already thrown up. Almost as though he suddenly realized that she was keeping something from him, something important, something necessary and life-sustaining, Remus rushed to the door and clawed at the wood with his bare hands.

"What's out there?" He said desperately. "I need it!"

"Remus, I will stun you," Mia threatened, wand aimed at her best friends back.

"Why?" He turned to her wide-eyed, looking the picture of a scolded animal. "What're you hiding?"

"Your..." Mia hesitated. "Your mate."

"What?!" The color completely drained from his face and he actually collapsed on the ground in front of the door, gaping at it as though he could see through it, a confused and yearning look on his face. "You mean she's... she's... Andromeda?"

"No."

"I don't underst..." Remus began and Mia could see him process the information. She was keeping him locked away because his mate was outside. But if not Andromeda then... "Wait... oh fuck..." Remus groaned, thrusting his face into his palms. "Oh Merlin... oh _fuck_..."

"You have to stay back here," she said, ignoring this new level of werewolf self-flagellation. "I know you'd never do anything... inappropriate," she winced as the word left her mouth and yet Remus still reacted worse, leaning forward and actually smacking his forehead dramatically into the wooden door as though he could knock himself unconscious and forget the past few minutes. "But this close to the full moon it would be a little difficult to well... play stupid."

"Godric...fucking hell," Remus punctuated every syllable with another pound of his head against the door. "How old?" He asked, and immediately regretted doing so because Mia grimaced.

"I don't think you want to know," the witch responded.

"How old is she?" He asked again, needing to know now considering Mia's poor reaction to the question.

Mia sighed. "Five... maybe six?"

"Oh fuck!" Remus stood up and began pacing around the room, hands drawn in his own hair, tugging hard in frustration and shock. "And you're sure? I mean, I know _you _know who she is for certain, but… but... you're... you're certain?"

She nodded. "Yes. I told you, I know you _both _in the future."

Something in him snapped. "And you couldn't have mentioned until now that I'm fifteen years older than her?!"

"Thirteen years actually," Mia corrected him.

"Oh, like _that _makes a big difference!"

"Hey!" She snapped. "Are you forgetting that I might at some point have to deal with my _own _age complication?!" She said, referencing her past... or well, future... relationship with a much older Sirius Black, that is if she ever got the chance to go back to 1998. "And nineteen years is a little more of an issue than thirteen thank you very much, Moony!"

"Don't '_Moony'_ me, Mia!" Remus growled. "I just found out my mate is a bloody toddler! She won't even start Hogwarts for six years... I'll be... oh Godric, I'll be th-th-thirty by the time she's..." he fell back on the bed, eyes wide and panic-stricken.

Briefly Mia wondered if she'd broken him but she could see his chest rising and falling even through the panic attack. Suddenly his nostrils flared again and his pupils dilated once more. "Do I... did you... did you happen to bake cookies?" He asked, a dopey look on his face.

_Oh Godric, this is going to get old very fast_, Mia rolled her eyes. "No."

The moment faded rather quickly and Remus suddenly realized something important. "Oh fuck... she smells like _cookies_?!" He asked traumatized by the revelation. Because not only was his mate five years old, but she smelled like cookies?! "This is the worst day of my life," he groaned.

"Do you want a Calming Draught?" Mia frowned.

"I'm fine..." he said as he fell back onto the bed, covering his face with a large red pillow. "Just... understandably bitter... I suppose."

"I'd like to point out that you've always fought me on the fact that you'd _ever _find her," Mia said smugly.

"Fair point," he conceded from beneath the pillow.

"I'm still going to lock the door when I leave this room," she informed him as she stood up.

"Do you honestly think I'd go out there and … what?" He asked as he removed the pillow, sitting back up and narrowing his eyes at her. "Assault a _child_?"

"No, of course not!" Mia hissed at him. "But you're a little intense right now, your eyes are practically glowing," she gestured at his face and Remus instinctively turned his golden eyes down at the ground. "And the girl is quite clumsy," she admitted and immediately saw the look of panic crossing Remus' face. "You're _worried_? Already?"

"Well I..." Remus started and then stumbled over his words. "I'm confused. I don't know what's happening."

"It's the protective instinct. Moony knows that she's your mate, that she's out there and even though there's nothing... romantic," she said clearly and watched as Remus recoiled in horror at the thought. "There's still the instinct to protect what's yours. I'm honestly afraid that if she tripped and fell, which knowing her, is very likely, your inner wolf might try to play knight in shining armor - honorable intentions or not - that's going to freak the hell out of her mother. Who, I might add, is a _Black_. Blood-traitor or not, they're not exactly known for their calm demeanor."

"_You're _a Black."

"Technically yes," she admitted. "And do I bloody look like I'm to be trifled with right now?"

"Sirius' cousin," Remus sighed. "Merlin... so we're... we're _family _in the future then?"

"We're family now, love," Mia offered him a kind smile and Remus tried to reciprocate but couldn't find it in him to do so. "So just... stay here and I'll tell Sirius that you're feeling really sick. There's Calming Draught in the cabinet, take it immediately."

"Mia?" Remus called after the witch as she approached the bedroom door. "Can I ask... in the future..." he hesitated for a moment. "How does her family react?"

The witch smiled brightly. "They _love _you."

He seemed suspicious but relieved at the same time. "And Sirius?"

"Will tease you mercilessly," Mia laughed. "But he doesn't find out until…h-h-he..." _He escapes from prison and the Order of the Phoenix is reformed. _"Damnit!" She hissed.

"Spell?" The werewolf winced on her behalf. It'd been a long while now, and he'd been able to suss out every now and again when she tried to confess something important only to be thwarted by Dumbledore's spell.

"Damn Dumbledore," the witch growled. "It's not like I'm changing anything! Just... fine, let me work around it," she took in a deep breath and thought for a moment. "Don't tell Sirius you've found her until it's appropriate to do so. There, I'll leave it at that," she said and reached for the door. "Oh, there's the fudge and treats in the bag right there," she gestured and before she looked back to the door she could hear him digging through the small sack.

"Mia?" Remus called her once again and frowned when she made eye contact. "What's her name?"

The witch smiled at him. "Nymphadora."

"That's..." Remus paused, letting the name roll over in his head a few times. "That's..."

"Beautiful?" She suggested.

"Ridiculous," he replied with a laugh.

"You two really are perfect for each other."

oOoOoOo

With a sigh of relief, Mia turned and locked the door once again, and just for safe keeping she threw up a Silencing Charm as well. She took three steps forward and, just in case, turned back to throw up a few personal wards before turning around and returning to the small living room where her eyes widened at the sight of shattered glass on the floor, what looked like broken ceramic, and what appeared to be a scorch mark on the carpet. She also smelled smoke.

"Hey, where's Moony?" Sirius asked innocently as he leaned back against the sofa, a nervous looking Dora cuddled into his side whilst Andromeda sat opposite them both looking positively mortified and exhausted.

"Sick," Mia replied warily. "I've given him a few potions to help him relax. What happened in here?"

"Mini-Tonks hadn't been here for five minutes before she broke that ugly vase Lily gave us as a housewarming gift, two of my crystal tumblers, and she also accidentally stepped on your stupid cat's tail. Rotten thing's hiding under the couch now. I should have my family over more often!" the Animagus declared joyfully.

* * *

**A/N**: One thing I really wanted to do in this chapter was bring in Bill and Charlie. In most Time-Turner fics, Hermione will often run across toddler twins Fred and George who are causing trouble, but rarely do we get to see young Bill and Charlie Weasley who very likely were the reason Fred and George were so troublesome. They had to learn it from somewhere! I also wanted to bring in Tonks and establish Remus' knowledge of her and how uncomfortable he is about it. There's nothing in the world funnier than an awkward Remus Lupin to me. Except apparently a high Remus Lupin because that's what the mate sense is doing to him. He'll learn to handle it by the time he's all grown up, but probably not very well.


	88. Chapter 88

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Thanks for the awesome reviews everyone! I meant to say this last week when this story surpassed 1500 reviews! But now we've actually surpassed 1600! You guys are so amazing. I look forward to your reviews and PMs every day. I love writing this fic. FFnet has made me some amazing friends and I adore you all! **DramionesLady**, Hermione not being recognized as Mia Potter in the future will be addressed, I promise. **j-jip**, the Pack will definitely extend to Harry and Teddy.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty-Eight: Socks

_"...Say what you wanna say  
__And let the words fall out  
__Honestly I wanna see you be brave  
__With what you want to say  
__And let the words fall out  
__Honestly I wanna see you be brave..."  
__(Brave - Sara Bareilles)_

* * *

**December 20th, 1978**

**Tuts Tower, Tutshill - Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix**

Infuriated. That had been a good word to describe Alastor Moody the moment he'd been told about Remus' recovery, only to be denied the details of how, in fact, Remus had survived at all. The old Auror had demanded that a report be given about what had occurred a month earlier at Potter Manor, but not a single member of the Pack was willing to speak until Sirius' job was put on the line, which Mia thought had been a low blow, even for Moody. Sirius angrily pouted while Remus sat looking guilty. Meanwhile, James and Lily were both in an uproar over the manipulation that Alastor was trying to use. Mia had rolled her eyes at the scene and very dramatically pulled aside the collar of her robes to reveal the mark on her neck. Complete silence had filled the entire room. One by one, Sirius and James followed suit, revealing their matching marks leaving Remus looking properly ashamed as Alastor stared at the werewolf.

"I knew it! I knew we shouldn't have let him in the Order!"

"I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this!"

"I thought werewolf bites looked bigger... that looks almost..."

"Dumbledore! Aren't you going to do something?!"

Everyone was screaming except for the Pack in the back of the room, some looking horrified at the attention that had been given them, but Sirius and Mia appeared almost amused by the turn of events; they were smart enough to hide their smirks considering at least one old Auror was still glaring in their direction.

Alastor Moody's problem had not, in fact, been Remus biting Mia to save himself, nor the bonding ritual the Pack had undergone, merely the secrecy behind it all. He had also been incredibly displeased with Dumbledore who had sent Remus into a dangerous situation without knowing all of the details.

In the end, the Order got a large education on werewolves though some were a bit insistent that James, Sirius, and Mia be properly examined for traces of Lycanthropy. Mia acquiesced if only to rub it in the faces of those who were too ignorant to take her word for it.

"Right, we've got reports that Death Eaters are on the move again. They're back in Britain and slaughtering innocents during the holidays would be just the type of thing those rotten bastards would do," Alastor snapped angrily as he moved around the small room during the Order meeting, dishing out commands and instructions like Caesar himself. "So we're splitting off into teams to monitor activity in highly dense spots. Black, Longbottom you'll both be doing patrols around Diagon Alley Christmas Eve with Bones, Shacklebolt, and other Longbottom."

"_Other _Longbottom, hear that?" Alice whispered to Mia, smirking. "Got my own title now," she said sarcastically and the pair stifled their laughter.

"Potter," Moody said, turning his attention to James who sat up straight at the sound of his name, all too eager to prove himself useful to the cause. "You'll be paired with Evans, Fenwick, and Dearborn doing the same in Hogsmeade."

Mia raised her hand as though she were back in Hogwarts. "What about _other _Potter?" She asked with a smirk.

Moody responded by glaring at her, still clearly uneasy about having her involved at all considering it had been _her _plan to secretly save Remus, not to mention her threat to Marlene a few months ago. "Babysitting Lupin," the Auror answered her.

Remus crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "I'm perfectly capable of doing Order work, nor do I need a babysitter," he growled.

"_Pet _sitter?" James suggested with a grin.

"Shut up, Prongs."

"Until you get proper medical clearance from Pomfrey, you're barely allowed in the meetings Lupin. I'm still not too happy about your _miraculous _recovery," Alastor glared at the werewolf.

"Thanks," Remus narrowed his eyes.

A deep baritone voice chimed in. "What Alastor means is that while we're happy you've survived your ordeal, some are less pleased with the _way _in which you've recovered," said Kingsley, who had finally been brought into the Order a few months earlier when he'd overheard Alastor and Edgar talking at the Ministry about Remus' disappearance.

Mia had counted Kingsley as a proper ally and vouched for him to Dumbledore immediately, recounting the events that took place at St. Mungos the week that Dorea had passed, where Kingsley had defended Remus to an entire group of Aurors who had their prejudiced minds set to take down the werewolf.

"Can I just point out that I'm _not _a werewolf?" Mia offered, still slightly annoyed that Remus' recovery was still being held against him. "_Not _infected."

Sirius chuckled under his breath. "She did get a little irritable during the last full moon, but that could have easily been a hormonal coincidence."

"Shut up, Sirius."

Annoyed by the interruptions, Moody cleared his throat loudly to regain the attention of the room. "As for Diggle, Pettigrew, MacDonald and the rest of you lot, you'll be given the name of someone to keep eyes on over the next few months. We need to know who for certain has the Dark Mark, who else is in the company of known Death Eaters, and potential wizards who might be swayed into switching sides."

"Not possible," Sirius said firmly. "Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater."

Lily frowned behind him.

Alastor bristled. "This isn't a place for your opinions Black," the Auror snapped. "If you've got a bloody problem with it, then you can joyfully take it upon yourself to be the one to tell us who the actual Death Eaters are."

Sirius growled at the tone that Alastor had taken with him. "I can give you a bloody list right now! Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, Crabbe, Goyle, Mulciber, Wilkes, Avery, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Regulus Black and Severus bloody Snape!"

Lily visibly recoiled and Mia reached out to take her hand, offering a sympathetic smile. She knew that the ginger witch had long since cut ties with Severus, but it was a sad reminder to hear how far her childhood friend had fallen. A part of Mia desperately wanted to tell Lily the future. Tell her that Snape would indeed redeemed himself and, despite all his flaws, - and there were many - he would die a hero.

"Proof, Black! We need proof!" Alastor snapped.

"At least half of that list tried to kill one of us at any given point in the past few years," Sirius replied angrily. "But you want proof, so I suppose we'll just let the bodies start piling up instead. Would you prefer I tagged the corpses as 'proof' or 'evidence', sir?" He sneered.

oOoOoOo

"Evening, sir," Mia greeted as she approached Albus Dumbledore, who was standing in the corner of the room admiring a small package in his hands wrapped in red shiny paper.

The meeting was adjourned the moment that Sirius and Alastor began screaming in one another's faces. Sirius, the unstoppable force met Moody, the immovable object. Before any blows were exchanged, Edgar and Kingsley had moved Moody into another room to calm him down while James and Remus physically removed Sirius to the front porch to let himself cool off in the winter air.

Mia had stood with Remus, James and Lily who immediately set out a plan in motion to properly celebrate Christmas a few days earlier since they'd all be busy on Order missions to enjoy it on the actual day. The redhead, who had finally began to feel at home at Potter Cottage, had apparently bought boxes upon boxes of decorations, a giant Christmas tree, and a goose that she was planning on cooking for their whole family, which unfortunately, included Peter. When James questioned whether or not Lily knew how to actually cook a goose, Mia decided to step away from the pair before Lily started hexing him over questioning her domestic skills considering _she _hadn't been the one to grow up with a house-elf.

"Socks," Dumbledore said with a bright smile as he looked down at the young witch, a twinkle in his blue eyes as he gestured to the gift in his hands. "Minerva knows me so well, every year she gives me socks for Christmas. I am glad to see my dear that you are doing well, considering Remus' recent recovery," the older wizard commented thoughtfully with a tender smile.

She forced herself not to strike him. "I'd prefer not to talk about Remus, sir," she said, her voice laced with a manipulative sweetness that Dorea Potter would have been proud to hear. "I've been told that any threat to his person or character tends to make me react a little... violently."

Her amber eyes briefly flashed across the room where she spotted Marlene McKinnon scowling at the back of Remus who was now holding back an enraged red-haired witch while James stared on in amusement, an enchanted look on his face that so reminded her of the way that Harry looked at Ginny when the little ginger witch went into a fury about something. "It's a character flaw I've been working on," she admitted.

"I understand."

Mia turned her attention back to her former Headmaster with an excited smile, one that resembled an enthusiastic Hermione Granger who had just learned a new Charm. "I've actually come to give you a Christmas gift, sir," she declared brightly.

"Oh?" Dumbledore raised a brow. "I hope you didn't go out of your way my dear, I generally only request socks should friends feel the need to purchase anything for me," he chuckled and held up the small package in his hands.

"Oh, no need to worry yourself sir. I didn't purchase a single thing. I've actually been working on it for a few weeks now and have put in a great deal of effort," she said emphatically. "I hope you enjoy it," her eyes were suddenly hard and proud as she stared at the wizard with deep concentration.

After several moments of utter silence, the older wizard looked at the girl with concern. "Miss Potter?" Dumbledore asked, noting her look of strained focus.

"D-d-diary..." she stammered out. "R-ring... l-locket... c-c... c-cup... " she continued, sweat beading itself on her forehead as she spoke, expelling the words from her mouth by force as she used her skills in Occlumency to break through the Tacere Veritas spell. The very brief shock on Dumbledore's face was like a shot of adrenaline through her body and she inwardly grinned at the euphoric feeling.

"Miss Potter..." Dumbledore cautioned, realizing exactly what the witch was up to.

"D-d-d..." she continued on, trying to say 'Diadem' but the word was catching in a way that the others hadn't. She was pushing herself too hard and she knew it, but moved forward regardless. "D-d-d-d..." _Oh, fuck it_. "Tiara... s-snake." Her cheeks flushed momentarily before her skin began to pale at the concentrated effort. She purposely left out Harry's name. She could clue Dumbledore in on the Horcruxes if only to spite him, but she would never willingly assist in his plan to kill Harry Potter. No matter how well it had worked out in the end.

Mia felt victorious at having been able to say the words. Her perfectionist nature had the witch set with determination and she'd been practicing for weeks trying to get the words out of her mouth. It was physically draining and magically exhausting to fight the effects of the Tacere Veritas spell, and once Mia had actually blacked out while at work. She was overly grateful that none of her superiors had walked into her office, and that it had instead been Arthur Weasley who'd come stumbling into her workspace to find the witch unconscious at her desk. When he'd woken her, she had played her passing out off by saying that she'd been up late the night before, and Arthur had replied by waggling his eyebrows, blushing red to the tips of his ears and saying, "Me too," causing Mia to burst into laughter.

Dumbledore appeared to be taking note of the specific words that Mia had spoken, trying to connect them in some way. Mia smirked knowing that he wouldn't be able to do it. Not until 1993 when Harry would provide him with a destroyed diary and a Basilisk fang to put the pieces together. "I don't understand," Albus said with a frown.

Mia leaned her body against the weathered door frame, bracing her weight against it to prevent herself from collapsing over the exerted effort. "No sir, I don't imagine you would," she exhaled, still trying to catch her breath from the exhaustion of fighting through the spell, "yet."

After several minutes of silence to allow the young witch to regain her senses, Albus spoke thoughtfully. "It appears the truth spell needs to be strengthened once again," he said calmly as though stating something as simple as 'Hogwarts starts on September the first' or 'I really like bloody socks'.

Mia boldly grinned at him. "I look forward to it, sir." Her tone was defiant, as though she had been challenged by the declaration and she was eager to prove herself.

Dumbledore looked less than pleased with her attitude. "May I ask, what do you mean to accomplish by hurting yourself this way?" The Headmaster inquired.

Mia thought for a moment and coldly replied, "We're not just weapons and tools for you to move around at your leisure."

Her jaw was tight as she bitterly remembered the broken look on Harry's face when he realized Dumbledore had been keeping more secrets from him, never telling him the full truth of anything. The anger in his voice when he'd recalled to her that he at least partially blamed Sirius' death on their Headmaster because of his manipulation and lies. At the time she knew there was no use sitting and pondering the reasons or her own reactions to it, but years later Mia found herself incredibly bitter that the older wizard had essentially sent three children into a battlefield with no instructions or guide, and only a torch, a golden ball, and fairy tales as weapons.

"I could tell you exactly why your manipulations are a problem, but I'm sure I'd probably fall into a coma if I even tried," she scoffed, but took note of the way that Albus seemed to nod subtly as if agreeing with her theory. "You should have become Minister of Magic instead of Headmaster of Hogwarts. At least then your pawns would have been bureaucratic adults and not innocent children eager to prove their worth."

"Am I really so terrible in the future?" Dumbledore frowned, looking genuinely sad and concerned for whatever his actions had caused the young witch to speak to him in such a way.

Mia shook her head in exasperation. "With all due respect, sir," which she didn't think was very much at this very moment in time. "You're not exactly that terrific in the present," she admitted. "When..." she spoke and tried to work in the loopholes of the spell so as not to exert herself further. "When the guilt over the losses you've accumulated becomes too much for you, please remember the feeling. Remember what it feels like to... to be alone," she thought of Harry. "To not have all the information available to you and still feel the weight of the world on your shoulders."

The older wizard seemed to contemplate her words deeply, and he silently nodded in agreement before reaching for his wand. "If you don't mind," he said and Mia rolled her eyes. As though she had a choice. Dumbledore waved the Elder Wand over her head and Mia felt a slow tingle drift through her mind, the truth barriers that were in place had been strengthened.

Mia stood tall once more. "Breaking your spell has given me something to do all day other than file paperwork," she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders, not wanting to show him how much energy she lost just by those few earlier confessions. "Happy Christmas Albus."

oOoOoOo

Mia followed the scent of tobacco to the small porch outside the back door where she smiled at the sight of Sirius leaning over the railing, cigarette in hand, his long black hair hanging over his shoulders. Lily had recently insisted that he cut it, to which Mia had threatened to duel her friend over the slight. Sirius was beautiful and perfect, and if anyone had anything to say about how a wizard wore their hair, it wasn't Lily Evans, who was currently inside staring at the cowlick on the back of James' head.

"You alright, kitten?" Sirius asked as he turned, seeing her approach. He offered her a cigarette which she silently refused. Sirius nodded, knowing that she only tended to smoke in moments of great stress, nagging him more often than not the rest of the time for the terrible habit.

"Fine," Mia nodded. "You?

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "Better," he admitted.

She leaned against him affectionately and smiled when he wrapped one large arm around her, cradling the witch in the leather of his jacket. She pressed her cheek into the fabric that covered his chest, breathing in deeply the scent of parchment, grass, and leather. Her hand slipped beneath his shirt and she pressed her palm against his skin, sighing softly as she ran the pad of her thumb absentmindedly against a small scar on his back. Her free hand was gently resting against his chest though his own hand was running small circles over the inside of her forearm.

They never talked about it, their individual tortures at the hands of Death Eaters. Mia couldn't even if she tried, but Sirius just as greatly kept to himself about his life at Grimmauld Place. However, it was quiet moments like this where they'd run their hands over old wounds and mentally take note of the sacrifices the other had made, using that information to move forward, motivated in the fight.

"You shouldn't provoke Moody like that," Mia smirked.

"Fucking git," Sirius scowled. "You'd think being as paranoid as he is, he'd take my bloody word for it that I know who the damned Death Eaters are."

"If you're going to constantly come to blows with your superior, you might want to rethink your career choices," Mia offered with a chuckle as she watched smoke come out of Sirius' nose in a huff.

"Fine," he shrugged his shoulders. "I'll quit my job, buy an island and we can go and live away from all this mess."

"I thought you didn't want to just sit around and live off of your money like a lazy arse," she teased.

Sirius smirked at her. "We won't live off of _money_, we'll live off of _coconuts_. Godric, witch don't you know how islands work?"

She laughed. "Apparently not."

"We'll certainly have to fix that then," Sirius grinned and kissed her hard and deep in a way that warmed her all the way to her toes. Her heart hammered in her chest at the sensation and she grinned against his mouth while wondering if it would always be like this. Would his voice always send shivers down her spine? Would his touch always leave a delicious burning sensation in its wake? Would his kiss always make her toes curl and her heart race and her head just slightly dizzy?

_Yes_.

"So what shall we bring with us to our island?" Sirius asked as he broke away from the kiss, rubbing the pad of his thumb against her bottom lip as she pouted at the sudden lack of his mouth on hers.

"Suncream," she suggested with a laugh.

"Yeah, I imagine Lils would burn right up," he nodded with a smirk.

"Oh, are we bringing Lily to this island with us?" She rose a brow. "Care to tell me exactly what fantasies you've got running around in that head of yours?"

Sirius blanched. "With Lily? Merlin, never," he grimaced at the thought. "Although, you can wipe that judgemental look off your face if you please," he said with a smirk as he touched the Pack Mark on her shoulder. "Potters shouldn't call Blacks kettles."

"Pots shouldn't call kettles black," she corrected him.

"I like my version better."

Mia suddenly frowned at a thought. "I think we should have a word with Dumbledore about Remus and how he's being treated in the Order," she grumbled aloud.

Footsteps were suddenly heard on the hardwood porch and both Sirius and Mia turned to see Marlene McKinnon join them, reaching for a pack of her own cigarettes and smiling at Sirius as she lit one, as if she were silently pointing out how much they suddenly had in common.

_Yes, well done, you share an addiction. Certainly he'll want to run away with you now_, Mia thought as she rolled her eyes.

"Well," the witch said. "Considering the fact that the entire Order was kept in the dark about his... _condition_, I think we have a right to our reactions. Especially since he's _clearly _not in control of himself." Marlene gestured to Mia's shoulder, of which only a small part of the scar could be seen beneath the collar of her blouse.

While Marlene looked positively disgusted at the sight of the Mark, Mia turned to Sirius who appeared to be remembering the Marking ritual; a silly grin had crossed his features. Mia smiled at him and leaned forward, planting a sweet kiss on his mouth.

"Jealous, McKinnon?" Mia inquired with amusement as she pulled away from her boyfriend, not taking her eyes off of him as she spoke to the other witch. "You don't seem to be looking at my mark like a scar, rather like an _engagement ring_." Mia laughed at the look of shock and irritation that came over Marlene. "I bet you'd _love _to have a good looking man like Remus sink his teeth into you," she exclaimed with a daring look as her amber eyes turned to see the look of revulsion on the witch's face.

Despite speaking of Remus in such a way, Sirius pressed himself against Mia's back, wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his face down to place an open-mouthed kiss to the mark on her shoulder, his pale grey eyes looking up at Marlene as he did so. Mia could feel his chest rumble from behind her and she withheld the grin that threatened to break through. He really was a little deviant in the fact that Mia taunting other witches like this turned him on so greatly.

"Merlin!" Marlene fumed. "You actually speak that way about another wizard in front of your own boyfriend? You're disgusting."

"Well, what can I say," Mia shrugged her shoulders, ignoring the feel of Sirius' hardness being pressed against her through his tight black jeans. "Sirius has never really had very good taste in witches. You should have seen the slags he slept with _before _me," she smirked knowingly at the woman who glared at her in reply. It took every ounce of effort Mia had not to respond as Sirius stealthily ground his erection against her arse, though his hands drifting south to sit on Mia's hips was not a subtle act.

"I'd rather be a slag that sleeps with _wizards,_"Marlene began the insult, not catching the sudden expression on Sirius' face over Mia's shoulder that was silently cautioning the blonde to not finish her sentence. "Than one who spreads her legs for _monsters_," she snarled viciously.

Mia didn't react at all for several seconds until Sirius caught her fishing in the pockets of her robes. Marlene appeared to reach for her wand, preparing for an attack but as a sweet smile fell over Mia's features and she looked up innocently at Marlene and asked, "McKinnon, do you know how to swim?"

Marlene narrowed her eyes. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

oOoOoOo

Sirius walked back into the house, rubbing the cold out of his arms as his grey eyes scanned the room curiously searching for Minerva or Albus. When he couldn't see them over the crowd, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loud, "Is anyone headed back to Hogwarts sometime soon?"

Several eyes turned on him, but it was James who spoke up.

"Wasn't planning on it, why?" The messy-haired wizard asked.

Sirius chuckled nervously. "There might be something that needs to be fetched from the lake."

* * *

**A/N**: Dangerous Mia and deviant Sirius are my favorite.


	89. Chapter 89

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I've had this chapter planned for so long and I'm so excited to finally post it for a multitude of reasons. It's a lot of fluff, a lot of feels, and an answer to a question you guys have been asking since Chapter 16! **gypsyfurface**, I feel the exact same way about Dumbledore. OotP changed everything and the moment Sirius went through the Veil I lost all trust in the twinkly-eyed old bastard LOL! I love how a lot of you are angry about the Order being prejudiced against Remus as well. I really wanted to show this point because there are so many times in the books and movies where the "good" guys are just as bad as the villains. Fred and George boo a little eleven-year-old for getting Sorted into Slytherin for crying out loud. Ron judges Remus AND Hagrid for being "half-breeds". **origami zombie**, LOL I get this question so often. Mia's cat is always around somewhere. She was last mentioned when we were introduced to little Tonks, who stepped on her tail. **j-jip**, Harry and Teddy (and anyone else who ends up joining) will not have the Pack Mark on their shoulder. That was for the original Pack. **Guest**, only Remus and Dumbledore (and Madam Pomfrey really) know that Mia is from the future.

Oh! There's a tiny homage to Bespoke Witch (by **glittergrrrl05**) in this chapter. Can someone guess what it is?

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Habit of Hexing

_"...I'll unfold before you, what I've strung together  
__The very first words of a lifelong love letter  
__Tell the world that we finally got it all right  
__I choose you  
__I will become yours and you will become mine  
__I choose you. I choose you..."  
__(Choose You - Sara Bareilles)_

* * *

**December 23rd, 1978**

**Potter Cottage - Godric's Hollow - Residence of James Potter and Lily Evans**

"I'm just saying, it would make a lovely Christmas gift to me, James," Lily declared with a sweet smile on her face, the one she used when she was trying to get something. The sweet smile she tried to model after the one Mia had been founded by Dorea. Unfortunately for Lily, she didn't actually have a single ounce of Slytherin in her, no matter what Sirius had accused her of in the past. _Fortunately _for Lily, James was in love with her _just _enough to usually forget that and fall for the redhead's trickery. Just not _tonight_.

"The room is just big enough to put in several shelves for books and a little desk in the corner," she said, reaching forward and taking a hold of the glass of champagne in front of her, watching with interest as the lights from the Christmas tree in the corner danced off of the flute in her slender hand.

The young couple had been politely arguing about the issue of the empty upstairs guest room since they'd showed it to their friends hours earlier when everyone had arrived for an early Christmas dinner; goose, cooked by Lily without the aid of a house-elf. Said house-elf was pouting in her quarters after Lily had insisted on keeping Mia's tradition of letting Tilly have the holiday off of work. The little elf had argued that it wasn't _actually _Christmas and, therefore, shouldn't count, but Lily wouldn't let up, and generally whatever Lily said, James echoed.

Except when it came to the empty upstairs guest room.

"I agree with you on the shelves, just not the books. I think it's the perfect place to hold all of my Quidditch trophies," James said teasingly, grinning as Lily threw him threatening eyes. "Let's put it to a vote. Those who agree that the room at the end of the hall upstairs should be a James Potter Honorary Museum, raise your hands."

No one moved.

"I see how it is," James eyed them all. "See if I get _you _anything for Christmas."

"We can see our presents from here, Prongs," Remus gestured to the large tree.

The pine tree had been covered in fairy lights, large round baubles, and a winged human at the top instead of a star that Lily and Mia explained was an angel. Sirius and James had argued that it looked like a Valentine's Cherub, which they argued had no business being included in additional holidays, and then accused the girls of attempting to romanticize Christmas. In addition to the fairy lights and Quidditch ornaments that actually flew between the branches, Lily had decorated the tree with Muggle traditions, tinsel and popcorn that had been threaded on a string had been wrapped around the large branches.

"Next Christmas then," James declared triumphantly as he reached for his glass of Firewhisky, toasting to no one in particular as he downed the entire serving at once.

Mia smirked at the sight of the two arguing over the one room left in the cottage that hadn't been filled with a purpose. It was obvious what they should do with it, what they ultimately _would _do with it, and Mia couldn't help but wonder in excitement at the future vision of her brother holding his son in his arms, the perfect replica of himself except for the eyes. Because Harry had _Lily's _eyes. She could see a version of the future where Harry grew up in this beautiful cottage, spending Christmases gathered around the large tree in the corner, with both parents doting affection upon him with enthusiasm.

She struggled to ignore the vision in her head she knew would never come to pass. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to think of another future, a potentially real future. One where she would spend Christmas at Grimmauld Place (her home) with Sirius, Remus, Tonks and little Teddy. One where the Weasleys would run in and out of the large kitchen with Molly yelling after them, shaking a wooden spoon in her grip threateningly. The smells would be overwhelmingly pleasant, and the sights would be soothing. Sirius would sing Wizarding versions of carols, his arms wrapped around her waist as they would watch Teddy tear into a pile of presents. In the corner, beneath a non-screaming mistletoe would find a young wizard with messy black hair kissing a feisty ginger witch. Harry instead of James; Ginny instead of Lily.

Mia reconciled the great future loss by reminding herself that somehow, the essence of James and Lily would not disappear forever. Even without being raised by his parents, Harry would grow to emulate them entirely.

"You okay?" A voice whispered in her ear and Mia sighed in relief as Sirius drew her away from her thoughts.

She turned and smiled up at him, nodding as she snuggled into his side, breathing in deep the leather scent of his jacket that seemed to fill her body with warmth and comfort. The bit of facial hair he'd decided to let grow was reminiscent of her older Sirius Black, and the sight of him only further warmed her heart as her future began to merge with her present.

At the other end of the couch, her fuzzy-sock covered feet rested in Remus' lap as the werewolf dug into his annual bag of Honeydukes supplies while Peter sat on the floor near Remus' feet. Mia did her best to distract herself from the sight of the rat, who, as far as she was concerned, had no right to step foot inside this home, but she was resolved for now to silently work through her personal issues regarding the future and accept that she could not change a thing. It was Christmas after all, and she wasn't going to ruin the memory of this Christmas by violently mauling the youngest Marauder.

After opening most of the Christmas gifts and throwing back one more glass of Firewhisky, James stood calling to attention all eyes in the room. "Alright, time for my gift for Lily," he insisted with a nervous smile. "You ready Sirius?" James asked.

Mia turned and rose a curious brow at her boyfriend who stood up with a devious grin on his face. She knew that look all too well. Unfortunately, Lily had turned to stare at James the moment that Mia caught Sirius reaching for his wand._ Uh oh_, she thought.

"What's going on?" Lily asked nervously, standing up and stepping quickly away from Sirius who advanced on her.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Sirius shouted, capturing the willow wand as it flew out of Lily's pocket.

Emerald eyes blazed at the raven-haired wizard. "Sirius!" The redhead hissed viciously at him and Mia sat up straight, ready to lend assistance, but felt Remus' hand on her shoulder holding her back. "Give me back my wand!" Lily snapped.

While Lily was distracted and unarmed, James reached for her hand. "Not just yet love," James tugged, spinning her around until she was facing him. His hazel eyes were dark and he ran his fingers over and over through his hair, repeatedly licking his lips.

"Why can't I have my wand?" Lily demanded. "James, why does you giving me a Christmas gift entail Sirius disarming me!?"

James laughed. "Because frankly love, you've developed a pattern of hexing first and asking questions later."

Lily grimaced. "Oh Godric," the ginger witch brought her hands to her mouth. "Is my gift alive? Does it bite? Did you buy something off of Hagrid?" At that moment, Mia's cat Snuffles attacked a low hanging Christmas ornament that fell from the tree, shattering on the floor. The noise - mixed with anxious nerves - caused Lily to scream and jump a good foot in the air.

James laughed sweetly at the look of horror on her face but recaptured her hand and tried to draw her attention back to him. "You see this?" He pointed to a large silvery scar on his elbow. "This is from the Stinging Hex you hit me with in fourth year after you found out I wrote 'Mrs. James Potter' all over your books."

Lily raised a slow eyebrow. "I remember," she muttered, appearing greatly annoyed at the recollection. "You used some sort of permanent jinx and I had to buy all new books because I couldn't get it off. Alice and Mary kept teasing me," she huffed. "Not to mention several other people," she added as her narrowed eyes turned to glare at Sirius, Remus, and Peter; only two of which had the grace to look ashamed.

"And this one here," James went on, redirecting her attention once again. He pulled up his robes and trouser leg to show the scar on his shin. "Was from the Incendio incident in third year when I nicknamed you 'wife' for three weeks." James actually grinned at the memory.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I know." She folded her arms across her chest. "I maintain that actually setting your trousers on fire was an accident, even though you had it coming," she added. "And I've apologized for it. I hardly see the point of bringing it up years later."

James ignored her comments entirely and proceeded according to plan. "This here is my favorite," he gestured with a grin, pulling back a section of his hair to show a lined scar just behind his right ear. "It's where that Static Charm hit me fourth year."

"You deserved it!" Green eyes flashed. "You proposed to me in front of the entire school! It was embarrassing!"

"Which is why I had Sirius disarm you." James grinned and looked over Lily's shoulder where Sirius was beaming at the couple, Lily's willow wand firmly in his grip. Mia and Remus sat on the couch close together, eyes wide with anticipation of something Lily hadn't quite figured out yet. "You, my fiery Lily flower..." James smiled and leaned down to place a kiss on the inside of her palm. "Have a terrible habit of hexing me anytime I bring up the _fact _that you're going to marry me one day."

Suddenly the pieces fit together and Lily's face reddened. "James..."

"So, I'd like to trust you, and would request that you promise that you won't hex me," he pleaded with her, running the pad of his thumb over her knuckles as they gripped his hand tightly.

"Oh Godric..." Lily gasped.

"Lily, your word," James said seriously.

She smiled and tears filled her eyes. "I... I won't hex you," the witch agreed, her green orbs staring into James' face with love and adoration. "I promise."

Sirius, as planned, then slipped Lily's wand into James' hand and the messy-haired wizard took a deep breath as his best friend rejoined Mia and Remus on the couch.

"Good to know," James exhaled and reached forward, placing the bit of willow into Lily's grasp. "Here's your wand back, love."

Instinctively, knowing that Sirius had held her wand, Lily wanted to check it to make sure it hadn't been harmed in the process. Her eyes looked down at the familiar piece of magical wood that was so well fitted to her it was as though a piece of her had been missing in the few moments it had been in someone else's grip. She examined it carefully, and gasped when there, circled around the center of the willow wand, was a thick gold-banded ring holding up a large ruby stone that was surrounded by a halo of small diamonds. Following her inquisitive nature, Lily instantly pulled the ring off of her wand and brought it to her eyes to look at closely and she could see the words of House Potter engraved on the inside of the band.

"Oh Merlin..." she whispered, staring at the obvious heirloom in her fingers.

"Lily Evans," James said, no longer directly in front of her but instead down on one knee. The Christmas lights behind them seemed to illuminate the entire moment, sealing it in their memories forever like the magical version of a camera flash. "I've been asking you this question since I was eleven years old," he grinned at the witch. "And even if you say no - _again _\- I'll keep asking it because you have a history of giving me the wrong answer. Something you're not usually known for doing considering how brilliant you are." James paused and then blurted it out for hopefully one _final _time. "Will you marry me?"

She didn't wait a single second before shouting her answer. "Yes!"

"Finally!" James rejoiced loudly, swooping the witch into his arms and spinning her around in a circle.

oOoOoOo

Celebrations went on for hours.

Firewhisky, champagne and wine flowed in abundance and James had summoned Tilly to share in the joyous moment. The little elf took it as an invitation to bake a celebratory cake, two treacle tarts, and a large trifle soaked in brandy. The trifle had been what tipped the scales in the end, causing the redhead to declare all desserts sinful and apparently in the same category as James' lips.

Mia was grateful that Lily blacked out shortly after.

"She sure can't hold her liquor can she?" The curly-haired witch laughed as her brother flung a small blanket over his sleeping fiance who had curled up like a cat on the large rug in front of the fireplace. Across the room Remus slept quietly up against a large armchair that Sirius was haphazardly passed out in, a garland of stringed popcorn wrapped around his throat like a necklace. Peter was unconscious in the upstairs bathroom after getting sick from overindulging in sweets and liquor. Despite partaking themselves, the Potter twins had enjoyed the night mostly by watching their friends and loved ones drink themselves into stupidity.

"I like that about her," James grinned, falling into the empty space of the large sofa next to his sister and leaning against her shoulder comfortably. "She's... innocent compared to the rest of these delinquents," he chuckled, gesturing to Mia and then to the two wizards sleeping on the other side of the room.

Mia snorted. "Speak for yourself, I'll have you know _I_ am an upstanding citizen of Wizarding Britain. I even work at the Ministry, did you know?" She asked with a laugh.

"How's that going, by the way?" James asked her curiously.

Her smiled faded immediately and she grimaced. "I hate it. I contribute nothing and basically just sit back and file papers, watching while the _actual _influential people create horrible laws that set us all back centuries," she said, her eyes flickering to Remus for a split second, knowing that many of the laws she was hoping to fight against were in regards to werewolf rights.

James nodded in sympathetic understanding and reached out to take her hand as a gesture of comfort. "Once the war is over, maybe I should take up the Potter seat on the Wizengamot," he suggested. "If women were allowed to do it, I'd just pass it over to you."

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's ridiculous that a woman can be Minister of Magic, but she's not allowed on the Wizengamot." _Yet_, Mia thought to herself.

James shrugged his shoulders. "I say we just be content that they let Potters _have _a seat. It's only been the Sacred Twenty-Eight for the last century or so. Dad was the first to even be offered the seat in generations," he informed her casually.

Politics and family history caught her rapt attention and she turned to look at her brother. "How did we not end up on that, by the way? Potters are Pure-bloods. Grandfather Black wouldn't have allowed Mum to marry Dad otherwise," she admitted recalling the story of how their parents fell in love. Cygnus Black the second had loved his daughter to the point of allowing her to marry outside an arrangement, and to a family of known blood-traitors at that. Had the Potters _not _been anything _but _pure, however, Mia knew that Dorea could have just as easily ended up a Malfoy, a Lestrange, or a Crouch.

James chuckled. "Oh, that's an old family tale. Apparently Cantankerous Nott began his book on the Pure-blood families when he was still in Hogwarts. Some sort of personal project I suppose," he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, naturally he was a Slytherin and, as you know, Potters are _always _Gryffindors."

Mia rolled her eyes. "A rivalry? Seriously?"

"Great-Grandfather Titus Potter pissed off the author of the Pure-Blood Directory and when the Notts gained political standing, the so-called 'Sacred Twenty-Eight' included everyone except the Potters," James informed her, using air quotes in reference to the supposedly 'Sacred' Pure-blood families.

"I'm surprised they left people like the Weasleys, Prewetts and Longbottoms," she said thoughtfully as she reached for her wine glass, swirling the remaining contents around casually.

"Maybe we should start our _own _directory."

Mia laughed. "Sacred Blood-Traitors. It'll be bigger than the Pure-Blood Directory."

"Thank Merlin."

Mia looked over at her brother, watching him as his eyes drifted to the sleeping witch in front of the fire. "You're getting _married_, Jamie." She smiled brightly at him.

James turned, his hazel eyes twinkling like the fairy lights on the Christmas tree. "I am," he said while grinning. "How weird is that?"

"Incredibly so." Mia nodded. "It seems like only yesterday Lily was slapping you in the face."

James sighed happily. "Ah, the good old days. Back when we were rotten little first years causing mischief," he said as he put his arm around his sister. "Soon it'll be our own kids off to Hogwarts."

Mia paled at the thought of having children of her own, but the strange look on James' face had her smiling once again as she thought about Harry.

"Do you and Lily have news that you're keeping to yourselves?" She asked with a raised brow though she already knew the answer. Harry's birthday was July 31st, 1980, and the witch could easily do the math. _Not yet_, she thought.

James laughed and shook his head. "No. But I wouldn't mind it if she was pregnant," he admitted, smiling when Mia widened her eyes in response. "I know. Godric, can you imagine me with kids?"

"Yes," Mia whispered and James didn't catch the momentary sadness that fell over her features.

"Knowing my luck I'll end up with all girls," he laughed. "And I'll have to put up with awful little berks like myself, running after them all like I did Lily."

"No," Mia smiled, shaking her head. "You'll have a son... first." Her amber eyes widened slightly as she realized she had just essentially confessed to James that Harry existed in the future. Had Dumbledore's spell failed? She hadn't struggled to get the words out. Or maybe, like she'd been told, it had everything to do with intentions and since she wasn't intending on speaking to change the future, she was allowed to speak._ I just want him to know about his son, _Mia thought to herself. _James deserves to know Harry and the man he becomes._

"Think so?"

"I _know _so." Mia nodded and smiled.

"I'd like that. A little _me _underfoot, but with Lily's hair," he commented thoughtfully.

Mia laughed and shook her head. "No, _your _hair," she said, recalling the first time she'd ever set eyes on an eleven-year-old Harry Potter.

He had been sitting in a compartment at the back of the Hogwarts Express with Ron. Black messy hair sticking up in several directions, half of it covering his forehead, which she assumed he'd done on purpose. He wore clothes that were two sizes too big for him, and his glasses had been broken as they shielded his bright green eyes.

"_Lily's _eyes," Mia smiled and James nodded in agreement. "But he'll have your smile and your good heart. Lily's fire and passion, and your sense of honor and courage." Tears began building in the corner of her eyes and she struggled to wipe them away before James could see them.

She turned her head away from her brother and spotted a flickering light across the room where a pair of soft green eyes were staring at her. Mia frowned as she saw Remus, awake, and obviously listening in on the conversation. He gave her a sympathetic smile as she brushed fallen tears from her cheeks. Mia offered a sad smile in return, grateful that at least in part, _someone _understood why she was so upset about speaking of the future. Remus knew that she missed Harry deeply.

"What about my sense of fun?" James asked, interrupting Mia's momentary grief.

Mia laughed. "He'll have your _arrogance_," she said, recalling an older Sirius Black storming through The Great Hall during the final battle, screaming about how Harry had hexed him in order to slip out undetected to meet Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest. "And he'll have Sirius' reckless nature," she chuckled with a roll of her eyes as she remembered the Battle at the Department of Mysteries. "Remus' talent for Defense," she added, smiling at the werewolf who cocked an eyebrow in reply.

"_My _Quidditch skills? The youngest Chaser in history!" James grinned.

"Seeker," Mia corrected.

"Spoilsport," James frowned. "Fine, since we're _all_ raising my kid apparently, what'll he get from _you_?"

_Oh he'll get Chocolate Frogs that Ron will eat, an Eagle-feather quill he'll barely use, a homework planner he'll secretly hate, a birthday cake that will feed him when Lily's sister won't, a Broomstick Servicing Kit, a Sneakoscope, oh and assistance in destroying the darkest wizard in Wizarding history, _Mia thought with mild amusement as she recalled her previous life.

"Friendship," she said aloud with a smile. "Maybe a little wisdom if he's patient enough to listen to me," she added, rolling her eyes. She left a pregnant pause in the conversation before she summed up the courage to whisper, "I... I'll take care of him you know?"

James yawned. "My hypothetical kid?"

"Yeah," the curly-haired witch nodded, squeezing her brother's hand tighter. "I just want you to know that. When you and Lily _do _start a family, you should know that I'll _always _take care of him," Mia handed James a promise that had already been fulfilled.

"Should I promise to do the same for your future hypothetical kids with Sirius?" James asked with a raised brow.

Mia laughed loudly in response, looking over at the large armchair where Sirius was lightly snoring. Remus, still awake, kept his eyes closed, but Mia could see him silently laughing. "Oh Merlin, don't even talk like that! Could you imagine me and Sirius having..."

"Puppies?" James snickered.

She lightly hit him on the back of the head. "You're awful. And they'd be half mine so they could equally be kits," she smirked.

"Is _that _what little foxes are called?" James asked. "What about deer?"

"Fawns," Mia answered.

James frowned. "That sounds stupid. I guess we're all just going to have _human _children," he conceded aloud with a sigh, as though a human child was the most horrible thing in the world.

"How utterly ordinary of us."

James nodded. "We're very boring."

"Jamie," Mia hesitated. "What if... what if the war never ends? What if we lose?"

"We can't." The mirth all gone from his voice as he spoke. He looked ever the confident leader, fighter. He looked like Harry on the battlefield. "It's too important. It _has _to end and we _have _to win, there's no wiggle room for doubt, Mia. I'll..." James paused and swallowed hard. "I will do _anything _to win this war."

Mia frowned, knowing that he spoke the truth. "Even die?" She asked softly.

"Even die," James said without hesitation.

"And the rest of us?"

James gave an irritable sigh. "I just got engaged Mia, why are we talking about depressing things?"

"Answer the question Jamie," she pleaded.

He seemed to take a moment and really think about it, clearly not wanting to leave his answer open to interpretation and thus furthering the pessimistic conversation. "Mum always said that it's the _content _of the years that you're given to live, not the _length _of those years. I want my content to count," he nodded firmly. "I want _your _content to count. I'll do whatever I have to do to prevent losing those I love most..." His eyes flickered to Lily. "But... are any of us more important than the entire Wizarding world? The entire _world_? I don't love you any more than the wizard down the street loves _his _sister. I don't love Lily more than any other man loves _his _wife. Though I do try," he said with a crooked smile.

She flung herself at her brother, wrapping him tightly in her arms, refusing to let go anytime soon as she buried her nose in his mess of ebony hair. She smiled as she breathed in his scent, memorizing it. Despite all the Firewhisky he'd drank, the wizard still smelled like treacle tart. "Have I ever told you that you're a good man, James Potter?" Mia asked before leaning in to kiss her brother's cheek.

James shrugged his shoulders as though being a good man just came naturally to him. "I do what I can."

"That upstairs bedroom?" Mia looked at her brother with a knowing smile. "It should be a nursery."

"I'll think about it," James smirked.

"Happy Christmas Jamie," Mia yawned.

"Happy Christmas Mia."

oOoOoOo

**London, England**

Several streets from Charing Cross Road where The Leaky Cauldron sat between a bookshop and a record store, sat a small, newly purchased home belonging to a young Muggle couple eager to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

"Helen? You home?" A voice called and a tall dark-haired man stepped through the front door, tossing his keys onto a nearby table and grinning when they didn't fall off the edge. Down the long hallway, he could hear his wife calling after him.

"In the bedroom love!"

He grinned as he made his way toward the solid door at the end of the hallway. "Getting started without me?"

"Hardly," a voice said from beneath a head of honey-brown curls, a slender nose buried in the pages of a well-worn book.

"Put the book down woman," he said, rushing forward and snatching it from his wife's hands quickly, laughing when her slow reflexes failed to grasp the tome back from him. "Love, it's our anniversary and you've read this bloody thing a thousand times," he stated, setting the open book down on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Yes, Richard," Helen huffed. "But it's my very favorite. I happen to love that book almost as much as you," she teased.

Richard clutched at his chest in mock heartbreak. "Five years of marriage this is what's it's all come down to? Me or the book?"

"I'm good at multi-tasking," Helen grinned, leaning forward to kiss her husband soundly. "I can love you both."

Richard chuckled, returning the kiss and smirking when he found his wife had not yet dressed for the night. They were already running late, but he couldn't help be pleased with the way his hand met the bare skin of her thigh beneath the bed sheet. "And when we have children? Will you love us all or will the book and I need to fight over you?"

"Children?" Helen pulled away from him, her chocolate brown eyes staring deep into his. "So you've thought about it?" She smiled brightly.

"Makes sense," Richard nodded. "It's good timing. We're both out of school, have good jobs..."

"The practice is doing well," she said, interrupting him.

Richard smiled at her. "The practice is doing _very _well. I guess my answer is yes. Let's start our family."

"I knew you'd say yes!" Helen shrieked with delight and flung her arms around her husband.

"Of course you did," Richard laughed softly and leaned close to kiss along Helen's neck. "Well, no time like the present."

Helen sighed happily. "We're going to miss our dinner reservation."

"I blame the book," Richard grinned and leaned forward to kiss his wife.

There on the nightstand lay the open, well-worn book. At the very top, written in faded letting read, 'A Winter's Tale', and there on the open page was a passage that had been read by Helen Granger at least one thousand times:

_Who hast the memory of Hermione,  
__I know, in honour, O, that ever I  
__Had squared me to thy counsel! then, even now,  
__I might have look'd upon my queen's full eyes,  
__Have taken treasure from her lips_

oOoOoOo

**December 23rd, 1978 - 11:03 PM**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin, Mia Potter, and Sirius Black**

The empty flat remained silent in the late hours of the evening, its residents far away in Godric's Hollow, snuggled together in the drawing room of the ground floor, sleeping off the effects of Firewhisky, brandy soaked trifle, and the euphoria of celebrating a new engagement.

Deep in the old Hogwarts trunk of Mia Potter, locked in an old Muggle jewelry box with a strong Notice-Me-Not spell, laid a Time-Turner with blue sand inside a carefully constructed hourglass, wrapped in a silver casing with a thin chain hanging off of it like a necklace. At the bottom was engraved a rune that meant 'predestination'. All three hundred and eighty-eight thousand seven hundred and thirty-seven tiny blue grains of sand inside the Time-Turner sat frozen, just like they had for the past seven years, four months, twenty-two days, one hour and four minutes.

oOoOoOo

**December 23rd, 1978 - 11:04 PM**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin, Mia Potter, and Sirius Black**

A single tiny blue grain of sand unfroze and fell to the other end of the Time-Turner.

Three hundred and eighty-eight thousand seven hundred and thirty-_six _remained.

* * *

**A/N**: I've had the idea for Jamie's proposal in my head for so long and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. This Chapter was a huge goal for my writing because it was the proposal, the conversation between Mia and James about Harry, which I really wanted to do because I wanted to remind everyone that no matter how much Mia loves James and everything and everyone from the 1970's, Harry was first and is the most important. Without Harry, she wouldn't have James, Sirius or Remus. You will notice that she's not reminiscing much about Ron LOL. My Weasley bashing is very subtle LOL! This chapter also began the obvious countdown, which took forever to figure out and I needed a time/date calculator to make it work. But (because I'm super anal about things) the countdown is completely accurate, and it will appear in every chapter from here on out.


	90. Chapter 90

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Wow, I think the last chapter got the most reviews of this whole story! You guys are amazing! And almost all of you did the math, well done! **sillymessycrazy**, no matter what happens to Mia when the countdown ends, Remus is bound by the Unbreakable Vow he took that says he cannot tell anyone about Mia (that doesn't already know) except for Sirius in 1994. **DramionesLady**, I try very hard to stay at least 20 chapters ahead (preferably 30), that way I have a big enough gap that allows me to post updates daily and also not completely overwhelm my Beta. Sometimes I do better than others, for instance right now I'm about 24 chapters ahead (currently writing 114) and it makes me nervous that I'm not further, LOL. **SableUnstable** , I currently have no idea how many chapters this Epic is going to be. When I originally thought it all out, I assumed I'd maybe make it to 75 (LOL how naive I was). I'm almost halfway(ish?) through Part Three right now and it's already at Chapter 114 with at least another ten planned for Part Three. I've no idea how many Part Four will take.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety: Fire and Ash

"_...There's a history through her  
__Sent to us as a gift from the future, to show us the proof  
__More than that, it's to dare us to move  
__And to open our eyes and to learn from the sky…"  
__(Chasing the Sun - Sara Bareilles)_

* * *

**December 31st, 1978**

**377,670 Grains of Sand Left**

**Rookhouse - Ottery St. Catchpole - Residence of Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood**

Mia hadn't even thought about the New Year until Lily had asked her earlier that day what her resolutions were going to be. She thought about the potential resolutions for those she loved: Sirius, who drank and smoked too much, Remus, who had become a proper hoarder with his chocolate these days, and James, who had put on a few pounds due to lack of constant Quidditch practice. Even Lily was resolving to try and reach out to Petunia and Vernon, an attempt to stay connected to her only living blood relatives and Muggle roots.

What was the one thing Mia felt she needed to focus on?

_'Life your life. Enjoy your life.'_

It was becoming harder each day and, though she had long given up trying to change the past in order to alter the future, Mia couldn't help but focus on the approaching years, letting the feeling of helplessness bury her. She'd thought about it logically, she'd done the Arithmancy calculations, and she'd read Remus' letter repeatedly to try and convince herself that she was doing the right thing by trying to move on. But a large part of her really needed one last reminder. Someone to tell her that what she was doing - or _not _doing - was, in fact, the right thing to do.

So she summoned her Gryffindor courage and Apparated to Ottery St. Catchpole, only instead of directing herself down the familiar path to the Burrow, she headed toward Rookhouse, aptly named due to it's resemblance to the chess piece. As she approached the strange looking home, a soft smile crossed her face as she was met outside by the young Ravenclaw witch with pale blonde hair that now hung down to her waist. Mia chuckled as she noticed that dandelions were woven into a small braid that hung over the witch's shoulder.

"Hello, Mia Potter," said the soft ethereal voice.

"Hello, Pandora Maestro," Mia greeted her friend. "Or I suppose it's Pandora _Lovegood _now, isn't it?"

Pandora nodded thoughtfully and then, instead of inviting Mia in for tea like most social protocols would call for, Pandora took a seat there on the open grass in front of her house and let down the apron she'd been clutching. A few small apples fell to the ground; she shined one off on the cloth of the apron and offered it out to Mia with a smile.

"I'm sorry you weren't invited to the wedding," Pandora confessed. "But the little patch of forest we were bonded in was fairly small. A perfect circle, in fact. Quite rare to find one in the woods naturally, and we didn't want to disturb the area by making it bigger. Plus I was a bit naked," the blonde witch admitted. "Old ways and all, and I didn't know how many friends were as traditional as I was raised to be."

Mia smiled wondering how she would have reacted years ago had Luna said something similar to her. She, or well... _Hermione_ would have blushed furiously, nervously asking Luna questions to try and suss out whether or not her friend was being pressured by Pure-blood customs, archaic laws and a potentially deviant fiancé. Being raised by Dorea Potter, however, Mia had been taught the 'old ways' that Pandora referred to and found them beautiful and infused with ancient magics that Mia eagerly wanted to explore. She did, however, want to see Lily's face when she told her that Pandora had been married nakedly.

"You've no need to apologise," Mia promised. "I'm very happy for you both, and for the record, I would have _loved _to have attended. Although, bringing Sirius as my date might have made things awkward," she chuckled at the thought.

Pandora rose a pale eyebrow. "Oh? I thought he was raised in the old traditions."

Mia nodded but then explained. "Pure-blood traditions don't always equal old traditions. Besides, he's a bit of a rebel when it comes to following the guidelines of his youth."

Pandora smiled brightly. "Yes, he is that. I suppose that's why you fit so nicely together," she said softly before taking a bite of the small green apple in her hands. After swallowing she looked up at her friend and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, _that _and the Soul Bond."

Mia laughed to herself. "Of _course_ you knew," she shook her head and then frowned as another thought crossed her mind. "How much _do _you know?"

The blonde witch sat in silence for a moment before speaking again. "I know more than _you're _allowed to say," _Ah, so she knows about Dumbledore's spell_. "It's quite sad, to be silenced," the Ravenclaw frowned sympathetically. "Unfortunate that Professor Dumbledore finds it difficult to believe completely in destiny and choice at the same time. You can't put pure faith in one and then not trust it all to work out in the end you know."

"Aren't I doing the same?" Mia asked curiously.

Pandora nodded. "Yes, but you're suffering more for it. I feel more sympathy for you."

Mia wasn't sure how she felt about someone feeling sympathy for her. "Are you a Seer, Pandora?" She blurted out the question, getting straight to the point of her visit. She felt she'd already known the answer but, at the same time, Luna had never been clear on the matter either and, despite the many ways that she had changed over the years, Mia had a rough time when it came to Divination. Yet, there was no denying Luna had been gifted, and clearly her mother was the same.

"I thought you didn't believe in Divination," Pandora said with a knowing smile.

The curly-haired witch sighed. "I have a hard time putting faith in tea leaves and dream journals," she admitted, immediately thinking of Sybil Trelawney. "But there are some magics that I can't deny. Bonds for instance, and ... traits ..." she began, gesturing to Pandora and wondering if the witch had foreseen her own future. Her _daughter_. Her _death_.

"Traits that can be passed down from mother to daughter?" Pandora smiled sweetly. "Did you know my mother was a Seer?" The witch asked and continued speaking when Mia shook her head. "She died when I was nine. Tragic accident really. My Grandmother died similarly."

Mia furrowed her brows as she recalled hearing a similar story from Luna. She frowned thinking that so many generations of these brilliant witches had suffered so much. Growing up without their mothers. The thought left a stinging pain in her chest that made her miss Dorea terribly.

"Is _that _what triggers it? Witnessing death?" She asked. "Your Sight?"

The blonde nodded her head.

"Pandora," Mia sighed, feeling drained and defeated already. "What if your mother didn't have to die?"

"But she did die," the witch replied, seemingly unaffected by the question. "No one lives forever."

"But... what if she didn't _have _to die when you were nine?" Mia questioned.

Pandora simply shrugged her shoulders. "Then she would have died when I was ten, or fifty, perhaps seventy-four. Dying when I was nine made her no less my mother."

"Yes, but..." she began, already feeling a similar frustration that she used to get when trying to gain information out of Luna. "But you would have had her for _longer_."

"Or not," Pandora countered. "Maybe if she hadn't died when I was nine, she would have been kidnapped by fairies. Mischievous creatures really," the witch said with a smile as though they weren't currently talking about her mother's death.

Still, her words had affected Mia in a way that reminded her of how she used to be able to talk with her mother. Dorea had been firm about her feelings in regards to the future. Saying that Death would always take something if something was taken from him. Advising that if Mia prevented a tragic but painless passing, Death could easily reclaim that same person only make them suffer for it in the end.

Pandora's voice brought her out of her silent reflection. "Did you know that not everyone can see Thestrals? Not unless they've seen death."

Mia nodded. "Yes," she admitted, recalling the first time she had seen the beasts. "But... when you saw death you started seeing more than just the Thestrals didn't you?" She asked. "Pandora, can you... can you see the future?"

"Do you not _remember _it?" The blonde witch asked curiously, confirming the fact that she knew where and when Mia was from, at least vaguely. "You should drink juice made from Jobberknoll feathers."

"My memory is unfortunately quite detailed," Mia frowned.

"So you've come for me to be your conscience then?" Pandora asked, a bright smile crossing her face at the new prospect. "I've never been a conscience before. You'll let me know if I'm doing well, won't you?" She asked sincerely.

Mia forced herself not to roll her eyes. "Can I change _anything_?" She asked the Seer.

Pandora seemingly ignored the question, something that would have provoked Mia a long time ago to irritation, but now she understood that her friend had listened to the query and was in fact answering it, in her own strange way. "A Phoenix is a beautiful creature, don't you agree?" She asked Mia. "Tiny little birds born from fire and ash only to grow and die in fire and ash and then be reborn in fire and ash. Phoenix's change constantly."

"Yes," Mia agreed. "But they don't die."

"_Don't_ they?" The blonde tilted her head to the side, appearing like a confused creature. Her wide doe eyes only furthered the comparison. The perfect picture of innocence. "I don't know if_ I _could burst into flames and survive it. Come back from it maybe, I've never tried before," she admitted thoughtfully. "But Phoenixes can do it. Marvelous creatures. They grow and change."

"They suffer too then, when they burn," Mia clarified. "What if... what if the Phoenix didn't _have _to burn?" What if she could change the future? What if she really, really tried? Would it work?

Pandora answered immediately. "Then it wouldn't be reborn. It would die and stay dead."

"_Everything _dies," Mia argued.

"And everything changes. Death doesn't mean the end."

Mia frowned. "Not everyone can be a Phoenix."

"No," Pandora agreed. "But there is always rebirth."

Mia nodded in understanding. Harry was proof that there was rebirth in the world, and not just in the 'coming back from the dead' kind of way. Harry was James and Lily. But also himself. The future was a reflection of the past mixed with progression toward a better world. She felt selfish for wanting to change the good that the future held, all to prevent the pain of the past. But was it James's pain? Lily's pain? Or was she trying to prevent her own grief?

"Is the suffering necessary though?" Mia asked. "Can't there be rebirth without the death? Without the burning? Without fire?"

Pandora smiled brightly, her eyes lighting up as though she suddenly had something exciting to share. "Fire isn't something to fear," she said, reaching out and taking Mia's hands within her own. "It cleanses better than water, did you know? And ash can be very beneficial. Ash gives life to Phoenixes. And look how strong they are. They can carry heavy loads, their tears can heal the most fatal wounds, and their song gives courage to the good and strikes fear in the heart of evil. Would we have that song without the burning?" Pandora questioned. "Without the fire and the ash?"

Mia felt tears forming and she did her best to hold them back. She couldn't quite tell if this meeting had been a wise decision, if Pandora's words were helping. She couldn't change the future. She couldn't change anything. She felt helpless and hopeless and completely incapable of making a difference in anything. "I wish I were a Phoenix," Mia confessed sadly. "Then I could heal the... the wounds that are being inflicted on this world."

The blonde Seer leaned forward and affectionately touched Mia's cheek, a sweet smile on her face. "The Phoenix can't stop itself from burning," Pandora said softly. "It will always burn. If it doesn't burn on Sunday, it will burn on Tuesday, or Thursday if it's inclined to. But it will always rise, reborn from the ashes, and no matter how painful the fire, it still sings for those who need it to."

Mia finally let herself cry.

"You're not the tears of the Phoenix, Mia Potter," Pandora said, her eyes twinkling as she stared at the curly-haired witch. "Don't you see, Mia? You're the _song_."

oOoOoOo

**December 31st, 1978**

**377,476 Grains of Sand Left**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin, Mia Potter, and Sirius Black**

"Because I don't bloody want to!" Remus shouted loudly.

Mia stepped out of the fireplace, having used Pandora's Floo to get home to the flat where she walked in on her wizard and best friend staring one another down in the middle of their living room. Sirius looked confused and annoyed. Remus looked irritable and desperate. She surveyed the situation, taking note that each of them turned to look at her, Remus appearing suddenly embarrassed at the intrusion.

Sirius on the other hand was clearly delighted to see her and immediately rushed to her side, pulling her into a searing kiss that caught her off guard. When he finally broke their lip lock, he smiled down at the witch. "Kitten, tell Remus he's a boring sod and should come celebrate the New Year with us," he whined.

"Remus, you're a boring sod and you should come celebrate the New Year with us," she said with a smirk. "What _are _we doing by the way?" She asked her boyfriend. "I thought you had a plan that involved starting 1979 the same way you want to end it," she smirked. "Your shopping list included chocolate syrup, whipped cream and oil."

"It was actually _motor _oil for the bike," Sirius admitted with a smirk. "Unless..."

"Sirius," she said, taking his face into her hands. "Focus."

"Right," he nodded. "Prongs and Lily are doing that fancy party over at Frank and Alices..." he reminded her.

Mia nodded in remembrance. Alice had sent out invitations weeks ago for a proper dinner party for couples only. Mia would have agreed to attend, that was until Sirius discovered it was dress robes attire and decided to complain for a good hour before Mia agreed to do something else for New Years.

"So I was looking around for something for the three of us," Sirius said, gesturing to Remus.

"Which is unnecessary. I'm not a child who needs you to set up a _play date_." The werewolf scowled.

Mia frowned at the bitter look on Remus' face, wondering what on earth could have gotten him into such a mood. The full moon wasn't for another fortnight. She turned her attention back to Sirius who was pouting in Remus' direction. "So what're the plans?" She asked again.

"Andromeda invited us all over," he admitted. "I thought it be nice to be around family is all."

Mia sighed in understanding and she didn't even need to see the look on Remus' face to know why he wouldn't want to attend. Though she _did _turn her eyes in his direction and was met with his wide stare, his lips set in a tight line of frustration and a look on his face that was pleading for her to get him out of the arrangement. Suddenly Remus' mention of a 'play date' was painfully, ironically accurate.

"I don't know what his fucking problem is," Sirius snapped. "All I said was, let's go to my cousin's, and the bloody git just lost his fucking mind," he said, glaring at Remus.

"Don't talk like I'm not standing right here," Remus snarled. "Just because I don't want to go to your damn cousin's house isn't some slight against you, Pads." His soft green eyes seemed almost permanently gold and amber.

The sight unnerved Mia who understood the reasoning.

"What the fuck else are you gonna do, mate?" Sirius fumed.

"Whatever the hell I want!" Remus yelled. "Just... fuck... can't you just leave it?!"

"Remus, will you excuse us?" She asked, interrupting the verbal sparring match that neither was clever enough to make interesting with their tempers so heated. The werewolf nodded brusquely before grabbing his winter cloak and vanishing out the door, presumably not to return until the following morning. Mia felt sad to know that her best friend would likely bring in the New Year with a pint down at the Leaky Cauldron, alone.

"I don't know what his fucking problem is," Sirius hissed as the door slammed shut. "Arsehole."

"Love," she kissed him sweetly. "I know you're just trying to look out for him, but maybe it would be hard for him to be around us, and family," she admitted, leaving Tonks out of the equation entirely. "It's one thing to spend the holiday with us and Jamie and Lily, but just the three of us and _your _family? It might just be a harsh reminder that he has no family of his own," she frowned through the lie.

Sirius seemed offended at the suggestion. "_We're_ his family," he insisted.

"I know that," she smiled at his declaration. "But even if that's not his problem it's also New Years, and when the clock strikes midnight, what will we be doing?" She asked him.

Sirius nodded in sudden understanding. "I'll be snogging you," he admitted. "He could just find a date." Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "Even if it was just Mary, that way he'd have someone to kiss at the end of the night."

"I really don't think Remus wants to bring a date to your cousin's house and snog her in front of... everyone," she grimaced at the thought and was suddenly very glad that Remus had left the flat before hearing Sirius' suggestion. Unfortunately the wizard was not letting up on the plans for the night. "I know you want to see your family," she smiled. "But I was hoping, now that Remus is probably gone for the night..." Her amber eyes darkened. "We have the entire flat to ourselves."

"Like company has ever stopped us before," Sirius said, his voice suddenly husky. He surged forward and gripped her by the waist and lifting her into his arms, throwing her high over his left shoulder with a laugh before carrying her off toward the bedroom.

Mia laughed. "What about Andromeda?"

"She'll get over it," Sirius smirked. "I'll owl her later," he added and then smacked her arse with his open palm, delighted in the way the sound echoed down the narrow hallway. "I've decided to send 1978 off with a bang."

They didn't make it more than a few feet closer to the bedroom door before Sirius remembered that they were now alone in the flat without Remus there to accidentally walk in on them. In a flare of eagerness, Sirius pulled the witch down from his shoulder and, before her feet had a chance to touch the ground, he pinned her to the wall, his hands gripping her arse tightly.

Mia laughed and wrapped her legs around his waist, letting a small sigh escape her lips as he pressed his swelling hardness against her core while simultaneously devouring her neck with his sinful lips. "It's been a while since we've done it like this," she moaned as he pressed against her harder recalling moments of rebellious adolescence in the fifth floor corridor of Hogwarts that were eventually followed by reenactments there at home. "Sirius, if you drop me again..."

"It was _one time_," he groaned. "And that was _your _fault. You dug your bloody heel into my back. I'm still not entirely certain that kidney is still working," Sirius mumbled against her collarbone, shifting his position in order to allow his hands to freely tear away at her blouse without - as she had warned him - dropping her.

Upon the realization that she was wearing jeans, he did have to at least set her down in order to fumble excitedly with the button and zipper before he looped his thumbs on either side of her hips and in one fell swoop, pulled the trousers and knickers down together. He knelt before her to help the witch's feet out of the tangled mess of clothing and grinned looking up at her from his position on his knees.

Mia looked down at Sirius expectantly, watching the way his eyes flashed and the pale grey color shifted slightly silver as he leaned forward and placed a kiss just beneath her navel. Mia groaned at the teasing sensation and shakily whispered, "Lower."

Sirius' chest rumbled in reply as he stood up to pull the witch back into his arms while muttering, "Later," just as his lips recaptured hers in a rough kiss. One hand tangled itself in her hair, holding her head firm against him as he drank in her kiss, the other hand flew to the buckle of his jeans, aptly maneuvering out of them as quickly as possible, while Mia distractedly tugged at his shirt. Sirius took his firm length in hand, stroking it several times to tease himself as he focused on Mia's those swollen pink lips around his cock only caused him to harden more; the need to be inside her was overpowering.

"Fuck me," Mia whispered, rolling hot breath against Sirius' jaw as she broke the kiss and allowed him to lift her once again and shove her back hard against the wall behind her.

"If you insist." Sirius grinned darkly, his eyes heated with desire and intensity, chuckling as his stare caused the witch to whimper. He slipped his hand between their tightly pressed naked bodies, growling in pleasure when he found the damp lust between her thighs, her responsiveness was a never ending ego stroke for the Animagus.

A groan tore from his throat as he surged into her tight heat with one quick thrust, thrilled with the way her walls gripped his cock with the same desperate need as her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him to her tightly as though she couldn't bare to be parted from him in this moment. Sirius couldn't agree more with the witch's silent pleas; he was never more himself than when inside of her.

The raven-haired wizard tried to fight the feral urge to fuck her hard and fast, but the witch moaned against the shell of his ear, teasing him by saying, "You feel so good," and "I've been wanting this all day,". He bucked hard, pinning her to the wall with his hips, grunting each and every time his cock vigorously slammed forward to fill her aching quim. Sirius could feel her body trembling, and his own resolve was weakened at the way her parted lips released the tiniest of gasps each and every time he thrust into her heat.

Mia's back arched against the wall as she undulated around him, crying out at the overwhelming feel of him still pounding inside her as she climaxed. She let out a sigh of smug relief when she felt him stiffen against her and growl against her throat as he spilled his warmth inside of her hollow.

oOoOoOo

Several hours later the couple lay snuggled in their bed, the wizard watching the little witch drift in and out of sleep. Sirius traced the soft curves of her face in adoration, mentally reminding himself how unbelievably good his life was for the very fact that she was in it. He leaned forward, brushing his nose against the curve of her neck, inhaling the sweet aroma that reminded him of a rainstorm.

Mia's eyes briefly fluttered open and she smirked up at him, twirling a lock of his long black hair around her finger. "Sorry we didn't get to go to the party," Mia mumbled softly.

Sirius smiled, a genuinely satisfied smile. "I didn't need a party."

"_You _didn't want to get pissed drinking Firewhisky on New Years Eve?" She skeptically laughed.

Sirius chuckled deep in his chest. "I don't _always _need Firewhisky you know," he said before leaning over and very sweetly brushing his lips against hers. Sirius closed his eyes and tugged her toward him, enveloping the girl in his arms before deepening the kiss just as fireworks burst in the sky outside the flat above Diagon Alley.

_Don't always need Firewhisky_, Sirius thought to himself as he drank in the taste of the witch.

_She tasted how Firewhisky felt._

**377,160 Grains of Sand Left**

* * *

**A/N**: This was one of my favorite chapters just because I adore Luna (and therefore Pandora). I really felt that no matter how much she'd figured things out herself, Mia really needed someone to be there to tell her that it was okay not to try and change the future. In her previous life she had been that voice for Harry, and he had been that voice for her, but here she only has Remus and she still can't tell him everything. In the end, it all comes down to Harry. Is she willing to risk Harry's life and, therefore, the lives of countless others to try and save a few? Pandora is able to put things into perspective for her. I really hope Pandora's last line to Mia had the impact that I wanted it to have. A Phoenix's song gives courage to the good and strikes fear in the heart of evil. Can you think of anything else that describes Hermione Granger (and therefore Mia Potter) better?


	91. Chapter 91

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I wanted to take a second to reiterate that my uploading schedule is Monday-Friday and I take the weekends off, so while messages asking me if I'm okay because I stopped posting on the weekends is endearing, messages demanding that I get back to a normal posting schedule (because I take weekends off) is a little less cute. If you're going to be demanding about how often I post, at least appeal to my Slytherin nature and offer me something in exchange. ;) Speaking of lovely offerings, **AndiCullen104** made an awesome graphic for this story and I adore it! (Link to the graphic can be found in my profile). **GTH**, in Canon Luna tells Harry that her mother died when she was 9, so I thought I'd make it a common occurrence in the family line that also triggers the Sight. I imagine you're right in that Luna will be saved by having sons instead of daughters. **kaida171**, Part Three will show what happens between the past timeline and 1998. That's all I'll say about that. **sambam17**, Hermione's conception is what triggered the Time-Turner.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety-One: Just Desserts

"_...Pour some sugar on me  
__C'mon, fire me up  
__Pour your sugar on me  
__Oh, I can't get enough  
__I'm hot, sticky sweet  
__From my head to my feet, yeah…"  
__(Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard)_

* * *

**March 18th, 1979**

**266,809 Grains of Sand Left**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin, Mia Potter, and Sirius Black**

Despite Dumbledore's original intention of keeping Mia _out_ of the Order meetings, she had somehow become entangled in many of the missions, especially since Remus' attack six months earlier. She had assumed that she would be given minor missions and tasks to accomplish as Dumbledore had promised her. What she did _not_ expect was her former Headmaster to inform Alastor Moody that the young witch was an accomplished Occlumens with a proficiency for Legilimency.

The fact that had been revealed to the rest of the Order was the reason that Alice and Frank were currently in her flat, expecting instruction from their friend. It was also the reason that Sirius was sitting on the couch, glaring angrily up at his girlfriend. She was going to get Moody and Dumbledore back for this.

"So, as you obviously already know, Occlumency is the act of magically closing one's mind against Legilimency," she began to explain, pleased to see both Alice and Frank giving her their complete attention. "It's a very difficult practice of magic where- Sirius, _really_?" The witch scowled at him. "You're just going to sit there and pout?"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, are _you_ going to keep keeping secrets?" He asked snappishly. "Forgive me, I'm still adjusting to the news that my girlfriend of over a bloody _year _and the witch I've known since I was _eleven _is a bloody Occlumens," he said the word with disdain as though she'd cheated on him with Occlumency.

"I'm a Legilimens too," Mia said smugly, ignoring his piss poor attitude. "Which is why we're here."

It had been suspected for a while, but when it was confirmed through an anonymous source that Voldemort was a skilled Legilimens, the entire Order was scheduled to get put through the wringer in order to learn at least the basics of the skills to keep as many of their secrets from Death Eaters as possible.

Unfortunately, the only known Occlumens or Legilimens aside from herself and Dumbledore that Mia knew about were, in fact, all currently Death Eaters. Bellatrix, Barty Crouch Jr, Voldemort himself and the most skilled of them all: Severus Snape. Thankfully, it turned out that Edgar Bones and Emmeline Vance were fairly adept at one skill or the other and, therefore, the Order was separated into groups to be educated. Mia had been given the young Aurors, which she felt was a purposeful move against her by Moody, who seemed to have been pleased at Sirius' angry reaction to Mia's secret skill set being announced in one of the meetings.

Her wizard had barely spoken a kind word to her since.

"Should we leave you two alone?" Frank questioned hesitantly as he glanced between the glaring eyes of the couple.

"No," Mia snapped. "Moody wanted the Order taught Occlumency and you're my group so I'm going to teach you bloody Occlumency." The tone of her voice was clipped and impatient, which in the end she knew was only going to hurt Sirius considering it was _his _mind she was needing to dig into. "Of course _someone _wouldn't have to bother with this if he'd listened to me and learned it on his own years ago when I fucking told him to!" She shouted, her amber eyes flashing in Sirius' direction.

"Oh, like you knew we would need this in the future!" Sirius yelled back at her, standing up and advancing toward the witch.

Mia stood her ground, not intimidated by the dark-haired wizard in the slightest. She looked up at him smugly knowing that even if he was angry enough to hurt her - which she knew he never would - the Soul Bond prevented him from even trying. All this posturing was just that; a display.

"Really, we could just step outside..." Alice mumbled quietly.

Mia stuck her chin out and narrowed her eyes at Sirius. "You're fine," she said to Alice and Frank. "Now, basically in order to learn Occlumency," Mia turned back to her two friends, ignoring the way that Sirius was growling behind her. "At least at the speed that Alastor wants you to learn it, I'll have to use Legilimency against you and you will then have to build up barriers. Any questions?" She asked.

Frank raised his hand, causing Mia to smile at him. "Is this how _you_ learned?"

She shook her head. "No, I built up a resistance over the years," she admitted, thinking back to the few times on the run hunting Horcruxes when she had listened in on Sirius attempting to help Harry learn the skill. He'd told Harry - even then - that he wasn't very good at it. Mia should have remembered. Still, most of her basics skills in the form of magic had been learned from Draco Malfoy, who insisted that the skill could be used to help her with the nightmares she had been having since being attacked by Bellatrix. In the end, Occlumency _hadn't_ helped with the nightmares, only confronting the witch here in this timeline had done that. She kept on with the study of Occlumency anyways, and over the years had begun to use it to fight off the strongest of attacks, mainly Dumbledore's Tacere Veritas spell.

"Why?" Alice asked, bringing Mia out of her own head.

"Honestly? I was bored," she admitted with a smirk.

Sirius raised his hand mockingly as he moved around the witch to take a seat next to Frank. "I have a question... what _else _are you hiding?"

Mia sneered at him. "Shut up Sirius, this is important."

"What exactly will happen when you use Legilimency?" Frank inquired nervously.

Mia frowned at the look of anxiety written on his face. It so resembled Neville that it broke her heart a bit to tell him that she would, in fact, be invading his mind. Knowing Frank and Alice's futures made her feel only that much more guilty. In the future she'd come from, their minds had already been broken.

"It's a little bit like the Sorting Hat," she tried to explain in the simplest of terms. "Which is actually charmed with the skill to dig into our heads. Unfortunately, when a witch or wizard uses it, it can be painful." She frowned. "And I'm really sorry about that ahead of time. I'll try to be as gentle as I can," the witch promised her friends.

"Will you see... umm... everything?" Frank swallowed hard.

Mia sighed. "Memories and thoughts are a lot like layers. It's not very organized and you have to peel them away to reveal what you're looking for. I'll warn you, whatever is at the forefront of your mind, I'll probably see," she answered and watched as Frank's eyes widened slightly as what she assumed were a slew of embarrassing memories flashed across his consciousness. "It's best to focus on putting up the barriers. Think maybe about building an intricate brick wall hidden behind cement, encircled by Devil's Snare and warded. Just keep adding layers upon layers and empty yourself of all emotion. To help with the motivation however, I will be asking you to seclude very specific and possibly... intimate memories."

Alice blushed fiercely. "You're going to _what_?!"

Mia shrugged her shoulders. "It's either me, Dumbledore, Edgar or Emmaline, and let's be honest, I lived in the Tower with the two of you for seven years," she chuckled softly. "You two weren't as subtle as you'd like to think, so what I'll be looking for might not have been seen but could have been... _heard_."

Frank's cheeks turned bright red. "Oh, Godric..."

Mia exhaled and reached for her wand. _No time like the present, defenses already down_. "Occlude your mind, Frank," she warned him and raised her vinewood wand. "_Legilimens_!"

oOoOoOo

It was two hours later when Alice collapsed to the floor, sweat beaded across her forehead looking almost as pale as Frank did before Sirius was able to slip a Pepper-Up Potion down his throat. The training had been hard, brutal almost, as Frank severely lacked the ability to fight off Mia's invasion, which led to several very awkward memories of her friends that Mia had never wished to see. Alice did only slightly better. It had been their severe lack of talent at Occlumency that caused Mia to dig deeper into their minds, to erect barriers of her own - as dangerously close to dark magic as Mia had ever come, save for the few times she'd attempted to kill a Death Eater, once succeeding.

Pandora's words echoed in Mia's mind while she filtered her way through Frank and Alice's._ "You're not the tears of the Phoenix"_. She couldn't save anyone. She couldn't change the future. _"Don't you see, Mia? You're the song." _She couldn't _heal_, but she could _help_. She could give courage and hope to those who needed it most. She wouldn't be able to save Frank and Alice from the fate that awaited them, but she could bring something back to Neville, if she was ever able to go back, that is.

Mia struggled to burrow inside of the minds of her friends where she secretly built barriers, walls, and shields as strong as she could manage over a sensory area she was all too familiar with; the part of the mind that the Cruciatus Curse specifically attacked. While she couldn't prevent her friends from ending up in St. Mungo's, at least she could tell Neville that she'd done what she could to make certain they wouldn't suffer.

"Just give me a minute," Mia said as she fell into her big fluffy armchair, summoning a Pepper-Up Potion for herself.

During the two hours spent working with the Longbottoms, Sirius had slowly worked on his issue with Mia's secret skill set. Watching his witch work with his fellow Aurors in a way that strained them all, Sirius understood that this wasn't something Mia had been casual about. This was a serious talent, and one that he was now required to learn. Though he wouldn't admit as much just yet - especially considering he was still slightly bitter about her keeping secrets again - Sirius found himself respecting Mia all the more.

"I'm good," Mia nodded and stood up to face Sirius.

The Animagus grinned. "Now which of our lovely nights together would you like me to keep from you, kitten? Hogwarts? Bathtubs? Backyard?" He winked at her, referencing their night with Remus in the orchards. He'd expected her to blush and maybe scold him for being so open in front of Frank and Alice, but instead the witch was staring at him with a look of grief in her eyes. "What?" He asked, suddenly worried.

"You need to have a reason to hide something Sirius," Mia frowned. "Motivation to want to keep me out."

He stared at her for several long seconds, fidgeting slightly in the uncomfortable silence as the pieces slowly fit together in his mind and his grey eyes widened in sudden fear and anger. "No," he said firmly.

"I don't want to do this either," Mia struggled to fight back her emotions as she gripped her wand.

Sirius stared at the sliver of vinewood in the witch's hand and he took a step backward and then snarled at her. "I am not showing you Grimmauld Place!"

"Good," Mia snapped back at him. "I don't want to see it. I don't want... I don't want to see _that_," she swallowed hard. "Sirius, please keep me out," she pleaded with him as she raised her wand. She wanted him to fight back, fight her. She thought about using any other memory, but Sirius was too open with her about too many things these days and not nearly ashamed of his past enough to hide the many nights he'd spent with other girls at Hogwarts. It _had_ to be _this_.

"Fuck..." Sirius clenched his teeth and tried to prepare himself as she had instructed them all to do before this day took a turn for the worse. "F-fine... go," he consented.

"_Legilimens_!"

oOoOoOo

Remus stepped out of the fireplace and dusted the soot off of his hand-me-down robes, knowing that if they started looking even worse, he'd be forced to let Mia or Sirius buy him new ones. He'd fought off their charity for as long as possible, unwilling to part with second-hand items considering Sirius had bought the building they were living in, and he was pretty sure Mia took the brunt of the bills when it came to food; not as though either Potter or Black vault had been dented by it. A part of him wanted to accept their help, but his pride was too great and so he left the flat each day (when he was able to) in search of work so he could somehow carry his own weight.

Unfortunately, today was just another day of poor luck for the overly-qualified-yet-still-a-werewolf wizard.

"Hey love," Remus said as he spotted a head of curly hair in the corner of the dark living room. He focused his gaze and noted that Mia's near expressionless face was stained with dried tear tracks, and he could smell the Firewhisky from where he was standing. "Mia?"

"Dinner's on the table," the witch responded, her voice hoarse. "I saved you some stew."

Remus kept worried eyes on his best friend as he walked to the table and glanced down briefly at the bowl of steaming vegetables and beef that had been placed under a Stasis Charm for him. "This looks..." He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Did Tilly pop over?"

"No, _I_ made it."

Remus instantly frowned and he left the bowl to return to face the young witch. "_You_ cooked? You hate cooking. I didn't even know you knew how to do it," he admitted. "What's wrong? I can tell you've been crying," he said as he knelt down in front of her. "Where's Sirius?"

"Locked in the bedroom," she said, gesturing to the hallway with the half empty glass of Firewhisky in her hand. "Not currently speaking to me. We got into a fight."

"You two _always _fight."

"This was a _big _fight," she admitted.

Remus reached for the witch, lifting her in his arms even as she protested only to be dropped against his side as he took her place in the large chair, draping her legs across his lap. Remus tried smiling at her as he stroked the back of her hair. "How does that even work?" He asked, hoping to distract her by means of conversation. The girl had a habit of needing to educate people on every little thing after all. "I mean, shouldn't the Soul Bond make the two of you constantly overjoyed with one another?"

Mia scoffed bitterly and leaned back against Remus' chest. "Sirius Black isn't even constantly overjoyed by being in the company of Sirius Black."

Remus nodded. "Fair point."

"It's not like you and..." Mia started but stopped before saying Tonks' name. "Well, _you_. Werewolves and their mates are all instinctual. Like... a magical way of pairing up for the best possible outcomes," she smiled as she continued to speak, not even noticing when Remus slipped the glass of Firewhisky from her hand. "Soul Bonds are the Wizarding equivalent to soul mates. He's my other half. Not my opposite, not my _better_ half, just the other missing part of me. Which means we have far too much in common on a deep level, and, therefore..."

"You clash," Remus said with understanding. "So, what happened?"

"Alastor asked - or well, _informed _me that I would be teaching Frank, Alice and Sirius Occlumency." She anxiously chewed the side of her cheek as she glared into the darkness as though the old Auror were standing there, in need of her anger. "Sirius... he didn't do well." She frowned.

Remus inhaled sharply. "What did you see?" He asked, knowing that there could be quite an array of memories that Sirius would want to keep from Mia. Marlene McKinnon being at the very top of that list.

"Grimmauld Place," Mia replied.

Remus growled at the mention of Sirius' childhood home, knowing immediately what memory she was referring to. _Okay, so maybe McKinnon isn't at the very top_, Remus conceded to himself. "Well, I get why he's pissed then," he said, scratching the back of his head nervously, not knowing exactly how to proceed with helping his friends. "Still, it had to happen _sometime _and if not _you_ wouldn't it just be someone else digging through his mind?"

Mia turned and stared at him with wide amber eyes. "That was basically my argument! Lot of good it did me," she hissed. "Merlin, I just... I wish I could teach him Legilimency instead. Let him sift through my memories."

The werewolf frowned, recalling his own time in doing so in Dumbledore's office, though not by means of Legilimency. "That's dangerous. Mia, I went with you into a Pensieve and you barely showed me a thing and I still..." Remus sighed. "I still have trouble sometimes wrapping my head around it all. And I know you're still keeping things, and I know why. There's a future we have to keep protected, a war to win. Sirius... he wouldn't like what he sees in your mind, would he?" Remus asked.

Mia shook her head. "_I_ don't like what I see in my mind."

He couldn't help but wonder about the future. She had always been so mournfully sad whenever she was able to talk about it. The only thing that ever seemed to cheer the witch up was the mention of James' future son, and even then her few smiles were filled with longing and sadness. A strong part of Remus didn't want to see this future even though Mia had promised him that the time she came from was filled with happiness and peace.

"He'll get over it, love," Remus promised. "One day he'll understand."

_1994_, Remus thought as he remembered the Unbreakable Vow he'd taken to only reveal Mia's secrets to Sirius at a certain time.

"I don't know that he will," Mia drunkenly confessed, tears reforming in her eyes. "What if... what if I'm not here to make him understand? I don't know what's going to happen when... what if he blames me for every bad thing that's going to happen in the future?" She asked with a panicked voice. "I could have changed it."

"No, you couldn't," Remus argued. "You can't... and..." he hesitated as the thought scared the hell out of him. "Merlin forbid, if you're not here to explain things_, I _will be. I made the oath. Sure, I won't be able to say anything for quite a few years, which I assume you did on purpose," he said and noted a confirming look in her eyes. "But, I'll be here. I'll tell him everything, and he'll be okay," he swore and then kissed the top of her head as she allowed herself to cry into his robes.

"Remus, promise me something?" Mia whispered.

"Anything, love."

She paused and took in a long, slow breath before speaking again. "Promise me that... that you'll _always _trust Sirius. Always remember that he's a good man. And... and when he needs you the most, please take care of him for me."

He raised a confused eyebrow at the request, wondering what on earth had sparked that need for her. Remus couldn't help but wonder what was in the future and why Sirius would need him in such a way. Would Sirius become untrustworthy? Would he do something that would make Remus think he wasn't a good man? And if Mia wasn't there... how exactly was Remus going to take care of his friend?

"I promise."

oOoOoOo

Due to Remus' constant nudging, Mia made her way down to the bedroom she shared with Sirius. She sighed as she reached for the door, taking immediate note that at some point he'd taken down the Locking Charm. T_hat must mean something_, she admitted to herself before stepping inside the room

Even in the darkness, she could see the silhouette of his body laying in the large bed. A sliver of moonlight broke through the nearby window, ever so slightly illuminating the room, just enough that she didn't need to cast a Lumos in order to make it to the bed without stubbing her toe on something. Amber eyes stared at his beautiful shape in the shadows where she could watch as his chest rose up and down slowly and she was grateful to know that even after revisiting his worst memory to date, he was able to sleep soundly.

Mentally and physically exhausted from the day, Mia quickly removed all of her clothing and - skipping pajamas - slipped beneath the sheets and in next to Sirius. As she settled in, resting her head on the large pillow she glanced up at him and noticed his grey eyes were now open.

"Are you speaking to me yet?" She whispered in the dark and when Sirius made no reply, Mia sighed softly. "You know I didn't want to do that," she said, her voice heavy with regret.

"I know."

"But... I'm glad I did," she admitted. "You shouldn't have to keep everything inside, Sirius. If you can trust anyone with your past, it should be me."

"I know," he said again and sighed loudly, rubbing a hand down his face. "I just don't even like knowing that memories in _my _head, and now it's in _yours_."

Mia pulled herself close to him, pressing her bare chest against his side and wrapping an arm around his waist, letting her fingers delicately trail along the soft patch of skin near his hip. "It doesn't make me think less of you," she promised.

Sirius scoffed. "Not much _does _make you think less of me. I'm clearly not trying hard enough to lower your standards," he actually smiled and leaned forward to kiss the crevice of her neck.

"I'm sorry, Sirius."

"I forgive you, kitten."

"I love you."

Sirius smiled. "I know."

oOoOoOo

It was still dark when she felt the mattress shift beside her. Mia's eyes slowly began to open at the movement and her head turned to the side. She could barely make out his silhouette, but she could easily tell that Sirius was sitting up next to her. Too tired to talk, if that was the reason he'd woken up, Mia leaned her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes once more, allowing the warmth of the room envelope her.

She smiled softly when she felt Sirius' knuckles rub her side, inches below the purple scar across her rib-cage. She was certainly too tired to _talk_, but as his hand moved higher and higher, eventually grazing across the underside of her right breast, Mia knew for certainty that she could wake up enough for _this_.

That was until she felt something wet and ice cold drip onto her bare skin.

Shrieking loudly, the witch jumped and reached for her wand, shouting, "_Lumos_!" and aiming it in Sirius' direction, eyes wide and ready for anything.

What she found however was her shirtless boyfriend, tattooed skin and long black hair, the usual picture perfect image of the kind of bad boy most witches could never bring home to their parents, with a large serving spoon hanging out of his mouth and a carton of strawberry ice cream in his hands. She stared at him, eyes slowly narrowing at the image. When he grinned at her, she hissed.

"Your mood swings are going to give me whiplash!" Mia snapped at him and threw her still-lit wand down on the bed between them. "Is that my ice cream?" She glared.

"No, this is _my_ ice cream," Sirius said firmly.

She sighed and looked down at her stomach where the pink frozen dessert was slowly melting against her warm skin. She reached for her wand to clean it up, but Sirius stayed her hand, his gaze suddenly dark and hard. Mia swallowed in reply and watched as he removed the spoon from his mouth and leaned forward, his eyes never disconnected from her nervous stare as he leaned his mouth over the flat plains of her body. Her breath suddenly hitched in her throat and she could feel her heart beating hard against her rising chest as she stared down into her boyfriend's, no, her _lover's _eyes as they pinned her to the bed.

Sirius leaned down and licked the trail of melted sweet cream against her skin with languorous lapping similar to the way he would tongue her quim shortly after making her scream her throat raw, his name the constant shout of praise on her lips. He'd lick her down from her high, a smug grin on his face as though he were partaking in the spoils of a well-won victory. Mia moaned at the feel, but then let out a sharp squeal when she felt ice cold once again.

Amber eyes stared down where she saw him purposely dripping the ice cream out of the container and onto her stomach. "Sirius!" Mia snapped and leaned up only to feel a firm hand on her shoulder shoving her back down. She glared up into hard grey eyes and growled at him.

"You're going to lay there like a good little kitten," Sirius demanded, his voice husky and laced with amusement. "And I am going to eat this whole carton off of your sweet, silky skin until you are a shivering, writhing mess and you don't know what parts of you are hot or cold," he whispered, his eyes never moving from hers.

She stared, strangely shocked by both his specific demands and the wanton way her body was reacting to them. The witch imagined the absolute hysterical pile of nerves she would be if she were to allow him to go through with his plans, and Godric did she want to give in, but also... she wasn't a bloody sundae dish.

"Sirius, if you think that you can just..." she began but was instantly silenced by the feel of an ice cold silver spoon pressed against her damp core. The only sounds heard in the room were her short quick breaths and the dark chuckle in the back of his throat.

"You didn't _really_ think that a simple apology was going to cut it after today, did you?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "If _I'd_ kept a secret from you for seven years, then dug into your worst memory on the instruction of a prickish paranoid Auror, _I'd_ be sleeping on the couch," he laughed. "Probably _Prongs_' couch at that. The least you can give me for my troubles, _witch_," his voice retreated back into the husky whisper. "Is to hold still while I enjoy a midnight snack."

Mia whimpered as the words, '_yes please_' ran repeatedly through her subconscious.

Sufficiently pleased with her still body and the pink in her cheeks, Sirius leaned forward to clean up the mess on her stomach before sitting back up and dribbling the frosty dessert against the already tightened peaks of her breasts. The cold was shocking and had her letting out crisp mewling noises that were quickly followed by whimpering sobs as Sirius' hot mouth engulfed her chilled nipple.

Twenty minutes and half a carton of ice cream later, Mia was a shivering over the intensity, very nearly weeping over the fact that not only would Sirius not let her move, but he outright refused to allow her to come as well. "Not until I'm finished," he'd said. He spooned the treat out of her navel, licked it from between her breasts, savored it off of the inside of her thighs, and even shared a few bites with her only to suck the remnants off of her tongue.

Finally, when she'd outright pleaded with him for release, Sirius pulled himself between her _literally_ creamy thighs, hooking his forearms under them and gripping her hips to hold her in place as he bathed her clit over and over again with his icy tongue, his pressure firm and slow. As Mia broke under his ministrations, crying out his name, she realized she'd never be able to look at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour the same way again.

**266,128 Grains of Sand Left**

* * *

**A/N**: Nothing goes better with strawberry ice cream than a raven-haired Animagus.


	92. Chapter 92

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I had some people tell me that they couldn't view the link in yesterday's notes, so I've moved it to my profile and you can click on it there. Also, a lovely reader pointed out that I improperly credited the lyrics from the last chapter. Obviously Pour Some Sugar on Me is by Def Leppard, which I knew, but apparently my attention span needs improvement as well.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety-Two: Filthy Half-Breeds

_"...And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't_  
_So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road_  
_And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope_  
_It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat..."_  
_(Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine)_

* * *

**May 7th, 1979**

**195,135 Grains of Sand Left**

**Ministry of Magic - Department of Magical Law Enforcement**

**Wizengamot Administration Services**

When word reached the Order that someone from the other side was looking to defect, all other missions took a backseat. Mia stopped training with Sirius, Alice and Frank in Occlumency, but not before Sirius figured out how to control the memories that popped into his head when Mia wandered inside. She was certain that, had headaches not always followed their sessions, her boyfriend would use this talent as a new form of foreplay.

James, Lily, Peter and Mary were constantly being sent on missions to protect locally threatened Muggle-borns and known blood-traitors, as well as to have extra sets of eyes and ears at stake-out locations while Frank, Alice, Sirius and the rest of the Aurors in the Order were the official presence during some of the more violent takedowns regarding Death Eaters.

Meanwhile, Mia had been reallocated back to her post inside the Ministry where she was to do absolutely nothing for the Order until Dumbledore or Moody declared otherwise. Her days were filled with worry for her friends and family, intermingled with the monotony of her parchment pushing job. The few moments of entertaining interruption came from Arthur, who was all too eager to sit around Mia's office and talk about Muggle culture, potential future Ministry reforms, and his wonderful family. Molly, it turned out, was pregnant again and Arthur was absolutely positive that this one would not only be the last child they'd have, but also a girl.

Mia bet him five Galleons he was wrong.

"Mia! You have to hide me!" Called a high pitched voice as a blonde witch burst into her office.

Amber eyes turned to look up at the witch and Mia shook her head in exasperation. The other entertaining interruption to her boring days had come in the form of Laurel Parkinson, a Pure-blood witch hell bent on _not _blindly following the standards and traditions she'd been raised with. Laurel had been a few years ahead of Mia in Hogwarts and, despite having a slew of suitors following her every move, she had waited until her mid-twenties to get married. Not only that, but she was a working witch, something rare for not only a married woman, but one from such a high profile Pure-blood family.

The two witches had met shortly after Mia began at the Ministry when there was a Floo Network malfunction and they'd both stumbled out of the Ministry fireplace together only to end up locked within the closed grate while repairs were being made. Despite their many differences, they'd become fast friends. Laurel loved Mia's proud blood-traitor status and her take no crap attitude when it came to the Ministry and society as a whole. Mia adored Laurel's sharp mind and sharper attitude. The girl had been Sorted into Slytherin for good reasons, and Dorea's passing had left a serpent-shaped need in Mia's life that Laurel was all too pleased to attempt to fit into.

"Good morning Laurel," Mia grinned at her panicked friend. "I'm well, and how are you?"

"Mia!" Laurel turned around, her wide blue eyes pleading with the brunette witch.

"Go ahead," Mia said, gesturing to the broom closet in the corner of her office and watched as the blonde witch rushed into it as quickly as possible. Just as the door to the closet closed, Mia's office door opened once again and a familiar portly little wizard stepped into the space, holding himself with an air of smug confidence as though he were seven feet tall. He wore a pinstriped cloak to distinguish himself from the sea of black and navy robes. Mia was just pleased to note he'd yet to put on that hideous bowler hat.

"Ah, Miss... _Potter_," the wizard said, checking the nameplate on her desk as he did every time he stepped foot into her office. _Permanently forget my name you imbecile_, Mia thought harshly. "Good day to you!" He greeted cheerfully.

"And to you Mister Fudge," Mia said briefly before returning her attention to the stack of parchments in front of her.

"_Junior Minister _Fudge now."

"Oh?" Mia's rose a brow of curiosity. She could tell he was expecting a congratulation from her, but the expressionless look on her face said everything that words could not. She could give a Nogtails arse about his bloody promotion. "They've assigned titles like that to promotions within the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes? That seems..."

"Exciting?" He offered.

"Presumptuous," she replied and watched with amusement as his ego partially deflated. "What can I help you with?"

The wizard cleared his throat to regain himself and then looked up at the curly-haired witch. "I was wondering if you've seen Miss Parkinson?"

"Do you mean Laurel?" Mia asked, knowing better than to even look in the direction of the broom closet where her friend was hiding herself away from the man. "I'm sorry Cornelius, I was under the impression she was Missus _Greengrass _now. Wasn't she married this winter?"

Cornelius Fudge's countenance dropped once more and the aura of ego that he tried to wrap himself in faded to one of bitter self-pity. "Oh yes, _that business_," he rolled his eyes.

Mia copied the gesture but for quite a different reason.

She had been a driving influence in Laurel's marriage. When her friend approached her in a fit of worry over her many suitors, the two witches sat down to lunch at the Leaky where Laurel showed Mia a list of wizards who had made offers for her hand. Cornelius had, in fact, been on the list but was very near the bottom. At the top were names Mia was quite familiar with. Theodros Nott, Rabastan Lestrange, and Regulus Black. All Death Eaters. Mia urged her friend to ignore them all, including Regulus who, Mia informed, was still a Hogwarts student and quite possibly didn't even know a marriage was being arranged for him with an older witch by his parents.

_"You don't want Walburga Black as a mother-in-law, believe me,"_ Mia had said emphatically to her friend.

_"Aren't you dating the eldest Black boy?"_ Laurel had grinned knowingly at Mia.

_"Yes, so believe me when I tell you that you do not want Walburga Black as a mother-in-law!"_

Mia had encouraged Laurel to accept the offer from Hyperion Greengrass, already knowing that she would. Though Laurel had been born into another family that Mia was familiar with from her other timeline - the Parkinsons - she was, in fact, the spitting image of her daughters Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, the elder of which Hermione had known in passing at Hogwarts. The couple had married just before Christmas and though Mia was invited by her friend she politely declined knowing that the event would be attended by far too many Death Eaters and blood supremacists for her liking.

"Hem hem!" A high pitched sugary voice interrupted Mia's thoughts and suddenly she felt a chill come over her entire body.

The scowl she'd been forcing herself to hide from Cornelius came out with a vengeance as her eyes were assaulted with a variety of pink shades in the form of a short toad-like witch who stood assumingly in her doorway, a stack of parchment in her thick, stubby fingers.

"Ah, good morning Dolores," Cornelius greeted the witch, his voice covering the sound of Mia's fingernails scraping viciously against the wood of her desk.

Twenty years younger than Mia remembered her, Dolores Umbridge turned to Cornelius and beamed at him brightly. "_Junior Minister_ Fudge, congratulations on your promotion. Soon you'll be the very top of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, I'm certain of it."

Her voice was like poisoned honey, and Mia was fighting back the strongest urge to take the Phoenix quill on her desk and stab the bitch in the hand repeatedly with it. Luckily, Mia's position at the Ministry meant that she was beneath Dolores and therefore barely worthy of a glance. Had the pink-clad witch bothered to offer Mia one, she would quite possibly die on the spot. If looks could kill and whatnot.

"Well, don't you go telling secrets," Cornelius grinned, basking in the praise. "But I'm hoping to skip up the ladder a few steps more than that," he said with a wink.

Mia held back the breakfast that was threatening to make a reappearance. Why'd she let Sirius and Remus talk her into having a full English this morning?

"And right you should!" Dolores declared, her voice going up two octaves. "Minister Minchum has been wonderful, but elections are just a year away and I hear that Millicent Bagnold is trying to weasel her way into the running," she said with disdain. "Did you know her mother is a Mud- Muggle-born? Can you imagine?"

"A _Muggle-born_?" Mia finally interrupted, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Merlin, how positively atrocious!"

Dolores' small eyes fell on Mia looking peeved. "Quite. So you're the _file girl_?"

"Quite," Mia replied. "And you must be Madam Umbridge. Head of the Improper Use of Magic Office."

"Oh, I daresay I do more than monitor underage sorcery these days," Umbridge said smugly, the annoyed look falling from her face as though Mia had just praised her by the mere mention of her position. "Speaking of which, I have several papers for you to put to rights," Dolores said and then dropped the stack of parchment on Mia's desk.

The amber-eyed witch looked at the top one and felt her blood begin to boil inside of her veins. She swallowed back bile and looked up at the woman, her jaw tightening. "These are... are you trying to pass legislation to prevent werewolves from seeking medical treatment?!" She demanded to know, as the image of a bloodied and broken Remus came into her mind.

"Not just _werewolves _dear, _all _filthy half-breeds," Dolores replied, either missing the note of fury on Mia's face or ignoring it entirely. "They're a danger to the rest of the population. Did you know that a werewolf broke into St. Mungo's a year or so ago and tried to maul an entire floor of injured witches and the Aurors just let him loose in the end?"

Mia narrowed her eyes at the witch.

She did, in fact, know about the event in question, considering she had been there. The werewolf had been Remus who'd just found out his mother had died. He _hadn't _broken into the hospital. _Hadn't _attempted to maul anyone, let alone a floor of witches, and the Aurors had no need to let him loose as her friends and family hadn't let them come within feet of capturing Remus.

"Awful," Dolores tutted. "I'm hoping that Auror Moody retires soon and someone less lenient steps in to take his place as Head of the Auror Office. If you ask me, the entire D.M.L.E. needs to be cleaned out."

Both Dolores and Cornelius ignored the way Mia's hand hovered over the vinewood wand on her desk, just barely restraining herself.

"I'm good friends with Bartemius Crouch, did you know?" Fudge said brightly. "Hard worker that one. I had lunch with the man last week and from the sound of things, he's looking forward to a promotion over the department. He'll get things in order, trust me on that," he said with another conspiratorial wink and Umbridge blushed.

"Hem hem!" Mia said loudly, mimicking Umbridge and drawing the attention back to her. "Sorry to interrupt, but I do have quite the to-do list and I imagine my pitiful little office is the last place such _fine _Ministry officials as yourselves need to be cramped inside while planning the future of the Wizarding world," she said, her voice taking on a slightly sweeter tone, knowing that if she didn't reign in her fury now, she might very well set the whole building on fire.

Cornelius glanced down at a gold pocket watch hanging from the pocket of his pinstriped robes. "Ah yes, indeed. Miss Potter, should you see Miss... er... Missus _Greengrass_, will you let her know I'd like an appointment with the Minister?"

Mia nodded and retook her seat. "Absolutely Mister Fudge. Good day to you."

"Good day."

As Cornelius escorted Dolores out, shutting the door behind him, Mia threw them both a rude hand gesture.

"Mia Potter..." Laurel said as she exited the closet, a grin on her face. "Such a crude gesture for such a _sweet _little witch," she said sarcastically before falling into the chair opposite the curly-haired witch.

Mia finally snapped. "That woman is beyond vile!"

Laurel nodded in agreement. "She's in good company then." The blonde witch grimaced at the memory of Fudge, her blue eyes drawn down to the massively large emerald ring on her left hand, looking at it with gratitude. "Did you hear the way he addressed me? '_That business_' he says," she rolled her eyes. "Arranged marriage or not, I'd sooner Avada myself than be caught dead on the arm of that toad."

"Umbridge or Fudge?"

Laurel snorted. "You're wicked. Are you sure you were Sorted properly?"

Mia shrugged. "Not always. Are you just hiding from Cornelius?" She asked. "I was under the impression the Wizengamot was inducting a new member to their familial seat today," she said knowingly.

Laurel rolled her eyes but offered a smile in reply. "It's ridiculous really. Hyperion isn't even twenty-five and his father's forcing him to take up the seat _just _so he and my hag of a mother-in-law can retire and move away. '_Too many damn Mudbloods in this country!_' That's what my father-in-law says, and Hyperion just eats it all right up because that's what's expected of him." She shook her head disappointedly. "Take the familial seat, run the business, throw the parties."

"_You_ married a Slytherin," Mia reminded her.

"I _am _a Slytherin."

"One of very few I consider my friend, don't push your luck." The brunette chuckled. "Does Hyperion really believe all that anti-Muggle-born nonsense?" Mia asked, her brows furrowed together. She'd known from the future that the Greengrass family had been quite the fence sitters during the war, and though Daphne and Astoria had never gone out of their way to be cruel to her, both girls had been at least somewhat friendly with the likes of Pansy Parkinson. Although after meeting Laurel, she could have attributed that fact to their family connection. The girls were actually cousins.

Laurel shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "Here and there," she admitted. "But he had a Muggle-born friend in school, so he's not a purist like his father or the rest of those sheep."

"Isn't your own father one of those sheep?"

The blonde nodded. "And my Mum. Brother too. I enjoy being the horrible disappointment, but at least I'm pretty." She grinned and Mia couldn't help but laugh. "You should see the witch my brother married, _Posy_," she said the name with a grimace and Mia snorted. "Ugliest woman I've ever seen. Nose looks like she ran into a glass window and it stuck there."

_Wait til you see her daughter_, Mia thought and then said aloud, "You and my boyfriend would get along famously." Her eyes drew back down to the stack of parchment on her desk with Umbridge's signature followed by the Ministers and the Wizengamot seal. How that horrid woman was able to get these awful laws passed... Mia just couldn't understand how people could be so cruel.

"Nothing you can do about it you know," Laurel said and Mia looked up at the witch, frowning. "Umbridge," her friend clarified. "She's got the ear of the Wizengamot _and _the Minister, I should know, I set all his bloody appointments and she's in his office kissing his feet and pushing papers across his desk every week."

"She's beyond loathsome. Anti-werewolf laws."

"Not just werewolves. I've heard them talking," the blonde said in a sudden whisper. "She has legislation being written up against a number of half-breed groups. Muggle-borns as well. Quite hypocritical if you ask me."

"Why's that?"

"Well, she's a Half-blood herself."

"What?" Mia's eyes widened dramatically. "Are you certain?"

Her mind went back to months and months of investigating old Wizengamot laws that were still in effect - though widely overlooked - and one such law stood out dramatically to her. Pure-bloods ruled the government to such a degree that even a Half-blood was considered a different species in some old laws and did not have the authority to speak or act in the name of the Wizarding world. Mia was certain that in some old legislation there was a law that meant Dolores' anti-werewolf propaganda would be roughly translated into an act of war from one half-breed species to another.

"Who are you talking to?" Laurel scoffed, offended. "I know _everything _that goes on in the Ministry. Gossip Central is a lovely circle that surrounds my desk. Dolores' mother was a Muggle. There's even a rumor that she has a squib brother out there somewhere."

"Out there somewhere?" Mia asked. "So you don't know?"

The blonde shook her head. "No, her father retired from the Ministry a few years back, long after he'd cast his son and wife back into the Muggle world."

"How does no one else know this?"

"Well, look how she goes about. Tells everyone that'll listen how she's Pure-blood..." something Mia also knew to be illegal, "...and her take on Muggles and half-breeds sure drives the point home, doesn't it? And acting like the bloody Minister's pet cat the way she does, who would question her?"

_Harry will,_ Mia thought.

"We really need a new Minister of Magic," she sighed.

"He's not so bad. A bit of an extremist when it comes to Dementors really," Laurel sighed, running a hand through her long golden locks, fidgeting when her enormous wedding ring got tangled in it. "Just ordered a new lot to be sent to Azkaban," the witch said, ignoring the way that her friend visibly recoiled at the name of the Wizarding prison. "But other than that, he's fairly unbiased."

"Not if he's allowing Umbridge to write and pass legislation like this," Mia sighed and glanced down at the Minister's signature on the paper.

"Oh, I hardly think he just _allows _it."

Mia looked up, confused. "What do you mean? He signs the papers, doesn't he?"

Laurel nodded. "Yes, but let's just say after his meetings with Madam Umbridge, the Minister is..." she trailed off, searching for the right word. Mia could see the Slytherin cunning coming into play. "Quite _agreeable _and relaxed."

Mia gasped. "You're kidding!?" She snapped. "_Imperiused_?"

Laurel nodded her head after looking back at Mia's door to make sure it was still closed. "Can't prove it though," she whispered.

"No," Mia agreed. "But a little suspicion raised could hurt her quite a bit."

"Be careful Mia," the blonde witch said with a frown. "She's well connected. You Gryffindors, always running off to save the day, aren't you?"

Mia grinned deviously. "Trust me, when I do take that bitch down, I'll be quite the cunning little serpent," she said with an air of assuredness. "At least until I'm allowed to rip my claws into her."

Laurel smiled at the scene of her friend looking positively filled with blood-lust. "Have I ever told you how much fun it is to visit your office?" She asked as she leaned back in the chair, kicking her small feet up on the corner of Mia's desk, on top of the stack of papers Umbridge dropped off.

"Have I ever told you what an informative friend you've become?" Mia grinned.

oOoOoOo

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin, Mia Potter, and Sirius Black**

The rest of Mia's workday fared much better.

After Laurel left to return to her job as the Minister's secretary, Mia set to work filing away the parchments Dolores had left with her, but not before pulling out several older documents on laws that might help her take down Umbridge in the long run. Shortly before lunch, Arthur stopped by to catch up on the latest gossip, and Mia filled him in on her morning. Arthur, in turn, vented to Mia about Molly's latest bout of nausea to which she advised that he tell Molly to stop eating corned beef. After raising a confused eyebrow at the young witch, she simply added, _"Your son hates corned-beef."_ Arthur once again argued that he believed it would be a girl this time around, but that he'd pass along the tip to his wife just in case.

Mia stepped out of the fireplace and dusted off her robes before setting her large bag down and removing her traveling cloak. "Sirius! Remus! Anyone home?" She called out, a relaxed grin settling on her face as she moved further into the flat. "You are not going to believe the day I've had! Laurel Greengrass just gave me some information I can probably use against that awful witch that's trying to pass..." she stopped cold in her tracks when a familiar metallic smell assaulted her senses.

Amber eyes widened and she reached for her wand, rushing down the hallway. "Sirius?" She called out and then opened her bedroom door. Mia gasped and brought her hands to cover her mouth, dropping her wand in the process.

Sirius sat on the edge of their bed, his skin pale and his eyes glazed. His Auror robes and shirt were in a pile at the foot of the large four poster, and Lily was kneeling in front of him, a flannel washrag in hand, wiping blood from his exposed arms and chest. Remus turned immediately as Mia burst into the room and Lily looked up at her friend, but Sirius' eyes stayed firmly set on some random point in the corner appearing as if he wasn't even aware that anyone was in the room with him.

"Mia..." Remus cautioned her. "Step back. Sirius is fine," he promised but the witch shook her head. _He's not fine! Look at him! _She screamed in her head. "It's..." Remus hesitated and frowned. "It's not _his _blood."

The werewolf escorted Mia back out the door, shutting it closed behind him to let Lily continue attending to Sirius. Remus wrapped Mia into his arms tightly and breathed heavy against the top of her head which was tucked beneath his chin.

"What happened?" She whispered, terrified.

"An Order mission went... very badly," Remus admitted.

"Who?"

He pulled away from her and wiped at the corners of his eyes which were bloodshot. "A few pairs were sent out to keep an eye on an informant," Remus began. "Someone we thought could be used as a spy. We were wrong," he growled. "The informant turned on the Order the second they were questioned, and... Death Eaters showed up and attacked. It was a trap."

"Jamie?" Mia gasped.

"He's fine. Shook up, but fine. Lily and James just escaped thanks to Frank and Alice being there. Sirius... he... he got Peter out but..."

Mia took a slow and shaky breath. "Remus, who was Peter paired with tonight?"

Soft green eyes met amber and Remus swallowed hard before speaking again.

"Mary."

**194,635 Grains of Sand Left**

* * *

**A/N**: I loved writing this chapter (up until the end - yes even I get sad sometimes). Bringing in Umbridge and Fudge was a blast. They are some of the most hated characters in the HP Universe and I wanted to play with their younger selves a little to show that they've pretty much always been this corrupt. Also, for those who keep up on Pottermore you'll know that the Half-blood status and family references for Umbridge are actually Canon now thanks to a bio that JKR released last year. She only makes a brief appearance here in the past, but I absolutely fell in love with Laurel Greengrass (formerly Parkinson). I loved the idea that somehow all of the Pure-blood families are connected, which was why I used Laurel to bridge the gap between the Parkinsons and the Greengrass families. I like to think that Pansy (at least my version) only had friends because their parents made them be nice to their cousin LOL. Considering how Mia has changed so much from Hermione, I imagine she'd eventually go a little crazy constantly being surrounded by Gryffindors (despite technically being one herself). She needs a little green and silver in her life. Wonder what she'll do to fill that friend void when/if she goes back to 1998? ;)


	93. Chapter 93

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** This chapter answers the question of Mary's fate, Peter's involvement and standing with Voldemort.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety-Three: Would He Save You?

_"...Just because everything's changing_  
_Doesn't mean it's never been this way before_  
_All you can do is try to know who your friends are_  
_As you head off to the war..."_  
_(The Call - Regina Spektor)_

* * *

**May 7th, 1979 - Earlier that Day**

**London, England**

Sirius didn't trust the information, but Moody had insisted that they find a proper spy for the Order; someone who could be trusted by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. It left few options considering it seemed recruiting for the Dark Lord had come to a halt, at least in Britain, so when Wilkes - a known Death Eater - came to Dumbledore seeking sanctuary and safety from his fellow comrades, the Order welcomed him. Despite the Legilimency and Veritaserum fueled interrogations, Sirius didn't trust Wilkes in the slightest. Moody himself was a bit hesitant as well but claimed that an idiot like Wilkes couldn't fight off both an invasion of his mind _as well_ as a truth serum.

Sirius wondered why they were willing to put their lives into Wilke's hands if he was such a bloody idiot.

"Calm down there Black," a deep voice spoke next to Sirius. "You look a little too eager to get in there."

Sirius ignored Kingsley, his grey eyes set on the small, unassuming building. The lack of an obvious threat only made him more anxious. "I don't trust Wilkes," he admitted. "I know the intel says that he's defected, but I think we're putting a lot at risk right now just on the word of a supposed former Death Eater."

"At least the associates he's supposed to be meeting tonight aren't Marked," Kingsley offered, always being the one to attempt to paint a silver lining around the many clouds of this war. Each one of them so eager to piss rain on the whole lot of them.

Already within the year, they had lost five Aurors in the fight, not to mention Caradoc Dearborn had gone missing two months earlier when he'd been attacked alongside Dedalus Diggle and Sturgis Podmore, the latter two were still recovering at St. Mungo's. There was no sight or sound of Dearborn since. The Order had given up hope he'd ever be recovered considering witches, wizards, and Muggles were disappearing left and right all over the United Kingdom.

"The world isn't separated into good people and Death Eaters," Sirius muttered under his breath. "Marked or not, I still think he's one of them."

Kingsley nodded in understanding. "Well, if he _is_, that's why we're all here, isn't it? And he only thinks that he's being monitored by Pettigrew and MacDonald." Which was exactly what Wilkes had been told.

Peter and Mary were the least intimidating pair in the entire Order. Even the older witches and wizards like Dumbledore, Dorcas and Aberforth looked like a force to be reckoned with. Most days Peter barely looked like he was able to tie his own laces, and Mary - despite her temper - had perfected the act of looking easily distracted and non-threatening. Wilkes had been informed that since this was supposed to be a brief meeting with himself and a few underlings, Peter and Mary would tag along and watch from nearby. The supposedly defected Death Eater had no idea that James and Lily were hidden beneath an Invisibility Cloak to the south of Peter and Mary, nor was he aware that Alice and Frank were camped outside the back entrance of the small building, while Sirius and Kingsley took to monitoring the front.

Sirius had suggested that a pair of Aurors be on the inside with Wilkes, but he had been overruled by the group who insisted that if something did come off as untrustworthy, Peter and Mary could be risked being seen since Wilkes already knew about them. Having a team of Aurors spotted at the meetup would not only lend suspicions to the underlings, but might drive Wilkes away from the Order entirely, thus wasting the efforts put into securing him as a spy.

"You need to relax, mate," Kingsley patted Sirius on the shoulder.

The raven-haired wizard growled in response. "Two of my best friends and the girl I consider my sister are in there," Sirius gestured to the building thinking of James, Peter, and Lily. Though a part of him had been wondering lately if he still considered Peter one of his closest friends. Since graduating, Peter had slowly separated himself from the group, and it certainly didn't help that Sirius had actually attacked him when Remus had almost died. In all honesty, these days Sirius was closer to Frank than Wormtail, and the Animagus made a mental note to work on being a better friend to the youngest Marauder in order to make up for past grievances.

"I still think it was stupid to leave Remus out of this," Sirius added as an afterthought.

Kingsley nodded. "You know Moody," the large Auror shrugged his shoulders. "Fool him once, shame on you..."

"Fuck, when will this be over?" Sirius groaned as he adjusted his position. "I just want to get home."

"Ah, to the beautiful Miss Mia?" Kingsley waggled his eyebrows.

Sirius snorted. "Jealous?"

"Always," Kingsley smirked at his young partner. "She's quite the witch. Beautiful, talented, and frankly, she's a bit terrifying," he chuckled, the laugh building from deep in his chest.

Sirius grinned darkly. "Mate, you have no idea."

He immediately thought back to their latest argument where Sirius had failed to wash the dishes, declaring that if she'd let him get a house-elf, they wouldn't have these problems. He knew it would provoke her, and she'd certainly let him have it. He'd pushed and pushed until her hair was sparking and she threw a dish at his head. Eyes dark and blood pumping, Sirius had thrown her over his shoulder and carried her to their room where she proceeded to punish him properly for his insolence and bad attitude. An hour later, since there was still no clean dishes, Sirius fell back on his now default serving platter for partaking in strawberry ice cream.

"So when are you going to propose?"

Sirius groaned as Kingsley pulled him out of his deviant thoughts. "Godric, you're a worse gossip than Mary." He ran a hand through his long black hair in frustration. "What makes you think I'm going to propose marriage?" He asked.

Kingsley shrugged. "Because Potter did."

"I don't do _everything _that James does," Sirius snapped.

The tall, broad-shouldered wizard simply stared at him incredulously before lifting a questioning eyebrow.

"Shut up," Sirius grunted. "I don't. I'm an Auror and he's not. I can make _my own _decisions you know."

"So what's your decision regarding your witch?"

"It's none of your..." Sirius turned, eyes narrowed when suddenly his ears picked up something. He turned quickly and spotted through the dirty window of the building a brief flash of red. "Hey... did you see that?" He asked and then immediately stood to rush forward. "Fuck! It's a trap!" Sirius shouted and sprinted toward the entrance of the building.

oOoOoOo

Upon bursting through the door they were met with, not underlings, but fully Marked, cloaked and masked Death Eaters shooting curses left and right. Peter and Mary were nowhere to be seen and Wilkes had vanished from sight. Instead, Sirius saw James and Lily facing off against four Death Eaters. From the sound of the cackle coming from one of them, he knew it was Bellatrix. The other had long blonde hair peeking out from behind the mask and Sirius groaned. "Malfoy."

"Longbottoms, backup Potter and Evans!" Kingsley ordered and suddenly Alice and Frank came into Sirius' vision, rushing off to the battle. "Black, find Pettigrew and MacDonald!"

Sirius nodded, despite everything inside of him needing to be at James' side. He watched as Alice and Frank jumped into action, protecting each other as they moved towards James and Lily. Only then did he notice that the other two Death Eaters weren't properly fighting. One was throwing hexes so far out of the line of battle, Sirius had briefly wondered if there was someone to the far right that he couldn't see. The other was dueling properly, in a familiar style, only from the angle Sirius was looking, it appeared as though he were purposely deflecting curses sent at Lily and James from Bellatrix and Malfoy.

"Don't just stand there you idiot!" Lucius shouted from beneath the mask at the smallest Death Eater in the group. He reached forward and gripped the masked wizard by the throat and threw him violently to the side where he collided with the corner of a door.

As he hit the edge, his mask cracked and fell from his face and Sirius' eyes widened, filled with ferocity as a mirrored pair of grey eyes looked up into his face.

"Sirius," Regulus whispered, and his face drained of all color.

"You!" Sirius snarled and aimed his wand at his younger brother, gaping at the boy's robes that had been pulled up in his fall revealing the Dark Mark as clear as day. Sirius' stomach turned at the sight and he threw a silent Stunning Spell at his Death Eater sibling. "Regulus, you bloody prat!" He screamed when Regulus threw up a Shield.

"Sirius! Stop!" Regulus pleaded.

"You son of a bitch!" The Animagus growled and charged forward, forgetting the fact that he was supposed to have been looking for Peter and Mary. He couldn't think straight. All Sirius could see was Lily falling into the Black Lake, Mia breathing life back into her body. He could see Death Eaters surrounding his bleeding body at Grimmauld Place while Walburga pleaded with Voldemort to spare Regulus, who would become his most devout servant. He saw Mia's scar... _'Mudblood' _cut right across her arm. Red bled into his sight, clouding his judgment.

"Damnit, Sirius!" Regulus shouted as he deflected Sirius' attacks as best as he could. His smaller frame and Seeker reflexes were lending well to dueling, and Sirius' lack of control was not helping in the assault on his younger brother. "Stop! I need to... you stupid reckless..." Regulus growled at his elder brother. "Sirius, you're being betrayed!"

"No shit!" Sirius snapped and rushed forward, tackling Regulus to the ground. Both wands fell from the wizards and Sirius tumbled, throwing his weight onto Regulus' body.

Regulus was still fighting back, dodging punches that his brother threw his way. "Damnit... brother, I can explain..."

"I'm not your fucking brother!" Sirius shouted and sent a balled fist into Regulus' face, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone. With Regulus bleeding on the ground, Sirius Accio'd his wand and stood up, aiming it at the young Death Eater.

"Wait!" Regulus pleaded, eyes wide. Sirius hesitated just a split second too long and the young Black had regained his wand just in time to throw up another shield. "It's not what you... fuck, stop cursing me arsehole!" He shouted at his older brother. "I'm trying to tell you I'm getting out, and I've got information that your precious Order needs," Regulus hissed.

Sirius was shocked at the words but didn't take them to heart. _Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater_. "You are such a cowardly little shit! You go off and join the bloody Death Eaters and when it gets to be too much you back out. What? Didn't feel like Crucio'ing your family members in your own home?!" He screamed. "Did you think that was a fluke!? An off day where Bellatrix just got bored? No! That's what they do! That's what YOU do! _Stupefy_!"

"_Protego_!" Regulus countered. _"I_ don't!" He denied the accusations. "I... I didn't... I don't anymore. Sirius... I want out," he said and lowered his wand.

Sirius was visibly shaking with anger. He struggled with the image in front of him. Regulus, a Death Eater, his little brother. He wasn't wearing his usual sneer, but instead looked panicked and afraid. Sirius couldn't reconcile the expression with the Dark Mark on his forearm. He moved to attack and only stopped when he saw the smallest hint of a line on Regulus' neck and suddenly he could hear Mia's voice in his head.

_"I healed the wound on his neck, told him to find some Dittany so it wouldn't scar. Yes, Sirius, I healed your brother so he wouldn't scar. You might have an idea as to how I feel about scars."_

_Why had Mia healed Regulus?_

Her brief moment of mercy toward his younger brother caused Sirius to doubt himself.

"Get away from me, or I'll kill you," he said in a low threatening voice.

Regulus widened his stare in shock that Sirius was backing down. Instead of moving in for the attack like Sirius expected, Regulus stood back and lowered his wand. "I'll prove myself," he vowed. "I will. In the meantime..." Regulus frowned and looked like he was struggling to speak. "Tell Evans that I'm sorry," he said and then Disapparated in a cloud of black smoke.

"Fuck!" Sirius screamed in frustration and then turned back to the fight. "Peter! Mary!" He called out, glancing quickly over his shoulder to see Lily and Alice wildly throwing hexes at Lucius and Bellatrix as well as three more Death Eaters that had appeared around the wall. He didn't know where Frank and James were, and just as he was about to go looking for his best friend, he heard Peter screaming out for him.

"Sirius! Help!"

Sirius turned back around and noticed his friend poking his head out from behind the door of a small room. The wall had been blasted to hell and Sirius rushed through, ducking behind it as he dodged a curse that flew over his head. When his grey eyes turned to look at Peter and Mary he paled at the sight.

Peter looked ready to vomit as he held Mary in his arms. The witch was bleeding profusely and the color had drained from her skin. Her body was shaking and her eyes fluttering in and out of consciousness. Still, she seemed to be struggling against Peter's hold.

"T-they hit her w-with..." Peter stuttered as he looked down at the girl in his arms. "S-she's in shock..." he said.

"Oh fuck... fuck... Mary?" Sirius kneeled over the girl and took her face in his hands. "Mary, love look at me," he pleaded with her, tears already in his eyes. "Hey beautiful." He forced a smile when her blue eyes opened to look at him. "You hang on okay? I'm going to get you some help. Pete, what happened?"

"W-Wilkes... it was a trap."

"Where is he?" Sirius growled.

"Over there," Peter gestured to the split wall and Sirius took a look and noticed another small room. "I tried but... but I... "

"It's okay mate." Sirius patted Peter on the shoulder. "I'm going to give you some cover and you get out of here," Sirius said as he looked over the blasted wall again, noticing that Lucius and Bellatrix were gone, leaving behind the three other Death Eaters who had stopped fighting, but were instead looking around. James, Lily, Alice, Frank and Kingsley weren't there.

"They put up anti-Disapparition wards," Peter muttered. "Specific to them. We tried getting out right when Wilkes turned," Peter looked down at Mary who seemed to be struggling to speak. "Shhh..." Peter mumbled. "It's okay," he said through a shaky exhale. "Wilkes hit M-Mary, and then someone..." Peter lifted his left arm and Sirius took in the sight of a large gash over the skin.

"Alright," Sirius sighed and gently pulled Mary from Peter's arms and set her down on the ground next to the wall. The girl let out a painful cry and Sirius frowned. "You make a run for it, get outside the wards and I'll get Mary out of here."

"_I_ can take her," Peter insisted.

"No, Wormtail, you're wounded. You might drop her. Just go," he ordered and when he saw Peter hesitate again he barked loudly. "Peter, go!"

Sirius leaned up, wand held high as he watched Peter rush through the door, heading for the exit. The three Death Eaters had apparently vanished in the brief time Sirius had been planning to evade them, leaving only Wilkes behind. At the sight of Peter making a run for it, Wilkes pulled from the cover of the small room and narrowed his eyes at Peter's retreating frame.

"Pettigrew!" Wilkes yelled. "You little rat!" The man screamed and aimed his wand at Peter's back.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Sirius shouted, and a green light left his wand, hitting Wilkes in the chest before the Death Eater could set the same curse upon his friend. The body fell to the ground and Sirius suddenly felt sick. His knees gave out and he collapsed to the floor. Only the sight of Mary's shaking body brought him out of his stupor.

"S-Sirius..." the girl whimpered, struggling to speak.

"Mary, oh Godric, I'm sorry," he said, trying to pull her into his arms so he could get them out of there. As he moved to stand, she let out another cry and Sirius looked down to see the bleeding from her stomach worsen.

"Siri... Sirius... t-trap..."

"I know," Sirius nodded, blinking through the tears as he carried her to safety, wherever that might be. "I know, Wilkes betrayed us. I'm so sorry... Mary I... I don't know what to do," he admitted as he pushed his way through rubble and broken glass toward the entrance where he'd come in from.

"P-Peter..." Mary whispered. "Peter..."

"It's okay," Sirius leaned down and kissed her forehead, noting how cold she was. "Peter got out safely," he promised her.

Mary's eyes watered instantly and she let out another cry before moaning, "N-No..."

oOoOoOo

**May 9th, 1979**

**193,457 Grains of Sand Left**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin, Mia Potter, and Sirius Black**

She didn't know why Mary's death had surprised her. As close as she was to the rest of them, Mia should have known that she would have died in the war. A witch like Mary wouldn't have stood by and allowed Harry to have been raised by Petunia and Vernon Dursley. No, Mary would have died in the war. Mia should have known; she was certain a part of her _had _known, but decided to live in denial and shoved that bit of information to the back of her mind where she'd kept a running list of people who wouldn't make it out of this alive.

She instead focused on those who _would_.

Sirius and Remus.

_Harry._

Sirius had fallen into a series of nightmares following Mary's death and his first kill. Moody had actually congratulated him for taking down a Death Eater and a spy, and protecting one of their own in the process, but Mia could see that it was destroying a part of him. The day following the attack, Kingsley had stopped by to speak with Sirius, for which Mia was grateful because whatever the older Auror had said to her boyfriend had seemed to pull him slightly out of the darkness. He was an Auror, and they were at war. People died in war. Sometimes it was kill or be killed, Mia knew that. It had been Sirius who'd told her that when she had fallen into the same darkness following her accidental killing of Crabbe Sr. at the final battle in 1998.

Unlike Dorea and Charlus, or any of the other people they'd lost to the war, Mary wasn't going to have a funeral. She'd been the only one killed that day and the Death Eaters were aware of it. With Mary having no surviving family members, that meant the Order of the Phoenix was in charge of her burial, and having a large funeral would only draw attention. The kind of attention that would just get more of them killed.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter offered to take care of burying Mary. Sirius and Peter wanted to do it themselves, being the last two who had seen her alive, but James and Remus insisted on being there to support their fellow Marauders.

"Lily and Alice aren't going either," Sirius said as Mia helped him into his traveling cloak. "Both Frank and Alice are going to be at the Ministry with Moody as a distraction," he stated solemnly. "And Lily's too..." he sighed.

Mia understood. "That's probably for the best. I don't want any of you to go, but it's... it's Mary and someone needs to see her properly buried."

"Once we've caught the bastards who did this, we'll have a real funeral for her," Remus said as he put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "For now... we just need to take care of her. She had no family left, just distant relatives really. Are you sure you're okay with staying?" His soft green eyes fell on Mia.

She nodded. "I'm fine. Like you said, it's not a real funeral, just a burial. When the war is over we'll all grieve together over... " She paused as her chest clenched painfully. "Over _everyone _we've lost. In the meantime, we just have to keep moving forward, pick ourselves back up and fight on."

Sirius offered her a sad smile before leaning in and kissing the corner of her mouth. "My ferocious girl."

"Hey, you guys ready?" James asked as he stepped out of the fireplace, followed behind shortly by Peter.

Remus nodded to James and then looked at Peter. "How's the arm, Pete?"

Peter rubbed at the bandage around his forearm. "Better, thanks. Healers said it might take a long while to heal," he frowned. "Maybe never even. Said it must have been a dark curse that hit me," he informed them, his own watery eyes flickering to Mia's exposed forearm that read 'Mudblood'.

Sirius sighed. "We should get going. Get this over with." All four wizards turned to leave.

"Peter," Mia called after him. "Could you stick around a minute? I'd like to have a word."

Nervously, Peter looked to Sirius. "It's okay," the Animagus said to him. "She told me she just wants to thank you for trying to help Mary." He patted Peter on the back before looking back to his witch who was smiling sweetly at them both.

"Uh, sure..." Peter nodded. "You guys go ahead, I'll meet you there."

"Love you, kitten," Sirius smiled to Mia before stepping into the fireplace.

Mia smiled back at him. "Love you."

James leaned in and kissed his sister's cheek. "Love you, Mia."

"I love you, Jamie."

"Love you, Mi," Remus passed her, kissing the top of her head before following his friends into the Floo.

"Love you."

A brief moment of silence passed between the two left alone in the flat as amber eyes stared into the slowly vanishing green flames.

"Strange... isn't it?" Mia's voice broke the silence and her recently kind eyes turned empty and cold as they looked at Peter standing before her. "Do you feel that?" She asked. "So much love. And they've always had it. From the first moment I was adopted into the family, Jamie was right there hugging me tight and calling me his sister." She smiled at the memory. "Sirius was right there, picking me up off the street with a skinned knee, smiling that brilliant smile of his and offering a handkerchief. And Remus, so afraid and yet so willing to trust me. That's _love_. That's _family_."

"Yeah," Peter smiled and nodded in agreement.

"You're not a part of this family, Peter."

His eyes widened in shock at the words and the tone. "W-What?"

Mia slowly stepped toward him, not the lion stalking a gazelle in the brush, but rather a serpent slithering toward a rat in the bushes. "You were given the chance, that's what I don't understand," she admitted. "Pure-blood parents, and only _one _of which seemed to have an affinity for the dark arts, and yet you didn't seem to care much at first. No, you were just selfish and greedy and eager to please so long as it kept you in the good graces of those who could protect you."

Every step Mia took toward Peter, he instinctively stepped back, feeling as though the room was closing in on him, "All throughout Hogwarts I watched as you lapped eagerly at my brother's feet, basking in Sirius' shadow and praising Remus' efforts to be your friend, all while turning up your nose in disgust at the fact that he was a werewolf, or that Lily and I are Mudbloods."

Peter flinched at the word. "I... I... Mia I didn't..." he stammered and continued moving backward until he hit the edge of the brick fireplace.

Mia stepped forward and reached up, brushing the hair that had fallen over his eyes, her hands soft, almost appearing affectionate if she hadn't been looking at him like he was something she was so eager to squish beneath her heel. "Are you afraid now?" She asked, a glint in her eyes. "Are you standing there, mentally going through the various ways that I could genuinely harm you? Wondering if I might have slipped something into your food or drink at any point recently?"

Peter's eyes widened.

"You know I could do it. I did it in school, quite frequently. Are you wondering if I'm going to hand you a Tele-Portkey? Wondering maybe, _just maybe _I really _did _finally feed one to the squid? Can you swim, Peter?" She asked, the smallest hint of a grin on her face. "Can you swim out of the belly of the beast?"

"I-I need to go..." Peter stammered, his body shaking.

Mia nodded. "Yes, to put Mary in the ground." She sighed and took a step back. Peter let out a sigh of relief and slumped forward a bit. "But you've already done that, haven't you?" She asked, her amber eyes turning on him once again and her face contorting into one of rage. "Muggle, Muggle-born, or blood-traitor, those are the sacrificial options. How's your wound Peter?" She asked and made to reach for his bandaged forearm.

"No!" Peter screamed and tried to move, but her reflexes were faster and the witch took hold of his arm, digging her fingers into the bandage.

"Does it need a wand to summon him here or can touch simply do it?" She asked, squeezing harder and watching as he cried from the pain. "I think you need a wand, don't you? _This_? This probably just hurts like hell." She squeezed it again and felt a brief moment of joy when his knees buckled beneath him. "Let me ask you again _Wormtail_... are you afraid?"

He looked up into her eyes and nodded. "Y-Yes... Please.. Mia..."

_It would be too easy_, she thought. _He's right here._

Mia mentally did the equations in her head once more. If Wormtail died, he wouldn't become Secret-Keeper. Someone _else _would be. Not Sirius, because Sirius would still suggest that they change it. _Someone just as untrustworthy? What if they change the plans? What if Voldemort comes early? What if Lily's not there to protect Harry? What if Harry dies instead? No..._ Mia knew... she couldn't do it. She had to keep Harry safe. She'd promised James. Even if it meant losing everything else, Harry needed to live. She couldn't kill in cold blood. Not like _this_. Not even Peter Pettigrew.

_'Every action we take is the causation of destiny, time travel won't change anything.'  
__'What is meant to happen will happen regardless of how it comes to be.'_

"Do you think if I decided _not _to kill you right now, that would count as you owing me a life debt?" Mia asked, releasing Peter's arm and ignoring him when he clutched it to his chest. "No. Probably not," she sighed. "I wonder... Peter, do you think if I decided to kill you for what you've done, what you're certain to _keep _doing... would he save you? Would Voldemort care if you died?" She asked and then snarled at him when he recoiled from the word. "Don't flinch at the name you little coward!" She snapped.

"I'm sorry... Mia..." Peter said, weeping before her.

"So am I," she nodded. "I'm sorry for my part in letting you become… this…" she gestured to him in general. "Perhaps I could have been a friend and saved you, but somehow I think it wouldn't have mattered. Sirius was raised by blood supremacists and fought back. Remus is designated a dark creature and yet he's the best man I've ever known. Jamie… well he's more powerful than he'd ever let on and he's the very face of goodness. You had them all to emulate, to look up to, to ask for help from, and yet…" She shook her head and looked away from him.

"Mia…" Peter began.

"Let's get something straight right now, Wormtail," her voice was hard again. "I don't trust you. And for some reason that apparently only Fate knows, I have, at this present moment, decided _not _to put you down." She glared at him. "You are a coward and a traitor. Do not expect me to ignore that a _second _time. You're gone. After you put Mary in the ground and pretend to cry over her corpse, you stay away from my family, or I will finish what I began four years ago in the Shrieking Shack."

She couldn't stop Peter Pettigrew from betraying her brother and his family. But she didn't have to look at his face over the breakfast table ever again, pretending that she didn't know the fate of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.

**193,439 Grains of Sand Left**

* * *

**A/N**: I loved writing this chapter. I loved harnessing all of that anger and frustration that Mia felt and doing something with it. Granted, she cannot change the future, but she (and I) felt that Peter got off too easy. A simple forgettable death was what he deserved, but I think we can all agree that he needed to suffer more. Mia's resigned to not being able to change anything, knowing that any move she makes to do so might leave the world in a worse place (and the Arithmancy equations agree with her). She's finally accepting that she had a part in creating this version of Peter Pettigrew, but that it doesn't excuse his own actions. I also loved writing the scene with Regulus and Sirius. Honestly, if I were to save any one person from the Marauder era it would actually be Regulus. His death, and this moment here, are so essential to Sirius' character. It makes me sad that Canon Sirius never knew that his brother eventually defected.


	94. Chapter 94

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. Or well... considering the material I wonder if "enjoy" is the right word LOL. **TheWierdestSister**, Sirius becomes dangerous in Part One of the story where he is right there alongside Draco killing Death Eaters in battle. Sirius took out Dolohov and Bellatrix, he had to have his first kill sometime. Still so awful though. **Duner89**, all I will say is that at least one person will recognize Hermione Granger as Mia Potter when she first goes to Hogwarts. It will be explained. ;) **kaida171**, in the books it's never said if Regulus' body was recovered. I, however answer the question myself. Oh, and it's pronounced "My-uh".

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety-Four: The Lion, The Serpent and the Cobra

_"...It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now.  
__And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now.  
__And I don't know how I can do without.  
__I just need you now..."  
__(Need You Now - Lady Antebellum)_

* * *

**June 25th, 1979**

**124,220 Grains of Sand Left**

**Gringotts Wizarding Bank**

Mia sat at the small desk inside of Gringotts with an exhausted look on her face. She'd been there for hours now, given the run around before even being let into her vault so she could have some of her things moved back into the Potter Family vault. The Goblin who was assisting her, Gornuk, vanished a total of thirteen times in order to discuss her plans with no less than four supervisors. Mia made a mental note that if at any point in the future she did end up working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, it would _not _be in the Goblin Liaison Office. She also made a mental note that her patience as Mia Potter was a great deal shorter than that of Hermione Granger.

She blamed the Marauders.

At least Harry and Ron listened to her once or twice.

"And Miss Potter, you are certain that you want to add Mister Remus John Lupin as a holder to your vault, granting him the ability to access, deposit, and remove all funds and property, be it Muggle, Wizard, gold, Goblin-made," at this the little creature sneered at her. "Or otherwise."

Mia nodded. "Yes. And as specified, in the case of my death the vault will be strictly in his name with no need for further declaration."

The Goblin merely nodded at her curtly and continued filling out the paperwork. Mia yawned while she waited, sitting and contemplating the future and reflecting on Pandora's advice. She would be the song. The thing that brought hope and courage to those who needed it. Already she had removed Peter from the equation, at least for now, thus making herself a much more pleasant person to be around. Helping Alice and Frank with the pain of the future encounters they would have with Barty Crouch Jr., and the Lestranges was checked off of her list. Now she was at Gringotts, assigning away her personal vault to Remus who would be the only person in the future that would need it.

With James and Lily gone and Sirius in Azkaban, she knew that Remus would have nothing. Charlus and Dorea had long ago deposited money into Remus' personal account, but when Remus began controlling his own finances, he'd caught that James had been making monthly deposits and an argument broke out involving the fragile male ego. Remus had agreed to let Sirius and Mia take care of things like rent and food, but any other such charity was ignored on all accounts. At least this way, if Mia was declared dead (either by actually dying or perhaps eventually going back to 1998) Remus would be taken care of. He couldn't very well deny her dying request that he not starve penniless for fifteen to twenty years.

As she sat contemplating a way to inform her best friend of her plans, Mia felt a growing heat against her sternum. "Ouch!" She winced and looked down at the necklace hanging between her breasts. She reached into her blouse, ignoring the strange look that the Goblin was giving her, to pull out the charmed Galleon hanging on the end of the chain, the very same one that Jamie had given her years earlier for Christmas. No one in the A.D. had used it as a form of communication for years, so immediately Mia began to panic when she looked down at the coin as it read:

_'Get home now.'_

_\- RL_

She replied back immediately.

_'What's wrong?'_

_\- MP_

A moment later the message came across clear.

_'Sirius.'_

_\- RL_

oOoOoOo

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin, Mia Potter, and Sirius Black**

"Remus?! Sirius?!" Mia shouted as she burst into the flat, tossing her bag and cloak on the floor as she rushed forward to search the flat. When she didn't find either of them there, she began to panic until the front door opened and the werewolf stepped inside looking exhausted. "Remus what happened? Where's Sirius?"

Remus put his hands on her shoulders and took a deep breath, hoping she'd mimic him. "Calm down."

She snapped immediately. "Calm down?! You send me a message like _that_ and then tell me to _calm down_?!"

"Mia..." Remus sighed. "Sirius got a letter from his mother."

Her anger fell immediately and she groaned. They hadn't heard word about Walburga in years, not since Sirius had escaped Grimmauld Place. Despite knowing the timeline, Mia blanked on any reason why the horrible woman would contact her disowned son. "Oh Godric, what did that nasty old bitch have to say now?"

Remus frowned. "Sirius' father and brother died."

"Oh no." Mia grimaced at the news, remembering a long time ago when she and an older Sirius sat together at Grimmauld Place while Harry and Ron tore apart Regulus' room looking for anything that R.A.B. might have left behind, specifically a Horcrux.

_"Tell me about your brother." _Hermione had said to him.

_"Maybe another time, love," _he insisted.

_"Did . . . was there a funeral?" _She asked.

_"I imagine so. I wasn't invited. I got a lovely letter from my mother telling me that my Father and brother were both dead."_

_"That's awful."_

_"That was typical."_

_"So you didn't even get to say goodbye?" _Hermione asked.

_"Not in the way you're thinking. I said goodbye to them all the moment they blasted me off that damn tree in the other room. When Reg died though," _Sirius had paused as he thought about whether or not to say anything more._ "I said goodbye by drinking my way through a bottle of Firewhisky with a girlfriend."_

Understanding her role now, Mia walked over to the kitchen and waved her wand in the air, levitating down a large unopened bottle of Firewhisky and then looking back to Remus. "Where is he?" She asked.

"Downstairs in the shop," Remus said, gesturing to the door. "He threatened to duel me if I tried to separate him from the Firewhisky," he glanced at the bottle in her hand and Mia could tell he was wondering if she was making the right choice. "It's bad, Mia."

oOoOoOo

"Sirius? Love?" Mia called down the stairs into the shop.

At the foot of the stairs, she lit her wand with a silent Lumos and moved through the shadows until she found her boyfriend sitting in the middle of the large room in nothing but his trousers. Sirius' long black hair was messy and soaked in sweat as though he'd just come in from running. After Remus telling her that Sirius had been looking for a duel, she wasn't surprised. She was curious as to where the rest of his clothes were.

As she approached him from behind, she noticed that his eyes were fixed on his left hand where a half-empty bottle of Firewhisky sat. But he wasn't looking at his hand or the bottle. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the old scar on his forearm. The one where Lucius Malfoy tried to brand him with the Dark Mark. Mia frowned at the sight, figuring that Sirius was replaying that night over and over in his mind. She'd seen it herself when she'd gone into his memories through Legilimency. She'd watched as Sirius, bloodied and beaten, still tried to take Regulus away with him.

"Hullo kitten," Sirius mumbled as he tilted his head back to look at her. "Didya hear? I'm the sole livin' heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black."

"Sirius give me the bottle," she held out her hand as she sat down beside him.

"No... s'mine."

"Then share it with me," she insisted. "I'm not opening this one until that's all gone."

Sirius turned and stared at her, one eyelid half closed. She frowned and leaned forward, placing a sweet kiss to his mouth and tasting the remnants of the whisky on his lips. At her touch, Sirius leaned in, slipping his tongue into her mouth in an effort to deepen the kiss. _Oh no_, Mia shook her head. _That's not going to happen right now_, she thought to herself and then pushed him away.

"You've got the prettiest eyes kitten..." Sirius smiled at her. "I ever tell you that? Like Firewhisky." He held the half empty bottle out to her as though to compare the color. "Hey, your eyes aren't brown anymore. Not ever," he commented thoughtfully.

Mia snatched the bottle from him quickly and took a long drink straight from it. "I know."

"Since when?"

She winced slightly as her throat burned, setting the bottle down between her legs. "The Marking ritual," she answered. "Even when a werewolf isn't fully transformed the bite can have other side effects. Weird cravings, irritability around the full moon," she said, briefly thinking of Bill Weasley. "I guess my Animagus form reacted with the bite and made the eye shift permanent."

Sirius paused and concentrated as though he were trying to force himself to be sober for a moment. "You never said anything before about the side effects."

Mia shrugged. "That's because Remus would pitch a fit," she replied and Sirius nodded in agreement. "Does it bother you?" She asked him, worried that a bit of the jealousy in Sirius would find it's way out when he was properly intoxicated. She looked over at him with concern only to find him giggling. Legitimately giggling. "Wait, why're you laughing?"

"Chocolate," Sirius laughed. "That's what they used to look like. Chocolate for _Remus_. I always preferred _this_ though," he said, reaching out to touch her cheek and stare into her eyes. "Like this Firewhisky color was _mine_, and the other was... and somehow it took Remus sinking his teeth into your neck," he continued speaking as his hand moved from her cheek down to her shoulder where his thumb grazed over the scar thoughtfully. "For your body to figure out you were always meant to be mine."

She did her best to ignore the way his eyes darkened and he licked his lips. _Nope._ that wasn't what tonight was about. "That is strangely poetic and well thought out considering how absolutely pissed you are right now," she said, smirking at him. Mia picked the bottle back up and held it out to him. "What should we drink to?"

Sirius snatched the Firewhisky from her and held the bottle up as though to make a toast. "The end of the most pure and polluted House..." he said almost proudly before drinking deep from the bottle. "I'm the last of us, you know. The last Black."

"Jamie and I are Blacks," Mia stated firmly. While she'd associated herself as a Potter practically since the beginning of her time in the past, it had taken Mia longer to identify with Dorea's side of the family. The older she got, however, the more she noticed that somehow - despite not being blood related - she was, in fact, a Black. The temper was revealing if not anything else. "There's still Andromeda and Narcissa," she added and watched as Sirius cringed at Narcissa's name. "And the Weasleys and Prewetts are technically from the House of Black. Same with the Longbottoms."

"I'm the last of the name though. It'll die with me."

"You don't want to carry it on through your children?" She asked him.

Sirius barked a laugh. "You want to give our kids my name?"

"Oh, it's _our _kids now?" Mia smirked.

"Course it's _our_ kids," Sirius sighed and put an arm around her, handing her back the bottle. "I'm an agreeable sort of man these days, kitten, but you're not having _Remus' _pups."

Mia rolled her eyes and took another sip. "As long as it's not a litter, I think I'll be fine with birthing your spawn."

"And they'll be Potters," he insisted.

Mia shook her head. "They'll be Blacks."

"No, it should die with me. The whole bloody House and everything it stands for," Sirius growled under his breath.

Mia continued to argue, not knowing why considering it was unlikely he'd even remember this conversation about their future hypothetical children. Hypothetical children that Mia was certain would never actually exist considering she couldn't see her own future. "No, you should rebuild it. Make it a name worth something again. Make it a name Mum would still be proud of."

Sirius said nothing, but tipped to the side and crawled into her lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair as she had done a thousand different times since they were eleven years old. She wished that they could stay like this, just like this, forever. No Death Eaters, no Voldemort, no war and no Azkaban on the horizon. _How did he do it? _She wondered to herself. _How did he survive Azkaban all those years? All those years without this? Without me? _And then a darker thought came over her mind and she fought to hold back her own tears. _How am _I_ going to survive without _him_?_

"They killed my brother, Mia," Sirius whispered, interrupting the silence in the darkness.

"What happened?" She asked even though she knew the answer.

"He wanted to leave. Told me so when... when we were fighting," Sirius sat up and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Fucking little coward jumped into the deep end of Death Eaters and the second it got to be too much... you can't just walk out," he snapped. "Death Eater means for life. It means death. Your death. And they killed him."

"When's the funeral?"

Sirius scoffed. "Two weeks ago."

"That bitch!" Mia growled.

The wizard shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't have gone anyway. I hate him. He... so stupid."

"Maybe it wasn't because he was scared," she offered. "Maybe he wanted to finally do the right thing."

"Un-fucking-likely."

"Maybe we could pretend."

"Pretend _for _me, kitten," Sirius sighed and fell back into her lap. "Tell me a story about a brother who wasn't a ... just ... make it better."

Mia ran her fingers once more through Sirius' hair and let out a soft sigh of relief when she felt him relax into her body. "Once upon a time a family of snakes awoke one morning to find a magical gift in their home. A tiny lion cub." She smirked when she heard Sirius chuckle. "They raised him and taught him everything there was to know about being a snake, but try as he might - and he didn't try very hard - the lion cub still had claws instead of fangs, still had fur instead of scales, and still roared instead of hissed. And despite being so _very _different, the lion cub loved the smallest snake in the family, who was very much a snake in every way there was to be a snake." Mia frowned when she felt the laughter die away from Sirius and he went still in her arms. "The little snake and the lion grew up together, but then they were separated by a long distance and the lion found a pride of his own and grew into a fierce King of the Jungle."

"Don't lions live on savannahs?" Sirius interrupted her.

"Hush, you're ruining my story."

"You're story is weird," Sirius complained. "I don't think you're very good at telling it."

"Shut up," she laughed. "So the little cub became a fierce lion and the little snake grew into a proper serpent, as he'd been raised to be. They became enemies and rarely spoke to one another and the venomous serpent struck out, biting and attacking the lions friends. But he regretted it." Mia noticed that Sirius had once again gone still and she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. "And one day whilst in the snake pit, the young serpent came across a treasure that belonged to the King Cobra," she said with a grin as she recalled the moment that they'd found the fake Horcrux with the note from R.A.B. inside of it. "And he stole it away and ran hoping to share this wonderful secret with his brother, the lion, hoping to reconnect with him so they could be a family again."

"But the Cobra killed him," Sirius said, interrupting her.

Mia frowned. She'd planned on changing the ending of the story of course, but Sirius was just too smart for it. He couldn't be fooled by lies. Couldn't be swayed by fairytales. "But the Cobra killed him," she agreed.

"They found his body in the Thames on the beach up near Gravesend," Sirius sighed. "Death Eaters just dumped his body there. Muggles pulled him out."

Mia furrowed her brows as she remembered the truth behind Regulus' death. His fellow Death Eaters had nothing to do with it. He'd died a hero. Saved a house-elf, defected from the Dark Lord and sacrificed his life in the end in an attempt to bring him down. "Maybe... maybe he drowned."

Sirius scoffed. "Yeah, and maybe he was really a good person," he said sarcastically. "Too many maybes in this world if you ask me." He sat back up and grabbed the bottle taking another long drink from it. "He wanted out. I didn't believe him."

"You couldn't have known, Sirius."

"I could have... I... just stood back and watched," Sirius yawned and moved back into her lap, reaching for her hand and setting it on top of his head. "I had the power to do something, anything," his voice was soft and his breath became shallow as he began drifting closer to sleep. "'Stead I just... just sat back and let my only brother die."

When she was certain that Sirius was completely asleep, Mia left out a small sob and whispered, "Me too."

oOoOoOo

"Remus, wake up," a voice spoke over the sleeping werewolf. "Moony. Get your arse up."

Soft green eyes opened in the darkness. "Sirius?" He looked up into the exhausted face of his friend who stunk of Firewhisky. "Padfoot, what's wrong?" He asked.

"It's Mia... something's..." Sirius frowned and shook his head as Remus sat up. "I don't know how to help her..." The Animagus frowned, looking desperate.

Remus groaned, pulling himself out of bed. "What happened?" He asked.

Sirius made his way to the door and opened it, following behind Remus as the werewolf headed toward the living room. "I passed out hours ago, mate. Woke up and she was throwing things all around the shop downstairs," Sirius explained. "Half of what's there is broken, and the bottle I'd brought with me is empty. _I_ wasn't the one that finished it."

"And you can't deal with your _own _drunk witch?" Remus growled a little bitterly.

Sirius shrugged. "I tried Moony ... anytime she tries speaking to me she's got ... this stutter or something," he attempted to explain, hoping that he still wasn't too drunk to eloquate his thoughts properly. "Can't make heads or tails of anything she's saying."

"Oh fuck..." Remus groaned, understanding completely "Alright." He opened the door to the flat and then turned around to see Sirius had planned on following him down. "No, you go and get some rest. You've had a rough night and you still have to work tomorrow. I'll take care of your witch."

Sirius gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Moony."

"I'll bring her to your bed if I can get her to calm down," the werewolf said as Sirius walked away, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair before descending the stairs.

When he reached the room he winced and looked down spotting broken shards of glass. Suddenly he was incredibly grateful that they'd decided not to store anything of their own down in the shop with the exception of whatever had been left behind by the previous owner. He found the witch standing in the corner of the room, an entirely empty bottle of Firewhisky at her feet and another one three-quarters gone in one hand, wand in the other.

"Mia?" He called out to her nervously.

The witch spun on her heels and rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly, the contents of the bottle sloshing around inside of the glass. "Remus? Remus, wait..." she pulled away from him and heavy-lidded eyes looked up into his face. "Which one are you?" She asked, and he could see her trying to focus her gaze.

"Younger," he answered already knowing what her issue was. He was glad that something like this hadn't happened years ago before Dumbledore set the truth spell on her. Considering the future of the war hung on the facts inside of her head, Firewhisky was a poor decision for the witch who apparently had a very loose tongue when well plied with liquor. "You having dreams of somewhere else, love?"

"Somewhere... some_when_." She nodded and then reached up, running her fingers through his fringe. "I miss your grey hair. You were so handsome."

"Am I so hideous now?" Remus smirked.

"I love that smile," she said, and then touched his lips in an investigative manner. "You should always smile Remus..." she insisted. "Even when... even after... J-J-Ja..." Mia began stuttering and unlike when she tried to force the words out, it seemed like she was now trying to just stop herself from stammering on and getting caught in the loop.

Remus reached out and pulled her back to his chest when he noticed tears forming in her eyes. "It's okay, Mia. You don't have to say anything."

She cried against him. "I'm supposed to be strong. Remus I can't be strong. I'm not brave enough," the witch sobbed into his chest. "I don't know what's going to happen. Am I going to die after it happens? After everything's gone and everyone I l-l-love i-is..."

"Stop talking," he insisted when she started stuttering again. He could see how this would scare the hell out of Sirius who had no idea that the love of his life was a girl that wouldn't even be born until later that year. "I don't know everything _you _know, and Godric I wish you didn't know it either. I wish I could take it away. I don't want to get old and send you back here," he confessed sadly. "I don't want you to hurt anymore. I'd do _anything _to prevent whatever it is you're going through."

She pulled away from him instantly and looked up at him with wide amber eyes. "You have to though. You promised me," she said the words, laced with panic.

"I know."

"Don't take him away from me," she pleaded, panicked.

The werewolf could only think she meant Sirius and he understood. It was up to him to send a nineteen-year-old girl thirty years into the past just so she could fall in love with Sirius Black; and himself at a certain point, but that was neither here nor there any longer. _Sirius _was the important part now. She needed him and Sirius definitely needed her. Remus was getting exhausted trying to take care of them both.

"It took so much to get him back" the witch whispered. "He lost too much, Remus. I didn't even do it for _me_, you know? At least I didn't think so at the time. I just... I thought of him when I saw the spell and I thought... Harry _needs _him, and maybe I could give that to him."

Though he hadn't a clue as to what Mia was talking about, he continued to stroke her hair as he sat down on the floor, using his wand to clean up the broken glass everywhere before pulling her up against him. "Tell me about Harry."

"I can't," she frowned. "You know I can't."

"You can tell me about him because you're not going to change anything," he explained. "That's how it works, right?"

After a long moment of silence, Mia whispered. "I miss him. He was my best friend."

"I'm hurt," Remus smirked.

The witch smiled, and Remus took that as a victory. "_You're _my best friend too."

"So what made Harry different?" He asked her. "How'd you meet?"

"On the train." She grinned at the memory. "Just like you. Broken glasses, _Potter _hair and the brightest green eyes I'd ever seen."

"Lily's eyes," Remus whispered with a smile.

Mia nodded and then let out a soft laugh as she recalled the memory. "It was so funny. He was there with Ron..."

"Who's Ron?"

"You'll see," she said, waving off the question. "Anyway, Ron was trying to do magic to show off. Said this worthless spell over his pet r-r-r... Scab-b-b..." she began stuttering again and her eyes widened in anger and she screamed, "Fuck!"

"It's okay, love," Remus reached out to calm her, a part of him wondering what on earth could have happened on the bloody Hogwarts Express that not only had something to do with impacting the future, but also angered her to such an extreme level. "Skip that part. Go back to Harry."

She took several slow deep breaths and reached for the bottle of Firewhisky. Before she could bring it to her lips, however, Remus snatched it from her hands and launched it across the room. The glass shattered and the noise echoed off of the walls. Mia momentarily pouted and then sighed, leaning back against Remus' shoulders. "He flew his broom... but wasn't supposed to. Malfoy was picking on Neville."

"Alice and Frank's boy?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Harry stood up for him. Brilliant."

"And what may I ask were _you _doing?" He questioned her with a grin.

She laughed. "Lecturing Harry to stay on the ground, of course. _Always _lecturing him. Them both," she yawned. "The whole lot of them. Nothing but trouble. Sirius too. Bloody reckless." She stared off into the darkness, a frown taking over her expression once again.

"What about _me_?" Remus asked, trying to distract her. "Tell me more about me."

"So smart and brave." Mia smiled thoughtfully. "You t-t-taught... n-not to be a-f-fraid."

"Okay, it's okay," he said immediately before the witch burst into tears again.

"Mmm tired, Remus," she let out a long sigh and then yawned.

The werewolf stood and pulled the witch into his arms, placing one hand behind her knees and lifting her up. Her arms fell over his shoulders and her head tucked beneath his chin like a child and Remus smirked at how innocent she appeared when just minutes ago she was a raving mess. "Come on then love. I'll take you to bed."

"Sirius better not hear that," she mumbled.

"Very funny," he rolled his eyes and threw open the door to the flat, carrying her inside. "I'm taking you to _Sirius_' bed."

"Careful, he sleeps naked sometimes."

Remus grimaced as he walked down the long hallway, noting that Sirius had left the bedroom door open. "I'm aware," he said before poking his head inside the room, making sure Sirius was dressed.

Despite being utterly exhausted, the Animagus had clearly waited up for Remus and Mia, worried. He looked completely relieved when he saw his girlfriend calm in Remus' arms and he stood to take her from the werewolf who handed her over willingly.

"Thanks, Moony."

Remus yawned. "You owe me," he said before walking out, closing the bedroom door behind him.

"Hey, sleepy drunk kitten," Sirius smiled down at the witch in his arms as he carried her over to the bed, placing her down on the mattress gently.

"Hey, sleepy drunk dog," Mia mumbled, tucking her hands into his hair and accidentally pulling when he set her down. Sirius winced a little and then just decided to go with it, collapsing on top of her. When she didn't appear to mind at all, Sirius shrugged and made a pillow out of her breasts.

"You okay now?" He asked quietly.

"Mhmm..." She nodded. "Remus fixed me."

"He's good at that."

"Sirius?" She whispered.

"Yeah kitten?"

"Promise me something?"

"Anything, love."

She paused and took a long, slow breath before speaking again. "Promise me that... that you'll _always _trust Remus. Always remember that he'd never hurt anyone. And... and when he needs you the most, please take care of him for me."

Sirius frowned at the request, wondering what on earth had provoked something like that. He couldn't however find fault with the need for it. They were at war and after Mary's death, Mia was probably terrified of losing everyone else around her. Terrified that she too might die and leave them all behind. Sirius didn't want to think about losing her. He didn't want to think about losing anyone else.

"I promise."

**123,728 Grains of Sand Left**

* * *

**A/N**: Sad and broken. It'll get happier, I promise. And then it'll get horrible. Sorry, I didn't start it... JKR did.


	95. Chapter 95

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Lots of lovely fluff today! Also, one of my all time favorite Sirius lines in the whole fic!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety-Five: Something Old, Something New

_"...Cause it's a beautiful night,  
__We're looking for something dumb to do.  
__Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you.  
__Is it the look in your eyes, Or is it this dancing juice?  
__Who cares baby, I think I wanna marry you..."  
__(Marry You - Bruno Mars)_

* * *

**September 6th, 1979**

**19,079 Grains of Sand Left**

**Potter Cottage - Godric's Hollow - Residence of James Potter and Lily Evans**

"Are you sure you boys want to have your stag night tonight?" Alice asked as she watched James, Sirius and Remus put their cloaks on. The witch raised a sculpted eyebrow as James laughed quietly again, something he'd been doing all night anytime anyone mentioned 'stag party'. "You're just not looking very well Remus," she frowned.

The wolf smiled at the three witches gathered around a large round table, each with a black cauldron in front of them. "I'll be fine, thank you Alice," he promised.

"I just mean ... well, it's the moon," Alice said softly, gesturing at the window where the sun was setting outside. "And you two are okay with your wizards going out there with him?" She asked, turning to Lily and Mia who were busy pulling Silverweed seeds off of the stems.

Lily was the first to look up and smirk at the boys. "Oh, I just figure that if something bad happens, I'll marry whichever one of them is left standing," she teased.

James clutched at his heart dramatically and then rushed over, lifting his fiance into his arms and kissing her soundly. "Little witch, you honestly think I can't take on a big bad werewolf?" He grinned smugly. "I'll have you know I've been wrangling wolves for years," he said triumphantly. "If anyone should be worried, it's Moony over there."

"Please keep safe," Mia interrupted Lily and James. "Enjoy your 'stag' night," she said, rolling her eyes when James laughed again. "Yes, yes, you're very clever." She patted James on the head before walking over and giving Remus a gentle hug, slipping a bar of chocolate into the pocket of his robes. "For the morning," she whispered and he kissed the top of her head before passing her along to Sirius.

"You sure you don't want to come with us, kitten?" He asked her.

"Nope." She shook her head. "Hen night."

"_Boring_ hen night," Sirius scoffed. "Sitting around and brewing potions. You should be drinking the night away, dancing and ordering a stripper..."

"They should _not_ be ordering a stripper!" James snapped.

"_I_ would!" Sirius laughed. "If you hadn't decided to have your bloody stag night..." Sirius rolled his eyes when James giggled again, "on the full moon, the three of us would be tossing Galleons at Voluptuous Victoria."

"Sirius Black you will not go anywhere near a Veela stripper," Mia said, her eyes blazing. "Am I clear?"

"Crystal, love," he said, winking at her. "Besides, why would I ever go for some bird when I've got my own gorgeous little fox at home?" He asked with a grin before leaning in and capturing her lips. "Have fun with your potions and Lily's boring last few days as a single witch."

Mia shook her head. "Go before the moon rises."

The three boys slipped out the back door and Disapparated to Potter Manor and the Orchards where they had arranged to meet Peter, much to Mia's displeasure, where they would celebrate James' approaching nuptials by literally acting like animals, as per James' request.

They had spent months planning the wedding, and despite it being fairly small, the plans had taken over their lives. Lily had to be properly educated in Pure-blood wedding customs, something that Mia was all too willing to help with. When the ginger witch was told that in the old ways a bride was brought to her groom wearing absolutely nothing, she gaped at Mia, Alice, and Pandora with wide green eyes waiting for one of them to start laughing and tell her that they were joking. When none of them did and instead Pandora presented Lily with photographs from her _own_ ceremony, the redhead burst into hysterical laughter and threatened to elope the Muggle way.

In the end, Lily and James had chosen a lovely planned ceremony that fell somewhere between Muggle traditions and the current customs of Wizarding society, dress included. The wedding was to be held at Potter Manor in the Orchards, which Sirius and James were supposed to be cleaning up the morning following the full moon while Remus rested in the Manor. Despite protests from her friends and fiance, Lily had invited Petunia and Vernon to the reception, but not the _actual_ wedding ceremony which would include a bonding ritual. She imagined that even if Petunia _could_ handle some forms of magic, the ceremony was something that Lily was not willing to let her sister and brother-in-law's closed minded opinions sully.

The invitations had been sent out and, as suggested by Mia and Sirius who had seen it done before, they had been charmed as time-activated Portkeys that would bring the guests right to the Manor. Frank and Kingsley offered their services as security knowing that Death Eaters would try to use the Potter wedding as a chance to infiltrate and attack the Order. The food was all being prepared by Tilly, who hadn't looked so happy since before Dorea had passed away.

As much as they wanted to celebrate, however, Mary's death still hung over them all like a flashing reminder that, wedding or not, they were still at war. When planning Lily's hen night it was suggested that they try to get out and enjoy themselves, but with Alice needing to work the following morning, Lily not in the mood to celebrate without Mary, and Remus informing the witches that Mia was not to get into any Firewhisky after a recent drinking binge, the witches all decided to stay in, brew potions, and enjoy a quiet girls night in.

"Alright, so we've got enough Blood-Replenishing Potion to stock the Order for emergencies, Invigoration Draught, Essence of Dittany," Alice said as she continued to go over the list of potions that the witches had been brewing all day to keep the Order well prepared, just in case. "I'll start on the Pepper-Up Potion if you'd be willing to do a double batch of yours for me, Lils?" She asked.

"Not a problem," Lily said, smiling. "I'll make enough to last us each three months." Lily added several ingredients to the brew to double up the batch before turning to the brunette witch. "What're you making, Mia?" The ginger witch asked as she leaned across the table to look at the green liquid of Mia's cauldron.

"Sober-Up Potion," Mia confessed. "For some reason we run out of it rather quickly at home." The curly-haired witch laughed and Lily shook her head, smirking. Alice simply rolled her eyes as she cleaned out her cauldron, ready to start another brew.

"What're _you_ making Lils?" Mia asked.

"Contraceptive Potion," she admitted.

Mia's amber eyes slowly looked up at her soon to be sister-in-law. "What's that?"

"Contraceptive Potion," Lily repeated.

"You two use the _potion_? The charm is easier. Godric, it was the first non-verbal spell Sirius ever perfected," Mia laughed. "And I know for a fact that Jamie knows it. Mum drilled it into my head when I was fifteen, and I'm sure Dad did the same with him."

"Well, yes," Lily agreed. "But he's well... a little forgetful when he's caught up in the moment." The redhead blushed. "Besides, I enjoy making potions. I always have."

Mia watched as a strange look overcame Lily. A look of brief sadness that Mia assumed was the smallest part of her friend missing Severus and the friendship they once had that they could never have again. Brewing potions was Lily's way to stay connected to that part of her, the part that she just couldn't disconnect forever from her childhood and the one person that had bridged the Muggle and Wizarding world for her when she needed it.

"I understand," Mia smiled. "Still, you're going to be married. I don't see what the fuss is over keeping up with the potion," she said aloud.

Lily gaped at the brunette. "Just because I'm getting married does not mean I'm about to turn into some barefoot and pregnant house-witch," she laughed at the thought. "I don't plan on starting a family for a few years."

"Same here," Alice agreed.

Mia nodded silently, not saying a word as she mentally did the math in her head. _End of July minus average pregnancy gestation, give or take a week or two depending on the variety of an individual witches cycle, genetics and factor in... _Mia thought to herself and then bit her lower lip nervously. November. _A little over a month away and Lily just mentioned she was making enough to last three months_.

Mia cleared her throat. "I don't know about you two, but I could use something to drink," she smiled brightly. "Why don't you go and pick out a bottle of wine we can share, Lily?" She suggested. "I'll put a Stasis Charm on the cauldrons and we can go into the living room and dig into that treacle tart that Tilly made?"

"That sounds lovely," Alice beamed brightly, setting down her stirring stick and lowering the heat on her cauldron.

"Red or white?" Lily asked as she too, lowered the heat on her cauldron.

"White." Mia smiled.

Alice headed in the direction of the living room. "I'm going to get a head start on that treacle," she declared. "You coming?" She called back to Mia.

"Be right there. Just need to add one more thing before I can leave this to brew," she lied and watched as both of the other witches left her alone.

_Okay, so am I a terrible friend to Lily and Alice? _She asked herself. _No, I'm an amazing friend to Harry and Neville_! Mia reasoned, nodding to herself before taking a deep breath to tap down the guilt inside of her as she reached over Lily's cauldron and dropped in a single Shrivelfig, making the brew completely useless. The Contraceptive Potion turned blue for a split second before returning to its normal pink color. Mia let out a sigh of relief. Lily and Alice would never know the difference.

Mia walked into the living room to find Lily struggling to open the bottle of wine. She laughed at the sight of the redhead with the large bottle held firmly between her thighs while she struggled with the cork on the other end. "Oh honestly, are you a witch or aren't you?" Mia laughed and reached for the bottle, waving her wand and watching as the cork flew out of the end of it.

Lily flushed with embarrassment.

"Have you decided what jewelry you're going to wear for the ceremony?" Alice asked. "Frank's mother made me wear this awful gaudy tiara that I swear weighed six pounds. I'm amazed I was able to kiss him at the end, my neck felt like it was about to snap," she giggled.

Lily glanced down at her hands. "I was just thinking my ring honestly." Her green eyes noticed the bracelet. "Oh, I've been meaning to give this back to you Mia," she said and reached for it. "I know you gave it to Sirius and he gave it to me but I'm about to become a Potter anyways..."

"You're keeping it," Mia insisted, holding a hand up to Lily. "It's a Potter family heirloom. It should go to your children when you have them..." she paused and then added with a secret smirk. "In a few years."

"If it's a Potter heirloom then it's more yours than mine," Lily frowned.

Mia shrugged. "I'll have plenty of Black heirlooms to rifle through one day."

"Oh?" Alice raised a brow. "Has Sirius proposed then?"

"What?" Mia paled. "No, of course not! I meant because my mother was a Black, not because... Godric," she gasped. "I think I'd die if Sirius ever gave me anything that belonged to _his_ mother," she laughed. "_Literally_ die. The woman probably cursed everything she owned to poison any Muggle-born that touches it. Thankfully, the things my Mum left Jamie and I have been tested by several Curse-Breakers."

Lily and Alice shared a look.

"What?" Mia glared at them.

"Nothing, nothing," Alice swirled the wine in her glass innocently. "Just interesting to note how quickly you changed the conversation from marriage proposals to jewelry."

"Technically _you_ changed it from jewelry to marriage proposals," Mia said, eyeing her friend. "I was merely changing it back."

"Do you _not_ want to marry Sirius?" Alice asked.

"I need more wine for this conversation," Mia growled and reached for the bottle. "Actually, I don't want to have this conversation at all. It's supposed to be a night about Lily. Shouldn't we be playing games?" She asked.

"Fine," Lily said with determination. "Drinking game then."

"I'm off the Firewhisky," Mia reminded her.

"Remus told us. Wine will have to do," Lily said as she refilled each of their glasses. "Now as the bride, I get to pick the game and I choose 'Never Have I Ever'."

Mia groaned.

"Play it with less attitude or I'll put Veritaserum in it," Lily threatened her future sister-in-law.

The curly-haired witch rolled her eyes. "This is cliche," she declared. "But fine, I'll go first. Never have I ever forced my friends to play a ridiculous Muggle drinking game in order to manipulate them into confessing their deepest darkest secrets."

Lily drank from her glass with a smirk on her face, Alice followed suit even though it hadn't been her idea. "Never have I ever wanted to marry Sirius Black," Lily stated firmly and then eyed Mia daringly.

Her nose twitched and Mia sighed, slowly bringing the glass of wine to her lips. She flinched at the high pitched squeal that both of her friends made in response. Mia couldn't help but smile slightly at their reactions. She knew they wanted to be excited about the prospect of another wedding on the horizon. It was what girls did, looked to the future where they were all happily married with families and careers. And as much as she wished she _could_ do that, Mia knew that it wasn't in her future. At least not for a long time. She did want to marry Sirius, but she knew it wasn't in the plans. She wouldn't see _her_ Sirius, this younger Sirius in dress robes waiting for her in a charmed ceremonial circle. No, this younger Sirius had nothing in his future but heartache and Dementors.

To wash the thought from her mind, Mia threw back the entire glass of wine, ignoring the suddenly concerned looks on Lily and Alice's faces.

"Never have I ever had sex in the Heads Room at Hogwarts," Alice said, taking her turn and watching with amusement as Lily blushed and then drank from her glass.

The game went on innocently for another twenty minutes until Mia ran out of things that she'd never done and Lily and Alice each took turns widening their eyes as they took to challenging one another to see how risque they could question Mia's history. At the end of the hour both witches had discovered more than they ever wanted to know about Remus and Sirius, the Room of Requirement, several broom closets at Hogwarts, the Orchards of Potter Manor, blindfolds, Sticking Charms, and strawberry ice cream.

Late into the night Lily brought up the bracelet again, and Mia smiled at her friend. Knowing that for some reason it was important to Lily, Mia reached out and took the ginger witch's wrist in her hand and tapped her wand over the bracelet, muttering, "_Geminio_," and watching as an exact duplicate appeared in her hand. "There," she said proudly. "Now we each have one."

oOoOoOo

**September 15th, 1979**

**6,060 Grains of Sand Left**

**Potter Manor - Orchards**

The morning of the wedding found James Potter and Sirius Black standing at the end of an aisle beneath the Orchards of Potter Manor completely hungover. Dressed in their finest dress robes, both wizards looked as handsome as ever, save for the way their faces appeared just slightly green. They'd sent Remus off to wait for the ceremony to begin and Peter had been shoved away in an attempt to search for a Sober-Up Potion for each of them.

The night prior to the wedding found the Marauders all gathered inside 93 Diagon Alley drinking long into the early morning. Not in celebration, rather to keep James from having an absolute mental breakdown. He hadn't been away from Lily for one hour before panicking over the fact that she had less than twelve hours left to decide whether or not he was worth actually marrying. It had taken all three wizards to subdue him enough to get the first shot of Firewhisky down his throat. Remus had suggested a Calming Draught, but Sirius had hoped that once the panic attack passed, James would be up for celebrating.

Unfortunately, they had been forced to keep James drinking all night long until the messy-haired wizard collapsed on the couch, at which point Sirius finished off the bottle. When they woke, Sirius had a nasty headache and James had gone right back into panic mode, but this time with a proper hangover.

"I can't breathe," James gasped at the end of the aisle, ignoring the way that many of the guests were staring at him, hands gripped in his hair as though he were attempting to yank it out by the roots. "Pads, I can't breathe." He released his hair and turned to grip Sirius' robes, hazel eyes wide. "What if she doesn't show up? What if she ran away with Diggory?"

"Amos?" Sirius laughed. "Mate, she went on one date with him like... six years ago."

"Maybe he's just been waiting for a moment like this to strike," he said with a grimace. "Oh fuck... I'm gonna lose the love of my life to a bloody Hufflepuff!" James screamed, attracting attention from the front row of wedding guests, all of which were gaping at the display in front of them, none with more disapproval on their faces than Minerva McGonagall who glared when Sirius turned and winked at her.

"Better than a Slytherin," Sirius suggested.

James simply stared at his best friend with wide eyes. "You are the worst best man in the history of weddings!" He glared, leaning forward and punching Sirius in the shoulder and then growling when Sirius just laughed in reply. "You're supposed to be calming me the fuck down!"

Sirius snorted. "How the hell am I supposed to do that? It took a whole bottle of Firewhisky last night to get you to relax, and even then you burst into tears, tore open your shirt and started playing with the tattooed flowers on your chest while talking to yourself before you passed out." He grinned at the memory, still regretting that no one had brought a camera. "What the hell do you want me to do, mate?"

"I don't know Sirius! Distract me for Merlin's sake! I don't care with what! Whatever it takes!"

"Whatever it takes?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked around for inspiration

James nodded.

"Huh," the raven-haired wizard spotted a familiar patch of trees to the left of where they were standing beside the Ministry official who had just arrived to perform the wedding and bonding ceremony. "Oh, you want to know something funny?" Sirius said with a grin as an idea to distract James came into his mind.

James let out a brief sigh of relief. "Yes. Please.. _anything_."

Sirius put his hand on James's shoulder and leaned close while pointing to the small patch of trees nearby where his eyes lingered. "See that little area right there?" He asked and James nodded, looking curiously. "Remus and I had a threesome with your sister right there."

oOoOoOo

"You ladies ready?" Remus asked, leaning his head into Mia's old bedroom that had been converted into a bridal room.

The witches answered by appearing before the werewolf in one large group, bright smiles on their faces. Alice and Mia wore the same style of dress, something that resembled the flowing garment Mia had worn at the Yule Ball in her original fourth year. But instead of periwinkle blue, the dress was a deep crimson with a golden ribbon around the middle. Mia had originally objected to using House colors for the wedding, but Lily had simply stared at her and said, "Do you really think James would have it any other way?"

Mia's long honey-brown curls hung loose and low to the middle of her back, and Remus smiled at the sight of her, leaning forward to kiss her cheek and whispering, "Sirius is going to go mad when he sees you."

Mia blushed in response and then turned around to reveal Lily in a simple white gown, her long red hair pinned up and held in place by a charmed golden comb encrusted with rubies that matched the Potter family ring that sat on her left hand.

"Speaking of going mad," Remus chuckled at the sight of the ginger witch. "James is going to go positively mental at the sight of you Lils," the werewolf said with a happy smile as he held out his arm to the witch, trying his best not to look worried considering the last he saw of James, his friend was hungover and hyperventilating.

"How does he look?" Lily asked.

Remus just kept smiling, looking slightly strained while doing so. "He's great," he lied. Thankfully, Lily was too anxious herself to notice the fib.

"Good, good," she nodded quickly, gripping Remus' arm.

Mia interrupted them. "Just a few more things left," she declared, stepping in front of the bride. "We have some gifts for you to honor your Muggle heritage."

"Something borrowed from me," Alice said, presenting Lily with a small red box that when opened, revealed a golden necklace with a ruby at the end of it. "It's from my side of the family actually," she said, knowing that the Longbottom family heirlooms were known for being incredibly tacky. "I wore this at my wedding."

"It's beautiful, Alice, thank you," Lily said as her bridesmaid clasped the gold chain behind her neck.

Remus reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Sickle. "I know it's not a sixpence, but it's the closest I could get considering I didn't actually know this tradition," he offered, placing the coin in Lily's hand. The redhead laughed, kissed his cheek before leaning down to place the Sickle in her shoe.

Mia handed her another small box. "Jamie and I took care of the old and new."

Lily opened the box, nearly bursting into tears at the sight of the earrings. One earring the golden silhouette of a stag and the other of a doe. "They're beautiful."

"He had them made four years ago," Mia confessed with a smile as Lily's eyes widened. "Was going to give them to you on Valentine's Day. But he ended up punching Amos Diggory in the face instead."

Lily laughed loudly. "I remember that," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I was so angry with him." She reached down and took hold of each earring, looping them through her pierced ears with pride. "So, what's the new then?" She asked.

"This," Mia grinned and waved her wand over Lily's head.

The bride turned and looked in the mirror and noticed immediately the earrings she wore were now glowing softly, much like her actual Patronus did. "What is it?" She asked curiously.

"Something I've been trying to perfect," Mia admitted. "A variation of the Patronus Charm. Those earrings will absorb all the happy memories of today, so whenever you wear them, they'll be imbued with the magic of the Patronus Charm. You could face twenty Dementors and still be able to summon your Patronus as long as you're wearing them," she said with a smile.

"I love it!" Lily shrieked and wrapped Mia into a tight hug. "Alright, now what about the blue?" She asked. "I've got something old, new, borrowed and sixpe...er.. Sickle in my shoe," she smirked. "So where's the blue?

"Sirius was left in charge of that," Remus announced and suddenly Lily's smile faded into on of brief panic. "Oh Godric... what's he done?"

Mia laughed. "Nothing horrible," she promised. "We're going to head down," Mia said with a smile, kissing Lily's cheek before taking Alice's hand and leaving the room.

Once alone, Lily turned and looked up at Remus. "Thank you, again," she frowned as she spoke. "For doing this. I just didn't have anyone else to give me away and I thought..."

"There's no need to thank me." Remus smiled sweetly at the witch. "The job would have fallen to Sirius or me anyway. Sirius, because he gave you _that_," he said, gesturing to the bracelet. "Which basically means he's your brother and therefore the Head of your House and me because well..." He shrugged his shoulders. "You're Pack," he said with a proud smile. "And that makes you mine. Just like Sirius, James, and Mia."

"I like that," Lily said with a bright smile.

The witch and the werewolf made their way downstairs and out the back door where they were greeted by a standing crowd, a crimson carpet leading out into the orchards, and a string quartet. As Lily stepped onto the carpet, glass bulbs filled with bluebell fire lined the pathway down the aisle. The redhead stared at the beautiful touch of magic and beamed at the sight. "Sirius did good," she whispered.

Lily shook nervously in Remus' grip as they moved slowly down the aisle where she could see the outline of James standing at the end, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Lily's own feet ignored the tempo of the music as her steps quickened. Remus chuckled beside her.

When they reached the end of the aisle, Lily's green eyes couldn't be torn from James' face for all the Galleons in the world. Had she been able to look away from her future husband, she would have noticed her maid of honor, bridesmaid, the werewolf at her side and every other guest in the marquee staring at the best man, who was sporting a fresh bruise beneath his left eye but still smiling triumphantly.

* * *

**A/N**: Depending on how my writing progresses today, I'll post the second half of the wedding tomorrow!


	96. Chapter 96

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** As promised, here is part two of the wedding. I posted it a day early because my schedule is looking a little hectic tomorrow and I didn't want anyone waiting all day if I didn't get a chance to get online to post it. **gypsyfurface**, if you like previous Chapter references, go back and reread Chapter 5 before reading this one! And yes, Part Two will end with Chapter 100. I'm currently in the middle of writing Chapter 116 - it hates me. **SuneiD**, Sirius Black with a filter would be boring. ;)

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety-Six: Vows and Agreements

_"...Can you feel this magic in the air?  
__It must have been the way you kissed me  
__Fell in love when I saw you standing there  
__It must have been the way  
__Today was a fairytale..."  
__(Today Was A Fairytale - Taylor Swift)_

* * *

**September 15th, 1979**

**6,030 Grains of Sand Left**

**Potter Manor - Orchards**

Mia glared at Sirius from the other side of the Ministry official and mouthed, 'What happened to your face?'

Sirius grinned up at her and mouthed back, 'I was born this good looking'. He did, however, wince slightly at the lingering pain in his eye from when James had punched him only minutes before the ceremony began when Sirius, in an attempt to distract his panicking best friend, pointed out the very spot that Sirius, Remus, and Mia had performed the Marking ritual a year earlier.

In Sirius' defense, it had very quickly brought an end to James' panic attack.

The messy-haired wizard in question was beaming brightly toward the bride standing in front of him, hanging off of Remus' arm, her emerald eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Ladies and gentlemen," began the Ministry official. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls. James Potter and Lily Evans come today to bind their lives and their magic, and wish to share this event with their family and friends. In these dark times, a love like theirs will not only serve as an example for the rest of us to follow, but I believe will serve as a guiding light to a future we all wish to partake of."

Mia swallowed hard at the words.

"Who presents this witch?" The official asked.

Remus stepped forward and placed Lily's hand in James' open palm. "The collective House of Godric Gryffindor," he stated firmly and then with a grin, patted James on the back and took his place behind Sirius.

The Ministry official leaned forward and tied Lily and James' hands together with a golden cord before asking. "Does this couple come today with the blessings of their Houses?" He asked, and immediately Mia and Sirius stepped forward, each with a different colored cord in their hand.

"I, Sirius Black, bonded brother of Lily Evans," the Animagus stated with a grin. "Give my blessing for my sister to wed into the House of Potter." He leaned forward, kissing Lily's cheek before tying the black cord in his hand around Lily's wrist, then securing it to James'.

Mia then stepped forward and spoke. "I, Mia Potter, bonded sister of James Potter," she grinned up at her brother. "Give my blessing for my brother to bring this witch into the House of Potter." She placed a wet kiss on James' cheek and laughed when he grimaced. She then tied the red cord in her hand around James' wrist and securing the opposite end to Lily's.

Mia could barely pay attention to the words of the Ministry official as her eyes stared at the joyous expressions on Lily and James' faces. From time to time, she would look over James' shoulder to catch Sirius winking at her. Every so often, however, Sirius would be caught staring at the bride and groom just as intently, nervously fingering the silver chain around his neck like he used to do when he was anxious about something. Mia frowned at the thought, but words of the Ministry official pulled her out of her concentration.

"James and Lily, these cords are symbolic of the vows you will each take, tying you to the same House, and in the process binding together your hearts, your families, and your magic. As your hands have been bound together, so shall the rest of your lives be bound together. Do you each come here this day of your own free will?" He asked.

"We do," the couple answered together.

"Do you swear upon your magic to be faithful partners throughout your lives?"

"We do."

"Do you swear upon your magic to establish between yourselves a lifelong friendship?"

"We do."

"Do you swear upon your magic to love one another without reservation?"

"We do."

"Do you swear upon your magic to stand by one another, in sickness and health, in plenty and in want, in times of joy and sorrow, in years of peace and in war?"

There was a pregnant pause as the reality of war settled upon them all, reminding them of the severity of the time they lived in. James squeezed Lily's hand and her emerald eyes sparkled once more and the couple answered together, "We do."

"Lily Evans of House Gryffindor," the Ministry official said with a smile. "Turn to your new Lord Husband and make your vow."

Everyone appeared to hold their breath. Mia couldn't help but remember Narcissa's wedding and the horrible feeling of sadness that accompanied it. There was nothing of that here. Nothing but joy and pure love.

"I, Lily Evans of House Gryffindor," Lily said and seemed to stand a little taller as she acknowledged her allegiance to her Hogwarts House. "Give to you, James of House Potter my love, my friendship, my support and my protection. I take your name as my own and uphold it with honor and respect. I pledge to you our first born child, to serve as your heir who will carry on the legacy of your House, by 'Courage and Craft'," she smiled as she spoke the House words. "I willingly bind myself to you until death separates us and swear this vow upon my magic. _Suscipiam illud vinculum_," she stated, and the black cord around her wrist turned gold.

"James of House Potter," the Ministry official turned to the wizard. "Turn to your new Lady Wife and make your vow."

"I, James of House Potter," James grinned. "Give to you, Lily Evans of House Gryffindor my love, my friendship, my support and my protection. I willingly bring you into my House knowing that you will uphold it with honor and respect, and I vow to honor and respect you in kind. I pledge to you my wand to serve and defend you, and my life to be given for any purpose you have need of it, by 'Courage and Craft'," he declared proudly, unaware of the tears slipping down his sister's cheeks. "I willingly bind myself to you until death separates us and swear this vow upon my magic. _Suscipiam illud vinculum_," he declared, and the red cord around his wrist turned gold.

"I now declare you bonded for life!" The official declared and before another word could be spoken, James had pulled Lily into his arms and kissed her.

oOoOoOo

"Careful there," Mia grinned as she approached Remus, taking the seat beside him at the head table in the front of the marquee. The table was marked by empty chairs that surrounded him and empty bottles of Butterbeer at the place settings. Everyone in the room was on their feet, dancing, enjoying the company and congratulating James and Lily. Sirius was off causing trouble, probably pouring shots of Firewhisky for himself, Kingsley, and Peter, and Alice was dancing with Frank who took a bold move and dipped his young wife.

"Careful of what?" Remus eyed the witch suspiciously.

"Careful or you might bury so deep in this misery you're creating that you'll come out the other side cheerful," she smirked.

"How many Firewhiskies have you had?" He rose a brow at her.

"None," she stated proudly, holding up the slender bottle in front of her. "I'm a Butterbeer girl tonight," she declared.

"How come you're not out there?" Remus asked her, gesturing to the dance floor where Frank was now spinning Alice around in a circle, the pair of them laughing.

"How come _you're _sitting _here_?" She countered.

"You first."

"My dance partner has abandoned me," Mia dramatically sighed. "I told him to go and play nice with the Muggles," she said and turned her head to look at a round table in the corner where Petunia and Vernon Dursley sat, alone, looking miserable with their noses in the air as an enthusiastic Sirius Black attempted conversation.

"That's probably not the best idea you've ever had, love," Remus said, staring at James' new in-laws with mild amusement. "So instead of dancing the night away in the arms of your boyfriend, you've come to keep company of the -"

"Sad sod sitting in the corner?" Mia offered. She grinned when Remus burst out laughing.

"Something like that." He nodded.

"Why are you sad, my lovely Mister Moony?" She leaned toward him, setting her head on his shoulder as she finished off the last of her Butterbeer.

Remus shrugged his shoulders, taking the empty bottle from her hands and setting it on the table in front of them, smiling when she relaxed against him, allowing him to settle an arm around her shoulders. "Weddings are stressful," Remus said aloud. "There're so many damn people," he admitted with a long sigh. "Thanks for convincing James and Lily to keep it small. I know Sirius was already trying to get Andromeda and her family to come."

Mia couldn't help but smile sadly at the werewolf, imagining how awkward it would be if Sirius' cousin had, in fact, shown up to the wedding where Remus would certainly make an awkward fool of himself trying to escape a six-year-old. "If it makes you feel any better, you had a very small wedding yourself," she whispered.

"Are you able to tell me that?" He asked, raising a brow and looking down at the witch.

"Evidently."

"What was it like?" He asked.

Mia shrugged. "I have no idea. You didn't invite me, Remus."

"What?" He sat back. "I thought you said you and I are friends in the future."

"We are," she laughed. "And frankly it didn't bother me at the time because I didn't know any better, but _you _apparently _did _and now I'm kind of annoyed." She grinned at him teasingly. "I'm pretty sure the two of you were just so overjoyed at finally being together that you eloped," she said with a smile, not wanting to inform him that she knew his last minute wedding had everything to do with the war and the fact that, had Bellatrix known her niece was going to marry a werewolf, Death Eaters would have crashed the party and slaughtered everyone.

"Muggles suck," Sirius said with a pout as he approached the head table from Remus' other side instead of Mia's, ignoring the fact that his witch was snuggled up with the werewolf. "Lily's brother-in-law doesn't know who the Sex Pistols are, and I'm pretty sure he called me a hippie," he growled. "What the fuck is a hippie?"

Mia frowned at him. "I'm sorry love, do you want to dance to make yourself feel better?" She asked and sat up.

"Yes," Sirius declared. "I'll have the prettiest witch on my arm by the end of the night," he said with determination, winking at Mia before standing up. He took a moment to adjust his robes before walking away from the table entirely.

"Excuse me?" Mia called after him, laughing.

Sirius made his way through the large crowd, standing tall and drawing attention to himself as he moved directly across the dance floor, actually separating Frank and Alice in the process before approaching a table at the back. "Would the lovely lady, care for a dance?" He asked, his eyebrows waggling at the witch in front of him who immediately narrowed her eyes. "C'mon Minnie, you know you want to."

Minerva McGonagall scowled, but with all eyes now on her, she let out a huff and took Sirius' hand following the young wizard as he led her to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. "I must tell you Minerva," Sirius said with a grin. "I understand how good I look right now in these fancy pants dress robes, but I have to insist that I am still a taken wizard, and so I'll thank you to keep those delicate hands of yours off my arse."

Minerva seethed with fury and moved to get away from Sirius' grip, but he took that moment to dip her low to the ground, grinning when everyone around them cheered, no one louder than Remus and Mia from the head table.

"Come on," Mia said standing up.

"Come where?" Remus asked, following her as she tugged at his hand.

"You, come dance with me."

"Mia," Remus whined.

"Aww, you're cute, you thought that was a request," she laughed and pulled him onto the dance floor, wrapping her hands around his neck and smiling when his settled on her waist. "You're smiling already," she pointed out.

"Well, I happen to be dancing with the _second _prettiest witch at this wedding," Remus said, glancing over Mia's shoulder to where Sirius was trying to get McGonagall to agree to twirl. Everyone stopped to watch and laughed when, after Minerva outright refused, Sirius stopped and twirled in a circle in her stead.

"This is a good day," Mia sighed happily. "I'm going to remember this forever. Jamie and Lily, just like that," she said, gesturing to the couple in the corner of the room snuggled up together as they danced slowly, wrapped in one another's embrace.

Remus nodded. "They sure do set a high standard."

"May I cut in?" Sirius said as he appeared beside them, hand extended outward.

"Be my guest," Remus replied as he stepped back. Though instead of gripping Mia's hand, Sirius grabbed onto Remus and pulled him further onto the dance floor.

Mia threw her head back and laughed loudly at the scene. Sirius entertaining the crowds by dancing close to Remus, laying his head on the werewolf's chest while Remus struggled to get out of Sirius' tight embrace. Before she had a chance to return to the table, a large pair of hands gripped her waist from behind and lifted her up, spinning her mid-air and catching her when she came down. "Jamie!" Mia hissed as her brother laughed at the shocked look on her face. "You're rotten."

"What?" He feigned innocence. "Can't a groom dance with his little sister at his own wedding?"

"I'm so happy for you Jamie." Mia smiled at him.

"I'm so happy for me too," he agreed. "How much has he had to drink, by the way?" James asked, gesturing to Sirius."I'm shocked he can keep to the rhythm of the music."

"You'd be surprised the amount of things that man can do while properly intoxicated," Mia laughed softly. After a solid minute of silence, Mia looked up at her brother and smiled sadly. "Mum and Dad would have been so proud of you, Jamie."

James nodded. "You too, Mia."

"I love you, big brother."

"I love you, little sister."

oOoOoOo

"Hello Petunia, Vernon," Mia said politely as she approached the table where the couple were sitting. "I don't believe we've officially met." She took a seat beside Petunia, knowing that she could scarcely stand the look of Vernon, let alone the stench of the man. "I'm Mia Potter, James' sister. Well, _Lily's _sister now, I suppose," she said, eyeing Petunia who looked like she was being challenged. "I wanted to thank you both for coming. I know it means a lot to Lily to have her family here."

"Quite the celebration," Vernon said with an irritated tone of voice. "An _outdoor _wedding," he scoffed. "Couldn't your family afford to rent out that mansion there for these festivities?" He asked, a smirk on his face, clearly pleased with the insult.

Mia grinned. "Oh, Lily and James _wanted _an outdoor wedding," she explained. "And that mansion there doesn't rent out actually. Although, I wonder how much money we could make. I should talk to Jamie about it." She smiled.

"What do you mean?" Petunia asked.

"The house belongs to us. James and I grew up here. That mansion is our home," she said with a sweet smile. "Or well, it was. James and Lily have their own little cottage now."

The Dursley's looked dumbfounded, which Mia discovered wasn't very difficult for them. "_Grew up_ here?" Petunia gaped at Mia. "So... so it's just you here then?" She asked curiously, and Mia could tell by the tone of voice that the woman was trying to be polite now that she was aware the Potters came with money.

"Oh no, I moved to London." She then pointed to the two tall wizards standing beside James, pouring drinks for one another. "I live with those two handsome men," Mia said, grinning.

"You live with _two men_?!" Petunia blushed furiously, looking absolutely scandalized.

Mia grinned, half tempted to tell her in detail what she and those two men had done right here in this very orchard. The particular shade of red on Petunia's face was intriguing, to say the least, but nowhere near as amusing as the purple that Vernon was turning as he muttered, "Shameful" and "Scandalous" under his breath.

"Do your... _kind _always drink so much?" He said, glaring across the floor at the three wizards who had their hands raised in a toast.

Instead of answering his question, Mia waved her wand in front of the ungrateful Muggles, refilling their glasses with champagne. "Care to toast to the lovely couple?" She asked.

"I would never," Petunia said harshly. "I'm with child," she announced.

Mia raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. "How wonderful," she said, lying through her teeth as she remembered stories from Harry about his cousin Dudley who used to beat him up when they were small children. "Then I should toast to _you_, Petunia," Mia grinned. "To new life. May our joined families ever increase."

"Let's hope not," Vernon said under his breath.

"Beg your pardon?" Mia asked.

"I said..." the large man leaned forward and glared his small beady eyes at Mia. "Let's hope not. There's enough of you people in our world as it is. I'll be horrified to discover if they're..." and he looked at Lily and James who were beaming at one another. "Breeding."

Mia slowly smiled at the man, her amber eyes blazing. Memories from her original childhood came flooding back to her. Harry and his hand-me-down clothes. Ron telling Hermione about the bars on Harry's bedroom window. The numerous birthday cakes Harry received over the summer that kept him fed when the Dursleys decided to starve him. The locks on the doors, the threats, and mockery of birthday and Christmas gifts.

The cupboard under the _fucking _stairs.

"I'd like to make an agreement with you, Vernon," Mia said, setting her glass of champagne down on the table. When Vernon's mustache bristled, Mia held a hand up. "Oh no, see, you have no need to speak right now because I'll be stating my peace regardless of what you have to say," she said, her voice calm and collected but her eyes were on fire. "I promise you Vernon, that you will hear nothing of our world or my _kind_ unless under the direst of circumstances, at which point you will be _absolutely _agreeable. If you don't, you will have _me _to deal with."

"Am I supposed to feel threatened by a little girl like you?" Vernon glared.

"Yes," Mia said simply. "Mister Dursley, my own _kind _have the intelligence to feel threatened by me, and _they _have wands to defend themselves. I know you struggle with intelligence," she said with a smirk, ignoring the way Petunia gasped. "So I'll speak slow and use small words." Mia leaned over the table and stared the man down. "If you cause _any _member of my family _any _amount of pain, I will use my freakish magic to go inside that little brain of yours, and hollow the whole thing out."

Vernon stared at her in absolute silence. If Mia didn't see the small bead of sweat on his forehead, she would have thought that her words hadn't sunk in. She was equally pleased that Petunia was shaking. Mia then sat back in her chair and turned her sparkling smile back on, a feeling of pride washing over her, wishing like hell that Dorea could have been there to see that. Wishing like hell that _Harry _could have seen that.

Petunia shrieking loudly drew Vernon and Mia's attention away from one another. "Oh goodness! Get that beast away!" The Muggle squealed.

Mia turned and grinned down at the large black dog that approached the table, a bouquet of flowers in his mouth. Mia raised a brow. "That better not be what I think it is, Padfoot," she said, glaring down at the dog who proceeded to drop Lily's bouquet into Mia's lap. "I'm returning this," she insisted, grabbing the flowers and standing up, eager to give them back to Lily. Mia turned and smiled to Petunia and Vernon. "It was so lovely to meet you both, and I really do hope you take to heart what I've said."

Mia left the table, walking over to the newlywed couple and holding the bouquet of flowers out to Lily. "Padfoot brought these to me," she revealed and glared when Lily looked amused by the statement.

"Did he now?" The redhead smirked. "How funny. I was _just _telling Sirius that there's a Muggle tradition that whoever gets the bride's bouquet is the next woman to be married. Strange that my flowers just up and disappeared right after I told that story."

Mia folded her arms and glared at Lily. James interrupted the staring contest and put his arm around Mia. "Oh, give them a break. They just want us all to be one big happy family," James laughed. "Minus the Muggles."

Lily laughed and sighed. "What was I thinking? Inviting them here?"

"Were you thinking that they'd get peed on?" James asked curiously.

A loud scream echoed around the marquee and everyone turned to see Vernon Dursley poorly attempting to shield his screaming wife away from the lifted back leg of the shaggy black dog.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor**

"Have I ever mentioned that your sister does not take too well to subtlety?" Sirius asked James with a smirk on his face as the two friends walked through the halls of the old manor. The raven-haired wizard watched as his friend levitated a large trunk in front of the pair of them, presumably filled with clothing and other assorted items one would need for a honeymoon.

"Mate," James laughed. "You dropped a dog slobber covered bouquet of flowers in her lap. What did you expect her to do?"

"I'm not good with words," Sirius sighed and nervously fingered the silver chain around his neck. "She knows it too."

James took notice of the way Sirius was clinging to the chain and smiled, shaking his head. "Get it over with, mate," he insisted. "Trust me on this one, the longer you hold off, the worse you're making it on yourself."

"What... what does it feel like?" Sirius asked, all humor gone from his face.

"What's that?"

"Being bonded."

"You and Mia are already bonded, Pads."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I know _that_, but you and Lily... you're _married_. A proper, _sealed _Marital Bond. What's it feel like?"

James stopped mid-step to actually think about the question. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if I can even describe it," he said with a smile. "Relief, I guess?" He laughed. "You know I can feel her magic now? And any questions I had before about how she felt about me... it's like I have all the answers now. Like there's nothing stopping us." James grinned. "I'm gonna spend the rest of my life loving that witch."

"As it should be mate." Sirius nodded, patting James on the back.

"Sirius?" James called to his friend.

Sirius turned, brows furrowed knowing that James only ever used his given name when it was important. Under the intense hazel eyes, Sirius almost looked away.

"You take care of my sister," James demanded. "Get her safely through this war no matter what, and if by some miracle she still likes your sorry arse, marry the witch." He grinned.

"I swear it," Sirius nodded. "On my magic, mate, I'll keep her safe."

**5,778 Grains of Sand Left**

* * *

**A/N**: I had so much fun writing the wedding vows and the reception, especially everything with the Dursleys. Scary Mia is the best Mia. Right there with Shameless Sirius and Awkward Remus. I hope you all have a great weekend! Oh, and if you're lacking something to read, go check out **Colubrina**'s new fic _The Green Girl_. Amazing!


	97. Chapter 97

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N: **Well, we've all survived the great FFnet outage of Feb 2015! Did everyone make it out okay? Yes? Good. Thanks for all the lovely reviews over the wedding chapters. There are a few characters in Canon that I personally lose my mind over in outrage (because severe lack of justice) and the Dursleys are one of them. I know that JKR kind of glances over it with little recognition, but no joke, serious child abuse. Not good. Not good at all. Dursleys deserve to be afraid of Mia Potter. **DramionesLady**, I think you're right to worry. Sirius is not the healthiest at handling stress. Mia is (as of the beginning of this chapter) not aware of the Time-Turner countdown. **sillymessycrazy**, Desperate for more 1970's action? PM me some scenes you'd like to see. IHEARTPADFOOT has a running list for me for when this fic eventually does end, and people still need more.

Let's just jump right into this, shall we?

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Out of Time

_"...Time is a valuable thing  
__Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings  
__Watch it count down to the end of the day  
__The clock ticks life away  
__Didn't look out below  
__Watch the time go right out the window  
__Trying to hold on but didn't even know  
__I wasted it all just to watch you go..."  
__(In The End - Linkin Park)_

* * *

**September 19th, 1979**

**198 Grains of Sand Left**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin, Mia Potter, and Sirius Black**

The sighs she was making were going to be the death of him.

Whether it was the constant worry and adrenaline fueled by war or the euphoric high they were riding from James and Lily's wedding, Sirius could care less. All he knew was that the witch in his bed and in his arms was responding to his every touch as though her very life depended on how fast he could make her pulse race.

"Sirius..." she moaned.

He placed a soft kiss to the tip of her breast and smiled up at her like she was the light of his life. And she was. "I love it when you say my name, kitten," he whispered and then bent his head down once more to pull the tightened nipple back into his mouth, sucking lightly as the witch raked her fingers through his hair and shifted her hips trying to gain friction, something that he wasn't allowing just yet.

He wrapped a large arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, smiling when the witch hitched her leg over his shoulder expectantly. "Well I do love a woman who knows what she wants," he said with a chuckle and moved south, kissing every inch of her on his way before delving his tongue into her heat and lapping at the proof of how desperately she wanted him. The raven-haired wizard worked over her quim with his tongue torturously slow, gripping the thigh that rested on his shoulder with one hand and reaching up to knead a breast with the other.

"Sirius, please," Mia whimpered. "I need you."

He smiled, placing a tender kiss to her swollen bundle of nerves before ascending her body in a smooth, fluid motion and sliding inside of her, filling her completely. Sirius hissed as the pleasure overwhelmed him, the feel of her velvety walls encasing him like a perfectly fit glove. "You're very distracting," he moaned, leaning down to press his lips against hers. "I was busy down there you see." He grinned as he rocked against her, finding his rhythm. "And I fully intend on finishing the job later tonight."

_If all went according to plan, the witch will very likely reciprocate the offer_, he thought to himself as he thrust into her slow and deep. "Merlin... Mia you feel so good..." he moaned loudly, increasing his speed when he felt her briefly flutter around his cock. Sirius leaned down and gently nipped at her neck, shoulder and collarbone, moving down until his teeth grazed against her breast.

When Mia's breaths became short and shaky, Sirius took that as a sign to move harder and deeper, just how he knew she liked it. He lifted her thighs, settling them around his waist, silently pleading for her to lock her ankles together as he leaned forward and hit her deep at a new angle that forced the breath from both of their lungs. Just after inhaling once again, he pressed forward and kissed her slow and sweet, relishing the way that her fingers dug into his shoulders, trying like mad to pull him ever closer to her as though she could crawl into his skin.

"I love you," he breathed as he pulled away from her lips. "Godric... witch, I love you like you can't even begin to imagine."

"Look at me," Mia whispered and smiled when grey met amber. "I love you so much, Sirius," she said with a smile and then gasped when she felt that familiar heat building up inside of her, lighting a fuse like a firework ready to burst. She glanced back up at Sirius who was focusing on holding back and Mia growled softly at the sight. "No," she whimpered. "Look at me. I want to see you," she pleaded, "come with me love," she begged, "please."

Her body and voice gripped him like a vice, her tight little quim pulling him physically into her in a way he couldn't escape. Her mouth whispering words of love and adoration that brought him metaphorically to his knees. Merlin help him, if all went according to plan, the witch would be his fiance by the end of the night.

oOoOoOo

**81 Grains of Sand Left**

After deciding to have a romantic night in, Sirius left the flat to pick up dinner from a Muggle take-out place on the other side of the Leaky Cauldron while Mia was instructed to 'dress up'. She had laughed at the idea of dressing up for a cheap night in, but Sirius seemed insistent on the idea and the curly-haired witch was all too willing to go along with whatever plans he had in store, especially with the promises he'd made in the throes of passion to finish a few things he'd previously left unattended.

After a nice relaxing bath, Mia wand-dried her long hair, marveling at the fact that it was nearly the length of Pandora's, thrilled that somehow she'd been able to tame the frizz over the years. Securing the mane of honey-brown locks to the side with a loose plait, Mia slipped into a pair of dark green hot pants, and threw on Sirius' old Quidditch jersey while she searched for something dressier in their shared closet.

After finding a slender black dress and setting it down on the bed, Mia reached into her old Hogwarts trunk in search of the silhouette earrings that Sirius had given her years ago for Christmas. It had been a long time since she had worn them and seemed to recall putting them away in a jewelry box before leaving Hogwarts.

Finding the small wooden box, despite the Notice-Me-Not spell she had placed on it, Mia waved her wand over the lock to remove the Locking Charm and opened it in search of her earrings. What she found instead was the old Time-Turner. Mia pushed it aside casually, wondering if she'd placed the earrings beneath it. As she moved the hourglass aside, amber eyes blinked at the sight of moving sand.

"What ... " Mia did a double take and then lifted the Time-Turner out of the box by the long golden chain it was secured to. _That's not possible_, Mia thought as she noticed that instead of the blue grains of sand frozen in place at the top of the hourglass, nearly _all _of the sand was flowing freely at the bottom.

Pulling the object closer for inspection, Mia tipped it upside down only to see that the blue sand remained unaffected by gravity entirely. She observed closely, carefully as she watched one very tiny grain of sand fall through the center of the hourglass. "What's the rate?" She asked herself in a frantic whisper, rushing to the side of the bed where Sirius kept an old pocket watch that her father had given him for his seventeenth birthday. Clicking the watch open, Mia stared at the hourglass in her hand and timed the sand.

"Oh Godric," she breathed minutes later. "On the minute. Why on the minute?" She stood and paced around the room in a panic, Time-Turner clutched tightly in hand. "Why did it start? _When _did it start? What's it counting down to?" She asked aloud. "Fuck!" Mia's eyes widened as she felt a tight pressure in her chest and sobs immediately began wracking her body.

How had she not realized it sooner?

oOoOoOo

**62 Grains of Sand Left**

"Kitten!" Sirius called from the other room. "I know you think Divination is rubbish, but these fortune cookie things are hilarious," he chuckled. "Do Muggles really think this works? I just opened one that says, 'your infinite capacity for patience will be rewarded'," Sirius barked a laugh.

Sirius set the bags of food on the dining table. "Mia, come eat!" He yelled down the hallway.

When there was no reply, Sirius turned and made his way toward his bedroom, opening the door and poking his head inside. "Mia I brought dinner and ... Mia?" He stared down at the witch on the floor, cradling her knees to her chest and sobbing, gasping every few seconds as she struggled to breathe. "Shit, Mia!" He knelt down beside her immediately. "Love, what's wrong? What happened?"

Wet amber eyes looked up into his face and she let out a loud cry when he leaned in to touch her. "Please don't hate me," she pleaded, "please forgive me. I'm so sorry, Sirius, I'm so sorry."

Sirius swallowed hard. "What did you do, love?" He asked her.

"Nothing," she answered, and the word seemed to make her cry all the harder. "I didn't do anything. I couldn't do anything. I wanted to, I promise you I did... but I did the calculations and I even asked a Seer... and when I tried to do _something _it blew up in my face!"

"Calm down love," Sirius pulled her to his chest and rubbed circles on her back. "It's okay," he whispered, clearly worried. The wizard hadn't seen her like this since the night she'd drank too much Firewhisky and started rambling downstairs. A part of him wondered if he should send an emergency Patronus to Remus. Somehow the werewolf had a way of speaking to Mia when she was like this. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out, yeah?"

"No, no, no..." Mia pulled away from him. "I can't. I don't have time. There's not enough... I wasted it all, Sirius I wasted eight years."

Sirius stood up as the witch rushed out of the room. "Mia!" He called after her. "Wasted eight years? Wasted it doing _what_?" He asked curiously.

"Doing nothing, everything..." she muttered, digging her fingers into her honey-brown curls and gripping tight.

"Are you..." Sirius paled as his hand hovered over his pocket where a small square bulge sat. His heart rate picked up dramatically and he nervously bit the inside of his lip. _Fuck, did she find out?_ He wondered to himself. Did she know what he was doing and this was her way of saying no? "Are you saying you wasted time with... with me?"

"Yes!" She snapped. "But no... not like... I should have been trying to s-s-sa..." she tried to speak but began stuttering.

Her stutter set something off inside him. "What're you hiding?" He asked suspiciously, and the look of fear on her face at his question gave him the answer. Whatever it was that she was hiding, it was important. And it was _big_.

"I can't tell you. If I try I'll just pass out," she admitted. "I want to, Merlin, I want to tell you everything."

"Then tell me!" Sirius barked. "Fuck... are we _ever _not going to have secrets between us?" He yelled.

"Yes! One day you and I will tell each other everything, but that's not for y-y-y..." she began and Sirius's grey eyes widened.

"Years?" He blinked rapidly. "Were you going to say _years_? As in, you're going to keep secrets from me for fucking _years_?!"

"No, no, no," Mia rushed forward wrapping her arms around his waist, clinging to him tightly. "Sirius, please you don't understand. I don't have time to explain," she frowned looking up at him, tears in her eyes. "I should have fought harder, I should have tried, I wanted to try but I could only think of H-h-har... " she clenched her jaw tight in frustration. "But now it's up to you..." she pleaded. "Sirius don't trust W-w-w..." she tried. "Damnit!" She screamed in defeat and stomped away for a moment, putting her hands against her head as she tried to concentrate.

Sirius was barely paying attention, too caught up in the fact that the love of his life wasn't only still keeping secrets, but had apparently planned on doing so for years.

"Not the future... not the future," Mia mumbled over and over. "Maybe the past..." she whispered to herself and then turned with a bit of hope in her eyes. "Sirius... the Shrieking Shack," she said. "The first time we were there. Instincts," she said emphatically. "Trust your instincts."

"My instincts are telling me I need some fresh air," Sirius growled and reached for his leather jacket.

"No!" Mia screamed, eye wide and desperate. "Then trust _my _instincts!"

"I'm having a little trouble trusting _anything _about you right now, Mia."

"Sirius don't leave, don't leave... please!" She yelled after him as he opened the door to the flat. "Sirius, don't leave me!"

"I'll be back in an hour or two Mia," he snapped. "I need to... fuck, I need some time to think."

"Sirius!" Mia cried as he Disapparated at the foot of the stairs. "Oh Godric... oh fuck..." Mia sobbed and rushed back up the stairs in search of her wand. The moment the vinewood was wrapped in one fist, the Time-Turner in the other, Mia shouted, "_Expecto Patronum_!" and watched as a silver fox emerged from her wand, turned and waited for instruction. "Remus! Help!" Was all she yelled before the little fox-shaped Patronus darted away.

oOoOoOo

**10 Grains of Sand Left**

Remus Apparated at the foot of the stairs inside 93 Diagon Alley and hastened up to the flat as fast as possible. When he practically kicked through the front door, green eyes wide with fear, he found the little witch kneeling on the ground trembling, eyes red.

"Mia?" He asked.

The witch turned her head up and at the sight of him, burst into a fresh set of sobs before rushing into his arms. "Remus, oh Godric, he's gone."

"What?" He asked, pulling her away from him. "Who's gone? What happened?"

"Sirius left... we fought and he... he didn't understand and I couldn't tell him because Dumbledore..." she rambled through the tears.

"Have you been drinking?" He asked. "Mia... whatever's wrong I'm sure we can fix it."

"No," she shook her head. "It can't be fixed. It's all broken and I didn't fix it, Remus I'm so sorry, he'll never forgive me. How can he forgive me for not changing it all? For not stopping Voldemort from k-k-k..."

Remus briefly flinched at her open use of You-Know-Who's name, not from his own issues but because it had become a habit picked up from the rest of society. He somehow understood her tears immediately. "Mia, we've talked about this. You know you can't change the future, and whatever happens is _meant _to happen. We'll figure it out together, but no one is going to hate you, especially not Sirius," he sighed and raked a hand through his hair in frustration. "Love, just give him some time to cool off and I'm sure it'll all work out."

Mia sniffled and held up her left hand.

"What's that... is..." Remus' eyes widened. "Mia is that what I think it is?"

The witch nodded and opened her palm to show the Time-Turner, so little sand left in the top portion.

"It's moving... it wasn't moving before," he said, swallowing down the panic that was quickly rising in his chest. "Mia when did it start moving?

"I'm guessing about nine months ago," Mia cried. "But I only found it an hour ago."

"Why's it moving?"

"Because there can't be two of me," she tried to explain. "Today's my birthday, Remus."

"Your birthday's in March, love," Remus said, shaking his head.

Mia sighed. "Mia Potter's birthday is March 27th, 1960, but Hermione Granger was... _will _be born on September 19th, 1979."

Remus held his breath. "What time?"

"10:01 pm," she answered, a look of utter defeat in her eyes.

Remus pulled his pocket watch from his robes and clicked it open. _9:58_.

**3 Grains of Sand Left**

"Oh shit," Remus muttered and then looked up at Mia who stood frozen, one hand gripping her wand, the other the Time-Turner. "What's going to happen?" He asked.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "The last time I used a Time-Turner, when everything ran out time caught back up with itself. But that was just hours, no more than three at a time. It's been eight years... Remus... I could just... vanish..."

"No," The werewolf began trying to think of something, _anything _to fix this. He quickly did the first thing he could think of, and pulled the chain of the Time-Turner from her grip and then looped it over her neck.

"What are you doing?" The witch asked.

"Saving you," he replied. "It's my job, right? _I_ send you back. You said that it wasn't just a Time-Turner, it was a Portkey that brought you here into the past."

Mia nodded.

"I'll figure out how to layer the spells," he promised her. "I already know the date you get sent back, and now I know the date you have to... have to leave," he said, fighting his own set of tears that were threatening to emerge. "I'll set a time-activated Portkey to go off on September 19th, 1979 at exactly 10:01 pm. I've got... I've got nineteen years to figure out how to do it."

**2 Grains of Sand Left**

Nineteen years. "Oh Merlin, nineteen years. Nineteen years without..." Remus looked down at the witch, holding back the tears that were building in the corners of his eyes. "Without you."

"Thirteen," she corrected him and then wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Remus, I love you." She said through her sobs. "You're my best friend and I love you. Please take care of him. Remember what I said... trust Sirius. Always Sirius."

**1 Grain of Sand Left**

"I promise," Remus nodded and held her as tightly as possible, a part of him wondering if he could just go with her. But no, he had a promise to keep. "I'll see you soon, yeah?" He tried to smile. "You'll get your handsome grey-haired werewolf back."

Mia sobbed and leaned up, kissing his cheek and then with a flourish of her wand, she summoned her Patronus once more. "Sirius, I'm so sorry..." Mia said to the silver fox. "Please... please remember that I love you. I love you more than anything Sirius, and I'm so sorry that I..." But before she could say another word, a bright blue light enveloped the witch and when it faded, she was gone.

oOoOoOo

**London, England**

He thought about going to the Leaky, but that would have been the first place Mia would have looked for him, and after that fight he needed to clear his head before he saw her again. The witch put him on edge. He thought he had adequately prepared for proposing to the girl, but he certainly hadn't expected panic to rise up inside of him the way it did. Suddenly James' reaction the night before, and the day of his wedding made more sense. Sirius was planning on putting his heart and soul on the line.

He'd only seen something similar twice in his life. Once had been a year ago when James proposed to Lily and she's said yes so quickly that he'd barely heard the word before James had the witch in his arms, spinning her around. The other time had been at Hogwarts, when Remus had sent the Letter of Intent to Mia. Sirius knew that he'd been the cause behind it and in the end, despite making the choice for themselves, it was the Soul Bond that brought Mia back to him. But she'd burned Remus' Letter in front of everyone, as was the custom.

He couldn't help but be worried that somehow she'd burn _him _too.

"A pint for everyone, on me!" A tall dark haired man shouted as he burst through the doors of the near empty Muggle pub. The five or six people actually there all cheered at the statement and the bartender nodded to the man and proceeded to fill up several glasses, handing the first to the Muggle who was grinning from ear to ear.

Sirius turned to look at the bloke, raising a brow. "Your team win a game or something?" He asked, still not knowing enough about Muggle sports to be more specific than that.

"Better!" The man grinned. "My wife's in labor."

Sirius snorted. "No offense mate, since you just bought me a drink and all," he said, glancing at the pint glass in front of him. "But if you're about to have a kid, why're you in a pub?"

The Muggle drained his entire glass in one go and then nodded to the bartender to refill it. He let out a shaky exhale and laughed a little hysterically. "It's been a long day. Doctor says it'll still be a while and Helen, my wife," he informed the stranger to his side, "said I was making her more anxious by pacing around the room. Ordered me out. Said if I passed out from nerves when the big moment came that she'd break my nose. Told me to get a drink in me while she was still allowing me to."

"Sounds like my kind of woman," Sirius laughed. Any girl that threatened to break someone's nose was good in his book. "Well, in that case, two shots of Firewhisky..." he said to the bartender.

"That some new brand?" The bartender raised a brow. "I don't think we carry it, mate."

Sirius groaned. "Regular whisky then. One for me and the new father here," he said, gesturing to the Muggle beside him.

"Thanks," the man said brightly and extended a hand to Sirius. "Richard Granger."

The wizard accepted the outstretched hand with a nod. "Sirius Black."

"Sirius?" Richard laughed. "That's your _name_?"

Sirius shrugged. "Family tradition."

"Interesting family," Richard said with a slight smirk. "No offense, of course," he added before taking a sip of his beer.

"None taken," Sirius assured him. "_Shitty _family. Glad to be well rid of the lot." He briefly shoved the images of his parents and Regulus into the back of his mind and tried to summon up visions of his _real _family. James and Lily, Mia and Remus, even Peter... wherever the fucking prat was these days.

"Is that why you're drinking alone?" Richard asked curiously.

Sirius rose a brow. "Do you often ask total strangers details about their personal lives?"

Richard shrugged his shoulders. "I pride myself on being a bit of a know-it-all." He smirked. "Can't know it all without asking first, can you? Plus, you don't look to be drinking to celebrate."

"_Should _be celebrating right now," Sirius sighed defeatedly. "Instead of a drink in my hands I should have my girl." He frowned, his jaw tightening slightly at the thought.

"Break up?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, I got angry over something and stormed out. So she'll be bloody pissed at me for a while. She's always pissed at me," he laughed and raked a hand down his face, "all the fucking time. Screams like she just discovered she had lungs."

Richard chuckled. "Sounds like most women I know. What'd you do?"

Sirius withdrew a small velvet box from his pocket and popped it open, setting it on the counter revealing the large silver banded ring. The silver swirled and curved into a pattern similar to an infinity symbol, coated in diamonds. Then there, at the center rested a massive round opal stone.

"My God," Richard gaped at the ring. "Maybe _you _should have bought _my _drink."

Sirius snorted and closed the box, slipping it back into his pocket.

"So she said no?"

"Didn't even get to ask." Sirius sighed. "I walked in the room and a fight just happened out of nowhere. Halfway through I nearly thought about throwing the damn thing at her and screaming, 'See? That's what I think about the future, you fucking happy now?'"

"Romantic," Richard said sarcastically.

Sirius shrugged. "I do what I can. Never been good at the romance stuff. Not with this one." He briefly thought of Remus and wished to hell that he would have asked Moony's advice on how to propose. At the time, he thought it might have been weird, being her ex-boyfriend and all, but Sirius was scolding himself for it now. "She sees through all the bullshit. Can't come up with a good way to ask her to marry me."

Richard nodded as though he genuinely understood. Sirius couldn't help but wonder why _all _Muggles couldn't be this understanding and friendly. No, there just had to be arseholes like Vernon Dursley existing in the world.

"I spent six months trying to get up the nerve to ask my Helen," Richard mused. "And then another four months trying to figure out how to do it. In the end, I took her on a trip to Sicily." He leaned back against the counter, resting his elbows there as he told the story with a grin on his face. "We took in a show, dinner at a fancy restaurant then I bought her this antique collection of Shakespeare works. Tied the ring on a ribbon bookmarking her favorite sonnet. _That's _how you do romance my friend." Richard reached back for his drink and took another large gulp. "But 'course it backfired on me since she never puts the bloody book down," he laughed.

"Wouldn't work for me," Sirius said with a smirk. "The books sure, but my girl _hates _Shakespeare. Some other bird sent me a poem back in school and my Mia just lost her bloody mind over it. Eyes flashed, hair sparked, and then she cursed her and any other girl that blinked my way twice." Sirius said the words and then immediately swallowed hard, realizing that he'd just said several Wizarding terms to a Muggle.

Richard simply laughed. "You got yourself a spitfire there."

Sirius let out a sigh of relief and then joined his new friend in laughter. "You have no idea."

"So why the hesitation to marry her?" He asked.

Sirius shrugged and threw back the shot of whisky, making a face when it didn't burn right going down. "It's complicated. She's keeping secrets." He frowned.

"Everyone does."

"She keeps _a lot _of secrets, mate," Sirius said, reflecting back on all of Mia's scars, the strange way she started stuttering out of nowhere in the past year, her vague references and unwillingness to talk about the future, the crazy way she'd burst into tears around certain people, not to mention her outright disdain for Peter that seemed to go above and beyond what the little tosser deserved for spying on her once back in school.

"You think she's got another bloke?"

Sirius shook his head immediately. "No. She's only ever been with..." _Remus_. "We're supposed to end up together. Destiny or something stupid like that," he scoffed. "Between knowing that she's_ it _for me and her not telling me the truth, I feel like all my choices have been taken away. Like fate expects us to end up together but failed to mention how it's supposed to happen."

"But you bought a ring," Richard pointed out.

"I _got _her a ring," Sirius corrected. "It's an old family heirloom of hers," he said, patting the box in his pocket. "Belonged to her Mum's Mum. She lost both of her parents within the last few years and then her brother got married last week." Sirius smirked. "He and I tore the house apart looking for this bloody ring."

"So did _fate _find the ring for you?" Richard asked.

"No."

"So, _you _made the choice to go searching for a ring, and not just _any _old ring but one that's important, all because you want to marry your girl. If fate was forcing you to be with her, do you really think you'd have the ability to be sitting here drinking away your worries?" The Muggle raised a questioning brow.

"Point taken," Sirius conceded. "Guess I've got a proposal to plan." He scooted back from the bar.

"I'd plan the apology first," Richard chuckled.

"Unlikely, sex is better when she's still a little pissed off," Sirius said with a devious grin.

"Speaking of a good shag," Richard said looking down at his watch. "I better head back to the hospital to deal with the consequences of one of mine," he laughed. "But first, one more shot of whisky for my new soon to be engaged friend," he said to the bartender who gladly refilled the small glasses as Richard placed Muggle money on the counter. Richard reached for the second glass and handed it over to the wizard. "Cheers. To Sirius and..."

"Mia," Sirius said with a smile.

"Sirius and Mia!"

"And to the expectant father," Sirius said before throwing the cheap whisky down his throat.

"Cheers, mate," Richard said with a grin and drank down his shot. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a daughter to meet."

The two walked out the door together, Richard turning one way and Sirius the opposite. The wizard held out a hand to the Muggle who took it with a smile, shaking it eagerly with a stupid grin on his face. Sirius couldn't help but laugh, wondering if he'd _ever _be as happy as this simple Muggle, all over the birth of a kid.

"Got a name picked out yet?" Sirius asked.

"Hermione."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully and without another word, the two separated. Once out of hearing distance and nearing the Leaky, Sirius chuckled under his breath. "And he thought _my _name was stupid. Poor girl." He shook his head as he laughed, once more tapping the small box in his pocket to make sure it was still there.

He could do this. He could do this.

"Evenin' Tom," Sirius nodded a greeting to the man as he passed through the pub, walking out the other side toward the large brick wall that opened into Diagon Alley. As Sirius tapped his wand on the combination of bricks, a swirling silvery mist appeared in front of him. He turned, wand held out as the mist formed itself into a corporeal Patronus, and a very familiar one at that.

The little silver fox opened it's mouth and said words Sirius was expecting to hear.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry..." the fox said in Mia's voice.

He briefly let out a sigh of relief. Well, at least she wasn't still pissed.

"Please... please remember that I love you. I love you more than anything Sirius, and I'm so sorry that I..." And the voice cut off, the Patronus vanishing.

The wizard's face paled briefly as the words ended. That didn't sound like an apology. That didn't sound like a declaration of love.

That sounded like... goodbye.

* * *

**A/N**: Ouch. Yeah, I wrote the damn thing and it still hurts me to read it.


	98. Chapter 98

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Wow. You guys have broken review records on this story as of the last Chapter. I adore you all so much (despite apparently making the majority of your openly weep). If it makes you feel any better, I'm going to use those tears to create a Sorcerer's Stone (that's the secret ingredient) and become super powerful and immortal! Muahaha! Okay, a quick comment and then I'll answer some questions. It was brought to my attention by a reader that the outage of FFnet over the weekend was not some random website issues (like it normally is) but rather due to weather issues around the country. I was unaware of this and I apologize if my comment yesterday was flippant and/or callous. I genuinely hope that all of your are getting through the storms that are happening wherever you are.

Q&amp;As - The majority of you seem to be upset over Mia not being able to say goodbye to James and Lily. I did that for a reason. Mostly because well... it's sad and it's supposed to be sad. However, their last moment together at his wedding was a lovely thing to end on, instead of say a fight (like she had with Sirius). **LuresaSWTOR**, the story will get happy again. Eventually. **Lalina92**, we will deal with the fallout of Mia's disappearance before jumping ahead too far into the future. There is still a war to deal with as well. CGinny, I genuinely have no idea how many chapters this story will end up being. Right now I'm about halfway through Part Three, currently at Chapter 117. **Katie Moon**, as of this Chapter Tilly is still with James and Lily but probably won't be mentioned much from here on out. I promise though, the fate of Tilly (and Mia's stupid cat) will eventually be revealed.

Alright, let's see what's happened with our Pack, shall we?

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Denial and Defection

_"...Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air  
__If I should die before I wake  
__It's 'cause you took my breath away  
__Losing you is like living in a world with no air..."  
__(No Air - Jordin Sparks)_

* * *

**May 19th, 1980**

**Potter Manor - Temporary Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix**

He stank of Firewhisky.

He _always _stank of Firewhisky these days.

Sirius sat in the back of the circular drawing room, dark grey eyes set toward the front where Frank stood tall in his Auror robes, going over the details of an approaching mission. James stood beside him as the two took charge of the meeting while Moody and Dumbledore lingered in the other room, potentially discussing the most recent Death Eater attacks where Benjy Fenwick and Dorcas Meadowes were murdered. Losing Dorcas had been the whole reason that Headquarters had been temporarily relocated to the Manor. Tuts Tower had been her home and, upon her death and the death of Fenwick, her Secret-Keeper, the Fidelius Charm wore off and the Order was forced back into hiding elsewhere. James immediately stepped up, opening his childhood home.

_Their _childhood home.

Of course it now completely belonged to James since Mia had been pronounced dead five months ago.

Following Mia's disappearance at the end of September, the Order kept the search for her very hush hush as per Dumbledore's request. Sirius and Remus were questioned under Veritaserum and Dumbledore insisted that _he _be the one to dig into their heads using Legilimency. James and Lily were summoned home early from their honeymoon, and James had immediately gone into overdrive trying to find his lost sister. When no clues showed up, Sirius went behind Moody and Dumbledore's backs and started his own investigation into the disappearance of his missing witch.

Arthur Weasley was first on his list, knowing that the redhead and Mia had been friendly. Arthur was shocked to hear that she was missing, having been told through the rumor mill that she'd been promoted to another department, though he wasn't quite sure which one or, in fact, who he'd heard the rumor from. Sirius suspected signs of Obliviation.

Laurel Greengrass had been next on his list, and the blonde witch had heard a similar rumor, only one that involved Mia and Sirius eloping in some romantic getaway. When Sirius informed her that Mia was missing, Laurel did what most Pure-bloods of her station did, she threw money at the problem. Unable to do much on her own, Laurel hired multiple private investigators, including two Muggles despite the disapproval of her husband.

When Laurel and Sirius had caused enough of a stir, the Daily Prophet picked up the story. The copies of the one printing of Mia's disappearance all but vanished the following day. Immediately afterwards, an Order meeting had been called where Moody announced the search was being called off and that Mia was reported as dead. No more information was given to them, just that Mia had been on a mission of her own decision that ended badly. Save for the few friends she had at the Ministry, the Order and their Pack, Mia Potter might as well have never existed in the memories of the Wizarding world.

James had been completely devastated. Lily and Alice were heartbroken. Remus secluded himself in his room for weeks at a time, only coming out for the full moon or to occasionally eat or attend Order meetings.

Sirius went into a mad rage and attacked Alastor Moody in the middle of the Ministry Atrium, surrounded by hundreds of people. He very publicly quit his job as an Auror by threatening to shove his badge down Moody's throat. Sirius was arrested and detained by wizards who, up until moments earlier, had been his co-workers. The grief-stricken Animagus was placed in detainment for three weeks, which was apparently how long it took for the paranoid old Auror to calm down and drop the charges against his former subordinate.

After his release, Sirius did nothing but try to drain both his Gringotts vault and the United Kingdom's supply of Firewhisky in order to bury his pain.

There had been only one small light in the darkness of Sirius' world.

"Calm down," a soft voice whispered next to Sirius.

He felt a soft hand reach up and run fingers through his hair and he took a slow breath, realizing that he'd apparently been growling protectively while staring at the front of the room. The fingers in his hair helped to calm him somewhat, but they felt wrong. He wanted to lean over to the side and place his head in the witch's lap, but there were two large problems. One, the witch wasn't Mia. Two, there was no lap to lay on.

Sirius looked to the side and smiled sadly at Lily, grateful for the attention she gave him considering he was always such a mess. No one else was willing to put up with him these days save for James, Remus and Peter. But even then his fellow Marauders did nothing but either enable his drinking problem or scold him for it. On the other hand, Lily gave him a purpose for the life he was certain he'd all but lost.

Grey eyes drifted to his right hand which rested protectively on the redhead's expanded abdomen, where his godson was furiously kicking from the inside. "He's gonna be a Beater," Sirius said with a small smile.

"Godric, help me," Lily rolled her eyes.

oOoOoOo

**5 Months and One Week Earlier**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black**

"Where is he?!" A voice screamed as two witches burst through the green flames of the fireplace, followed behind by a pale looking wizard in Auror robes who was shoveling his feet nervously behind the women.

Despite it being close to Christmas, not a single decoration had been placed up in either 93 Diagon Alley or Potter Cottage. It was the first time that the family hadn't put any thought into the holiday and most could understand why. Mia's disappearance had created a standstill in their lives. Lily did her best to keep up strength for the rest of them, but taking care of James through his panic over his missing twin was hard enough, let alone dealing with a stressed out werewolf and an alcoholic Animagus.

Lily had been overjoyed when, after months of keeping to himself following Mary's death, Peter came back to the Marauders following Mia's disappearance, offering to help Lily take care of them in any way he could. At the time, he'd seemed helpful, but in the end all Peter seemed to do was enable Sirius' drinking to even more unhealthy levels. Not only that but without Mia there to temper Sirius' aggression, the wizard was getting out of control, especially with his fellow Aurors and superiors who weren't putting enough effort into locating his missing witch.

She'd finally snapped that morning when, after being sick for over a week and waking up to find her husband missing from her bed once more, Lily Floo'd to Longbottom Keep to find her friend under the weather as well. It hadn't taken a N.E.W.T. in Charms (though Lily and Alice each had one) to find the particular diagnostic spell to discover what was wrong. Alice had been thrilled and Lily stood by with tears in her eyes as her friend related the news of their impending parenthood to Frank, who promptly fainted.

When the young Auror awoke only to wrap his arms around his young wife, shouting gratitude to Merlin, Lily had officially had enough. She'd stormed in a rage toward Alice and Frank's fireplace, her friends on her heels as she tossed powder into the grate and screamed, "Ninety-three Diagon Alley!"

On the other end of the Floo Network, the redhead found the small London flat in absolute disarray. She shook her head at the sight of the place that she knew would have sent Mia into a violent fit. She could tell that not a single Cleaning Charm had been cast in weeks, and the place absolutely reeked of liquor. Empty bottles littered the counters and there were cigarette burns on the couch and carpet.

The ginger witch stormed down the hallway and very literally kicked open Remus' bedroom door, knowing it was pointless to even check the back bedroom; Sirius hadn't slept there in weeks. Her bright green eyes settled on the pile of wizards in the center of the large four poster bed. Remus and James were leaning against one another near the headboard, Sirius draped across their laps. There was a witch-shaped gap between the three of them that made Lily clench her eyes tightly, forcing the sadness back down somewhere behind the nausea that was threatening to resurface.

She stepped into the room and viciously kicked the leg that was peaking out from beneath the bed. "Get up!" Lily hissed, and Peter crawled out from under the bed frame, wincing from the pain in his shin. "You were supposed to be _helping _them, not making things worse!" She growled and felt mildly victorious when Peter looked properly shamed.

"_Aquamenti_!" Lily called out, aiming her wand at the bed and watched as the male members of the Pack jolted awake, coughing and squirming in a tangle of limbs as they fought against her attack. "Get up, all three of you!" She shrieked before lowering her wand.

Sirius glared at her and then immediately lay back down. "Go away, Evans," he growled.

"No," she insisted and approached the bed, smacking Sirius in the back of the head before turning glaring emerald eyes on Remus and James who both looked painfully hungover. "You are _not _the only ones who are sad, but you _are _the only ones drowning in it and I will not let my family be destroyed like this!" She continued shouting, despite the look of agony her volume was obviously causing.

"Lils..." James groaned. "Can you... can you at least find us a Sober-Up Potion before you start screaming?" He asked bitterly.

"Sober-Up Potion?" She asked incredulously, a dangerous look in her eyes. "I'm pregnant you idiot! How's _that _work for a Sober-Up Potion!?"

As it turned out, it worked quite well.

"You're... you're..." James stared at his wife with wide red-rimmed hazel eyes. "You're pregnant? Are you... are you sure?"

Lily nodded, her anger dissipating. "Alice and I did the Charm about an hour ago. _She's _pregnant too." She stared at James nervously, watching with butterflies in her stomach as she waited for any reaction. When he jumped up from the bed and pulled her into his arms, she let out the heaviest sigh of relief and then promptly burst into tears.

"Not that I'm not thrilled, because I absolutely am," James said smiling as he pulled away from the redheaded mother of his child. "But I thought you were on the Potion?"

"We thought so too," Alice said with a smirk from the doorway. "Lily made a three-month batch during her Hen night. We must have drank too much and forgot an ingredient."

"You were both in the Slug Club though," Remus said, finally speaking after the shock of Lily's news began to wear off. "I've seen Lily brew a Pepper-Up Potion in her sleep. Literally." He couldn't help but smile at the memory. "Are you sure..." the werewolf stopped mid sentence as he recalled what Alice said. Hen night. Lily, Alice and ... _Mia_.

Soft green eyes widened on the werewolf's face as he turned and stared at the still-small stomachs of Lily and Alice. _Harry and Neville_, he thought to himself as he realized what Mia had done to ensure the future birth of the two young wizards. "Oh shit," Remus muttered aloud. When everyone turned and stared at him, Remus tried to recover. "Oh umm... just... wow... pregnant," he mumbled and then stood up, walking over and hugging Lily. "Congratulations Lils."

No one had been paying attention to the raven-haired wizard still sitting on the bed, grey eyes staring at Lily's abdomen with a look of utter devastation on his face as though he realized something else had been taken away from him.

"_You want to give our kids my name?" _Sirius remembered asking Mia as they drank their way through a bottle of Firewhisky, mourning the death of his father and brother.

"_Oh, it's our kids now?" _Mia had smirked at him.

"_Course it's our kids," S_irius sighed and put an arm around her, handing her back the bottle._ "I'm an agreeable sort of man these days, kitten, but you're not having Remus' pups."_

"_As long as it's not a litter, I think I'll be fine with birthing your spawn."_

"_And they'll be Potters," _he'd insisted.

Mia had shaken her head_. "They'll be Blacks."_

"Sirius?" James looked down at his best friend.

The grey-eyed Animagus looked up at James and blinked, swallowing back the emotions that were threatening to erupt from within him. Out of habit, he tugged on the silver chain around his neck. The action was caught immediately by everyone in the room.

James leaned forward and put a hand on Sirius' shoulder, a look in his hazel eyes said that he was fighting through the conflicting emotions as well. James had lost too much in too few years. Both of his parents, too many friends and now his sister. Then, somehow in the middle of all of this death and darkness, someone was giving him a light at the end of the tunnel - and the young Gryffindor had a need to share that light with others.

"You'll be godfather, yes?" James asked with a crooked grin.

Sirius said nothing, but jumped up, pulling James into a tight hug.

oOoOoOo

**May 19th 1980**

**Potter Manor - Temporary Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix**

"You want to tell me why you're upset _today_?" Lily asked quietly, being specific with her words. She placed her hand on top of Sirius' as it rested on her stomach, smiling up from time to time at James, who was doing his best to be the leader that he'd always been.

Sirius understood why Lily needed to be specific. Despite his future godson giving him a purpose in life through the shit storm of war, he had been unpredictable at best, reckless at worst. He'd been arrested no less than three times since quitting the Ministry. Getting into bar fights with random wizards had become a hobby. One that he had previously relished with great pride, especially considering he'd recently sent Lucius Malfoy to St. Mungo's when he'd run into the Death Eater at The Leaky Cauldron.

Sirius had been there with Remus, stocking up their flat with what little food the two actually ate these days when they'd spotted Lucius meeting with a table of associates. Remus had pleaded with the Animagus to leave it alone, but when Malfoy loudly announced that after years of _failing _in her duties as a wife, Narcissa was _finally _providing him with the heir she'd vowed her magic upon, Sirius had lost it. The man was married to his cousin, a witch plenty of wizards desired, with a son on the way. It wasn't fair and Sirius held a bitterly jealous grudge against the blonde who didn't appreciate the gifts he'd been given. He beat Malfoy unconscious and it had taken three wizards to pull Sirius from the Death Eater before Aurors arrived. A week after Lucius had been released from St. Mungo's, Benjy and Dorcas were murdered.

Sirius blamed himself.

"Didn't sleep well last night," he lied to Lily. "Fucking cat woke me up before sunrise."

Most of Mia's things had been boxed up a month earlier, but the cat remained loose despite Sirius' desire to shove it in a box of its own and seal it up forever. Even though Sirius was the beast's primary caregiver now, the damned thing _still _didn't like him. Mia had been right, he should have bought her a fucking Kneazle.

"_You _wouldn't want it, would you?" He asked hopefully.

Lily sighed and then nodded her head. "Bring Snuffles by tonight," she instructed him. "But only once you've showered," she said with a stern glare. "You look like shit and smell worse."

Sirius couldn't help but smile at the redhead. She was never one for subtlety. "Still planning my intervention?" He asked, mildly amused by the obvious future prospect.

He knew they'd talked about it already. Once shortly after Sirius' first arrest following his Auror resignation, and again after a drunken one night stand where he'd tried to provoke Remus into beating the guilt out of him. The werewolf hadn't taken the bait, but instead dumped him on James and Lily's couch and let the redhead play Mind Healer as she tried to help Sirius work through his grief.

Remus seemed to move on the fastest from Mia's supposed death though no one could really tell considering that he kept his emotions bottled up. James, thankfully, had fatherhood to look forward to, and a cause in the war to keep his mind occupied with so as not to dwell on Mia's disappearance and declared death. Sirius however firmly walked the small line between anger and denial.

When Moody and Dumbledore announced Mia's official death, Sirius had lodged an actual formal complaint after he'd found an old copy of _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy. _The old book, given to only the oldest families, was magically spelled to update on its own. Births, marriages, and deaths were all automatically logged on the parchment. Sirius had opened it to the _Potter Family Tree_ where Charlus and Dorea's births and deaths were listed. James and Lily's names were written down as well, marking their marriage. A floating light hovered beneath their names which Sirius had assumed was the magic waiting for their child to be born before it would write his name down in the old text. But there, next to the name 'Mia Potter' was no date of death. Strangely, in fact, Mia's birthdate was not written down either, something Sirius assumed had to do with the fact that she was adopted. Stranger still, while the other names were written in dark black ink, Mia's faded in and out as though it had been improperly Disillusioned, or as though the book didn't know where she fit: dead or alive.

It was just enough hope to drive the already unstable wizard to the brink several times.

"I'll get you off the booze once I get this kid out of me," Lily declared with a bright smile and then winced when the baby kicked again.

"Maybe I was wrong," Sirius offered. "Maybe he's not a Beater. I think he might be a Bludger," he teased.

Lily laughed. "He'll be a bloody Quaffle by the time I give birth to him," she announced. "At which point I think I'll go back to hexing James. It's been a long time and he's due for something particularly awful for allowing his child to give me seven months worth of heartburn."

Sirius didn't have a chance to say anything else to the witch when a collective gasp filled the room. All eyes turned toward the front where Dumbledore stood next to a familiar wizard in long black robes, greasy black hair, and red-rimmed black eyes. Instinctively everyone was on their feet, wands at the ready at the mere sight of Severus Snape, but while most were firm in where they stood, James, Sirius, and Remus had created a collective circle around Lily as if to shield her from the Death Eater.

"Subtle," Severus said, sneering at the display.

"What the fuck is _he _doing here?!" Sirius snapped and moved forward, the empty space next to Lily immediately filled by Peter.

Dumbledore stepped in front of Snape protectively and held a hand up to stop Sirius in his tracks. "He is here as my guest," Albus said softly. "And as a guest he is under my protection though, as the newest member of the Order, I should hope that he would not need it."

The room erupted into screaming before Dumbledore once again called for silence.

"Sir, you can't be serious?!" James shouted from the back of the room.

"Are we, or are we not in need of a spy?" Dumbledore asked. No one seemed to know how to proceed. After several long moments of silence, Albus continued. "I have interrogated Severus and believe him to have honorable intentions for joining our cause. He will be loyal and has vowed as much."

"Why the hell would he switch sides?" Sirius asked, glaring at the black-haired wizard.

"Those are my reasons and mine alone, Black," Snape drawled, keeping his face expressionless save for the look of disdain toward Sirius.

Unfortunately, the Animagus did not miss the brief moment where Snape's black eyes flickered over to where James, Remus, Peter, and Lily stood. The eye contact was enough to incite Sirius once again and he growled, stepping closer. "Don't you dare look at my family," he cautioned.

Snape glowered at the man. "It's your _family _that actually has the need for my information," he declared. "The Dark Lord has caught word of a prophecy declaring his downfall. He believes that a child born this July will be his undoing, and he's seeking out information as to how to... _rid himself _of the problem."

Everyone heard Lily gasp.

"Don't listen to him Lils," Sirius insisted. "He's just trying to manipulate his way into the Order. How do we know that this prophecy even exists?"

"Because it was given to me," Dumbledore answered. "A young Seer approached me for a job interview at the beginning of this year and, in the middle of speaking to me, fell into a trance of sorts where she began speaking about the downfall of Voldemort," Dumbledore said, using You-Know-Who's name. Half the room flinched, but no more so than Severus who briefly looked terrified at the word being spoken aloud.

Though he hadn't used it much in the past himself, Sirius made a mental note to say the name as often as possible if only to get that reaction out of Snape.

"Why didn't you tell us then?" Marlene McKinnon asked, looking up at the older wizard with hardened eyes. She had been known to get quite irritable when secrets were kept from Order members.

"The prophecy speaks of Voldemort choosing his own rival," Dumbledore explained. "As there are _two _young wizards due to be born toward the end of July," he said as his eyes briefly glanced at Alice, who, up until now hadn't made the connection. Her hands protectively encircled her stomach and Frank was immediately by her side, glaring daggers at Severus. "I intended to keep the prophecy contained in the hopes that, if left unheard, Voldemort would not take action to fulfill it. Unfortunately, I was wrong and he is now in the knowledge of the contents of the prophecy."

Everyone was too busy watching Dumbledore to notice the brief flash of guilt that fell across Severus' face.

"While we take care to keep both the Potters and Longbottoms protected, we still have a war to fight, and now a new ally on our side," the old Headmaster said, placing a hand on Severus' shoulder. "Unfortunately, because he must remain in the good graces of Voldemort, should any of you come into contact with Severus on missions, I would ask that you do your best to keep up the rouse of his status, while also attempting to keep him from harm."

"How _much _harm should we keep him from? You expect us to just sit back and not throw hexes back if he attacks us?" Sirius asked, glaring at Snape.

"Quite the opposite Sirius," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I expect you to keep up the appearance of a rivalry in case others are watching. It would serve us well to keep Severus' position as a double agent the highest priority."

"So basically don't _fatally _injure him?" Sirius asked for clarification and Dumbledore nodded. Sirius finally lowered his wand and in the split second that the old wizard's blue eyes turned away, the young Animagus sent a closed fist into a large hooked nose, knocking the _supposedly _defected Death Eater to the ground.

"There," Sirius said with a triumphant smirk. "Rivalry still well established."

He'd be punished for his actions, he knew he would. _But_ _Godric, Mia was right, _he thought. There was something incredibly satisfactory about punching Severus Snape.

* * *

**A/N**: So yeah, we've skipped a bit of time to get to some of my favorite and equally hated Chapters. I didn't want to originally write through this part of the story, but then I remembered that this story isn't just about Hermione/Mia, it's about Sirius and Remus as well, and there are so many important events coming that show Sirius' character progression that I really, desperately wanted to dig deep and see what I could find.

I also really wanted to use this chapter to begin to establish the very important role that Harry plays in Sirius' life. If you remember in Chapter 5, Sirius says, "Harry was . . . was a good thing in a really bad time of life," and despite how immature the books and movies made Sirius seem to be, he and Harry did have a father/son bond that I feel was severely overlooked and something I plan on developing a lot. It's important to Sirius' character. Harry is important, not only to Sirius but to the entire Pack.


	99. Chapter 99

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** OMG, the story has officially crossed 500k words. What was I thinking when I started this? I have a friend who asked if my story was as long as any A Song of Ice and Fire novels, so I had to look up word counts and apparently I've surpassed GRRM in his ramblings. Insanity. I adore you all for sticking around this long (many of you binge reading) and somehow finding worth in my scribbles. I love you all!

This is one of my favorite chapters. For those who love the references, check out Chapters 4 and 23 before reading this.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Harry

_"...Well I don't know if I'm ready  
__To be the man I have to be  
__I'll take a breath, I'll take her by my side  
__We stand in awe, we've created life..."  
__(With Arms Wide Open - Creed)_

* * *

**July 26th, 1980**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black**

_"Remus, promise me something?"_

_"Anything, love."_

_"Promise me that... that you'll always trust Sirius. Always remember that he's a good man. And... and when he needs you the most, please take care of him for me."_

_"I promise."_

He was eating those words now as he stared down at the Animagus passed out on the floor beside a blonde witch. _At least he's not laying in his own sick again_, Remus thought bitterly.

Remus had just returned home from his graveyard shift as security for a local Muggle club. Despite his lithe build, Remus had proven his strength on his first night by throwing a man twice his size out the back door when he got a little handsy with one of the bartenders. The owner of the club also mentioned that Remus' scars helped to deter trouble. No one seemed to want to fuck with a man who looked like he'd survived a knife fight and still looked like he was ready to go another round. It was a temporary job if there ever was one. His Lycanthropy had him calling in sick far too often, not to mention last minute Order meetings that he was required to attend. A temporary job to bring in what little money he could and he was grateful for the work. What he wasn't grateful for was the fact that he spent all night watching Muggles drink themselves stupid only to come home to see Sirius doing the same thing.

It was the fifth time Remus had arrived home in the early morning to see Sirius black out drunk, with a random girl (or two) curled around him. The werewolf pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd been out drinking with Sirius and Peter before and knew that the Animagus never set out to bring home girls. Most of the time, once he went past the point of no return - which was usually a bottle and a half of Firewhisky in - all Sirius did was talk about Mia and how much he missed her. Girls latched onto his sensitive broken heart, buying him more drinks until Sirius couldn't tell the difference between a Beater's bat and his own wand.

The mornings when Sirius would wake up before the women, he'd seen what he'd done and would curse, lock himself in the bathroom and scrub his skin bloody as though he could wash away the guilt. Peter insisted that Sirius didn't have anything to be guilty over. James tried to ignore the problem since he had bigger things to worry about, what with Lily ready to give birth any day, and the pesky problem of You-Know-Who wanting to kill their baby.

Remus on the other hand was officially done enabling Sirius' behavior.

"Get the fuck up!" The werewolf shouted, kicking Sirius in the leg.

_"Remus, I love you." Mia had said through her sobs. "You're my best friend and I love you. Please take care of him. Remember what I said... trust Sirius. Always Sirius." _Her last words to him before she vanished from their lives.

Remus shook his head. He couldn't trust Sirius to keep himself alive right now. The thought made Remus that much angrier. "Get up, Padfoot!" He snapped and kicked Sirius again.

The raven-haired wizard moaned and rolled over, shielding his eyes from the light and wincing as he looked up into the angry face of a werewolf. "What the fuck, Moony? Leave me alone," he groaned and tried to roll back over.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Remus shouted, aiming his wand at his friend who froze up immediately. Levitating Sirius' bound body off of the floor, Remus gently nudged the woman still sleeping, curled up in a blanket next to the now empty space where Sirius previously occupied. "Umm.. Miss?" Remus said, clearing his throat.

The witch slowly rolled over and looked up at Remus who immediately gaped at her.

"Oh fuck," Remus growled bitterly and turned around. "With all do respect Marlene, please show yourself out."

The witch scoffed and pulled the blanket up to cover herself before running a hand through her long blonde locks and scowling up at Remus. "Last I checked this place was owned by Sirius, and you're just a guest."

Remus turned around and glared at her with flashing gold and amber eyes. "And last I checked tomorrow's the full moon, so feel free to stick around if you'd like, we'll see what happens, yeah?" He growled at her and watched with half amusement half guilt as the girl shrank away from him, terrified. Before she had a chance to say anything more, Remus stormed down the hallway, kicking open the back bedroom door and levitating Sirius into the bathroom.

After filling the copper clawfoot tub and using a Vanishing Charm to get rid of Sirius' clothes, Remus removed the Binding Curse and let Sirius' body drop into the bathtub with a splash. Sirius struggled against the water, coughing and spitting as Remus took a seat on the nearby windowsill after closing and locking the door. The werewolf waved his wand, charming a bar of soap and a nearby square of flannel to scrub down the Animagus against his will.

"Damnit, Remus!" Sirius hollered.

"Consider this Day One of your forced detox," Remus declared, unaffected by the glares that Sirius was now throwing him. "I made a promise to Mia that I would take care of you no matter what, so here I am, literally bathing your drunken arse because you can't bother to do it yourself."

"You've no right..." Sirius began to yell.

"McKinnon!?" Remus screamed, standing up and kicking the nearby ceramic dustbin, launching it into the opposite wall where it shattered into a thousand pieces. "Are you kidding me?! You know she hated Marlene!"

Sirius had the grace to look ashamed, and he finally stopped struggling against the charmed flannel that was now scrubbing dirt and sweat off of his chest and shoulders, revealing a plethora of new tattoos that now covered the majority of his upper body; there was more ink than skin these days. "I didn't mean to," Sirius confessed. "I... I didn't even know it was..." Sirius grimaced. "Marlene? Really?" He asked, looking up at Remus who nodded angrily. "Fuck," he groaned.

"It needs to stop."

"It hurts to stop," Sirius admitted, clearly trying to reign in his emotions but doing poorly. "I can't breathe when I'm sober, Moony. All the evidence says that she's still alive, but everyone tells me she's dead. But I can still feel her," he confessed. "The Soul Bond, it's... it's different. Like it's almost entirely supported by me, but it's still there. It feels broken. I feel broken," he buried his face in his hands and sobbed openly. "She's somewhere... Do you feel it too?" He asked, grey eyes pleading up at his friend. "Through the Pack Bond?"

"Yes," Remus answered mournfully, wishing like hell he could tell Sirius the truth, but an Unbreakable Vow was just that, unbreakable. "I don't know what to tell you about Mia, mate," Remus sighed. "But you have to focus. Winning this war is what's important right now. Protecting Prongs and Lily's baby is what's important right now."

"Or Alice and Franks," Sirius added.

Remus sighed and shook his head. "Either way, we have friends and family to protect and you can't bloody well do it drunk. Get cleaned, get dressed. There's an Order meeting this afternoon."

"Didn't you just get in from work?"

"Full moon's tomorrow," Remus said, a part of him sad that Sirius hadn't known. Then again, Remus had gone without company for several full moons since Mia left. Prongs was too busy taking care of Lily, and Padfoot was rarely sober even in Animagus form. Wormtail, though loyal and always willing to accompany Remus, was fairly useless due to his small size. "I'll sleep the day after." Remus shrugged and left the bathroom.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor - Temporary Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix**

"Won't it be dangerous? To give birth outside of St. Mungo's?" Alice asked nervously, wringing her hands in her lap as Dumbledore stood at the front of the room, Alastor Moody on one side of him, Severus Snape on the other.

"It would be more dangerous to do so inside St. Mungo's," Snape chimed in. "As I've said," he continued, his voice tainted with impatience, something that was earning glares from everyone in the room except Dumbledore. "It is the Dark Lord's greatest desire to discover this supposed rival from the prophecy, and the closer we grow to the end of July, the more volatile he is becoming. He has had the hospital attacked with much less to lose in the past." Snape's black eyes turned up and glanced over the small crowd to where Lily, James, Remus, Peter and Sirius sat. "I believe some of you are aware."

Dumbledore placed a hand on Snape's shoulder, which the defected Death Eater flinched away from before moving to the side entirely, drawing the focus away from himself. The old Headmaster offered a soft smile to Alice. "We believe it would be safest for the children to be born either here at Potter Manor or Longbottom Keep. Both have wards that will keep you protected until it's time to move both of your families to a permanent safe house."

After the meeting ended, Severus slowly drifted across the room, approaching the Marauders and Lily with caution, his wand always at the ready, never willing to turn his back on any of the wizards who now surrounded the witch as though she were some delicate thing. If they'd only known that it was really him who was protecting her.

Snape cleared his throat. "Lil... er..." he paused, realizing that he no longer had the right to be so familiar with her. "Missus... Potter," the name felt like sandpaper on his tongue. "Might I have a word?"

Sirius stepped forward and growled ferally. "Over my dead body."

Severus slowly raised a questioning brow. "If you like."

Before Sirius could strike, James placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Ease up Pads. What do you want Snape?" He asked, hazel eyes hard and mistrusting.

"To speak to your wife."

"That's not going to happen," Sirius replied.

The red-haired witch sighed in frustration, one hand resting on her large stomach, the other on her back. Severus wondered if he offered her a mild Pain Potion if she'd actually accept it from him. "James, Sirius... please," Lily pleaded with them.

James hesitated for a long moment, but then nodded and leaned forward to kiss his wife as though marking her. Snape rolled his eyes at the display. "I'll be right over there," James insisted, gesturing to where Moody and Dumbledore were speaking with Alice and Frank. James turned on his heel and left, dragging Remus and Peter with him.

Sirius lingered.

Lily smiled softly at her friend, her bonded brother and touched his face affectionately as if to draw his attention away from Snape and back to her. "Sirius go. I'm fine," she promised. Though he seemed to hesitate just as long as James did, Sirius eventually conceded and made his way over to the other Marauders, leaving Severus and Lily alone to speak.

"Is Black aware that a marriage includes two, not three people?" Severus rolled his eyes.

"What do you want Mister Snape?" Lily snapped.

"_Mister Snape_? How formal," he drawled.

"You and I no longer have an informal relationship of any kind," Lily insisted.

Snape sneered. "Yes, Potter saw to that."

"No, _you _saw to that." Her emerald eyes burned him with their fierce stare. "That brand on your arm is the culmination of everything I warned you about years ago. Years before I _ever _fell in love with James," Lily declared, watching as Snape consciously placed one hand over his already covered Dark Mark.

"I used to be your best friend," he whispered.

"Yes, and then you became a Death Eater!" Lily hissed.

Something seemed to snap inside of him and he turned his black narrowed eyes on the witch. "A Death Eater who's risking his life to save your son!"

Lily did not appear to be affected by his attempt at manipulating her emotions. "For which I am grateful," she replied. "But it doesn't erase the past. It can never be like it was, and that breaks my heart in ways you can't imagine. We've all lost too much. I've buried my parents, watched my friends do the same. I lost two of my best friends in the last year. One because she was brutally murdered... by _Death Eaters_... and the other because she up and vanished, presumably kidnapped by _Death Eaters_. Now I have to sit in Order meetings and watch another of my best friends stand there wearing the Mark of something that has taken nearly everything away from me."

Severus took a long moment to digest her words before softly uttering, "It was a mistake."

"I know, Sev."

He looked down at her use of his nickname. "I wish..." he hesitated. "I wish there was something I could do to properly apologize, but I'm aware nothing I say can make up for the things I've done."

"Keep helping us. And tell me the truth."

"About what?"

Lily paused, wondering what question she should ask. He was already offering all the information he could in regards to Voldemort's plans for her child, for her and James. But there was something she desperately wanted to know. "Did You-Know-Who take Mia?"

Snape rose a brow, confused. "Not to my knowledge," he answered. "The only time I ever recall her being discussed is when the Dark Lord desired to bring Black onto our... er... _their _side. I was asked if the witch would be a way to get through to him. I informed the Dark Lord and his inner circle that despite being prone to violence," he consciously rubbed at his jaw, like a pavlovian dog he'd come to associate Mia Potter's name with facial pain. "Miss Potter was as against Death Eaters as one could be."

"Thank you," Lily said while frowning, clearly dissatisfied with the reply. "I was... I was hoping that they'd actually taken her. Then at least we'd have answers."

"I'm shocked that she'd even allow herself to be taken. I was under the impression that Potter's sister had the Sight."

Green eyes turned on him in surprise. "What?" She shook her head. "That was just a joke she told us years ago to try to get out of Divination."

"Are you certain?"

Lily nodded. "Absolutely, why?"

"Things the girl said to me before leaving Hogwarts..." he replied. "And there was an altercation with a former associate of mine. Regulus Black. He informed me that he believed she was aware of his allegiances to the Dark Lord, but kept his secret for him. Mentioned that she knew things she shouldn't have known. Of course who knows what the boy was thinking at the time."

"What did she tell you?" The ginger witch asked.

Snape paused and swallowed. "She offered me forgiveness for something I had yet to do."

"What?"

He looked away from her, shame written across his face. "I'd rather not say. She informed me that I would make a mistake and would seek forgiveness but that it would not be offered, and therefore she was giving it to me instead. Then she advised me to seek out Dumbledore when I was ready to... atone."

"She said that?"

He nodded. "In so many words. She had quite the talent for being cryptic," he said, rolling his eyes. "Regardless, I did make a rather large mistake and to atone for my sins, I sought out Dumbledore, which has brought me to my current situation. Reporting on the Dark Lord's intentions and advising where I can in order to keep you safe."

"Me and Alice," Lily corrected him.

"If you like."

She averted her gaze, unwilling to meet his intense stare and acknowledge what she saw in his eyes. She couldn't do anything about it. "And are we safe?" Lily asked.

"Not in the slightest," Snape scoffed. "You all trust too easily. I've already reported it to Dumbledore, but there is a mole among your Order."

Her eyes widened and she gasped. "What? How do you know?'

"Because shortly after I began my role as a spy, I was brought into the Dark Lord's presence and questioned about my comings and goings," he informed. "Someone had reported to him that I'd defected. Luckily I'm an accomplished Occlumens and was able to persuade the Dark Lord into believing that I'd falsely offered to aid Dumbledore in order to get close to him and discover all of his secrets. Right now, I'm supposed to be attempting to discover your location. Which is why I've been trying to make our former Headmaster see reason and have you and the Longbottoms sequestered under a Fidelius Charm if needed, but away from any and all eyes, my own included."

Lily took in all the information, the hand surrounding her stomach tightened. "Should I not trust you Severus?"

"You should not trust _anyone_, that is the point." His black eyes narrowed across the room, lingering on James and his friends.

"Would the Fidelius Charm keep us safe?" The redhead inquired.

Snape nodded. "So long as you choose a proper Secret-Keeper, but therein lies the problem. We do not know who the mole is. Of course my Galleons are on Black or Lupin," he said, glaring at the pair.

Lily shook her head emphatically. "They would never..."

"Wouldn't they?" Severus interrupted her defense of his childhood bullies. "Black was raised by blood supremacists and is known for walking the fine line between reckless and mad. And Lupin is a bloody werewolf." He was now scowling. "If Potter's sister ever _does _turn up dead, I'd be willing to bet that it was either one of them that did it in some sort of jealous rage."

Lily refused to accept his words. "They are my family. They would never do such a thing. Besides, you don't know Sirius and Remus, or anything about their relationship with Mia," she insisted.

Severus took a long moment, letting his black eyes stare into emerald depths before speaking. "You would be very surprised to see what dark lengths a man will go as a result of petty jealousy."

oOoOoOo

**July 31st, 1980**

**Potter Manor - Temporary Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix**

Sirius slowly opened his eyes, surprised that he didn't have a hangover. He was however incredibly thirsty as though he hadn't had anything to drink in days. He glanced around the room, wondering where exactly he was. What was the last thing he remembered? A pub. A lot of Firewhisky and a conversation with Peter about whether or not Remus could be trusted. He remembered Wormtail advising Sirius that he'd always suspected Remus being jealous of Sirius and Mia's relationship, and how he was surprised that the werewolf so easily gave the witch up.

Sirius had argued back at first, insisting the night Mia vanished, Remus had been in a meeting with Dumbledore, or at least that's where the werewolf said he was when Sirius finally tracked him down in a panic over the missing witch. Despite believing that Remus could never harm Mia, a lingering hint of self-doubt inside of Sirius inflated, fueled by Firewhisky and Peter's words. He'd then drank more than he ever had before in his life, one last hurrah to try and permanently bury the mistrust, the heartache, the grief, and the pain.

So why wasn't he hungover?

Grey eyes looked to the side, noticing that he was in Potter Manor in his old bedroom. A large assortment of Potions were on a table by his bedside and in a chair nearby, James sat, hazel eyes staring at his suddenly conscious best friend.

He must have drank himself to the point of injury. "Oh," Sirius muttered.

"Oh?" James rose a brow.

Sirius coughed, trying to clear the dryness from his throat. "Mornin' Prongs." He smiled up at his best friend who was suddenly hovering over him with a deranged look on his face. Uh oh.

"You dickhead!" James yelled and balled a fist that he immediately began sinking into Sirius' arms and chest. "You drank yourself into a coma and you wake up and say _'Oh_?' like nothing happened?!"

_Coma?!_

"Ow! Arsehole, stop hitting me!" Sirius winced, trying to defend himself but not having the strength to move much. How long had he been unconscious?

"What the hell is going on in here?!" Lily yelled, bursting into the room, wide eyes on her husband as he pounded into the flesh of his recently comatose best friend. "Sirius?" Lily gaped, rushing to the bed and wrapping her arms around Sirius. "Oh Merlin, we thought you were going to die. If you were a Muggle, you'd be dead, do you know that you awful man!? We were lucky that Peter was sober enough to bring you here," she said, gesturing to the short wizard in the corner of the room who averted everyone's eyes. "Madam Pomfrey said that the Pack Bond probably saved your life," she said, releasing him and turned to quietly sob against Remus' chest as he walked into the room staring down at Sirius.

Seeing his wife in tears caused James to rear back again and hit Sirius hard in the shoulder.

"Prongs!" Remus shouted as he rushed to his friend, pulling the messy-haired wizard away from the bed. "He's still injured!"

"He's a bloody alcoholic who needs to have his arse kicked!" James yelled. "You almost died! Do you have any idea what that would have done to me? I lost my parents and my sister and now you're going to leave me too!?" He was teary eyed and furious.

Sirius looked down, unable to meet the intense looks of disapproval from his friends. They'd joked about an intervention. Scolded him for his drinking. But Sirius had never harmed himself in such a way. He couldn't look at them. The expressions of worry and anger reminded him of the little witch who'd always lingered over his bed in the Hospital Wing after a Quidditch Injury or fight with Slytherins, begging him to stop being reckless and letting himself get hurt.

"I'm about to be a father and I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing and I need you!" James confessed loudly.

Sirius winced in shame.

"James..." Lily muttered.

"You're a selfish prat and you need to grow the fuck up, Sirius!" James screamed, pointing a finger in Sirius' face.

"James!" Lily yelled.

He turned and faced his wife, irritation still on his face. "What?!" He snapped.

"I think my water broke."

oOoOoOo

"Merlin, look at this head of hair." Sirius grinned looking down at the infant in his arms.

Madam Pomfrey had rushed over to Potter Manor when Remus had Floo'd to Hogwarts in a rush to fetch the Mediwitch. James had panicked at the announcement he was soon to be a father, and Sirius, knowing that his best friend needed him, downed every potion near his bed and rushed to Lily's side, dragging his friend behind him. Madam Pomfrey had not been pleased to see Sirius already up and about, but with Lily's needs superseding the stubborn Animagus, she held back her scolding for later.

Madam Pomfrey admitted to Lily that she was grateful the redhead had held out as long as she did, considering the Mediwitch had spent the prior night at the Longbottom homestead delivering Alice and Frank's boy. Sirius made a joke about Alice and Frank finally beating Lily and James at something, almost getting himself tossed from the room.

Hours later, as July threatened to fade into August, Harry James Potter entered the world and screamed his tiny head off until someone wrapped him up tightly in a small blanket and placed him in Lily's arms where he immediately fell silent as emerald eyes met their mirror image between mother and son.

While Lily slept off her absolute exhaustion, the Marauders took turns passing the infant between one another. Or at least, that was the plan. So far, Sirius refused to relinquish his hold on his godson who was cradled in the crook of one arm while his fingers toyed with the mass of black hair on the baby's head.

"He'll figure out how to work with it," Remus said, chuckling in reference to the hair. "Prongs somehow pulled Lily, though she could be under the Imperius Curse for all we know," he teased.

Sirius smirked and shook his head. "Unlikely, he's not clever enough to be able to cast one. Hopefully, the kid gets his mother's talent for spells."

"I can hear you, you know," an exhausted James groaned from a nearby chair.

"Well, that's good. For a second there I was worried Lily screamed in your ears so loud that you'd gone deaf," Sirius laughed.

James pouted. "I still can't believe she kicked me out."

"It was only for twenty minutes," Remus said with a chuckle.

"You didn't miss much," Sirius said, looking up at his best friend. "At least you'll still be able to look at your wife and want to have sex with her. After seeing what I did today I'm pretty sure my cock shriveled up and died. Ow!" Sirius winced and looked over at James who was instantly at his side, punching the arm that wasn't holding the baby. "Fuck. What was that for?"

"Don't curse in front of the kid," James hissed.

Sirius laughed quietly in reply. "You have a kid, Prongs."

The three wizards stood in silence staring down at the infant in Sirius' arms. In the bed, Lily slept peacefully despite the snoring that was coming from Peter, who had passed out in a nearby armchair.

"We're going to teach him so much." Sirius grinned. "How to prank and fly a broom and pick up witches and..."

"Oh Godric," Remus groaned. "I hope the boy has Lily's common sense. If not, I suppose we can try and figure out how to counteract whatever horrible habits Sirius will let rub off on him."

"Have to keep him alive first."

Remus and Sirius both turned and stared at James who had lost all mirth from his eyes as he gazed at his sleeping son, who had his tiny fist gripped tightly around Sirius' index finger.

Remus placed a hand on the new father's shoulder. "James..."

"What?" James snapped. "It's true. Voldemort wants to kill my... my son," he quietly cried, reaching a shaking hand out and gently touching the boy's soft downy hair. "And I don't know what to do to protect him. I couldn't save Mum or Dad... and I couldn't save..."

"Don't," Sirius said in warning as he felt his own emotions begin to rise to the surface. "Don't say it."

James ignored him. "I couldn't save Mia..."

Sirius immediately held the baby out to the werewolf. "Remus take Harry," he insisted as he felt his heart begin to race, the familiar urge to drink overpowering him. He wanted to drown in the pain and never resurface, but he had a job to do. Sirius couldn't drown, not while James was struggling. The raven-haired wizard pulled his friend into a tight embrace and held him there for a long time. "Get it together mate."

"I don't know how," James sobbed into his friend's shoulder. "I feel helpless. The darkest wizard there is wants my son dead and I couldn't even save the rest of my family from being killed by Death Eaters. How am I supposed to do this? What am I supposed to do? It's my job to protect him. It's my job to keep him safe."

A pregnant pause filled the air before Sirius whispered. "_Our _job."

James pulled away, wet hazel eyes looking at his two best friends.

"_Our _job," Remus nodded.

"It's _our _job to keep Harry safe," Sirius vowed.

* * *

**A/N**: This is one chapter I refuse to be humble over. I love it so much and it still brings tears to my eyes. Sirius' complete devastation (followed by his descent to rock bottom) is heartbreaking, Remus feeling agitated and useless, James feeling scared and helpless, and even Severus' attempt to repair something between himself and Lily, despite everything. And in the end Harry's just there.. making things just a bit better. I really hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 100 tomorrow. I'd ask if you all had any guesses as what's in store, but you're all brilliant so...


	100. Chapter 100

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: Super long chapter for you all tonight as we close out Part Two with Chapter 100. Wow. I can't believe it. Also, this morning we hit over 2,000 reviews. I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you all keep reading and keep reviewing. Your words give me motivation to keep going. Going to answer a few questions before we get through this: **nakyangel**, Snape doesn't recognize Pettigrew because, at this point, Voldemort would have kept Peter as his secret weapon, not trusting anyone to know or see him until the Potters were dealt with. **Katsumi-phoenix**, be ready for Part Three. **lalectricetimide**, not going to lie, this is going to hurt like an emotional Cruciatus. Also, for those of you who love the previous chapter references, this one is overflowing with them!

Alright, let's do this.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Two - The Time-Turner_

Chapter One Hundred: We've Won

_"...Drowning deep in my sea of loathing  
__Broken your servant I kneel  
__It seems what's left of my human side  
__Is slowly changing in me  
__Looking at my own reflection  
__When suddenly it changes. Violently it changes  
__There is no turning back now  
__You've woken up the demon in me..."  
__(Down With the Sickness - Disturbed)_

* * *

**August 15th, 1981**

_"Dear Padfoot,_

_Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favourite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I'm enclosing a picture so you can see..."_

Sirius smiled at the photograph of his one-year-old godson who he hadn't seen in almost six months. Despite no longer being an Auror, the Order of the Phoenix required the need of the Black heir just like everyone else. James, Lily, Harry, Alice, Frank, and Neville had been in hiding for well over a year now while the rest of the Order was sent on various missions. Peter to Scotland to scout potential new safe houses. Remus to Northern Britain to infiltrate new werewolf packs, this time with his own sealed Pack Bond to protect him. Sirius, however, had been sent to Bulgaria where he'd befriended dark wizards in darker pubs aware of his family name, but unaware of his alliances and personal views regarding the "Mudblood problem".

Letters from his friends kept him grounded in his proper ethics and values, reminding him of who he was and what he stood for. Pictures of Harry reminded him of what he was fighting for.

_"You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there)..."_

Sirius snorted. _Fucking cat_.

_"Of course, James thought it was funny, says he's going to be a great Quidditch player, but we've had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don't take our eyes off him when he gets going._

_We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda, who has always been sweet to us, and who dotes on Harry. We were so sorry you couldn't come, but the Order's got to come first, and Harry's not old enough to know it's his birthday anyway!"_

Sirius sighed as he remembered the hassle he'd gone through just to get that bloody broom mailed to Britain. It went through three different custom problems and still had to be sent to Dumbledore who would eventually deliver it to James and Lily who were still in hiding, somewhere that Sirius didn't even know at this juncture. It was too dangerous to include that information in a letter, though, with the mention of Bathilda Bagshot, he assumed they were back at Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow. Sirius made a mental note to subtly reply to the letter and let Lily know that she needed to be more careful just in case their owl was intercepted.

_"James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it but I can tell - also, Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions..."_

Sirius sighed at the revelation that Dumbledore had the Cloak. He could almost feel the frustration of his friend thousands of miles away. James wasn't the type of man who could just let himself be locked away, out of the fight. Sirius would possibly go mad if they'd suggested such a thing for himself.

_"If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend, I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the news about the McKinnons; I cried all evening when I heard..."_

Sirius briefly set the letter down and pinched the bridge of his nose. Despite their sordid past and the fact that Mia had hated the girl, Sirius had been hurt by the news of Marlene's death. Of course, these days each new letter he got reported one death or another. The news about the Prewett brothers had sent Sirius back to the pubs in search of Firewhisky only to find that since his alcohol poisoning induced coma a year earlier, he'd developed a near immunity to the drink. No longer able to drown his sorrows in liquor, Sirius was forced to soberly deal with his inner turmoil. It didn't stop him from drinking the stuff though now, it only tasted like nostalgia; tasted like her.

_"Bathilda drops in most days, she's a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore-"_

Sirius set the first page down, picking up the second.

_"-could ever have been friends with Gellert Grindelwald. I think her mind's going, personally!_

_Lots of love,_

_Lily"_

_Dumbledore and Grindelwald friends? _Sirius snorted. _Old Bathilda certainly was losing her mind. Next she'd be telling everyone that, prior to the famous duel between the pair of wizards, they'd been lovers._

oOoOoOo

**October 25th, 1981**

**Potter Cottage - Godric's Hollow - Potter Residence**

It had taken Sirius over a month to get back home to Britain. He'd gone straight to Godric's Hollow after making his report to Dumbledore and Moody who, despite having a demolished face and missing half of one leg, still insisted on trying to help run the Order from his hospital bed at Hogwarts. St. Mungo's was clearly too risky to keep Order members.

Sirius remained inside the small home with the Potters for as long as they would have him, having no desire to return to 93 Diagon Alley seeing that the last time he'd seen the place he and Remus had gotten into a fist fight after Peter suggested that Sirius confront Remus about concerns he didn't know he had about Mia. It had been too close to the full moon and Sirius spoke without thinking while Remus reacted without doing the same.

_"You're hiding something! You were never surprised that she had secrets! She shared them all with you!"_ Sirius had snapped. _"What aren't you telling me, Remus?!" _

_"Are you accusing me... you think I..." _Remus had growled down at the advancing Animagus.

_"Don't you growl at me, Moony. For all I know maybe Snivellus is right and you're the reason that she..."_ but Sirius never finished the sentence. The last thing he remembered was a searing pain in the side of his left cheek followed up by Remus shouting.

_"You're not the only one that loved her! You're not the only one that misses her every fucking day, Padfoot! I couldn't hurt her anymore than you could. I'd rather die than betray Mia... or any of you, even if you've been nothing but a pain in my arse since she left."_

The pair hadn't seen one another since.

"I'm just saying I think we should take a minute to rethink things," Sirius told James, a look of concern on his face. He bounced Harry in his arms, occasionally blowing at the mess of black hair on the toddler that occasionally threatened to slip up the Animagus' nose.

James was moving from one room to another, picking up toys that were scattered about the floor before Lily came in and lectured them all about making a mess. "There's nothing to rethink mate, you're the bloody Secret-Keeper, Albus already cast the charm," James insisted.

Sirius sighed in frustration, not caring as Harry got his tiny fists tangled in his godfather's long black hair. The kid was always tugging on someone's hair, something Sirius believed was a repressed desire for locks that didn't look like he'd been hit with one of Lily's Static Charms. He briefly smirked at the thought of how Mia should be here for this. Harry's hands would have gotten permanently stuck in her wild mane.

Pushing the thoughts of the witch and associated pain aside, Sirius turned his attention back to James who looked like he was not in the mood to argue. The Fidelius Charm had been cast, but Sirius was terrified that somehow he would screw up and put his friends in danger. Sirius Black, the Secret-Keeper for the Potters? Nothing could be more obvious.

"Then we recast it. Lily could do it easily," Sirius said, gesturing to the redheaded witch as she entered the room, smiling as she watched her husband cleaning up the floor.

"Well, _that's _true," Lily nodded. "But I hardly see the point."

Sirius scowled. "You heard Snivellus at the last meeting, Lily!" He snapped at her, feeling his anger getting the best of him, ignoring the reproachful way she looked at him for using Snape's nickname. "I'm being targeted. They're coming after me, and if _I'm _dead then the damn charm wears off and the three of you next!"

Lily frowned and held her hands out. "Give me Harry," she insisted. "If you're going to to start yelling like a crazy person, you don't get to hold the baby."

Sirius pulled away from her like a child who was having his favorite toy taken away from him. "No," the grown wizard pouted. "I'm... I'm fine," he promised. "He's fine. Aren't you Pup?" He asked the toddler who grinned brightly up at him.

"Pup!" Harry squealed. "Fine!"

"See? Says so himself."

Lily rolled her eyes. "He's just repeating everything you say. And that worries me."

"Oh, calm down, he doesn't repeat everything I say," Sirius insisted. "Besides, it's not like I said 'fuck'."

In response to the word, Harry placed his two front teeth on his bottom lip, mimicking the sound. "Fu-"

Sirius quickly clasped a hand over the boy's mouth.

"Give me my son!" Lily growled.

Sirius pouted once more but reluctantly handed the boy over to his mother who immediately carried him away from his foul-mouthed godfather. "Godric, is it just me or has she gotten a lot bossier since having the kid?"

James shook his head incredulously. "Mate, we've been stuck in one safe house or another for a year and a half. We're _both _a little on edge."

"I can see that."

"Don't start," James snapped before collapsing on the couch and running a hand through his hair. "At least you, Remus, and Peter get to do something in this fucking war. Frank and Alice feel the same. We're all going mental not being able to contribute anything."

Sirius took a seat beside his best friend and patted his shoulder. "Your job is to keep that boy safe, Prongs. Even if keeping him safe means doing nothing."

James kicked the nearby table in frustration. "And how many people die while I sit and do nothing?! Fenwick, Dorcas, Dearborn, the Prewett brothers, Edgar Bones and his whole fucking family were murdered, same with the McKinnons! And now you!"

"I'm not going anywhere, mate. At least murder wise. I do need to get the fuck out of Britain for a while though since apparently I'm being targeted." Sirius sighed wondering what the plan was going to be. He'd known it was a bad idea coming back, but he'd been holed up with dark wizards, Voldemort loyalists, and future Death Eaters for months in Bulgaria and needed an escape before he completely lost his mind in the process.

"You should go find Moony. Keep each other safe," James suggested.

Sirius scowled as he remembered his last encounter with the werewolf. "Fuck Remus!"

James' hazel eyes widened and he looked between his best friend and the door which Lily left through, waiting for a moment as though the ginger witch would come running back in to hex them both for yelling and cursing within Harry's hearing. "What the hell is _that _about?" James hissed. "Are you two still on about that fight you had? That was almost a year ago! And you know you were both wrong. You need to get over it."

Sirius sighed in consternation. "Just... it's nothing. I'm paranoid," he said, scrubbing his palms down his face. "I just... I'm having some trust issues with him. Plus, it's not like the bloody fucking wolf writes me."

"Isn't he undercover with a pack?"

"That's what Dumbledore says."

James nodded as if Dumbledore's word was the final one in all things. "If it's what Dumbledore says then it's true. Pads, I've never understood the relationship you have with Moony, especially when you throw my sister in the middle of it," he added and ignored the way that Sirius flinched. "But he's family. He's Pack. Hell, he's the whole _reason _we're Pack. I trust him the same way I trust you and Wormtail. It's dishonorable to mistrust your friends, mate."

Sirius turned and looked at James who seemed to embody Charlus the same way that Mia always embodied Dorea. Where Dorea and Mia were loving, determined, cunning and a little scary because they were so intimidating; Charlus and James were loyal to a fault, honorable to an extreme level, and a bit frightening because their views were so black and white. It made Sirius feel incredibly inadequate most days.

"I know. I'm sorry." He sighed. "But there _is _a mole in the Order. I know when Snape brought it up a while ago I initially tried to shake the idea off, but even Dumbledore confirmed it. I need to leave Britain to go into hiding and I'm just... I can't leave you, Lily, and Harry unprotected. If they do get me..."

"What do you suggest then mate?"

"Be your own Secret-Keeper?" Sirius suggested.

James shook his head. "Can't. Spell doesn't work like that, at least not yet. They're supposedly working on a modification. Too bad Mia's not around to..."

"Yeah, I know." Sirius frowned. "She was really good at modifications. Alright... umm... It has to be Wormtail then," he offered. "Moony's too involved in battle and so am I," he lied knowing that his reason for keeping Remus out of the Fidelius Charm was because he currently didn't trust the wolf, no matter what promises he'd made to Mia prior to her disappearance; no matter that he'd assured both James and Lily that he would apologize to Remus the next time they saw one another. "It's either that or have either Alice or Frank do it, but they'd have to come out of hiding to do it and that puts them in danger. I'd prefer Wormtail though. He never goes into the actual fight, not since Mary died. He's too afraid."

James nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense."

"So get the little tosser over here and don't tell anyone else. The fewer people know, the safer the three of you will be, and the safer the three of you are, the fewer people I have to murder if something bad happens," he said with a scowl.

James frowned. "That's not funny."

"Do I look to be joking?" Sirius narrowed his grey eyes. He knew thanks to letters from Lily that James was worried about his descent down a darker path because of the new role he had to play in the Order, but Sirius couldn't deny the fact that Harry's life being threatened had caused him to tap into his heritage a little. James said that he was coming close to crossing a line. Sirius remembered Mia's words:

_"That's your problem, Sirius! You still think there is a line!"_

"If something happens to us, you've got to keep your head on straight," James demanded. "You're Harry's godfather and it's _your _job to keep him safe if _I'm _not around to do it."

Sirius shook his head, not wanting to even think about such a scenario. "The two of you wrote your bloody Wills, didn't you?"

"Of course we did," James scoffed. "It'd be stupid if we didn't. If something happens to us, Harry gets everything obviously, and you get Harry."

"And if I die?"

"Remus."

Sirius sighed. "Not Peter?"

"Not since he accidentally dropped Harry when he was six months old," James said and then laughed. "Thank Merlin Lily was there with a Cushioning Charm. Anyways, if something happens to Remus then Harry goes to Alice and Frank," he explained. "Worst case scenario Harry and Neville can grow up like brothers. Dumbledore knows our wishes, he'll take care of everything. The important thing is that Harry stays with family."

"And as long as it's not Lily's family."

Both wizards laughed loudly.

"Don't even suggest that," Lily said with wide green eyes as she walked back into the room, Harry positioned on her hip. "Merlin... I'd rather he be raised by dragons. Isn't that right?" Lily smiled at the boy in her arms who laughed loudly, wrapping his fingers in her long red hair. "Would you like to be raised by dragons?" She laughed and reached into a small box in the corner of the room, handing the toddler a stuffed Hungarian Horntail which he eagerly gripped, releasing her hair for the plushie.

"Now, if the two of you are done being incredibly depressing," she said, eyeing the men, "dinner's ready," she gestured to the dining room.

"You cooked?" Sirius chuckled. "Where's Tilly? I haven't had treacle tart in a year."

"We sent her to the Manor to clean," James replied. "She was going stir crazy over here."

Sirius nodded as he stood, reaching for the toddler and grinning when Harry practically jumped into his arms. Harry smiled up at his father who walked next to Lily, ruffling the messy head of black hair on his son while Sirius carried him into the other room. "C'mon Harry. Let me show you how to transfigure broccoli into cake!" Sirius said with a laugh.

"Is everything okay?" Lily whispered, wrapping her arms around her husband's waist.

James sighed. "No. I worry about him." He frowned, eyes full of anxiety. "Losing Mia just... broke him."

"It broke us all a little," Lily admitted. "Have you heard from Remus lately?"

James shook his head. "His last letter was pretty vague. Something about a pack up north. Said he'd be home for Christmas though. Wanted to know if Pads would be around for the holidays. I'd like to think it's because he knows they need to fix whatever happened, but a part of me thinks he asked so he could try and avoid him."

"We should do something nice for Christmas." Lily smiled. "Just the family. Something needs to happen to get those two fixed. Even if we have to lie to get them both in the same room. I love and respect Dumbledore and appreciate all he's done for us, but I very much dislike him for sending Sirius and Remus out on separate missions. I know the Order needs it and the Order comes first, but you and I have each other, and without Mia... those two depended on one another and now they're both so alone."

"Christmas it is then," James declared. "Hopefully this war will be over, we'll all be safe and we can bring Remus and Sirius home to patch up whatever the hell went wrong with the two of them."

Lily smiled and leaned up to kiss James' cheek. "Well, before we even think about Christmas, what do you want to do for Halloween?"

oOoOoOo

**October 31st, 1981**

**Potter Cottage - Godric's Hollow - Potter Residence**

He sobbed into Hagrid's chest, large arms wrapped around him. How had he gotten here? How had everything gone so terribly wrong? Grey eyes looked around the broken cottage that had, until recently, been his home. Been the home of his friends. And his friends were...

Sirius had gone to check on Peter who had been switched out as the Potter's Secret-Keeper only days ago. Despite trusting Peter's judgement, Sirius still worried about the youngest Marauder and with Lily and James now safe, Sirius felt it was his job to look after Peter at least until Dumbledore had them both moved to separate safe houses. When Sirius arrived at Peter's flat to find him gone, he immediately panicked. Wormtail knew he wasn't supposed to leave.

He'd hopped on his motorbike and flew to Godric's Hollow as fast as he could.

It hadn't been fast enough.

Sirius forced himself through the rubble of the house with no care for his own safety, following the sound of Harry's cries coming from the upstairs nursery. He willed his eyes upwards as he ascended the stairs, purposely trying not to look at the ground where his peripheral vision told him James' body lay still and cold. He let the adrenaline move him forward knowing that his heart would break later, later when he knew that Harry was safe.

When he made it to the nursery he found Hagrid holding his godson, large tears dripping down the cheeks of the half-giant as he cradled Harry in his massive arms. Harry screamed in Hagrid's gentle grip, green eyes peeking up at the sight of Sirius in the doorway, and tiny hands reaching out for the raven-haired wizard.

"Hagrid," Sirius choked out, allowing his eyes to look down in front of Harry's crib where a mess of red hair lay on the floor behind Hagrid's feet. Sirius choked back the sobs that were threatening to tear their way out of his throat. "Hagrid give me..." Sirius reached out. "Give me my... my boy," he insisted.

The half-giant seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding and passing Harry over to the Animagus who clutched the boy tightly, clinging to him like a lifeline. Harry calmed down, and Sirius was able to look him over, immediately noticing the wound on his forehead. Sirius growled at the sight, the first emotions of pure rage making themselves known.

"Give 'im back now," Hagrid said through his own sobs. "Dumbledore said I'm ter take 'im."

"Peter... was Peter here?" Sirius asked, breathing in the scent of Harry's hair.

"No," Hagrid said, shaking his large head and reaching out for Harry.

Sirius passed the child over hesitantly. "I need to find Peter. You'll keep him safe?" Sirius asked. "Take him straight to Dumbledore?"

Hagrid nodded before taking Harry in one large hand and wrapping an arm around Sirius with his free one. At the physical touch, Sirius finally broke into sobs, tightly gripping Hagrid's large cloak to prevent himself from collapsing. "Dumbledore gave me orders," Hagrid nodded. "I'll take 'im straight there."

Sirius didn't ask wherever 'there' was, though he supposed he should have. All he knew now was that Harry needed to be kept safe and Dumbledore would know what to do. James had said Dumbledore knew what Lily and he had wanted. Dumbledore would take care of everything.

"Take my bike," he offered. "I know you're not supposed to be using magic," Sirius said while wiping the tears from his face, forcing himself to keep his eyes from looking down. "I don't want you to risk Apparition while carrying Harry, and it'll get you where you need to go safely... and fast."

Hagrid nodded and moved to leave, but Sirius stayed the half-giant's hand and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Harry's forehead before whispering, "It'll be okay Harry. I'm... I'm going to take care of things and then come for you. I'll see you soon," he promised the boy.

Sirius watched as Hagrid left the house, Harry in tow and, once out of his sight, the Animagus collapsed at the top of the stairs of the cottage, burying his head in his hands and wailing loudly as grief completely overtook him. Frozen on the precipice of utter devastation, all Sirius could think about was that Mia would know what to do, how to move forward. She'd know what to do about James and Lily, she'd know how to contact Remus or whether or not he could be trusted. She would know how to find Peter. Or Peter's body considering the man had to be dead. Then again... she probably wouldn't have wanted to. Mia had never gotten on well with Peter.

_"I just mean... Peter and I aren't close like I am with the pair of you."_

When they were kids, she had a right to her opinions, of course. Peter wasn't the brave sort. He didn't jump into the fight like the rest of the Gryffindors. It was why he was perfect for a Secret-Keeper.

_"What'd Peter ever do to you?"_

_"Did he do something to you? Say something?"_

_"No. He just . . . I don't know. I don't trust him."_

If Sirius thought long and hard about it, Mia had had a point. Peter had a habit of speaking without thinking. His reaction to Remus being a werewolf hadn't been as accepting as the rest of them, and Merlin knew that Remus was a sore spot when it came to Mia.

_"Why shouldn't they let him into Hogwarts, Peter? Should they have casted him out? Maybe even locked him up? Like an animal?! Who would be next, Peter? Round up all the Muggle-borns?!"_

Godric, she was dramatic when it came to protecting Remus, and the werewolf wasn't as perfect as the witch always thought he was.

_"Sirius found a secret passageway into Hogsmeade last year. He wants us to go looking for more while we're down there today."_

_"Oi! That was a Marauder secret! Remus, you're the worst secret keeper ever!"_

_"He is not!"_ Mia had snapped at him. _"In fact, Remus should always be your secret keeper."_

_Maybe James was right,_ Sirius wondered. _Maybe Mia was right. Maybe Remus should have been the Secret-Keeper._ Of course, Mia hadn't known about it at the time. She'd had no idea what would have happened. Or did she? Sirius thought to himself. They had always joked about her being a Seer. She always knew about things before they happened.

_"Leave it to Remus to bail on his mates and tell all their secrets to his bloody girlfriend."_

_"Remus didn't tell me anything, you should always trust Remus, Sirius. Your secrets aren't being properly kept. Because you have a rat in your midst. I've told you repeatedly, Peter's a terrible secret keeper."_

The color began draining from Sirius' face as the memories flooded back. _No... it couldn't be. That was years ago and she... she just had a grudge. That was all. That had to be it._ Mia had a grudge against Peter. With good reason. He had spied on her having sex with Remus.

_"So Peter, really?"_

_"Yes,"_ Mia had growled at them. _"Which means that he's been spying on our conversations. And since it's been months since I've slept with either of you,"_ she looked up at the two wizards, ignoring when James made a face. _"He's had this information for a while and has just been sitting on it until it became useful for some reason."_

_"I don't think Pete would purposely..." _James had chimed in, but Mia cut him off viciously.

_"Stop trusting Wormtail!"_

Sirius felt his chest tighten painfully.

_"Maybe you should talk to Dumbledore," Mia had said to Peter. "He can help you. Keep your family safe."_

_"You don't understand, Mia."_

_"Peter, your friends will protect you! That's what they're there for. They would die for you, just like you would die for them."_

And Peter had died for them. Died trying to protect James and Lily's secret. _Hadn't he?_ Of course he did. How else would the Fidelius Charm have been broken? How else would Voldemort have gotten in? Peter was a member of the Order, a Marauder. He'd fought trying to save Mary's life when Wilkes had betrayed them. Regulus had said so himself.

_"Sirius you're being betrayed!"_

_"No shit!"_ Sirius had snapped at his younger brother.

Sirius had been there, seen it with his own eyes. Wilkes betrayed them all and then even tried to murder Peter while his back was turned. Sirius killed the traitor trying to get Peter out of there, trying to save Mary who died in his arms.

_"Mary, oh Godric, I'm sorry."_

_"Siri... Sirius... t-trap..."_

_"I know, I know, Wilkes betrayed us. I'm so sorry... Mary I.. I don't know what to do."_

_"P-Peter.. Peter..."_

_"It's okay, Peter got out safely."_

_"N-No..."_

"Oh Godric," Sirius muttered as a pain shot through him and panic set in.

_"How's the arm Pete?"_

_"Better, thanks. Healers said it might take a long while to heal. Maybe never even. Said it must have been a dark curse that hit me."_

His forearm. He'd been hit in the forearm. Had they seen it uncovered after that day? Had they ever seen the scar left behind from the wound? _No, it couldn't have been._ Sirius was certain. Remus was the spy. He had been gone for so long and living among other werewolves and even Snape said that the spy had to either be Sirius or Remus. But when did he ever agree with Snivellus?

"Damnit!" Sirius screamed, running his hands through his hair in frustration as he stood, pacing the stairs, wishing like hell that Mia were there to run her fingers through his locks, make everything right with the world again. Wishing he could reverse time and save his family and friends. "What am I supposed to do?!" Sirius shouted into the ether.

"_Sirius?"_

"_Yeah kitten?"_

_"Promise me something?"_

_"Anything, love."_

_"Promise me that... that you'll always trust Remus. Always remember that he'd never hurt anyone. And... and when he needs you the most, please take care of him for me."_

_"I promise."_

"What have I done?" Sirius cried, knees buckling, he fell to the ground. "What have I done?!"

_"Sirius don't trust W-w-w..."_

"Wormtail," Sirius growled, his fists clenched tight, fingernails digging hard enough into his palms to draw blood.

_"Not the future... not the future,"_ Mia had mumbled over and over. _"Maybe the past... Sirius... the Shrieking Shack. The first time we were there. Instincts. Trust your instincts."_

_"My instincts are telling me I need some fresh air."_

_"No!" _Mia screamed. _"Then trust my instincts!"_

Her instincts were always right. She'd known everything all along and they'd always deferred to her for advice, help, or just a guiding light. Her instincts were always right. And that first night in the Shrieking Shack her instincts had told her to kill Wormtail.

The grief gave way to blinding rage.

Sirius growled viciously under his breath, reaching into his pocket for his last-ditch effort. The eleventh-hour weapon he'd planned on using in the vain hope that the worst case scenario would be a rescue mission. But that wasn't the worst case scenario anymore. This one was. And it wasn't a rescue mission.

It was one of pure vengeance.

Sirius pulled out the small Sickle from his pocket, the one he'd charmed into a Tele-Portkey, it's twin having been slipped inside Wormtail's robes days ago when he'd last seen him. Sirius gripped the coin tightly in his fist and snarled out the incantation, "_Portus_!"

oOoOoOo

**London, England**

Peter Pettigrew moved quickly through the streets of London in an area that bordered between a Muggle shopping district and a Wizarding residential area, though the Muggles couldn't see the wizard homes which had been placed under heavy Muggle Repelling Charms. Despite being so close to his own kind, Peter felt safe among the crowds of Muggles. Safe for now. He would be protected now. He'd done what had been asked of him, no matter the cost. The Dark Lord would keep him safe, honored, and elevated in the new world, just like he'd promised.

Something shook in the pocket of his robes and his small eyes briefly looked down just as a bright blue light erupted from his cloak and something heavy launched him forward against the concrete. He stumbled as he tried to stand back up, taking note of the way that the surrounding Muggles were gasping loudly at the sight.

Peter turned around to look into the blazing silver eyes of Sirius Black and all color drained from his face.

The line of sanity that Sirius rode thanks to the Black family genetic traits was threatening to choose a side as he stared into the small, watery eyes of the traitor in front of him. The friend he'd known since he was eleven years old. The little boy being picked on by Lucius Malfoy. The young Marauder who'd pranked with him, shared a dorm with him for seven years, who had fought alongside him - or so he had thought. This wizard in front of him had been a friend, but in the end had taken from Sirius everything important he'd ever loved. James and Lily, his family. Harry, who he would need to collect once this matter was attended to. Remus, who Peter had helped turn him against. And Mia... was Peter responsible for her death? Her kidnapping? Her leaving?

"Pettigrew!" Sirius screamed as the shortest Marau- no, the shortest Death Eater made a break for it. He was running, which Sirius had expected. Peter always ran. He raised his wand, ignoring the strange looks that the gathered crowd of Muggles were giving him. Ignoring the fact that he probably looked beyond crazed, eyes crazed as he held back the urge to shift into Animagus form and tear Peter apart with his teeth. No, this needed to be done man to man. He'd trap him with a wand and then break every bone in his body with his bare hands.

To his surprise, Peter turned on the spot and stared up at Sirius, wand-hand behind his back. "How could you!?" Peter shouted and Sirius snarled. "Lily and James," Peter moaned, pretending to be grief stricken. "How could you betray them to the Dark Lord?!"

Sirius' eyes widened, realizing immediately what was happening. He moved to strike but, like before, he'd underestimated Wormtail who was surprisingly faster on the draw. Sirius had barely seen the wand, scarcely seen the flash of light and brief glimpse of blood coming from Peter's hand, hardly noticed the curse Peter breathed before his body was thrown backwards into a brick wall, the breath knocked out of him.

His sense of smell came back first, followed by sight. The explosion had temporarily deafened him, but he could still hear muffled screams as he launched forward toward a large crater in the center of the street where he could see the outline of Peter's robes. Sirius ignored the bodies of the Muggles strewn about, seeking only the prize he required before it escaped his reach. He gripped Peter's blood soaked robes tightly, not noticing the severed finger as it fell to the ground.

"Where is he?!" Sirius screamed. "Where's that fucking rat!?" In fury and grief, his sanity finally shifted to the other side of the line and Sirius began laughing maniacally as he understood what had happened. He'd been tricked. He tore at the bloodied robes in his hands, roaring in rage and completely unaware that he was now surrounded by a team of Aurors lead by Bartemius Crouch and Cornelius Fudge.

Images of Lily and James' bodies came to the forefront of his mind as the smell of blood continued to assault his senses. The laughing gave way to tears and Sirius buried his face in his hands, mournfully crying, "It's my fault. I killed them. I killed them."

oOoOoOo

**November 3rd, 1981**

**Godric's Hollow Cemetery**

The werewolf stared at the large headstone reading the names of his friends. He wanted to be angry. Wanted to feel rage and a sense of vengeance the way he knew he should want, but instead he just felt empty. He'd returned home to Britain after the owl from Dumbledore had arrived in the small village he and a scattered pack of rogue werewolves had been staying. Inside the sealed envelope had been a shortly written letter and a Portkey. The letter simply said: "Come home."

He'd spent months in the remote village with his own kind, doing his best to get on their good sides and figure out where their allegiances rested. Food was scarce and a good nights rest was harder to find. He'd spent Halloween tossing and turning all night, gripping painfully at his chest as he felt something cold and hollow resting inside of him where something warm and solid used to be. _Too much time away from his family_, Remus reasoned. Dumbledore's letter, while vague and worrisome, felt almost like relief. Permission to come home, to be a man again and to be with his loved ones.

Remus had begun packing his things to leave when he heard other werewolves speaking outside his room.

"Guess he won't be needing us after all," a female wolf spoke. "Went and got himself killed he did. A bloody baby too they're saying. Some Dark Lord."

"Who was killed?" Remus asked, peeking his head out of the door and catching the eyes of a group of wolves he'd come to know over the past few months.

"You-Know-Who," an older one said. "Went into the nearby town this morning and wizards were shooting off fireworks and dancing in the bloody streets, praising some kid's name like he's Merlin come again."

"What kid?" Remus asked.

"Some orphan," the female wolf said. "Harry Potter."

_Harry. Orphan?_

Remus had gripped the Portkey tight enough to make his skin bleed as it carried him home. Home to a destroyed world with his friends dead or imprisoned, leaving him alone, nowhere to go but forward... whatever that meant.

"It's good to see you Remus," Dumbledore said as he approached the werewolf, setting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad to know you've made it out of the other werewolf pack unscathed."

"No point in being there now is there? War's over."

Albus nodded. "Yes. And we've won."

Remus growled. "Two of my friends are in the ground beneath our feet, another was eviscerated, two more have been taken to St. Mungo's," he thought of poor Alice and Frank, "and the last..." He winced at the very thought of Sirius. They'd fought the last time they'd spoken, both angry, bitter and stressed over too many things. Too many unanswered questions. Mia had been at the forefront of Sirius' issues of course, and thanks to the Merlin damned Unbreakable Vow that Dumbledore had forced him into, Remus wasn't allowed to tell Sirius a damn thing. Not for another thirteen years. Not that it mattered now, with Sirius in Azkaban, sent there for life.

Remus had been surprised at the lack of a trial but knew there was nothing to be done about it, nor would he care to try. Sirius betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort. He'd tried to sacrifice his own godson, and Remus was suddenly very glad that Mia hadn't been around to see the aftermath of this war.

"None of us could have known what Sirius would have done," Dumbledore offered.

"Mia could have. Mia knew." He winced at the thought. Had she known this would happen? Or did things change? She couldn't have known. Known that the love of her life would betray her brother and sister-in-law, set the whole family up to be murdered? _No. Mia hadn't known._ She could never have loved Sirius if she'd known, Soul Bond or not.

"Perhaps," Albus nodded. "It took a little... negotiating, but I was able to secure Sirius' things for you." The older wizard said, handing out a small box that had clearly been resized.

Remus took the box in hand, waved his wand to enlarge it before opening it. Inside he saw it held an Undetectable Extension Charm. He reached in and could feel the leather of Sirius' jacket, a small silver chain that Remus knew was Sirius' secret emergency Portkey to Potter Manor, and there at the bottom, Remus took hold of and removed the long chestnut wand.

"Why would I want this?" Remus growled looking down at Sirius' wand in his hands.

"I thought perhaps they might have sentimental value," Albus suggested. "I know he and Miss Potter shared many things."

Anger finally swelled up inside of Remus and he dropped the box before gripping the wand at either end, eager to snap it in half. However, the second that he put pressure on the wood he felt a sharp pain sting into his hand and he dropped the wand entirely. Looking wide-eyed down at the wand as it fell into the open box, Remus sighed in frustration.

"Interesting," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "It appears the Unbreakable Vow is still at work."

Remus rubbed his injured hand, bitter over the warning that the Vow had given him. "I vowed to defer to her requests and judgments in all things regarding the future... I promised her I'd..." he said bitterly, "for some reason, I still have to take care of that traitorous bastard by keeping his wand intact. Damn her. Damn them both!" Remus shouted angrily.

Dumbledore sighed. "You bear too many burdens Remus, for that I am sorry."

"Where's Harry, Albus?"

"With his family."

"I'm his family," Remus insisted. "I'm the only family he has left."

"Not so. Hagrid and I delivered him to Petunia and Vernon Dursley."

Soft green eyes flashed gold and amber as the werewolf turned on the older wizard. "You did what? Are you mad? Lily would... Albus have you met those Muggles?!" Remus spat. "He's supposed to be in my care! You think I wasn't privy to Lily and James' Will? It's _my _job to take care of him. _My _job to keep him safe!"

"Then help me keep him safe, Remus. Aurors have seized Sirius' flat, so to my knowledge you've no place to live." Dumbledore informed him.

Remus sucked in a sharp breath as the news hit his ears. He had no home to go to.

"Recent anti-werewolf legislation has passed preventing you from legally being bound as Harry's guardian," Dumbledore continued. "If I were to hand him over to you, the Ministry would take him away and he would be in their grip. The boy is special. Important. He, merely an infant, defeated Voldemort. Left among the Muggles he will not be studied, used, or attacked. I dislike the discrimination that comes along with your condition, my boy, would you add to the attention Harry will receive by sharing your burden with him?"

Remus swallowed hard. "No. Of course not."

It seemed that was enough to let the older wizard believe that Remus wouldn't do anything rash in regards to Harry's safety. Dumbledore continued speaking, but Remus tuned him out as he stared at the graves of his freshly buried friends. He wished that he'd been there to protect them. He wished that he could visit Frank and Alice, but a new piece of legislation prevented werewolves from entering St. Mungo's. He wished that there was enough of Peter left behind to be buried.

He hoped that Sirius was suffering in Azkaban.

_"Remus, I love you."_ Mia's last words to him came into his mind, washing over him with a strange unsettling guilt._ "You're my best friend and I love you. Please take care of him. Remember what I said... trust Sirius. Always Sirius."_

_"I promise."_

Why had he promised her such a thing?

**The End of Part Two**

_Part Three… The Promise_

_"Good afternoon Minerva. Lemon drop?" Albus offered._

_"No, I do not want a bloody lemon drop!" The older witch hissed. "Would you care to inform me as to why I stumbled upon a rather interesting coincidence this afternoon?" _

_"That depends upon the coincidence, Minerva."_

_"The coincidence I speak of is the fact that a young Muggle-born witch I met with today bears a striking, near mirror image resemblance to that of a former student of mine. I imagine the name Mia Potter rings a bell?"_

* * *

**A/N**: I cried when I wrote it. I cried every time after that I had to read it.

To answer the myriad of questions I know that are coming, Part Three will cover the time spent between 1981 and Mia's eventual return to 1998. Many of you had said that you missed old Hermione and you're going to get to be reintroduced to the swotty little know-it-all. I wanted desperately to see the years through Remus and Sirius' eyes, considering all that's happened, and all that they know. So if there are any scene requests, let me know in the reviews or in a PM (the Shrieking Shack encounter is a given.)


	101. Chapter 101

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I have to tell you how much your reviews over Chapter 100 meant to me. I was worried initially about Part Three, but getting so many comments and PMs about your excitement has calmed my fears. Also, about 95% of your scene requests have already been written! For those wondering how long Part Three will be, I can't say just yet. I'm about halfway through Order of the Phoenix right now, and writing Chapter 118. There's still Half Blood Prince, and I will also fill in a few gaps from Deathly Hallow (Or in DoT speak... Part One: The Life Debt) So if there was something you wished I'd included in Part One, let me know now since everything will soon come full circle.

Part Three will both cover Hermione's original years at Hogwarts, as well as catch up with Sirius and Remus. I've tried to do a lot of the scenes that weren't in the Canon books, because copying and pasting JKR's words is tedious. Some scenes I couldn't ignore, so there's a bit of an overlap. I did try to re-write things in my own words to make it feel like it's all one voice. I hope it works. For my Chapter Reference Fanatics, reread Chapter 19 (as well as Sorcerer's Stone Chapters 5,6 and 8).

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred One: Belong

_"...If this is the moment I stand here on my own  
__If this is my rite of passage that somehow leads me home  
__I might be afraid  
__But it's my turn to be brave..."  
__(Brave - Idina Menzel)_

* * *

**July 18th, 1990**

**London, England**

Several streets from Charing Cross Road where The Leaky Cauldron was nestled snugly between a bookshop and a record store, sat a small, lovely house belonging to a Muggle couple and their Muggle-born daughter. Inside the charming home Richard and Helen Granger sat around their dining room table, smiling as their soon-to-be eleven-year-old daughter attempted to eat her breakfast (porridge with blueberries instead of raspberries) with one hand while holding a book in the other, her chocolate-brown eyes glued to the pages.

"What do you want for your birthday, Hermione?" Helen asked her daughter. "Only two months away."

"Books please," Hermione responded, her voice slightly monotone as she carefully turned the page of the novel in her hand, her attention entirely taken up by whatever story her eyes were devouring.

"Of course, always books," Richard Granger said with a laugh, making eye contact with his wife who only shook her head in amusement.

As he stood and began clearing away the dishes, Richard went to reach for Hermione's empty bowl only to find it missing from the table. He blinked several times in confusion and turned to the kitchen where he saw the small glass dish already sitting in the sink. He paused for several moments, trying to remember if he'd already taken his daughter's empty dish, or if he'd seen his wife or child stand up from the table at any time in the last few minutes. He tried to brush off the confused feeling, but it was getting harder and harder these days when strange things seemed to occur in their home more often.

The first time Richard thought he saw something peculiar occur, Hermione had only been a toddler. She'd been going through an attachment phase and cried every morning when her father had to leave for work. It just so happened that when the child couldn't be consoled, Richard would suddenly lose his car keys only to find them in her crib. After the fifth day in a row that this happened, Richard decided to take the Tube to work.

After so many years of strange occurrences, Richard Granger might have thought himself mad, or at the very least suffering from some sort of neurological problem, but thankfully (if he could truly be thankful for such a thing) his wife Helen experienced similar oddities throughout the day. Neither could figure out what was happening, nor did they truly wish to dig too deep only to potentially end up being the type of people who ended up on the cover of the tabloids talking about haunted houses and alien sightings, especially since all strange happenings in or out of their home had a similarity: Hermione. One thing the couple could easily agree on was that their daughter was special.

And special was an understatement.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"I'll get it," Helen said as she stood from the table, affectionately smoothing down Hermione's bushy brown hair as she moved past her daughter; a part of her hoped that the locks would move past this frizzy stage quickly. She knew that the other children in Hermione's class teased her about her looks. It didn't help that her front teeth were overly large as well, but both Richard and Helen had agreed that braces could wait. "Hermione, go and brush your teeth," she instructed her ten-year-old.

Helen opened the door with a smile, half expecting their neighbor, Mrs. Smythe to come looking for her lost cats again, that had a habit of finding their way into their house, specifically Hermione's bedroom. Just another quirk in the lives of the Grangers. When the door fully opened, Helen did not in fact see Mrs. Smythe looking for her cats, but instead an older woman with black hair pulled back into a tight bun, square spectacles covering stern but kind eyes, wearing what appeared to be a strange looking black and emerald dress that swept the bottom of the ground.

"Helen Granger?" The older woman asked.

"Yes, may I help you?"

"Actually, I'm here to be of service to you my dear," the woman said with a smile that felt Grandmotherly. "My name is Minerva McGonagall, and I am a Professor and Deputy Headmistress for a very exclusive and special school for gifted children," she explained. "I've come today to speak with you about your daughter, Hermione."

Elsewhere in the Granger home, Hermione stood in front of the bathroom mirror after brushing her teeth, grumbling lightly at the reflection as she attempted to pull her overly thick and bushy hair back into a hair tie that instantly broke. Hermione angrily threw the snapped hair tie in the bin, not noticing the way the ends of her honey-brown locks sparked as she shut off the light and left the room.

As she made her way back to the dining room to fetch her book from the table, she heard the sound of her mother screaming and, in a fit of reckless courage, went running to see what had happened. She came into the living room to see her mother and father clutching one another desperately, staring wide-eyed at a small tabby cat sitting on the couch in front of them.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "Is that another of Mrs. Smythe's cats?" She looked at the small animal that seemed... different. "I told her I wasn't stealing them, they just like me," the little girl said with pleading eyes, not noticing the way her parents were now staring at her as though she'd grown a tail of her own. "What's wrong?"

Then right before her brown eyes, the cat on the couch transformed itself into a tall woman with black hair. Hermione gaped at the sight though, instead of the fear that her parents were displaying, Hermione's eyes were alight with excitement and wonder. "I knew it! I knew magic was real!" She said, heart racing. "Are you a shapechanger from Homana like in my books?!" Hermione rushed to the dining room table and pulled off of it the small fictional novel she had been reading that morning.

The older woman stared down at the child, looking at her with a similar expression that the Granger parents were using as they gawked at the the witch. For the first time in many years, Minerva McGonagall was at a loss for words. Eventually, her eyes looked at the book in the girl's hand and her brows furrowed. "No, my dear, I am not a... _shapechanger _from... wherever you mentioned," she said, clearing her throat. "I'm a _witch _from Scotland."

"A witch?" Hermione dropped her book onto the coffee table, bright eyes staring up at Minerva, ignoring the strange way her mother was squeaking. "Like Glinda from The Wizard of Oz? Or the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Or the Three Witches from Macbeth? Or like Circe, Nimue and Morgan le Fay?"

Minerva gazed at the child for several long moments before answering her. "No, no, no..." she replied, "followed by yes, yes, and yes. Though considering your current taste in reading material," Minerva said, eyeing the book on the table, "I doubt you've heard of the latter three in a proper, historically accurate context." The witch turned her eyes to the Muggle parents. "Does the girl read anything other than fiction?"

"Yes ma'am!" Hermione replied excitedly. "I read anything I can get my hands on."

"Good," Minerva replied and reached into her robes, removing a small box. She then pulled out a long piece of wood and waved it over the box which magically enlarged. "Then I have something for you. An early birthday gift, my dear."

Hermione took the box gratefully and opened it. There, nestled inside was a book. "Hogwarts, a History," Hermione read aloud. Tucked inside the front cover of the book was a cream colored envelope with green writing. She looked down at the envelope in her hands and smiled, running her finger over the scripted lettering across it that read:

_Miss Hermione Granger  
__First Bedroom on the Second Floor  
__146 Vulpe Drive. London, England_

She quickly opened the letter with excitement and read the inside aloud.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
__Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
__Term begins on 1 September 1991. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress_

oOoOoOo

An hour later Richard and Helen Granger were visibly much calmer as they asked Minerva McGonagall as many questions as possible. Hermione, as predicted, asked more. The Grangers - save for Hermione herself - seemed pleased to note that they had another year to think about whether or not to send their - apparently Muggle-born witch - daughter to this special boarding school in Scotland. After a polite conversation over tea, Minerva rose from the couch, said farewell to Hermione who immediately rushed off to her room to read her new book, and then turned to say goodbye to the Grangers.

"I have one last question I hope you might be able to answer," Minerva said as she stepped through the front door. "Does the name 'Mia Potter' mean anything to you?"

"No," Helen said, shaking her head. "Should it?"

"I don't think so. A former pupil of mine," Minerva said with a tight smile. "Your daughter reminds me very much of her. She was bright and eager to learn though your Hermione appears to be a great deal more polite," she said pointedly recalling far too many detentions with the young witch and her Marauder entourage. "The former pupil of mine, Mia, has a nephew who will be attending Hogwarts next year as well. I imagine he could use a good friend like your girl."

Minerva made her way back to Hogwarts via Apparition to The Leaky Cauldron and then a quick Floo trip into Albus' Dumbledore's office. She stood in front of the large desk, arms folded and the crossest look on her face she could possibly summon.

"Good afternoon Minerva," Albus smiled, blue eyes twinkling. "Lemon drop?" He offered.

"No, I do not want a bloody lemon drop!" The older witch hissed. "Would you care to inform me as to why I stumbled upon a rather interesting coincidence this afternoon?"

"That depends upon the coincidence, Minerva."

"The coincidence I speak of is the fact that a young Muggle-born witch I met with today bears a striking, near mirror image resemblance to that of a former student of mine. I imagine the name Mia Potter rings a bell?"

If he tried to hide the brief flash of guilt, he didn't do it very well and Minerva caught it immediately. "Albus! Explain yourself right this minute or I swear to Circe I will transfigure you into a newspaper and set you beneath Fawkes's perch!" She huffed. "Is it really her? How?"

Albus nodded and then simply said, "Time-Turner."

Minerva gasped. "So is she Hermione Granger or Mia Potter?"

"Both, though at this moment in time she is merely Hermione. One day in the future, I imagine, the two will converge into one."

"Godric help me if that day should ever come," Minerva groaned and then collapsed onto the chair in front of the Headmaster's desk. "This girl has quite a bit less attitude than Miss Potter," the witch informed him. "How will this work, Albus? If I was able to recognize her even with the subtle differences, what about people who knew the girl? Poppy, Pomona, Filius... Merlin, what will we do about Severus?!" She practically shrieked. "Do you know how often I had to put that little witch in detention for striking him? And now he's to be her Professor? And he's already known for having a sour disposition with the students."

"Perhaps a subtle Notice-Me-Not would do the trick," Dumbledore suggested with a smile.

oOoOoOo

**July 31st, 1991**

**Diagon Alley**

Hermione Granger joyfully followed behind the older witch as she was lead through the Wizarding shopping district called Diagon Alley. After setting up an account at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, they began collecting all of her books - and to Hermione's delight, there were so very many - a cauldron, Potions supplies, inkwells and quills, and even an entire wardrobe of robes that Professor McGonagall explained would change in color once she had been Sorted into a specific House.

"Professor? Would it be alright if I went back into Flourish and Blotts?" Hermione pleaded. "There were just a few extra books I thought I could read in my spare time, or at least between now and September first."

Minerva looked down at the girl thoughtfully. "Certainly Miss Granger. I need to step into the Magical Menagerie to pick up a few things for my cats," the witch explained. "Unless you think you'd like a familiar now?"

Hermione shook her head. "I doubt I'll have much time to look after a pet what with all the studying I'll need to do," she replied. "I've so much to catch up on already. An entire history of the Wizarding world I was never taught because I'm Muggle-born." The little witch frowned.

"Being Muggle-born is nothing to be ashamed of Miss Granger," Minerva offered a small smile. "I can see quite a bright future for you." When Hermione beamed up at her Professor brightly, Minerva cleared her throat. "Now, I'll meet at the Magical Menagerie in ten minutes or so, yes?"

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione smiled and turned toward the bookshop just as Minerva stepped away.

A slender and beautiful blonde woman moved quickly past Hermione on the right, her feet gracefully carrying her as she sped away from the bookstore. Her bright blue eyes looked back once, her mouth set in a tight line of impatience. "Draco hurry, your father has a meeting later and I've promised him that we'd be done by then!" The woman snapped.

"What about my robes?" A boy behind Hermione asked.

"Fine, run off to Madam Malkin's and have her charge the account. Your father's inside getting your books and I'll meet you at Ollivanders," the boy's mother called back to her son.

Hermione turned around to follow the woman's gaze, but as she moved, she collided with something and lost her balance. "Ow!" shouted the voice of a young male and suddenly her brown eyes looked up into a pale pointed face draped in white blond hair and silver-grey eyes narrowed at her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she mumbled, shocked by the way the boy sneered at her.

"Watch where you're going!" The blonde snapped at her, his eyes narrowing before shoving her out of his way. Hermione tripped forward. She tried to recover her balance, but fell to the cobblestone road, her knees and palms scratching against the rough surface of the street. She watched the blonde boy storm away toward Madam Malkins. "Rude," Hermione sniffled and looked down at her skinned knee, frowning as no one seemed to notice the Muggle-born bleeding on the street.

She reached into the bag she'd obtained from the robe shop earlier, using the edge of one of the black sleeves of a robe to dab the blood away from her cut before shoving everything back in and standing up. No longer wanting to head back into the bookstore, Hermione turned around to move toward the Magical Menagerie where she was to meet Professor McGonagall. Eyes on the ground, she didn't notice the large half-giant nearby.

"Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts."

Hermione turned once more, losing her way as she walked past Madam Malkins and again found herself on the ground after being run into by another boy. She growled as her books scattered across the cobblestone.

"Sorry," a kind voice spoke above her.

"It's alright," Hermione sighed. "I'm starting to think it's just me," she commented as she gathered her things. The little witch stood up, dusting off her clothes, smiling when a hand held out her dropped copy of A _History of Magic_. "Thank you," Hermione said.

The skinny black-haired boy in front of her nodded awkwardly, smiled at her, and then without another word walked into the robe shop behind her. Brown eyes followed him, smirking slightly at the way his hair stuck up straight in the back. "At least _some _people here are nice," she said to herself.

oOoOoOo

**Ollivanders Wand Shop**

After a short lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, Professor McGonagall and Hermione made their way to a narrow, shabby looking shop ahead of them. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. Hermione smiled brightly up at the sign as they entered the shop.

"Good afternoon," Ollivander smiled as he approached the counter, glancing down at the little witch and then looked up at Professor McGonagall. "Professor, always a pleasure. You won't believe who came into my shop not ten minutes ago!" The older wizard said excitedly.

"I can imagine," Minerva said with little patience.

"Harry Potter!" The man shouted.

"Harry Potter?" Hermione looked up at the man curiously. "Is that someone famous?" She asked.

Ollivander stared at the little girl as though she were speaking another language.

"Read this one," Minerva said to Hermione, pointing to her copy of _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century._ "As excited as we all are that Harry Potter has returned to the Wizarding world, Mister Ollivander, this young witch needs a wand and we haven't all day."

"Yes, yes," Ollivander grinned. "_New _wand you say?" His eyes turned back to look at the young witch curiously, as though he were looking for something but unable to figure out exactly what. "Are you..."

"Yes, a _new_ wand!" Minerva snapped impatiently. "This is Hermione Granger, she'll be starting Hogwarts this year."

Ollivander shook off a lingering thought and nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Hermione from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss Granger. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And, of course, you will never get such good results with another witch's wand."

The wandmaker then turned to the shelves, letting his hands hover around the boxes for several minutes before he paused, looked back at Hermione and then said, "Hmm," while tapping his index finger against his chin before walking into the back and returning, a long box in his hand.

He removed a small wand from the box and held it out to her. As Hermione took it a warmth filled her fingers like soft bathwater. "This feels... good," she grinned.

"Ah good," Ollivander smiled. "Ten and three quarters inch, vinewood with the core of a dragon heartstring," he explained and Hermione stared at the man excitedly.

"Dragon heartstring?" She asked.

"Yes, Miss Granger, very powerful. The dragon that donated the heartstring was an old Ukrainian Ironbelly, donated three quite some years ago," he nodded. "A wand made of willow that I sold to a young Muggle-born girl just like you," he said, holding back what seemed to be tears in his eyes as though he were reflecting on the witch in question. "And another vinewood I sold that same year, just a bit shorter than this," he smiled thoughtfully as he looked the witch over, a strange sadness in his eyes. "Both were quite amazing witches."

Hermione was grinning madly as she held her wand delicately in her fingers, unaware of the stressful look crossing McGonagall's face.

oOoOoOo

**September 6th, 1991**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Dungeons**

"Seamus Finnigan," Professor Snape drawled as he went over the roll just as each Professor had done in the rest of her classes.

"Here," Hermione's Half-blood House-mate replied.

"Gregory Goyle."

"Here," the Slytherin boy that Hermione recognized as one of Malfoy's cronies spoke.

"Hermione Granger."

"Present!" Hermione said, raising her hand, immediately drawing the Professor's attention.

Black eyes fell on her form and suddenly she felt as though she'd done something wrong. The Professor stared at her, a look of concentration on his face as though he were trying to place her. After a moment, his eyes drew away from her though he seemed to have a sudden sneer fixed to his face. As his eyes moved on to the next name on the list, Professor Snape reached a hand up and subconsciously rubbed at his jaw as though it ached.

Snape's eyes drew back to the list where his gaze seemed to narrow further. "Ah, yes," he said softly. "Harry Potter. Our new ... celebrity."

Hermione turned to look at Harry, someone who had been nice to her on the train despite his redheaded friend being a bit of a prat, Hermione couldn't help but feel a little bad for him over all the unwanted attention he was receiving. She'd read up on his story in _Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_, and despite the fact that the books all focused on Harry's supposed defeat of You-Know-Who, Hermione couldn't help but feel the grief over everything that the boy had lost.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," Professor Snape began. Hermione focused her entire attention on him, eager to begin her studies under an actual Potion Master. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I do not expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses ... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death ... if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

_Draught of Living Death!_ Hermione thought excitedly as her hand shot into the air.

Harry and Ron seemed to share a confused look that caused Hermione to roll her eyes. Eventually the black-haired boy answered, "I don't know, sir."

Snape's lips curled into a sneer. "Tut, tut ... fame clearly isn't everything."

Hermione continued holding her hand up high, but Professor Snape ignored her.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

_Stomach of a goat!_ Hermione stretched her hand back into the air as high as it would go.

"I don't know, sir," Harry replied.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

Hermione's hand quivered in the air.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

_Nothing! They're the same plant!_ She shrieked inside of her head and then actually stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

_Yes! Yes! Ask me! I know it!_

"Sit down!" Snape snapped at Hermione.

Hermione fell into her chair, a frown overtaking her face as she looked down at her open Potions book, silently wondering what the heck she'd ever done to Professor Snape to earn such disdain from the man. While she quietly began her brew and listened closely as Professor Snape continued to berate Harry and Neville, Hermione couldn't help but wonder if she'd made the right choice in coming to this school. Less than one week in and she had already angered one of her Professors, hadn't made a single friend, and half of her own House couldn't stand to be around her. The little witch wondered to herself if she even really belonged in the Wizarding world.

Suddenly a cloud of acid green smoke and hissing filled the dungeon. Hermione's wide brown eyes look to the side where Neville, Seamus, Harry and Ron were moving quickly away from their table as Seamus' melted cauldron spewed their destroyed potion across the floor, as the liquid touched the first set of shoes, melting them, everyone jumped on their stools to avoid it. Hermione frowned as she heard Neville crying in the corner, wincing as red boils sprang up over his limbs.

_Probably added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off of the fire_, she thought to herself.

"Idiot boy!" Snarled Snape as he cleared away the mess, black eyes glaring down at poor frightened Neville. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Hermione briefly smirked to herself. Maybe she was exactly where she belonged.

oOoOoOo

**June 20th, 1992**

**Hogwarts Express**

One Mountain Troll, a three-headed dog, a baby dragon, a giant chess set and two new best friends later and Hermione Granger was thrilled to be a witch. Granted, her current level of excitement was the news that not only had she passed her end of year exams, but she had the highest scores of her entire year. Harry and Ron were just pleased to have not been kicked out, but winning the House Cup was an incredible bonus.

Oh, and surviving an attack by You-Know-Who.

The three friends gathered in the back of the Hogwarts Express, sharing stories and Chocolate Frogs.

"I got Armando Dippet," Ron stated, showing off his card before practically swallowing the Chocolate Frog whole. "He used to be Headmaster of Hogwarts before Dumbledore."

"_Professor _Dumbledore," Hermione corrected as she opened up her copy of _Hogwarts, a History_.

"Why're you always reading that thing, 'Mione?" Ron asked.

Hermione made a face. "Don't call me that, I don't like nicknames," she informed him. "And I'm always reading it because it's my favorite book. You don't understand because you grew up in a Wizarding family. But when I found out I was a witch, it was like all the missing pieces of my life started fitting into place. I feel like a puzzle, and this book helped to show me what the final picture should be when I'm all put together."

Harry nodded. "I know how you feel."

Hermione smiled. "You both are two of the pieces," she explained. "Just two pieces of the big puzzle that is Hermione Granger, Muggle-born witch," she said proudly as she flipped the page of her book. "It's just amazing to see the history that Hogwarts has. Even this train has an incredible history. Did you know it's over one hundred fifty years old?"

"Looks like it," Ron chuckled as he noted the scratch marks in along the door of their carriage.

Hermione's eyes turned to observe the marks that had been placed over the many years, shaking her head in disappointment. At the very top of the doorway carved in what appeared to be strangely elegant script for vandalism, read '_Marauders Only. All Others Will be Cursed'_. She rolled her eyes dramatically until they fell to a pair of initials inside of a heart scratched into the wall near her seat.

_'S.B. + M.P.'_

"So disrespectful," Hermione pursed her lips, returning her attention back to her book.

* * *

**A/N**: I really wanted to see Hermione discovering that she's a witch since we never got to in the books. Chapter 102 will not cover Year Two (Chamber of Secrets) but will instead skip to the following summer, catching up with Remus and Sirius and lead us into Prisoner of Azkaban! Since I know some will ask, the Modified Notice-Me-Not placed on Hermione by Minerva means that anyone who would actually recognize her as Mia Potter will see her, and when they're brain tries to put a name to the face, they will get distracted, as we saw happen with both Severus and Ollivander. Though, it's obvious that Severus' subconscious remembers Mia a little easier. As to why Snape eventually figured out that Hermione is Mia Potter (in Chapter 11) that will be explained later. I know I'm going to get comments asking me to post another chapter since this one is going up a few hours early, but I am going to spend the next few days trying to catch up on writing. I know that I'm 17 chapters ahead right now, but I'm obsessive and I like to be at least 25-30 ahead in order to keep up with the Monday-Friday posting schedule.

Weekend Fic Recs: Lady of the Lake by **Colubrina**, Better off Forgotten by **Delancey654**, and Disasterology by **provocative envy**. (All darker Dramione fics that I'm currently obsessed with).


	102. Chapter 102

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I have to admit, I was originally super nervous about Part Three (and I think I've mentioned this before) but your reviews make all my worries go away! Glad everyone seemed to enjoy the last chapter and seeing Hermione enter the Wizarding world. , so

Oh, so **TheWierdestSister** totally caught me on an issue in the last Chapter. Since the Hogwarts letters are sent out during the Summer, and Hermione's birthday being in September, it would make no sense for McGonagall to leave Hogwarts in the middle of term to visit Muggle-borns. Therefore, I went back and adjusted the dates and ages for Hermione, but nothing else changed in the chapter. Good catch! If anyone sees errors or continuity issues like that, PLEASE let me know. I appreciate the catches! **corvusdraconis**, Mia being sent back into the future doesn't erase her and the memory of her from the past. The reason that the Family Tree book had her name fading was because while Mia Potter wasn't technically alive, Hermione Granger was, and the book didn't know where to put her because technically at that point in time the Potter Familial Bond didn't properly exist yet. **hannahkaho**, in Canon, Hermione's birthday is September 19th 1979, which means she missed the cut off date for Hogwarts to enter in during the 1990 school year. She is almost a year older than many of her schoolmates (such as Harry, Draco and Neville who all celebrate their birthdays in the summer). **HopeXUnintended**, unfortunately, there is no more Mia/Remus love in the future. Just friendship and Pack love. But not Pack Marking love. ;) I love me some older Remus too. Are you reading _As the Moon Rises_ by **j-jip**?

So here's the deal. I'm having some serious issues on getting on schedule with writing, and I'm WAY behind where I want to be. So because of my failure, I'm posting this chapter WAY ahead of schedule in order to maybe panic my way into writing a ton this week just to keep up. Either that or maybe I need my ego stroked some more. You lot are fabulous at that by the way ;)

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Two: Prisons and Cellars

_"...I hurt myself today, To see if I still feel  
__I focus on the pain, The only thing that's real  
__What have I become? My sweetest friend  
__Everyone I know, Goes away in the end  
__Beneath the stains of time, The feelings disappear  
__You are someone else, I am still right here..."  
__(Hurt - Johnny Cash)_

* * *

**July 31st, 1993**

**Azkaban Prison - Island in the North Sea - Prisoner XY390**

Far away on an island in the North Sea sat a man in a prison cell. Just one of many prisoners lost in a blur of dirty clothes and empty eyes. Just one of many prison cells lost in a blur of dirty floors and empty water buckets; because the water could be used for drinking or bathing, but not both. Somehow dehydration trumped filth, though it had been known that several prisoners chose death in the end, that is, if they could get away with it before some Auror had them Stunned, Bound and brought before a Healer. It usually took just a few days before they were back to survivable health, living in their own filth once again and wishing for death.

Sirius Black _never_ wished for death.

The first year he wished for nothing but vengeance. The following five years he wished to be left alone, which worked out in his favor as there was no one - not even in Azkaban - who wanted to associate with him. Aurors, Healers, and visiting officials knew him to be a secret Death Eater, the man who betrayed the Potters, You-Know-Who's supposedly favorite servant. _Actual_ Death Eaters living in Azkaban with him knew the truth; knew of his innocence though none would say a word in his defence, and if they did... who would believe them? To them he was a blood-traitor, the last of an Ancient and Noble House gone to shit. Sirius firmly believed it had gone to shit long before he was even born.

The last few years Sirius wished for his family. In the beginning, he tried not to think about them too often. Dementors sensed his brief happiness and would flock to his cell to rid him of it. Terrified that they would steal away his memories - the last treasures of humanity he retained - he focused instead on his innocence. Focused on Peter. Focused on his hate. But hate begins to break a man and Sirius Black refused to break.

So he waited for short-lived relief when Dementors _weren't_ in sight. Times when Aurors changed shifts, carrying their Patronuses with them through the halls to protect themselves, or when escorting visitors, officials or otherwise. There were even days, like today, when the highest of the Ministry came for inspections. Surrounded by silvery Patronuses that drove away the Dementors, Sirius breathed a sigh of relief at the absence of the horrid creatures, and leaned his head back against the cement wall of his cell wishing it was a giant pillow and that instead of a cold damp floor, he was in the warmth of a four poster bed; instead of the moldy prison uniform, he wished for Muggle jeans and his leather jacket; instead of devastating loneliness, he wished for a witch in his lap, _his_ witch, running her fingers through his long black hair and kissing that spot just above his collarbone before descending down the rest of his body.

"Still alive, Black?" a voice called into his cell pulling him out of his dreams.

Sirius Black wasn't _actually_ a murderer, but he could kill for such an offense. His pale grey eyes turned upward to look into the smug looking round face of Cornelius Fudge. _Minister Fudge_ as the Aurors called him. He stood there in his outdated pinstriped cloak with the ugliest green bowler hat on top of his balding head, a rolled up Daily Prophet tucked under his arm.

"Here for the inspections," Fudge informed him as though they were acquaintances meeting for lunch instead of a convicted (as far as one could be considered convicted without having an actual trial) murderer, and one of the men who'd put him in that very cell. Branded him - literally - a danger to society.

Sirius silently scratched at the raised scar on his chest that identified him as an Azkaban prisoner. Just one of the few scars he'd received upon being dumped in the wasted island in the North Sea. Another was a tattoo on his wrist, the only one he hadn't chosen for himself. A prison number. Because that's all he was now, a number. One amongst the ocean of screaming lunatics.

"And how are the inspections going, Minister?" Sirius asked. He'd thought not to speak to the man, but a genuine conversation came so infrequently throughout the years, and he'd taken note early on that being a smartass earned him nothing except beatings.

"Quite well," Fudge nodded approvingly. "Any complaints?" He asked with a snort.

There had been one point in his lifelong sentence that would have seen Sirius throw himself against the bars in an attempt to smack the look off of the man's face. As it was, Sirius didn't have the strength. His body had been starved to the point of near death so many times that it took genuine effort to lift a spoon to his mouth to eat. Not that he was afforded the luxury of things like spoons, but he liked to think of a time when things like silverware weren't something he yearned for. It was almost funny to hear new prisoners look at their first meal inside of Azkaban, wondering how they were supposed to eat gruel off of a plate without the aid of a utensil, and no wand in hand to transfigure one. Thankfully, Sirius had a canine Animagus living inside of him and cared little for what other prisoners or guards thought at the sight of the man eating off of the floor like a dog.

"Well," Sirius cleared his dry throat. "The room service is abysmal, and the champagne I was brought was a 1962 vintage when I _clearly_ asked for the 1974."

Cornelius Fudge laughed at the joke and for a split second Sirius Black almost felt human.

"Didn't think after what you did to the family, you'd be inclined to celebrate his birthday," Fudge said, his previous laugh gone from his eyes; disdain left behind in the wake.

"What birthday?" Sirius asked.

"Harry Potter's," Fudge said and threw in his copy of the Daily Prophet, where, there at the top, read the date: July 31st.

_Thirteen_, Sirius thought. His godson, his boy was thirteen now. He'd be starting his third year of Hogwarts, an important year, picking his elective classes. Sirius wondered if he'd be like Lily, Remus and Mia and pick things like Runes and Arithmancy, or if he'd try for something more adventurous like Care of Magical Creatures. Sirius had wondered many things about Harry Potter over the years.

There hadn't been word about his godson for ten years following the death of Lily and James and Sirius' subsequent imprisonment, but two years ago, when Harry went to Hogwarts, Sirius heard about him all the way across the North Sea. Aurors, Healers, and guards were terrible gossips.

_"Harry Potter! Can you believe it!" _One guard exclaimed._ "My boy's a year ahead of him at Hogwarts, from what I hear he looks just like his father."_

_Except the eyes, _Sirius thought._ Harry had had Lily's eyes._

_"Well, of course, Harry Potter would end up in Gryffindor," _a Healer mentioned to her friend in passing one day._ "Weren't both of his parents in that House? He would have been a boon to Ravenclaw if you ask me."_

_Gryffindor, _Sirius had grinned at the news like a proud father would have. Like James would have.

_"Saw it with my own eyes when I was visiting my daughter. She's a Chaser for Slytherin. He's not the best flyer, mind, broom was thrashing about, but there in the end Harry Potter caught the Snitch with his mouth!" _An Auror laughed with his partner in the corner of the hall next to Sirius' cell._ "Youngest Seeker in a century they say."_

Sirius hadn't dared to ask questions or even let on that he'd listened in on their conversations, too afraid that they'd stop talking around him, and Sirius needed to know anything and everything about Harry. The one good thing he felt he had left in this world. A world that had taken everything else away from him. News about Harry Potter was life sustaining.

_"Living with Muggles,"_ a Ministry assigned Curse Breaker had said as he passed through one day, evaluating the security wards. _"Can you believe it? Harry Potter living with Muggles all these years."_

_"What?"_ Sirius had actually muttered out loud though no one heard him.

_"Well, wasn't his Mum a Mudblood?"_ Someone else answered.

_"Yeah, they're her kin I imagine."_

_"What?!"_ Sirius had rushed to the bars in a rage.

That incident had been over a year ago and Sirius had to be Stupefied in order for a Healer to slip a special prison-brewed Calming Draught down his throat. He woke up two days later bruised and broken, but still just as pissed off about finding out that Harry - for some fucking reason - had been raised by Petunia and Vernon Dursley. _What the fuck had Dumbledore been thinking? _

He'd known about the fates of the Longbottoms, Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers were all too pleased with themselves when they'd been brought in, practically shouting their triumph over the pair of Aurors unlike the rest of the prison population, who all constantly denied the crimes they had committed. Sirius was certain though, that he was the only actual innocent person in Azkaban. But even if Alice and Frank were incapacitated, that still left Remus. _Why wasn't Remus raising the boy like James and Lily wanted?_ It made Sirius worried about the ultimate fate of his friend - a friend he'd thought had been a traitor - but it wasn't as though Sirius could request information about the werewolf.

Sirius traced his thumb over the date on the paper as though it were Harry's face, remembering thirteen years ago when he'd woken from an alcohol poisoning induced coma just in time for James to punch him repeatedly and Lily's water to break. Lost in his thoughts and memories, Sirius didn't even notice when Fudge left alongside the Aurors. Clinging to the paper in his hands, Sirius felt immensely grateful for something to read. Despite being called lazy throughout his youth, he devoured knowledge, so letting his brain go to waste alongside his body over the years was as heartbreaking as it was to touch his filthy matted hair, remembering a time when it was clean and soft enough for a witch - _his_ witch - to run her fingers through.

Grey eyes looked over recent Quidditch news, reports of the upcoming World Cup that would take place the following year. Godric how he missed flying. He glanced down at the center of the paper where a family photograph sat.

_MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE_

_"Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank." The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend."_

"Good for them," Sirius commented to himself as he remembered a young Arthur Weasley, one of Mia's friends from the Ministry. He recalled the man had numerous children and there was some joke going on where he and Mia were betting on the gender of the most recent. A part of him curiously wondered who would have won.

His eyes scanned over the photograph of the lovely family, proud parents and excited children. He wondered how many children he and Mia would have had by now. He wondered if Remus would have found his mate and settled down to pop out a few pups. He wondered if James and Lily would have had more than just Harry. Sirius decided that Harry could have used a sister. James and Mia were a perfect pair growing up, and he was certain that Lily would have insisted on having someone like Mia there to temper the potential ego that Harry would have certainly inherited from his father. Sirius smirked at the thought as his eyes scanned the photo again, taking notice of the two youngest children in the picture. The brother had his arm wrapped around his sister, both smiling brightly, and there on the boy's shoulder was a...

His smile faded as he noticed something strange about the rats toes.

_One, two, three, four... four... four… FOUR! _

oOoOoOo

**August 3rd, 1993**

**Lupin Cottage - Residence of Remus Lupin**

Remus groaned as he woke up in the dark cellar of the Lupin Cottage. He hated this cellar even more than the Shrieking Shack. He longed for the Potter Orchards where he could actually run around in his wolf form, but as it was, his available space was the bloody cellar that had been properly warded against his wolf form. His wolf form that made it's appearance each and every month, taking full control of his body and leaving him broken, wounded and exhausted the following morning.

Remus shut the cellar door behind him, waving his wand and locking it, an attempt to make it disappear for another month. He stretched his sore muscles and stopped in front of a mirror that hung on the wall in the hallway to check if he'd inflicted any more permanent damages to himself.

"No scars," Remus whispered to himself thoughtfully. "Just bruises. Much obliged, Moony," he said to his inner wolf while rolling his eyes and wincing as a deep set pain shot through his lower back. He sighed looking at his reflection. For only being thirty-three years old, Remus appeared much closer to forty, if not older. His skin was pale and sallow, his sandy blonde hair was all too quickly turning grey, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look haunted, which was often how he felt, especially post full moon.

The werewolf walked out into the kitchen where he put the kettle on, turning to look at the three remaining cans of Muggle soup he had left from the groceries he bought a month ago thanks to a temporary job he'd been able to take working as a janitor of a Muggle grocer's shop; _muggle _because there were no laws preventing him from working there, _temporary _because even in Muggle London he was still a werewolf and had to call in sick several days each month. After the first two months, he'd been taken aside and told that he was developing an attendance pattern and needed to break it or else they would find someone who could do the job properly.

At least his last pay was able to fill the cupboards with food. Now it was running out and Remus was wishing like hell that the garden he'd attempted to plant earlier that year had taken root. He mentally kicked himself for dropping Herbology sixth year.

He yawned as he walked into the small living room, eager to sit down on the couch and relax the morning away with a good book. Unfortunately, the couch was preoccupied.

"Mother of fucking Merlin!" Remus shouted in shock, jumping back at the sight of another wizard in his home, sloshing the hot tea over the sides of the cup and onto his hands, burning him.

"Damnit!" He winced, dropping the mug entirely.

Soft green eyes looked up in confusion. "P-Professor Dumbledore?"

"Good morning, Remus." Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled. "I apologize for causing a fright."

"How... how did you get through my wards without me being alerted?" Remus asked.

Dumbledore merely rose an incredulous eyebrow.

"Umm... is there something I can help you with, sir?" He asked, reaching for his wand to clean up the mess of spilled tea and shattered glass on the floor. He ignored the burns on his hands entirely. What was one more wound? "I rarely entertain, but I could offer you tea if you'd like."

"No, thank you," Dumbledore answered with a smile. "I was sorry to hear about your father."

Remus frowned. "Thank you."

"The two of you reconciled before he died?"

The werewolf nodded. "Something like that."

After losing his home in Diagon Alley, Remus had nowhere else to go and came pleading to his father for refuge. Lyall Lupin accepted his son back with the stipulations that Remus not get involved with anyone else, as it was his relationship with Mia Potter that had seemingly kicked Lyall's worries into full force. Remus knew that his father had a problem long before his son ever became involved with the witch, but there was no sense in arguing, not when Remus had no desire to take a witch (especially not at the time when the only one he was destined for hadn't even entered Hogwarts yet), so Remus agreed to his father's ridiculous rules.

Over the years, he cared for the ailing wizard who still drank too much, but nowhere near what Remus had previously seen Sirius do. Lyall, for instance, never drank himself into a coma, though, in the end, he did drink himself to death. Consumption was something that rarely killed wizards and witches, Sirius Black was living proof of that. Their organs withstood much more damage than Muggles, but it wasn't impossible, and Lyall Lupin had eventually succumbed to decades of the disease, leaving Remus the Cottage and not a Sickle more.

"I hear you're looking for work," Dumbledore commented thoughtfully. "A friend of mine says you come by the Ministry several times a month to drop off applications."

Soft green eyes widened slightly. He had, in fact, dropped off several applications at the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office and several other departments located on Level Two inside the Ministry. Remus reapplied _at least_ once a month knowing that he'd never get the job. What the application _did_ offer him, however, was a brief glimpse into the Auror Office where a recent Hogwarts graduate with occasionally purple hair had taken to following old Alastor Moody around, peppering him with questions, requesting assignments, and - at least twice a day - tripping over the bin in the corner of the room.

With only a murderer locked away in Azkaban as the single solitary remaining member of his Pack (save for Harry of course, who he was forbidden from contacting), Remus silently kept watch over his mate throughout the years. First by coinciding trips to Hogsmeade to overlap with Hogwarts weekends where he could watch from a distance to make sure she was safe and happy, knowing that he could offer her nothing else, the thought alone made him sick.

When she graduated only to join the Aurors, he'd been overwhelmed by fear and the driving need to protect her. It was only the memory of Mia's comforting words that kept him from seeking out Nymphadora Tonks. Mia knew them in the future, which meant that Nymphadora - who liked to be called Tonks - was safe... _for now_.

"I'm looking for a job _anywhere_, to be honest," Remus casually replied.

"Lovely collection," Dumbledore commented, his blue eyes scanning Remus' bookshelves that were covered from floor to ceiling in every subject imaginable most of them regarding defensive measures against Dark Arts, Ancient Runes, and a few selected titles on Time Magic.

Remus had everything from _Most Macabre Monstrosities, _and _Merpeople: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Language and Customs,_ to _A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions, _and surprisingly _Lupine Lawlessness: Why Lycanthropes Don't Deserve to Live_. Dumbledore's fingers drifted over that particular book.

"Have you read _Wanderings with Werewolves_?" The old wizard asked.

Remus snorted. "Absolutely not," he scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. "Gilderoy Lockhart is an idiot in a class of his own."

"He was, until recently, our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Remus gaped. "With all do respect Albus, have you simply run out of wizards to take the job? They weren't _all_ awful when I was in school, but even the anti-werewolf Death Eater that tried to kill us during fifth year wasn't _entirely_ useless."

"It is quite a difficult position to fill," Dumbledore admitted. "A problem I was hoping to rectify right now. How would you like a job at Hogwarts?"

It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room. _A job? _A real job with money. Not just money but a place to live that wasn't in dire need of repairs. Not just _any_ place to live, but Hogwarts, a place that had been a second home to him for the most important years of his life. The home where he'd met his best friends, formed his Pack, spent nights studying in the library and morning eating together at the Gryffindor table where... _Food!_ A job that provided three square meals a day!

Remus was shaking at the very thought of not scraping by.

"The pay isn't quite as much as I'd like to offer," Dumbledore explained, taking Remus' silence as a negotiation tactic. "But there is room and board, of course, and you'll be able to design your own curriculum. We'll have a substitute on hand for the full moons, not to mention I'm certain Poppy would be happy to look over your health once again." The old wizard smiled kindly. "Oh, and we've a Potion Master who is willing... or _will be_ willing," he corrected himself. "To brew your Wolfsbane Potion."

Remus felt his knees buckle and he fell to the floor.

Dumbledore seemed to ignore the reaction. "I'm not sure where you purchase your Wolfsbane Potion now, but I can assure you there is no better Potions Master than the one we have at Hogwarts."

"I don't," Remus choked the words out in a whisper.

"Beg your pardon?" Dumbledore leaned his ear forward.

"I... I _don't _purchase Wolfsbane Potion," Remus said through a shaky exhale. "I can't... it's too... the cost is..." He closed his soft green eyes remembering the last time he'd had his own mind during the full moon. Years. It had been almost fourteen years. Fourteen years since Mia vanished.

"I'll take the job," Remus finally uttered with a grateful smile.

"Delightful!" Dumbledore said brightly and moved to stand. "Oh, and there was of course a reason I came first to you for this position. Have you been following the Daily Prophet?" Dumbledore asked.

Remus shook his head. "Haven't seen one for a few weeks." Papers cost money. "Why?"

Dumbledore reached into his robes, the smile gone from his face as he withdrew a folded copy of the Wizarding paper, handing it over to the werewolf who took it with trepidation.

Soft green eyes glanced down at the image of a face he hadn't seen in twelve years. "No," Remus muttered under his breath.

_BLACK STILL AT LARGE_

_Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today. "We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm." Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. "Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it — who'd believe him if he did?" While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse._

"Albus how is this even possible? You can't escape Azkaban!" The werewolf snapped, staring horrified into the screaming image of Sirius Black, once his friend, once his Pack. A man he thought could never harm those he loved. A man who he was still somehow inexplicably Vowed to take care of thanks to a promise he'd made to a witch fourteen years earlier before she vanished out of his life forever.

He remembered the Unbreakable Vow that he'd taken. He'd promised Mia that only at a specific time would he reveal to Sirius her true origins. Specific to _this_ year. _Merlin, she knew. She knew about Sirius and Azkaban, about Lily and James. She knew he'd escape this year. Why? Why any of this?_

He'd reflected on his Vow from time to time over the years, usually when stumbling upon the box of Sirius' things that Dumbledore had given him at James and Lily's funeral. Remembering that he couldn't snap Sirius' wand without getting a painful warning. Remus had tried to push the thoughts of Sirius to the back of his mind knowing that it was pointless. It was all pointless as Sirius Black was stuck in Azkaban for the rest of his miserable life. And you can't escape Azkaban.

Except... Sirius Black _did_.

* * *

**A/N**: I loved writing this chapter to catch up with the boys and show how they went from the sweet and lively wizards from Part Two to the broken men we all know from Canon.


	103. Chapter 103

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Okay, this chapter was a HUGE request from so many, and personally it was also necessary for me as well. I hope you all enjoy it! For the Reference Fans, read Prisoner of Azkaban Chapters 4 and 5 (some of the dialogue was taken from those chapters, though I tried to reword as much of it as possible). A BIG THANK you for the push I needed to get writing again! I knocked out Chapters 118 and 119 today! I'm closing in on writing Year Six. Any scene requests?

Q&amp;As (See A/N's at the bottom - There was a lot this time.)

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Three: Memories

_"...I know who I am, but who are you?  
__You're not looking like you used to  
__You're on the other side of the mirror  
__So nothing's looking quite as clear ..."  
__(Sunday Morning - No Doubt)_

* * *

**September 1st, 1993**

**Hogwarts Express**

Remus' nose twitched as a familiar scent wafted by.

_A forest after a rainstorm._

September 1st just so happened to be the day before the full moon and, despite knowing he was going to feel absolutely horrible, even though he was back on the Wolfsbane Potion - hand delivered by Dumbledore himself - Remus insisted that he would travel to Hogwarts via the train instead of Floo or Apparition. Dumbledore had made some amusing comments about nostalgia and reliving one's childhood, but really Remus knew it had little to do with his past and more to do with the fact that Harry would be on the train and he was worried that Sirius would somehow get to him then.

Remus had spent the month leading up to the start of term doing only two things: preparing his upcoming lessons, and owling Dumbledore about Harry.

_"We've got eyes on him, Remus, the boy is looked after for the time being,"_ the old Headmaster would always reply, though he failed to inform Remus as to where Harry was or who was looking after him. The werewolf had assumed it was the Dursley's but when Dumbledore said something about the Minister of Magic getting Harry's school books for him, Remus had to imagine that at some point Harry had left Little Whinging. _It's probably for the best_, he thought. Sirius could easily break into an unprotected Muggle home.

Remus arrived at Kings Cross Station early, wanting to avoid the crowds of frazzled mothers, excited children, and confused Muggles. Slipping his trunk onto the train securely, the exhausted werewolf made his way to a familiar compartment in the back, glancing up and taking note of the '_Marauders Only. All Others Will be Cursed'_ carving above the door. He reached up, affectionately touching the vandalism like a good luck charm, remembering the moment that they'd carved it into the train on their way home for Christmas during their seventh year.

oOoOoOo

_**Flashback**_

**December 18th, 1977**

**Hogwarts Express**

"Hurry the fuck up, Moony," James snapped at the werewolf who was perched on his shoulders. "I still don't know why _I'm _holding _you _up. You're taller than I am. _I_ should be on _your _shoulders."

"You're not up there because if we let you carve our names into history, no one would be able to read it," Sirius announced from his seat across the compartment where he was busy digging his and Mia's initials into the doorframe.

"There," Remus said, gripping the top of the door and pulling himself off of James' shoulders, dropping to the ground and looking up at the vandalism with a strange bit of pride as James put an arm around him. "You do realize that when Lily and Mia see this they're going to kill us, right?" The werewolf chuckled.

"Mate," James sighed. "I've been Head Boy for four months and _this_ is the worst thing I've done all year. I think I'm owed a little mischief. Now we'll never be forgotten," he said with a grin and then glanced over at Sirius who was putting the finishing touches on a heart that encapsulated the _'S.B. + M.P.'_ scratchings. "How romantic Pads," he teased.

"Piss off, Prongs." Sirius grinned up at his best friend.

"Why do the three of you look so smug?" Mia appeared in the doorway with Lily at her side. Both witches eyed the boys suspiciously before stepping inside the compartment and taking their seats.

"We're always smug," James answered as he sat down, pulling Lily onto his lap with a bright grin, burying his nose into her long, thick red hair and kissing the side of her neck until she giggled.

Mia turned to Remus and raised a brow. "Do I even want to know?" She asked him.

"Oi!" Sirius scoffed. "Why do you ask _him_ like _he's _all innocent?"

"Because he usually is," the curly-haired witch laughed before sitting down next to her boyfriend and kissing his cheek sweetly. "Remus stays out of trouble while..."

"The rest of you go looking for it?" Remus suggested with a grin and Mia laughed.

"Can't argue your point there," she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders before cuddling up tightly under Sirius' arm, a look of absolute love and devotion on her face as she stared up into the pale grey eyes of her wizard.

_**Flashback Ends**_

oOoOoOo

It was right then that the scent of a rainstorm assaulted his senses and he panicked. He had smelled a lot of things that brought up the past. The train was full of a variety of scents, but hers was the strongest of all and drowned out every other.

Remus scolded himself for not thinking clearly in his preparations for his approaching job. His mind had been so focused on keeping Harry safe that he'd actually forgotten who else might be on the train; who else might be at Hogwarts, in his classes... _bloody hell_, Remus paled even further. Oh Merlin, she was going to be his student.

As voices approached the compartment, Remus looked around anxiously and rushed to the window where he collapsed onto his seat and pulled his recently repaired second-hand robes up over him like a blanket, allowing his shaggy hair to fall in his face a bit as he closed his eyes; like a toddler caught staying up too late, he feigned sleep the moment someone walked in the room.

"Who d'you reckon he is?" A young boy asked.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered a voice he hadn't heard in so many years.

Remus' chest tightened and his heart pounded against his ribcage at the sound. That voice belonged to the first friend he'd ever had. The first person to extend him a hand of kindness. The voice that he woke to mornings after a full moon in the Hospital Wing. The voice that soothed his worries and fears and pleaded for his promises. Remus inwardly smiled over the fact that the first time he heard his best friend's voice in over fourteen years, it was because she was saying his name.

"How d'you know that?"

"It's on his briefcase," she pointed out.

"Wonder what he teaches?"

"That's obvious," whispered Mia… _no, not Mia. Her name was Hermione now_. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Well, I hope he's up to it," said the boy doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he?"

Remus furrowed his brow in response.

"Anyway ..." The boy spoke again. "What were you going to tell us, Harry?"

Remus then heard a voice that felt strangely familiar even though he'd never heard it before. It sounded almost like... like James.

"I heard your parents arguing at the Leaky," Harry said. "Talking about Sirius Black."

"The man in the Daily Prophet?" Hermione asked. "He looks frightening."

"Hermione, you saw a Basilisk last year and you're afraid of some bloke?" The other boy laughed.

_Basilisk?!_ Remus inwardly cringed. _What the hell has Dumbledore been letting these kids do at school?!_

"I'll remind you, Ronald," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "That I never actually _saw _the Basilisk. Not really. And it was just an animal, you can't fault a creature for acting on instincts..." Briefly Remus was reminded of a little fox in the Shrieking Shack chasing after a rat. "Humans are much more dangerous because they have motives."

"And what's _Sirius Black's_ motive for coming after me?" Harry asked, a bite to his tone.

"After _you_?" Hermione gasped.

Harry nodded. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were arguing because apparently Black broke out of Azkaban to come after me, and the Ministry's covering it up. They've sent guards to Hogwarts to search for him before he can get to me."

"Sirius Black escaped to come after _you_? Oh, Harry ... you'll have to be really, really careful.

Don't go looking for trouble, Harry ..."

"I don't go _looking _for trouble," said Harry. "Trouble usually finds _me._"

Remus snorted and when there was a lull in the children's conversation at his noise, he pretended to snore.

"How thick would Harry have to be to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" said the other boy, the one Hermione had called Ronald. "No one knows how he got out of Azkaban, no one's ever done it before. And he was classified as a top-security prisoner too."

"But they'll catch him, won't they?" asked Hermione earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too... "

Somewhere between the kids talking about Sirius Black, Hogsmeade trips, and a faulty Sneakoscope that Harry was given, Remus fell deep into his thoughts. Sitting here in the same compartment was the son of one of his best friends, the boy that, by all rights, _he_ should have been able to raise had the Ministry not thrown up anti-werewolf laws. Harry's voice, so much like James', was painful to hear but nowhere _near_ as painful as it was to hear the girl, Hermione, talking beside him. She was rambling on about the history of Hogsmeade with that swotty tone that Mia used to reserve for proper scoldings when James and Sirius got up to something. It caused his heart to swell and ache. The wolf inside was stirring, wanting to go to her, the girl, his best friend, his Beta, and wrap his arms around her. But not only would that look incredibly awkward, it was highly inappropriate given that, not only was she his time-traveling ex-girlfriend, she was now his thirteen year old student.

"Don't let that thing out!" Ronald yelled.

Briefly while the children were distracted, Remus opened his soft green eyes and came face to face with a giant ball of ugly orange fluff. _Of course, she has a fucking cat._

oOoOoOo

At one o'clock, the plump witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door. Remus could smell the treats and a part of him wanted to sit up and beg the woman for one of everything off of the cart. Unfortunately, he still had no money on his person, so he lay still and quiet as before, listening to Harry, Hermione, and the boy he now knew to be Ron Weasley as they conversed.

"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly. "He looks like he could do with some food."

Remus could feel the girl stepping close to him and he purposely began breathing out of his mouth to avoid catching her scent which was overwhelming him with nostalgia. Eyes closed he could still almost see the look on her face. He hadn't been taking care of himself properly over the years, and she would certainly be annoyed with him for it. Except she didn't know him, _not yet_. She didn't know who he was or that he was a werewolf and sick because of the approaching moon. Remus was thanking Merlin and Circe and fucking Damocles Belby for the Wolfsbane Potion. Godric knew how he'd be acting if Moony was on the loose.

"Er ... Professor?" she said. "Excuse me ... Professor?"

_Oh Godric_, Remus silently groaned. _I'm her bloody Professor_.

"Don't worry, dear," said the witch running the food cart. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."

"I suppose he _is _asleep?" said Ron quietly as the witch slid the compartment door closed. "I mean ... he hasn't died, has he?"

"No, no, he's breathing," whispered Hermione.

oOoOoOo

At some point, Remus had actually fallen asleep, soothed by the sound of Mia... no... _Hermione's_ voice as she read aloud from _The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts_, the book he'd chosen to assign his class for the year.

A short while later Remus awoke, keeping his eyes shut as he heard an altercation happening inside the compartment. Remus turned his head a bit, cracking his eyelids just enough to make out some outlines and colors. Three boys stood in the doorway of the compartment, one with white-blonde hair. _Oh great_, Remus thought to himself. Not only would he have to deal with Harry, who was apparently being stalked by Sirius Black, his past (or was it future?) ex-girlfriend in teenage form, and her ugly cat, but he'd forgotten that Lucius Malfoy somehow managed to procreate.

When Ron stood up to face off against the young Slytherin, the cat's basket fell to the floor with a loud THUNK and Remus snorted, drawing attention to himself.

"Who's _that_?" Lucius' son asked.

"New teacher," Harry replied as he rose from his seat to join his friend. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"

The blonde seemed to take Remus' presence into account before acknowledging his cronies. "C'mon," he muttered resentfully and then disappeared.

Harry and Ron sat down again, Ron massaging his knuckles. "I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year," he said angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and ..."

"Ron," Hermione hissed, pointing at Remus, "be _careful ..._"

Remus let the corners of his mouth turn up. She was so different now. The witch he'd known growing up hadn't been worried about getting in trouble at all. She'd once punched Snape in the face right in front of McGonagall simply because he'd said something offensive about Sirius. She'd hit him _again_ at the beginning of seventh year when he'd said something rude about her mother. Having this look into Mia's past only seemed to endear the witch more to him. _She was... is... so innocent_, he thought.

Remus relaxed against the window and once again let sleep overtake him.

He awoke later when the train jolted to a stop and, without warning, all the lamps went out, plunging them into darkness. Remus' eyes opened immediately and he sat up, reaching for his wand. His Lycanthropy allowed him to easily see through the darkness and he watched with mild amusement as the three, no four... no _five_ teenagers now crowded in the compartment fall over one another as they scrambled in the dark.

"Sorry ... d'you know what's going on? ... Ouch ... sorry ..."

"Hullo, Neville."

"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"

"No idea ... sit down ..."

"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on."

"Who's that?"

"Who's _that_?"

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron ..."

"Come in and sit down ..."

"Not here! _I'm _here!"

"Ouch!"

"Quiet!" Remus snapped as he heard something in the distance. The werewolf stood, extending his hand and with a non-verbal spell, cast a hovering ball of fire to light the room, holding it in the palm of his hand. He'd normally use a Lumos, but something told him he would need full use of his wand in the approaching moments.

"Stay where you are," he instructed them all, the howling wolf in the back of his mind telling him that they were in danger and he needed to protect them. Not just Harry and Hermione - because to Moony they were Pack - but Neville, who Remus recognized immediately as Frank and Alice's son, and even the two redheads in the compartment who were his students.

Remus stepped toward the door just as it slid open and his soft green eyes widened at the sight of a Dementor inches away from him. A _real_ Dementor standing - er, _hovering_ there before them all. The children all gasped behind him, but Remus held firm. He felt the signature Dementor chill wash over him, digging its way deep into his aching bones. Memories flooded him in the presence of the creature and Remus took a sharp breath.

He could hear the snarling wolf seconds before pain washed over him, searing him from his shoulder all the way down to his toes as Fenrir Greyback sunk his teeth into his flesh while his mother screamed in the distance._ "No! Not my Remus!"_

The memory flashed and suddenly he saw the white walls of St. Mungo's. _"She's dead? My Mum's dead!?" _A younger Remus yelled, finding himself surrounded by Aurors and his Pack, hands on his face as amber eyes met gold.

_"Remus? Look in my eyes, love,"_ Mia's voice echoed in his mind._ "Remus? Moony! Look at me. I'm here love, we're all here for you."_

Remus blinked rapidly and let out the breath he was holding before turning his eyes up and glaring at the Dementor. "No one here is hiding Sirius Black!" He announced firmly. "Leave!"

From the corner of his eye, he watched as Harry collapsed to the ground in a faint. _Fuck,_ he inwardly cursed and then held his wand out as the Dementor seemed to turn its attention to the boy. Remus closed his eyes and thought of the river behind Potter Manor, a full moon in the Room of Requirement, Lily and James' wedding, and holding a newborn Harry Potter in his arms. "_Expecto Patronum_!" Remus said and a silvery wolf emerged from his wand, bared its teeth at the creature and then literally chased it out of the compartment's doorway.

Once it was out of sight, Remus lowered his wand and knelt down beside Harry, slapping his face lightly on the cheeks. "Harry!" He called. "Harry! Are you all right?" He asked, watching as the boy opened his eyes and in the dim light of the re-lit lanterns above them, emerald color reflected back. _Lily's eyes_, Remus breathed.

"W-what?"

"Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously.

"Yeah," Harry answered, looking quickly toward the door. "What happened? Where's that ... that thing? Who screamed?"

Remus paled at the words. He knew that Dementors had the ability to make one relive their worst memories. While he experienced the horror of hearing his mother's screams as Greyback bit into him, followed up by the memory of her death, he could only imagine what Harry had seen and heard.

"No one screamed," Ron replied.

"But I heard screaming ..."

Remus reached into his pocket and removed the large bar of chocolate he'd been saving for later when the worst of his symptoms would surface thanks to the full moon. By the look on Harry's face, he needed it more. "Here," he said to Harry, handing him a particularly large piece. "Eat it. It'll help."

"What was that thing?" Harry asked.

"A Dementor," Remus replied, snapping more chunks and handing them out to the individual teenagers. "One of the Dementors of Azkaban."

Neville and Ron each took their pieces eagerly, and the small redheaded girl who reminded him immediately of Lily accepted her piece with shaking hands. His eyes then fell on the curly-haired witch, the first time he'd had a proper look at her. Her big eyes were the same color as the bar of chocolate he was trying to hand her. He noted that her hair was much bushier than he'd ever remembered, and her teeth were much too large for her small mouth. He schooled his face to one of concern before smiling lightly at the little witch when she finally accepted the chocolate, crumpling the wrapper up and sticking it in his pocket.

"Eat," he repeated. "It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me." Remus stood and made his way out of the compartment, wincing as he rushed down the aisle toward the front of the train. He quickly stepped through the front door of the conductor's compartment. "Any sign of more?" He asked.

"No, thank Merlin," the driver said with a sigh. "You the one that drove them off?" He asked.

Remus nodded.

"Bloody monsters," the driver hissed. "What's the Ministry thinking? Letting them loose like that. We should be to Hogsmeade Station in about ten minutes," he said to Remus. "I'll be drinking myself unconscious at Rosmerta's tonight. That's for damn sure."

"Wish I could join you," Remus said under his breath before shutting the door and returning to the back compartment. When he stepped inside, Hermione was in a corner with her arm wrapped around the young redhead girl, Neville and Ron sat on their seats still staring down at Harry who remained on the ground, piece of chocolate untouched in his hand.

Remus smiled. "I haven't poisoned that chocolate." His smiled widened when Harry took a bite and the color began returning to his cheeks. He felt a weight fall from his shoulders at the sight, but a lead weight settled in his stomach as he imagined the look on Lily's face had the witch known that Remus allowed a bloody Dementor to come anywhere near her son. "We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," he told the teenagers before leaning down and looking at Harry properly. Immediately his eyes fell on the lightning bolt scar that he'd, up until now, only heard about.

"Are you alright, Harry?" He asked, a grief-stricken frown crossing his face.

"Fine," the boy muttered.

oOoOoOo

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Headmaster's Office**

Remus did what he could to make sure that Harry was alright by sending word ahead to the castle about the event that took place on the train. Then after handling a small confrontation with the young Malfoy boy, he had the most _wonderful_ moment of the night: reuniting with a positively enraged Severus Snape who was apparently the current Potions Professor, as well as the person instructed to brew his monthly supply of Wolfsbane. Remus ate what he could at the Welcome Feast, every so often glancing along the table only to find Snape glaring at him. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd soon find that his Wolfsbane Potion had been poisoned.

Remus ate in silence, for the most part, occasionally smiling and speaking with Professors Sprout and Flitwick, or Pomona and Filius as he now was able to refer to them, colleagues and all. Every so often his green eyes would look across the room to where Harry and Hermione sat with their friends. It was only when Professor McGonagall savagely pinched his arm to get his attention did he realize he'd been staring. The older witch narrowed her spectacled eyes at him and Remus sat back in his chair looking ashamed. He glanced between the Gryffindor table to the Deputy Headmistress and then shook his head in shock as he realized why she was glaring at him.

"No... I... because... Harry..." he gestured, stuttering his words as he discerned that the woman had probably thought he'd been staring at the girl. Which meant that she _knew_; knew that Hermione Granger was Mia Potter. Remus felt angry that not only was he unprepared to see Mia again, but now Minerva would probably spend the entire year watching him as though she'd soon catch him ogling the young witch. He was furious with Dumbledore for not preparing him for this.

"Did you know?" He asked, standing in the Headmaster's office.

"Remus, how are you settling in?" Dumbledore inquired, ignoring Remus' question as he made his way around the large desk to take a seat. Reaching a hand up to gently stroke his long, pale fingers down the brightly colored feathers of his Phoenix. "I apologize that I haven't had the opportunity to welcome you back to Hogwarts properly, with the feast and all."

"Albus!" Remus snarled. "Professor..." he corrected. "Did you know?"

"I'm afraid I know many things, Remus, you may have to jog an old wizard's memory if you're hoping to find something specific."

"Mia! Did you know she'd be here?" He snapped. "Of course you did," he sighed. "My... Mia Potter. Only not... her real name is... Merlin, it's been fourteen years," he groaned and took a seat opposite the older wizard, running both hands through his shaggy hair.

"Hermione," Albus said with a smile. "Her name is Hermione Granger."

Remus turned and glared up at the man. "I know her name."

"A Muggle-born witch," Dumbledore continued as though he'd not been interrupted at all. "Very bright for her age, but then again that has never really surprised me. She's taken on quite the workload this year, I hope you'll be kind to not push her too much in class. It's to my understanding that the Ministry approved Minerva's request for Hermione to borrow her personal Time-Turner in order to accommodate her schedule."

His eyes widened and he looked up at the Headmaster as the memory of a silver encased hourglass with blue sand came into the forefront of his mind. "A Time-Turner? Merlin, and my class... I'm her _Professor_... I can't do this, Albus. I'm sorry, but I can't be at Hogwarts. I can't be her _teacher_."

Dumbledore didn't seem to pay much attention to the mental breakdown the werewolf was having in his office. "On the contrary, I believe no one is more fitting for the job."

"Sir! I can't be her _Professor_! You know what she was... what she _is_ to me!" He frowned as a deep pain settled in his chest. "That girl was my absolute everything, my best friend, my first love... my... my _heart_ and... and now I'm... I'm thirty-three and she's got to be... thirteen. Oh, I think I'm going to be sick." He leaned forward, lowering his head between his knees.

"You already don't look so well I'd say," Albus commented. "I know the full moon is tomorrow. I apologize that this news has come at a terrible time."

"I need to leave," Remus moaned, still not moving.

Dumbledore took a moment to reach for a piece of candy sitting in a bowl on his desk, throwing the sugary treat into his mouth before speaking again. "Dementors entered the Hogwarts Express, Remus. Should I begin to wonder what might have happened to the students had you not been there to rescue them? To rescue _Hermione_?"

The werewolf sat up straight and his soft green eyes flashed amber. "Don't."

"To rescue _Harry_?" Dumbledore continued. "He looks quite like James doesn't he? But..."

"Lily's eyes."

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded. "He's grown into quite the young man."

Something bitter rose to the surface and Remus growled. "Something I might have known had he not been _taken _from me. You knew what James and Lily wanted. If something were to happen to them and to... and to Sirius, Harry was to go to me."

"Were you capable of caring for an infant?" Dumbledore asked, and Remus ignored him. They had this particular argument before and Remus was merely expressing his guilt over not fighting harder for Harry.

"You sent him to Lily's sister," he said with a scowl. "And don't talk to me about the importance of family, because I've met the Muggles myself. It was our..." he paused and then corrected. "_My _job to take care of him. _My _job to keep him safe."

"Then do so now. Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban," Remus winced at the reminder. "Something that should have been impossible. Something that has never been done before. Would you happen to know how he could have achieved such a feat?"

He'd had a month to think about it and yes, Remus did have a few thoughts. Though he hadn't any idea as to how Sirius had escaped, he was very well aware of why the Aurors hadn't caught him. Sirius was very likely to be hiding in Padfoot form. Unfortunately, when Remus attempted to mention this to the Headmaster, the Unbreakable Vow gave him a warning by burning his wrist. He held back the sign of physical pain, pulling his hands into his lap.

_"Remus, I love you. You're my best friend and I love you. Please take care of him. Remember what I said... trust Sirius. Always Sirius."_

_"I promise."_

"No," Remus lied to Dumbledore and immediately felt the burn in his wrist go away.

Albus observed him carefully and then nodded. "The Ministry has brought Dementors to our doors in search of the man. We can only assume he has come for Harry."

"Don't assume _anything_ about Sirius Black."

"Let us speculate then, Remus. No one knows Sirius better than you."

The werewolf growled. "Don't assume anything about _me_ either, Albus." He _had_ known Sirius Black, or at least he _thought_ he had.

"What do you think Sirius Black would be willing to do to get to Harry?"

He shook his head remembering the way that Sirius used to hold his godson after he was born. Like a treasure. Like his own son. "Anything."

"And should he find Harry?"

"I... I don't know," Remus sighed. "Albus, I'm not... I can't be the person to deal with this. I'm too close. I don't know what you're trying to make me do here."

Dumbledore reached into his desk and removed from it an aged piece of parchment. He slowly unfolded it and lay it open to Remus' eyes. "I was once assured a long time ago by a very wise witch that Remus Lupin, above all others, could be trusted and depended on."

Upon seeing the letter, _Mia's_ letter from him from the future, Remus reached for it only to have it pulled away from him at the last moment. He turned to look up at the Headmaster longingly.

"I'm well aware of your past relationship with Mia Potter, and I suppose Hermione Granger's future relationship with you..." Dumbledore admitted.

Remus grimaced. "Please stop saying 'relationship'."

Albus ignored him. "Can the word of Mia Potter be trusted?" He asked.

The werewolf sighed. "Above all others," he whispered.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly and he smiled at the young Professor, scooting the letter across the desk and nodding with approval as Remus snatched it up into his hands with desperation, like a child would a beloved stuffed animal. "She put a great deal of faith in you, Remus. I feel Harry puts a great deal of faith in _her_, and right now _both _need to be protected. If an unstable Sirius Black somehow enters Hogwarts to find Harry, what do you think the man capable of should he stumble upon Hermione, a girl who is very nearly identical to the love of his life?"

Remus paled at the thought and then immediately answered, "I'll stay. I'll stay and protect them both. It's my job. _My_ job to keep them safe."

Albus stood and clapped his hands together. "Wonderful news! Now I understand that interacting with Miss Granger may be problematic for you."

The werewolf's eyes flashed and narrowed. "Are you accusing me of... "

"Not at all," Dumbledore said, interrupting him. "I am merely suggesting that you might struggle to treat the girl as any other student, knowing your emotional ties to Miss Potter. Memories can be haunting Remus. Should you have need of it, I can store some of yours for you, keep them safe. You'll still be aware of the past. Pulling the memory out isn't the same as Obliviating it, just takes the sting off of things, if you will."

Remus paused to contemplate the offer. His memories were precious to him and had helped to sustain him over the years. It was during his worst moments when he thought the past to be nothing more than a hallucination, that his strong memories of Mia reminded him that no, it had, in fact, happened and she would one day return to him. Return to him so he could eventually send her back. How could he let Dumbledore take those memories from him?

"I'll consider it," he finally replied as he held the letter in his hands close to his chest and turned to leave the office.

* * *

**A/N**: For those paying extra special attention, you'll know that up until now every full moon that's written in the story is accurate to the date. I found a lunar calendar that went back to the 1950's. JKR apparently didn't have said calendar because a lot of the full moons that happen in the books fall on days when there wasn't actually one historically. Therefore, some moons have been changed, and others not so much.

Q&amp;A from last Chapter - **Ash-Castle** correctly pointed out that in Chapter 10 of PoA, Fudge tells the teachers that he gave Sirius the paper because he'd asked to do the crossword. I did remember that, but I thought that Fudge offering a prisoner the paper to do the crosswords was something really kind, and not at all like I envisioned Fudge to be (or really how he acted in Canon) and so I thought, "Well of course he'd lie to make himself seem nice," when in reality (as far as this story is concerned) he really gave him the paper to be cruel. I LOVE when you guys point out stuff like that though! **corvusdraconis **and **reeroy**, Mia did try to set up money for Remus if she died, but clearly he never got any of that. I wonder what happened? ;) **gypsyfurface**, all of your questions will be answered in approaching chapters. **BubblyPJ**, Part Three will go all the way through the Canon books and into Part One (missing bits) leading right back up to September 19th, 1998, the night Hermione gets sent into the past. Part Four will begin with Mia's arrival. As for the Notice-Me-Not on Hermione, it's something that McGonagall refreshes every year when Hermione arrives at Hogwarts (Which would explain why Snape was finally able to recognize her as Mia Potter in Chapter 11 because Hermione never returned to Hogwarts at the beginning of that year). **SuneiD**, I think that (at leas the way I tried to write it) Sirius' descent into recklessness is what made Remus lose his trust. Sirius was getting arrested for fighting, had attacked Moody, he literally almost drank himself to death, had one night stands with girls Mia would kill him over, and then took up missions which immersed him in Voldemort loyalist areas. Without Mia there to constantly remind Remus that Sirius was good, he lost hope. Remember that Remus needed her always there to remind him of his own worth, let alone Sirius'. It is incredibly sad though, and you know Remus is going to feel awful for it later. And without her there to say, "Yep, everything's right on track," he assumes that something did change the future because he doesn't believe that Mia would have allowed James and Lily to be killed. Oh, to the **Guest** that offered to be a secondary Beta should I ever need someone to bounce ideas off of, you reviewed as a Guest and I have no way to contact you if I do. **randomfantast**, the escape will be mentioned but not in very many details.


	104. Chapter 104

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I'm so glad that the train scene was good for all of you. I know it was a big request! Reference Addicts should read Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 6, 7 and 8.

Q&amp;As - **DramionesLady**, when Remus said that the Unbreakable Vow would allow him to tell Sirius the truth "this year" he didn't mean 1993 specifically, but the approaching year, 'within the next twelve months' really. **gypsyfurface**, Remus didn't pick up on Peter's scent because the whole train (and Hogwarts) smells like nostalgia to him, plus he mentioned at the beginning that Hermione's scent overpowered everything else. **Grovek26**, Sirius isn't quite well in the head right now, so even when he does catch Mia/Hermione's scent, he thinks she's long dead and he'll very likely brush it off as himself going crazy, or lingering scents from years ago.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Four: Boggart in the Wardrobe, Kneazle in the Forest

_"...Now it all seems so clear, there's nothing left to fear  
__So we made our way by finding what was real  
__Now the days are so long that summer's moving on  
__We reach for something that's already gone..."  
__(September - Daughtry)_

* * *

**September 2nd, 1993**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Great Hall**

Remus made his way into the Great Hall, moving up toward the Head Table for lunch, thrilled to see that Severus had decided to eat in his quarters. The Potions Master had threatened to do so at breakfast that morning upon seeing the werewolf, making some sort of comment in regards to animals eating at the table. Remus took the insults in stride, laughing at most of them himself. He had a job, a warm place to live, and food. Not even Severus Snape could bring down his mood.

The irritable looks on Harry and Hermione's faces, however, certainly caught his attention.

His green eyes turned toward the Gryffindor table where the pair were sitting beside their redheaded friend who looked positively miserable. _One day into classes and already this stressed_? Remus chuckled to himself. Though he knew it was a breach of their privacy, his canine hearing was extra sensitive the day of the full moon, so he heard their entire conversation with ease.

"Ron, cheer up," Hermione said, pushing a dish of stew toward her friend. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."

"Harry," Ron said, in a low, serious voice, "you haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"

"Yeah, I have," Harry replied. "I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'."

Remus' eyes widened and he knocked over the cup of pumpkin juice that had been sitting in front of him. He briefly looked to the side where Minerva was eyeing him carefully. The werewolf offered an apologetic smile as he took his napkin and began cleaning up the mess like a Muggle. When that only appeared to draw more attention to himself from the other Professors, Remus grimaced and reached for his wand to clean up the spill.

"Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim, that's ... that's bad," Ron continued to speak. "My uncle Bilius saw one and he died twenty-four hours later!"

"Just a coincidence," Hermione said airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Ron huffed, starting to get angry. The werewolf at the Head Table watched the boy carefully, noting his quick change in temperament. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"

"There you are, then," Hermione pointed out in a superior tone that was all too familiar to Remus. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then! I think Divination is absolute rubbish," she said. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."

Remus smiled at the girl's irritation as he remembered his own third year at Hogwarts and an equally annoyed Mia Potter who had a similar distaste for the "art" of Divination.

_"You're not interested in predicting the future?" _Sirius had grinned at her.

_"Not in the slightest, Sirius Black," _Mia had scoffed, as though she were offended by the question. _"In fact, I might already be a Seer," _she'd chuckled dryly_. "Which is why I don't need to take Divination."_

"I saw it myself, 'Mione, there was a Grim in his cup!" Ron said hotly.

"You didn't seem quite so confident before when you were telling Harry it looked like a sheep," Hermione shot back.

_"Remus, please tell me that we did not sign up for an entire class based on the fact that Sirius wanted to make a werewolf joke. I could have been in Arithmancy right now with Lily."_ Mia had pouted.

_"You could be in Divination with Peter,"_ Remus had teased her.

_"I don't need to read tea leaves in the bottom of a cup to know that I'm going to throttle Sirius Black when Professor Kettleburn is not looking."_

The werewolf turned his attention back to the Gryffindor Table where Ron was now red-faced and shouting at the little witch. "Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!"

He had touched a nerve. Hermione slammed her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrot flew everywhere.

"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!"

Remus felt a small pang of sympathy in his chest for the girl as she stormed out of the Great Hall. His eyes turned back to Harry, hoping the boy would follow her, but a part of him understood when he didn't. He was quickly reminded of times growing up when Mia was fighting with Sirius, and Remus almost always stuck by his friends, earning the silent treatment from the witch. He sighed while looking down at his plate of food, realizing that Hogwarts food didn't taste as good when he had to plate it up himself.

oOoOoOo

Excusing himself from the table, Remus stood and made his way out the hall, passing the tables of students without a second glance. His plan was to return to his quarters to catch up on as much sleep as possible considering he would be returning to the Shrieking Shack for the first time in years to wait out the sunrise.

Turning the corner to the passageway towards his chambers, Remus caught sight of a head of bushy brown hair sticking out of a nearby alcove. Very quietly he approached the witch out of curiosity to find her fiddling with the Time-Turner around her neck on a long gold chain. He took in a sharp breath and watched the young witch with interest as he remembered the last time his green eyes saw Mia Potter.

She'd been standing right in front of him wearing a different Time-Turner around her neck. Blue sand instead of white. Wearing Sirius' old Quidditch Jersey and green hotpants instead of a grey pleated skirt and black and crimson student robes. Her hair consisted of long soft curls instead of bushy locks. Her eyes amber instead of brown. It seemed the only similarity between this moment and the memory were the tear tracks on the witch's cheeks.

Hermione gave the Time-Turner one sharp turn in her hand and Remus watched as she vanished from sight.

_"Oh Merlin, nineteen years. Nineteen years without..." _an eighteen year old Remus looked down at the witch. _"Without you."_

_"Thirteen," _she'd corrected him and then wrapped her arms around him tightly_. "Remus I love you." _She'd said through her sobs. _"You're my best friend and I love you. Please take care of him. Remember what I said... trust Sirius. Always Sirius."_

_"I promise," _Remus had nodded and held her as tightly as possible. _"I'll see you soon, yeah?" _He'd tried to smile. _"You'll get your handsome grey-haired werewolf back."_

Remus groaned and ran a hand through his shaggy blonde-grey hair and sighed in frustration. "This is going to be the longest bloody year of my life," he said to himself before walking toward his quarters, more than ever eager to sleep the rest of the day away.

oOoOoOo

**September 9th, 1993**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Remus shut the wardrobe tightly and practically bounced on the balls of his feet as he made his way toward the Defense classroom where he knew he was running late for his first class with the third years. He had planned on jumping right into Red Caps and Hinkypunks, but when word reached him that a Boggart had been captured in the castle, Remus' eyes had widened and memories of a lesson with Professor Prewett came into his mind. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have had this drop straight into his lap.

Postponing his original lesson plan, Remus effectively had the Boggart relocated to a wardrobe in an empty staff room and locked it up tightly before rushing down the corridor to his awaiting class. Remus smiled as he entered the classroom, dropping his old briefcase on the desk before turning and seeing all of his students sitting there with open books and quills at the ready. "Good afternoon," he said. "Everyone put your books away. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

He noted immediately that some of the students - Harry and Ron specifically - looked relieved to not need their books or quills, while others - Hermione for instance - looked mildly put out. He grinned at the sight and then made his way back down the aisle toward the door. "Right then, everyone follow me."

He led his class toward the empty staff room where he'd secured the Boggart, stopping only briefly to send a message of warning to Peeves the Poltergeist who had decided to stop and taunht him a little bit. Walking into the room he spotted Severus who looked annoyed to have been interrupted. The surly Slytherin stood and made his way toward the door to leave, stopping to look back and narrow his black eyes at one particular student.

"Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."

Remus raised his eyebrows and looked at his class. Harry appeared to be glaring at Snape and Neville was scarlet in the face, which told Remus that this certainly wasn't the first time that the Potions Master had called out the boy in front of a crowd.

_"Neville is Frank and Alice's son,"_Mia had told him inside Dumbledore's Pensieve_._

_"Wow," _Remus had chuckled_. "What's he like?"_

_"Brilliant when given the chance," _she had said in a sweet tone usually reserved for James_. "He's so much like his father, it's amazing," _she'd laughed_. "Neville was a very close friend of mine. He was the first person I met on the Hogwarts Express. You could say he was my first friend."_

"I was actually hoping that Neville would assist me with my lesson," Remus said, hands casually in his pockets, a relaxed stance as he verbally faced off against his childhood rival, though granted Snape was more James and Sirius' rival than his own. Possibly even more so Mia's. "And I am sure he'll be brilliant. Just needs the chance to prove himself."

Snape didn't appear to like that. The Potions Master sneered and then stormed out of the room. The werewolf began wondering once again if next month's Wolfsbane Potion was going to be poisoned.

"Now then," Remus began just as a banging noise came from the locked wardrobe. When some of the students jumped at the noise, he waved his hand. "There's nothing to worry about. It's just a Boggart," he said and watched their reactions that were mixtures of interest, apprehension, and absolute horror. "Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," Remus said. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks ... I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. _This _one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the Headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice. So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what _is _a Boggart?"

He smiled when a familiar hand rose quickly in the air.

"It's a shape-shifter," Hermione said proudly. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Remus replied and grinned when Hermione glowed under his praise. "So the Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. This means, that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?" He asked, purposely trying not to chuckle as he saw Hermione's hand back in the air, waving desperately.

"Er ... because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"

Remus smiled proudly at the boy before turning his attention back to the rest of the class and instructing them on how to use the particular Charm to fight off the creature inside the wardrobe. When they appeared to have it down quite well, Remus brought Neville to the front of the class and grinned when the boy confessed his deepest fear had been Snape. The werewolf was determined to rid the young wizard of his fear.

"I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical..." Remus instructed them, watching with interest as the room went quiet. He remembered his own lesson back when Professor Prewett introduced the class to their first Boggart, and a part of him began worrying that this was a very bad idea. Certainly there would be the typical fears of spiders, rats, and maybe a Goblin or two, but Remus was suddenly worried that deep down there were a few students who had been like himself, Sirius, Mia, and James who had darker fears.

Already he could see Harry looking uneasy. A glance to the side showed that Hermione looked nervous as well. He had never had the chance to see Mia's Boggart, but she'd informed he and Sirius that it was visions of _them _telling her that they hated her, something he couldn't possibly imagine. Certainly a young Hermione Granger wouldn't have the same fear.

It was Harry that worried him. When the boy had mentioned someone screaming when faced with the Dementor, Remus had assumed the voice to have been Lily's, and that thought paired with an approaching Boggart had the werewolf terrified that Harry's biggest fear would be reliving the death of his parents. It was something Remus couldn't bring himself to witness.

A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menacingly. "_Riddikulus_!" bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished; it rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Harry's feet. He raised his wand, ready, but Remus hurried forward and raised his wand.

"Here!" shouted the werewolf.

_Crack_!

The legless spider had vanished and in it's place hung silvery-white orb in the air in front of Remus, who said, "_Riddikulus_!" almost lazily.

_Crack_!

"Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" Remus said as the Boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach.

_Crack_!

Snape was back. This time Neville charged forward looking determined. "_Riddikulus_!" he shouted, and they had a split second's view of Snape in his lacy dress before Neville let out a great "Ha!" of laughter, and the Boggart exploded, burst into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone.

"Excellent!" Remus beamed. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone... Let me see... five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the Boggart ... ten for Neville because he did it twice ... and five each to Hermione and Harry."

"But I didn't do anything," Harry said.

"You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Harry," Remus tried to say lightly before clearing his throat and turning to the rest of the class. "Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me ... to be handed in on Monday. That will be all."

The moment that the door had closed behind the last student, Remus pressed his back up against it and slid to the floor, putting his head in his hands. "What the fuck was I thinking?" He muttered to himself.

oOoOoOo

**October 16th, 1993**

**Forbidden Forest**

Despite being as thin as he was, Sirius had still managed to crack several ribs slipping through the bars of his prison cell in his Animagus form. However, that hadn't been as painful as his leap into the North Sea, nor the miles and miles it took to swim the damn frigid waters. When Sirius' body, even as Padfoot, washed to the shore he thought for certain that he would die. A part of his mind thought, _at least I'll die a free man_, before the other part of his brain reminded him that Wormtail, the traitorous rat, was at Hogwarts, which meant that Harry was in danger and Sirius couldn't let himself just up and die when his godson needed him.

He thought he rather enjoyed being a dog in Muggle London. Despite his horrid appearance and matted fur, the Muggles were mostly kind and looked on him with pity. Even if they were horrified by his appearance or thought he was rabid, most were all too eager to throw him some scraps of food just to get him to go away or distract him while they ran. By the time he made it to Privet Drive, Sirius had eaten more in one day than he had in the past four months. His stomach actually hurt from eating so much.

But not _that_, nor the broken ribs, nor the frigid waters was as painful as setting eyes on his godson, on Harry Potter for the first time in twelve years. The boy had stormed out of his aunt and uncle's house and Sirius could hear Vernon screaming from within. He desperately wanted to rush up and bite the tosser in the leg, but Harry was rushing away from the house on foot, dragging a large Hogwarts trunk behind him with an empty owl cage under his arm. Sirius followed in the shadows, watching carefully as Harry stopped and dug something silvery out of his trunk. Sirius inwardly grinned at the sight of the old familiar Invisibility Cloak. He'd wanted to go to Harry, explain everything, but before he could even make a move, the Knight Bus had appeared and whisked the boy away.

He spent the next month making his way toward Scotland, stopping here and there to allow Muggle cameras to capture his human form just to distract the Aurors and hopefully lead them in the wrong direction before he'd shift back into Animagus form and return on his journey toward Hogwarts.

The smells of Hogsmeade were overwhelming, and he wanted nothing more than to rush into Honeydukes and buy out the entire store. But not only was his image spread across the front page of the Daily Prophet, he also had no access to money. Forcing himself to focus, Sirius made his way up the road to Hogwarts where he set up camp at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, watching from a short distance, always on the lookout for the rat.

The only diversion from his plans of vengeance had been the night of the full moon. The large black dog remained in the Forbidden Forest, watching from a distance as his old friend walked from the castle to the Whomping Willow wearing - of all ridiculous things - Professor robes. He watched Remus slip beneath the tree, a part of him desperate to follow him, desperate to join him as he'd done so many years ago.

Even in the Forbidden Forest he could hear the screams of Remus' transformation. Padfoot buried his head in his paws and whimpered as feelings of guilt overwhelmed him. How had he made such a mistake? How could he have broken him promise to Mia and not trusted Remus?

Sometime toward the middle of October, the big black dog awoke to something warm and fuzzy sleeping next to him. In the early morning the light fur almost appeared a reddish brown and Padfoot breathed in deep and smelled the rainstorm... but not quite. Pale grey eyes turned and instead of the little fox that he'd hoped would have been there, was a rather large, incredibly hideous orange cat.

Padfoot growled at the creature who actually appeared to raise a questioning eyebrow at the dog, looking bored and completely unthreatened. Sirius shifted into human form and gave the beast a little shove. The cat merely rolled over onto it's back, revealing it's large belly. "Seriously?" Sirius scoffed and rolled his eyes, leaning forward to scratch the little monster.

"You're part Kneazle aren't you?" He asked the large orange ball of fluff. "I was told once that Kneazles are incredibly smart and that you can recognize Animagi, is that true?" He asked, and watched as the cat turned his head up and looked at him in a way that strangely conveyed a nod of the head.

"Holy shit," Sirius gaped at the beast. "Did you just... no... I must have actually lost it," he groaned and then tried to run his fingers through his hair in frustration, only to have them snag on a tangle and yank on his scalp. He winced at the pain and then sighed in defeat, looking back down at the Kneazle.

"Say... you wouldn't want to catch a rat for me, would you?" He asked.

The Kneazle purred in reply.

"It's a big ugly one, only has four toes on the front paw."

Yellow eyes turned immediately to look up at Sirius as though he'd said something the little beast understood. "You know which rat I'm talking about don't you?" He grinned, the bloodlust rising back to the surface. "If you capture that rat and bring it to me, when I'm done killing it, I'll let you eat the whole thing," he said, bartering with the Kneazle.

oOoOoOo

**October 31st, 1993**

**Forbidden Forest**

Sirius had waited too long. His Kneazle friend appeared to be trying, if the complaints from the redheaded boy were anything to go by. He hadn't seen the owner of the large orange cat yet, but the Weasley boy Sirius now recognized as Ronald was always whining about 'Hermione and her bloody orange cat' going after poor old Scabbers. Scabbers, a twelve year old rat with four toes on his front paw.

The Kneazle hadn't captured Wormtail, but it had become the only friend Sirius had for the short time he remained hidden in the Forbidden Forest. Sneaking food from the kitchens (apparently the house-elves were more than happy to indulge in the whims of an already fat cat), and even once, at Sirius' request, snuck a knife from the Great Hall which Sirius pocketed immediately. A bit more observation told him that Ronald Weasley and his pet lived in Gryffindor Tower. A Tower that would be mostly empty as the third years and above headed down into Hogsmeade.

He waited as long as he could and made his way through a secret entrance near the Greenhouses where he used to go and sneak cigarettes as a teenager. Despite his large size and it being broad daylight, no one seemed to notice the massive black dog slipping through the corridors. Sirius growled at the fact that the school was surrounded by Dementors, the occasional Auror, an entire staff of Professors, and yet he - a supposedly escaped murderer - had slipped in completely unnoticed.

Pale eyes widened as the big black dog took in the image of billowing black robes and greasy black hair walking down another hallway. Out of curiosity, Padfoot followed after the greasy git, slipping into the shadow of an alcove as he watched Snape take a smoking goblet into an open door. A black furry ear perked up as he listened in on the conversation inside. Immediately catching Remus' voice, Sirius waited for his old friend to pick up on his scent, but he quickly realized that the horrible smell of what he assumed was Wolfsbane Potion would overpower any other scents, for which he was grateful.

"Ah, Severus," he heard Remus speak. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me? I was just showing Harry my Grindylow."

"Fascinating," Snape drawled. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

_Git_, Sirius thought bitterly.

"Yes, yes, I will," Remus said.

"I made an entire cauldronful," Snape continued. "If you need more."

"Thanks very much, Severus."

"Not at all," Snape said before walking out of the room, causing Sirius to duck back deeper inside the alcove to wait for him to pass by.

"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he heard Remus say. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex. Pity sugar makes it useless."

Sirius could almost grin as he pictured Remus drinking the nasty potion. There had been plenty of jokes about it growing up, and once Sirius had borrowed Lily's Muggle camera to take still photographs of Remus' face upon drinking the potion. Only James found them funny.

While Harry and Remus kept one another occupied, Sirius crept away soundlessly, quickly moving through the corridors and up the staircase, behind the secret passages until he found himself standing before a very familiar painting.

_Fuck. The damn portrait._ How had he forgotten about the portrait? Overwhelmed by anger, Sirius shifted into human form and glared at the Fat Lady just as she opened her eyes. "Open." He insisted.

"Oh I don't think so!" The Fat Lady shouted. "I remember you young man, and I know what you've done since leaving this place!"

"Open!" Sirius screamed, his teeth clenched tight.

"You don't scare me Sirius Black!" The Fat Lady shrieked at him.

Filled with frustration and rage, the stolen knife from the Great Hall appeared in his hand. "Run," he growled at the painting.

* * *

**A/N**: I know it's a bit of a filler chapter, but I couldn't NOT do the Boggart lesson. Plus, I absolutely love the strange little friendship sparked between Crookshanks and Sirius.


	105. Chapter 105

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I've reached a point in writing the story where I need to go back and reread Part One and I'm just constantly floored over how many of you said you've read this story more than once. You're all awesome. For those who are missing the smutty Remus/Hermione action, check out **bluecurls** latest one-shot, _Bedtime Stories_. Q&amp;As - **TimeCannotErase**, Hermione's "wrong aura" isn't because of anything from this fic. Ron's statement was directly from Prisoner of Azkaban. **Duner89**, LOL! Considering he hadn't even thought to remember that he'd need a password to get in, I doubt he'd remember about the First and Second Years inside the tower. That would have been a sight though! Reference Addicts, read Chapter 21 of DoT and Chapter 9 of Prisoner of Azkaban.

Today's chapter is going up early because I have a house to clean, more chapters to write, and another fic to Beta! (Everyone's reading the awesome _Green Girl_ by **Colubrina**, right? Yay for AU Dark Dramione!) Reference Addicts, read Chapter 21 of DoT and Chapter 9 of Prisoner of Azkaban.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Five: Three Rolls of Parchment

_"...I'm tugging at my hair  
__I'm pulling at my clothes  
__I'm trying to keep my cool  
__I know it shows  
__I'm staring at my feet  
__My cheeks are turning red  
__I'm searching for the words inside my head..."  
__(Things I'll Never Say - Avril Lavigne)_

* * *

**November 5th, 1993**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks..."

"Miss Granger," Snape said in a voice of deadly calm, that left the curly-haired witch both annoyed and slightly afraid. She really didn't want him to embarrass her again. How was it that she worked so hard to be the best witch possible - which was _supposedly_ the whole reason for attending Hogwarts in the first place - and yet all this _one_ Professor did was ridicule her for her efforts? Like somehow in another life she'd made _his_ miserable. "I was under the impression that _I_ was teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." Snape glanced around again. "_All _of you! _Now_!"

Unlike the rest of her classmates, Hermione's book was already open and the glare he was giving her said that even _that _had been the wrong thing to do.

"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" Snape asked.

Hermione's hand, as usual, was in the air. In the air, because she'd already read this chapter. Already read the entire book. Her efforts at arguing the teaching schedule had been for the benefit of her classmates who had not only looked confused at Snape's change in Professor Lupin's plan, but they looked as though they didn't even know how to translate the words that had come out of his mouth. Like the brave, self-sacrificing Gryffindor she was, she had run into the fray that was Professor Snape, attempting to save them all from the wrath that would certainly come when he'd eventually snap and ask them all if they'd even understood him when he spoke. Which they didn't.

"Anyone?" Snape asked, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between ..."

Hermione was waving her hand now, and a strange unsettling anger began building inside of her when Professor Snape _dared_ to mock Professor Lupin's teaching methods. Hermione had developed an almost instantaneous respect for the shabby-looking Professor who had saved them all on the Hogwarts Express from a Dementor like some noble hero out of one of Lavender's stupid romance novels. Brave and heroic and brilliant and handsome and ... _handsome? Where on earth had that come from? _Hermione blushed at her thoughts, unaware that her hand was still in the air and Snape was now glaring at Parvati who apparently had dared to interrupt him.

"We told you," Parvati said. "We haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on ..."

"_Silence_!" Snape hissed. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are..."

And there it was again. He had insulted Professor Lupin.

For some reason, Hermione could not allow that to continue. "Sir, the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf, for instance..." she began.

Snape glared down at her, black eyes narrowed at the little witch. "That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Her face reddened and she slowly lowered her hand as shame rolled over her; her vision blurred as tears began stinging the corners of her eyes. She wasn't aware that the entire class was now glaring at Professor Snape in some form of solidarity, backing her up. They had all called her that before, a know-it-all, which was audibly more pleasant sounding than what Malfoy generally called her, and yet this one word seemed to hurt more. Because she couldn't help being a 'Mudblood', as Malfoy had taken so kindly to acknowledging her as, but apparently she should be able to stop the need to prove herself to everyone. Prove that she was smart. Prove that she had read all the books and practiced all the spells. Prove that she was worthy of her magic when the rest of the Wizarding world, Slytherins especially, said she wasn't.

"You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?" Ron snapped at their Professor who immediately began issuing detentions.

Hermione softly smiled at her friend for standing up for her. Of course, she wished that he hadn't needed to. She also wished that he hadn't called her a know-it-all _himself_ just that morning when she asked if he'd completed his Transfiguration essay, because no, he hadn't and apparently the fact that _she_ _had_ \- a week before it was due - was an offense to the very nature of his lazy attitude toward his own education.

It was then that she realized why she enjoyed Professor Lupin's class so much. He never made her feel like her overly extended efforts were an offense to magic. Plus, he seemed to genuinely care for Harry's well being, calling him by his given name instead of 'Mister Potter' like the rest of the teachers. Professor Lupin was relaxed and informal and it made her feel like he knew them all and respected them as well. It also didn't hurt that when he smiled at her she felt like... _what?! _Hermione blushed again at the thought, not noticing that everyone was pulling out extra rolls of parchment and Professor Snape was talking about werewolves again.

_Great_, Hermione silently scolded herself. _Another crush on another Professor_. Harry and Ron weren't going to let her live this down. Not after everything that happened with Professor Lockhart last year.

oOoOoOo

**November 6th, 1993**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Library**

Her fingers were stained with ink, which wasn't unusual in the slightest. The two rolls of parchment required for Professor Snape's essay had long been finished, and she was just now adding the final touches to the third roll, silently wondering if he'd actually take points off from her for not following directions properly. He'd only asked for two rolls of parchment, but in her defense the amount of information she'd found wouldn't have fit on just two rolls.

Still, in studying up on Lycanthropy, she had found strangely little information. Basic facts like how the virus was transmitted (through a bite from the mouth or scratch from a claw via a fully transformed werewolf and _only_ during the full moon), how Lycanthropy could be cured (it couldn't), and far too much prejudiced information regarding how to capture, kill, maim, and ultimately outcast werewolves. It sickened her, most especially when she spotted a note in one of the books that someone had written in the margins that said, _'Just like Mudbloods' _in regards to a statement in the text speaking of how to rid werewolves from society.

"How are these even allowed in the school?" Hermione wondered aloud, making a mental note to add it to her growing list of books she'd found inappropriate for students. A list she planned on eventually giving to Professor Dumbledore in the hopes of having them either removed entirely or, at the very least, placed in the Restricted Section.

She turned her attention back to her essay and scowled at the title. _'How to Recognize and Kill Werewolves'. _She shook her head. Professor Snape might as well have asked them to write an essay on how to recognize future murderers in the mirror if _this_ was what he expected from them.

_"A werewolf is a human being who, during the monthly full moon transforms into a deadly and terrifying monster.."_ Hermione frowned, tapping her wand on the parchment to erase the last four words. _"...transforms into a potentially dangerous creature resembling that of an actual wolf with varying differences including a shorter snout, more human-like eyes - though the color is almost always either amber or gold, and a tufted tail. _

_Werewolves suffer from a condition called Lycanthropy that is incurable," _Hermione read her words aloud, frowning as she did so. _"Though a potion invented by famed Potioneer Damocles Belby called Wolfsbane Potion helps werewolves retain their human mind during the transformations."_

She briefly looked over her history regarding the Wolfsbane Potion, which in itself was limited other than to say how expensive it was and near impossible to brew without being a Potions Master. Though it wasn't a required part of the essay, she included what little information she found regarding werewolf packs and mating habits.

_"The safety of a mate is a werewolf's primary instinct. It goes above and beyond that of the need to hunt, even. Rivaled only by the need to protect one's Pack. Werewolves mate for life, though often until the proper mate is found, an Alpha wolf will engage with another female of it's Pack, generally his Beta. It is impossible to tell the difference between a wolf, it's mate or individual Pack due to the fact that werewolves always bite to mark between the neck and shoulder. This is thought to be because werewolves are savage beasts who when in beast form, eagerly seek to kill."_

Hermione frowned once again, reached for her wand to amend the previous sentence. Her brown eyes looked over the symptoms of Lycanthropy which seemed terribly painful. Her heart hurt just to think of what an unfortunate existence it would be, especially to know that the Wizarding world judged these people for a condition they couldn't control.

_"When without a mate or Pack, symptoms of Lycanthropy worsen. Before and after full moons werewolves will appear sickly pale, complain of stomach symptoms, muscle and headaches and sensitivity to light, smell, and sound. Because of the severity of their symptoms, werewolves are known to prematurely age..."_

_Huh._

Hermione thought back to a few days earlier when she watched Professor Lupin holding his head in his hands by his desk looking pained before politely requesting that Seamus and Dean quietly read instead of actively gossiping as they'd previously been doing. She hadn't realized it at the time but since she'd already finished her own work, her eyes had been glued to Professor Lupin noting the beautiful color of his hair. Blonde, but darker, like the color of the sand on the beach, with little flecks of grey scattered among the strands. She'd thought it strange at first considering she had overheard someone mention that Professors Lupin and Snape attended school together at some point, which meant they were near the same age, and yet Professor Lupin looked years older.

"Oh Merlin," Hermione muttered to herself.

Professor Lupin had been sick all week, and yesterday Professor Snape substituted his class.

_"Where's Professor Lupin?" _Harry had asked Professor Snape.

_"He says he's feeling too ill to teach today."_

_"What's wrong with him?"_

_"Nothing life-threatening."_

Hermione looked over her essay once more._ Last night was the full moon_, she thought. She added it all up in her head quickly. The way Professor Lupin had looked sick the prior week, as well as the day they'd all stepped foot on the Hogwarts Express - which had coincidentally been the day before the full moon as well. The grey in his hair despite his young age, the headaches and noise sensitivity, the Boggart that changed into a moon, the scars on his face - _the scars_! How had she not put it all together before!? Better yet, how could Professor Dumbledore have hired a werewolf to teach at a school?!

_No._ Hermione reprimanded herself for even thinking such a horrible thing. Of course, he should teach there. Professor Lupin was brilliant, the best Defence teacher they'd had yet. Suddenly she felt awful at the thought that she had so quickly judged a man based on his condition, just as she had been disgusted with earlier. Not only that, but after reading the symptoms once again she realized that her favorite teacher, a man who had saved their lives from a Dementor, was suffering.

Without another thought, Hermione pulled her books and parchments together, loaded up her book bag and rushed out of the library.

oOoOoOo

**The Hospital Wing**

Hermione excused herself early from lunch and sneaked back to the dorms where she dug into her trunk and pulled out a large bar of Honeydukes Chocolate that she had purchased when she and Ron went to Hogsmeade. Though she wasn't overly fond of the treat herself, she had remembered that Professor Lupin had given it to them following the Dementor attack insisting it would make them all feel better. With Harry's reactions to the creatures, Hermione thought it would be prudent to stock up on a few bars, just in case. Making her way down the stairs, Hermione found her way into the Hospital Wing where she literally ran into Madam Pomfrey.

"Oh! Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey smiled. "Are you feeling well?

"Yes," Hermione nodded at the woman. "I was just wondering if Professor Lupin was here. Professor Snape mentioned that he had taken ill," she said and began looking around the Hospital Wing for her Professor, noting that there was a bed at the end of the aisle secluded by a large curtain.

"He's well looked after my dear," Madam Pomfrey said though she eyed Hermione suspiciously which only confirmed to the young witch that her theory about Professor Lupin was correct. "Unfortunately, he's not taking visitors."

"I understand," Hermione said. "Would it be alright if I left something for him?" She asked, holding out the large bar of chocolate. "I'm not sure if it'll help, but he gave us all chocolate after the Dementor attack, and I... well... even if it doesn't make him feel better, I'd just be repaying him," she smiled.

"I'll take it, dear," Madam Pomfrey nodded with a strangely tearful smile. "It's very kind of you to think of him."

"He's... he's a wonderful Professor, and it... it made me sad to think of him being ill," Hermione said sadly and then turned to walk away.

Madam Pomfrey let out a loud sigh and closed the door to the Hospital Wing, walking over to the end of the aisle and opening the curtain that surrounded Remus' bed. The werewolf was badly bruised and exhausted, but his green eyes were open and looking through the curtain toward the doors of the Infirmary.

"She knows?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Apparently," Remus replied and reached out for the bar of chocolate. "Can I ask Poppy," the werewolf spoke but then took a moment to breathe in the scent of the chocolate in his hands as he opened it, "how do you, Minerva, and Professor Dumbledore remember her, but no one else does? Severus clearly loathes her, and with good reason considering how often she hit him, but I'd think that if he knew who she really was... his disdain would be quite a bit more obvious."

"Minerva put a charm on the girl when she first entered the Wizarding world," Poppy explained. "She recognized Miss Potter almost immediately, and insisted that the Headmaster explain himself. I believe it was exactly because of Severus that Minerva put a modified Notice-Me-Not on Miss Granger. Minerva has to renew it once a year when the girl returns to Hogwarts. Frankly, I doubt either she or the Headmaster had planned on telling me, except the girl is in the Hospital Wing so often thanks to her adventures with Misters Potter and Weasley, that I was bound to catch the charm on her sooner or later."

Remus snorted. "Notice-Me-Not. That used to be one of Mia's favorite charms. She'd find it hilarious that it was being used on her."

"If I remember correctly," Madam Pomfrey smirked. "Miss Potter was more preferential to skin blemish hexes and manipulated potions."

Remus grinned at the flood of memories. "So what, when people look at her and begin to recognize her their minds get distracted?" He asked when Poppy stopped returning his smiles.

"Something like that," Poppy nodded. "Clearly it doesn't prevent the lingering feeling of resentment though. If Severus' reaction to Miss Granger is any indication I'd be terrified to think of what would happen if any of your former _Ravenclaw_ classmates caught sight of the poor girl."

"She _really_ didn't like Ravenclaws," Remus smirked. "So how come _I_ can remember her? How come I know exactly who she is? Who she will be?"

"That, I believe only you can answer," Madam Pomfrey said with an irritable sigh, clearly annoyed that she didn't have all the answers herself. "Eat that up, and then get some rest," she ordered before leaving his side.

_The Pack Bond_. Remus thought. Hermione Granger didn't have his mark on her neck like Mia had, but it still existed in some form because it existed for him. Mia was still alive somewhere, inside of Hermione, waiting to return to the world and the wolf in him knew it. Knew that she lived, that she was there and that she still belonged to him; was still his Beta.

It was a thought that warmed his heart. Unfortunately, the thought also brought up something else that worried him. If Remus could recognize Mia in Hermione because of the Pack Bond, that meant that because of their shared Soul Bond, sealed or not, Sirius Black would know the girl immediately upon sight.

oOoOoOo

**November 8th, 1993**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Cheer up, Harry," Hermione said as she patted him consolingly on the shoulder. "Maybe... maybe if you ask Professor McGonagall she could arrange it so you could get another broom?" She didn't see the point, but then again, she barely saw the point of Quidditch at all. It was brutal and barbaric, but she wasn't about to say anything like that right now with Harry still mourning the loss of his Nimbus.

"Even if she did get him a new broom, it wouldn't be as good as the last," Ron pointed out. "I still can't believe Snape..."

"_Professor_ Snape," Hermione corrected.

Ron ignored her. "...took fifty points just because I threw that crocodile heart at Malfoy. He didn't do a damn thing..."

"Language," Hermione reprimanded him.

Ron ignored her again. "...when Malfoy was acting like a Dementor just to have a go at you, Harry." Ron scowled. "Next time I see that pointy faced prick..."

"Language!" Hermione hissed.

"Ease off, Hermione," Harry whined.

"If Snape's teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off," Ron said as they headed toward the Defence classroom. "Check who's in there, Hermione."

Hermione peered around the classroom door and smiled brightly at the sight of Professor Lupin. "It's okay!"

The class entered the room all welcoming back their Professor, not with kind words asking about his health, but with complaints about Professor Snape and the unfair treatment and ridiculous assignment.

"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"

"We don't know anything about werewolves ..."

"... two rolls of parchment!"

"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?" Professor Lupin asked, frowning slightly.

The babble broke out again.

"Yes, but he said we were really behind ..."

"... he wouldn't listen ..."

"... _two rolls of parchment_!"

Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face. "Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay."

"Oh _no,_" said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I've already finished it!"

Professor Lupin seemed to laugh at her plight and he knelt down in front of her desk with a kind smile. "Hermione, I would be delighted to read your essay and if you'd like I will consider giving you extra credit for all the hard work I know you put into it."

She smiled brightly and let out a loud sigh of relief.

After class ended, Hermione packed up her things and caught the tail end of a conversation Ron and Harry were having about Malfoy.

"I'm serious Harry, the next time I see him I'm going to punch him in his stupid face," Ron announced.

""_Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent_"," Hermione quoted to her friends who both looked at her with furrowed brows.

"Did you just call me stupid?" Ron asked, confused.

"Isaac Asimov," Remus said from the front of the room. "Hermione was quoting a famous Muggle author," he explained.

"You've read _Foundation_, Professor?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"I read quite a bit," he replied. "And I have a knack for memorizing quotes. For instance, _"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf_.'"

"George Orwell," Hermione said proudly.

"I see you play the game," Remus smirked at her. "How about this one, _"Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another_.""

"Another famous Muggle author," Hermione grinned smugly. "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."

"Half right," Professor Lupin smirked at her. "Wizard."

"Really?!" She asked excitedly.

Harry and Ron stared between the two.

"If you're done talking Gobbledygook with the Professor, can we go?" Ron asked.

Hermione bristled a bit and then turned around to reach for her bag, noticing a piece of paper on her desk that hadn't been there before. She looked up to see Ron headed for the door while Professor Lupin was pulling Harry to the side to speak privately. She reached down and picked up the paper to realize it was a chocolate bar wrapper with the Honeydukes logo printed on the front. On the inside, however, in slanted blank script simply read: '_Thank you for your kindness'_.

A blush spread across her cheeks at the sight and she looked up and offered Professor Lupin a bright smile before darting out of the classroom.

Remus took immediate notice of the blush and rose a confused eyebrow before his heightened hearing caught the way her heart rate accelerated and his eyes widened slightly. _Oh no_, he thought. _This is unfortunate_.

oOoOoOo

**Headmaster's Office**

After speaking at length with Harry about his issue regarding Dementors and the possibility of teaching the boy the Patronus Charm in order to help him protect himself in the future as well as aid him in conquering his fears, Remus quickly made his way to Dumbledore's office.

"Take the memories," Remus said once the door had shut behind him. "Get them out of my head."

"Good afternoon, Remus," Dumbledore smiled, ignoring the strange outburst. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company? Lemon drop?" He offered.

"No!" Remus snapped and then after a moment reconsidered and quickly reached his hand into the small bowl of candy, withdrawing several pieces. "I'm taking you up on your offer to remove my memories."

"Has something happened?" Dumbledore asked. "You look a bit distressed."

"She... Hermione..." Remus grimaced. "The girl has a crush on me."

"I see," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

Remus glared at the sight. "This isn't funny."

Dumbledore actually had the nerve to smile, which told Remus that the Headmaster found it at least slightly amusing.

"I'll take _some_ of my memories..." Remus paused. "And I need you to keep them safe for me. They're... specific and precious and I'd appreciate it very much that no one look at them. But if I'm to do my job, it might be prudent to not have flashbacks of my ex-girlfriend lingering in my subconscious while I attempt to educate her fourteen-year-old self who apparently has a crush on me." Godric, this was mortifying.

"You worry too much, Remus," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I'm well aware that you wouldn't look at Miss Granger with inappropriate thoughts, you're a good man. However, I am aware that the situation can be quite distressing so I will do what I can to help. Remember, you'll still be aware of the memories. You won't have lost them."

Remus nodded. "No, but it'll take the sting away as you've said. And make me feel less like throwing up when I look at one girl and remember the other."

* * *

**A/N**: Yay! Awkward Remus returns! I think the most fun I've had writing Part Three is Remus (and eventually Sirius) constantly trying to deal with their inner thoughts, and prove to others that they don't currently see Hermione with sexual interest. Their shared awkwardness has brought me a lot of laughs.


	106. Chapter 106

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Writing has been going much better this week. I knocked out three new chapters and made it to the end of Year Six and the official beginning of Deathly Hallows (or as we call it The Life Debt) where I'll be filling in some missing scenes from Part One, leading up to the night Remus sends Hermione back in time. Any requests for scenes you'd like to see that you wished you'd been able to read during Part One? Reference Addicts read Prisoner of Azkaban Chapters 10 and 11.

Q&amp;As - **corvusdraconis**, When Remus turns into a werewolf at the Shrieking Shack and attacks, he'll attack because they're humans and he's a werewolf. Remember when Sirius and Mia saved Remus when he went missing, they had to Apparate while in human form and both had to shift immediately before Moony tried to attack them because he hadn't taken the Wolfsbane Potion. Even though the Pack Bond is sealed with Sirius in this timeline, it's not fully so with Hermione. **BlueFrost**, don't hold me to this, but as of right now, Part Three looks like it will be 25 Chapters. No idea how long Part Four will be. **randomfantast**, as of this moment the only people that recognize Hermione as Mia are Dumbledore, McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and Remus. That's all I'll say for now ;)

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Six: Black, Buckbeak and Broomsticks

_"...Could you remind me to forget?  
__The things I did the things I said  
__I hope that you can bring me back  
__I gotta make it right..."  
__(Crash and Burn - Lifehouse)_

* * *

**December 18th, 1993**

**Hogsmeade Village - The Three Broomsticks**

Padfoot watched from the edge of the Forbidden Forest while the students made their way down to Hogsmeade, pale grey eyes looking for one tall redheaded boy and, hopefully, the rat he generally kept stashed in his pocket. When he finally did spot the ginger wizard, the great black dog could smell that the rat wasn't in his possession. Which meant that Wormtail was still in the castle. He thought to try and make his way back in again but knew that they'd be looking for him. Not to mention he still didn't have the password to Gryffindor Tower.

Eager for food, Padfoot made his way back down to Hogsmeade to play 'adorable puppy' for the students in the hopes that they'd be willing to part with a few treats from Honeydukes, maybe a roll or two from the Three Broomsticks, and Merlin bless anyone who might be willing to offer a stray dog a sip of Butterbeer. Firewhisky, of course, was out of the question.

It was just outside of Honeydukes that he saw it: a familiar shifting against the air that so few would ever be able to properly spot, but Sirius knew it well. James' Invisibility Cloak, or well, _Harry's_ Invisibility Cloak now. He inwardly grinned and ducked behind the buildings as he followed the slightest bit of a change in the view as Harry followed a pair of students into the Three Broomsticks. He stopped at the door knowing that he couldn't go inside, so instead Padfoot crept around the back of the building and sat at the back open door where Rosmerta had placed a large stack of empty Butterbeer crates. It wasn't the best spot of course, and the smell of Rosemerta's lamb stew was so powerful he'd practically forgotten his name before he remembered why he'd gone to the Three Broomsticks to begin with. With a little more focus on his sense of hearing instead of smell, he tried to spy on his godson from within.

Unfortunately, it wasn't _Harry's_ voice that he heard.

"You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" Rosmerta said, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away. It's very bad for business, Minister."

_Sorry about that Rosie_, Sirius thought to himself. He'd seen the Dementors moving through Hogsmeade earlier that week, which is exactly why he hadn't been back down to the village until today, leaving him starved. The large orange Kneazle could only sneak so much out to him without being spotted.

"Rosmerta, m'dear, I don't like them any more than you do," a familiar voice said. " They're a necessary precaution, very unfortunate, but there you are. They're in a fury against Dumbledore. He won't let them inside the castle grounds."

Padfoot growled under his breath as he recognized the voice as Cornelius Fudge. Their recent _'_conversation' during his inspection of Azkaban was at the forefront of his mind. The idiot politician had thought it was smart to mock Sirius Black. Innocent or guilty, Sirius was now a known murderer with little to lose, and only his strict plans of vengeance and the thin thread of morality he clung onto prevented him from tearing the Minister of Magic apart right on the spot.

"I should think not!" Minerva McGonagall said sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"

"Hear, hear!" Professor Flitwick squeaked.

"All the same," Fudge rolled his eyes. "They are here to protect you all from something much worse. We all know what Black's capable of..."

Padfoot could feel the fur rise up on his neck and back. _Mate, you have no fucking idea what I'm capable of_, he growled to himself.

"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," Rosmerta said thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought ... I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," Fudge said gruffly.

_Neither do you!_

"The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" Rosmerta questioned, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

"I certainly do," Fudge replied.

"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"

"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," McGonagall murmured. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"

"Naturally," Rosmerta answered with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here ... oh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

"Precisely," McGonagall said. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course ... exceptionally bright, in fact ... but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers."

"I heard the stories all the way down here in the village," Rosmerta chimed in with a chuckle. "Those boys and that sist..." she started to say but McGonagall cut her off loudly by clearing her throat.

Hagrid took the opportunity to cut into the conversation. "I dunno," he chuckled. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."

"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" Professor Flitwick chimed in. "Inseparable!"

Padfoot inhaled sharply, still not used to hearing James being spoken of aloud. So many years in Azkaban fighting off the Dementors, clinging to the knowledge that he was innocent in order to retain his sanity, and yet isolation had damaged him instead. There were times when he'd almost thought his life hadn't been real. James and Remus and Lily... and even now as he breathed in the familiar scents of Hogsmeade he could smell it; smell _her_. She smelled like the forest after a rainstorm and over a decade later it was almost as if she were still right there in front of him.

"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."

Fudge's words pulled Sirius out of his thoughts and he growled low. They hadn't even told Harry who he was? _No_, he shook his head. _Why would they_? To them, he was a murderer, a traitor, a bloody fucking Death Eater. It was better that Harry hadn't been told.

"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" Rosmerta whispered.

"Naturally," McGonagall replied. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself . . . and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."

_"I'm just saying I think we should take a minute to rethink things," _Sirius had told James.

_"There's nothing to rethink mate, you're the bloody Secret-Keeper, Albus already cast the charm," _James had argued.

Sirius cursed himself for being so blind; so stupid. He'd spent years worried that he'd put his loved ones in danger because Death Eaters were always after him. It was why he'd insisted the Potters change Secret-Keepers. He'd been certain that he'd be found and killed and then they'd be revealed and in danger. But fuck... how many times had Mia and Lily and even Dorea tell him that it wasn't his fault that Death Eaters and Voldemort were always attacking people he loved? How many times had they pleaded with him to let it go and he just ignored them each and every time?

"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"

"He did," Fudge said heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed ..."

Padfoot tore away from the back door and ran from the building. He knew what had happened barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been cast and didn't need a retelling from Cornelius fucking Fudge; someone who didn't know the truth, the whole story. Someone who didn't know what had actually happened that night in Godric's Hollow, or the massacre that took place in London shortly after.

Overwhelmed by guilt from the past, Sirius needed to focus on something else before heading back up to the Forbidden Forest to plan his next move. That's when, from the corner of his eye he spotted a familiar head of white blonde hair.

"Mister Malfoy!" A portly man in finely made robes approached the blonde wizard, extending his hand. "What brings you all the way to Hogsmeade this afternoon?"

"Hogwarts business," Lucius replied with a sneer, accepting the extended hand reluctantly. "I case you haven't heard, that imbecile Headmaster has the great giant oaf parading around as though he were an actual Professor. Not to mention they've allowed a wild herd of Hippogriffs to run rampantly through the grounds attacking children."

"You don't say!?" The portly wizard gasped. "Lucky then that the Board of Governors has you keeping an eye on the place!"

"I am only a humble servant concerned for the welfare of the future generations of our world," Lucius replied with a smirk.

Sirius felt blood rush to his head at the sight of the Death Eater. The actual Death Eater walking around wearing fine, clean robes, looking well fed and ... and ... fucking _free_. Standing there all smug with his coin purse just hanging out of his robes like ... _wait .._.

Padfoot's eyes widened at the sight of the small, yet obviously heavy pouch and he inwardly grinned. Without thinking, the great black dog rushed forward and, with no small amount of joy, jumped on top of Lucius Malfoy, knocking him to the ground, kicking his serpent-headed cane away from his reach as teeth clamped down on the purse.

"Get off me you wretched beast!" Lucius screamed and struggled against the weight of the large dog. "Someone kill this bloody thing!" He hollered.

Padfoot jumped away and darted off as quickly as possible, ducking behind several large buildings just in time for Malfoy to reach his cane, and, therefore, wand, and begin shooting hexes at the black dog; completely unaware that he'd just been robbed.

oOoOoOo

The black dog made his way back up to the Forbidden Forest long before the students were to return to the castle. He settled himself inside the small campsite he'd created for himself, shifted into his human form briefly in order to open up Malfoy's coin purse and count how much money he now had. Though he knew he couldn't go into any Wizarding shopping district for food, there was still a chance that he could Apparate into a Muggle town to make a few quick purchases. It was dangerous of course, and considering his appearance he would draw immediate attention, but wasn't that worth not starving?

"No," Sirius sighed and threw the coins back into the pouch. He knew he couldn't risk being seen. _Not yet._ Not while Wormtail still lived and was much too close to Harry for Sirius' liking. Six feet under would be much preferable.

He shifted back into his Animagus form and laid down to rest. Pale grey eyes stared ahead and from this angle he could see the Whomping Willow. He remembered his first year at Hogwarts when some of the older students - the Prewett twins if he remembered correctly - though it would be fun to try and decorate the violent tree for Christmas. It landed several of them in the Hospital Wing in the end, much to the amusement of the rest of the student body. Christmas was coming, Sirius sighed at the thought, wishing that there was something he could do for his godson to make up for all the Christmases and birthdays that he'd missed over the years.

But short of buying him a new broom to replace the one that the Whomping Willow destroyed a month ago, Sirius couldn't think of how he could ...

Grey eyes looked to his left where the large orange Kneazle appeared at his side, pawing curiously at the small bag of Galleons sitting on the cold ground. The big black dog inwardly grinned as he wondered if Broomstix still offered mail-order services.

oOoOoOo

**December 25th, 1993**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

With his most vivid memories of Mia being kept safe by the Headmaster, Remus could try put more effort into his lessons as well as helping Harry. Hermione's presence was always a distraction though, without the constant string of nostalgia, Remus had hoped to be able to better separate the studious little Muggle-born girl from the Pure-blood powerful witch he knew she would become. Though he tried to keep an eye out for _both_ Hermione and Harry, it was the boy who needed his help more.

Remus sat in his chambers nursing a headache thanks to the approaching full moon, trying to distract himself by reflecting on his most recent conversation with Harry.

"When they get near me," Harry told him about the Dementors, "I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum."

Remus hadn't realized that he'd started shaking at the revelation, and it took all of his strength not to pull the boy into his arms and offer him what little comfort he had to give. But he had to keep his distance, at least for now. Harry was much too inquisitive and the werewolf knew that when Harry discovered just how close Remus had been to his parents, he would have questions. Questions that Remus didn't know if he could answer, thanks to Dumbledore's insistence that the boy be kept in the dark about several things, not to mention the Unbreakable Vow that prevented Remus from saying almost anything about Mia, and just as little in regards to Sirius depending on the question and who was asking.

Remus felt for the boy. Though he hadn't seen his own mother die, he _had_ been in the same building when it had happened. On the other hand, Dorea had been like a second mother to him and he had watched her leave the world, her entire family gathered at her side. Proudly, he had been considered a part of that family. But Dorea had passed peacefully in her sleep. Lily had been murdered and, according to Harry, she died screaming.

Remus clenched his eyes tightly trying to block out the vivid imagery that his imagination was creating against his will.

"Why did they have to come to the match?" Harry asked bitterly.

"They're getting hungry," Remus replied, glad for the change of subject. "Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up. I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch field. All that excitement... emotions running high ... it was their idea of a feast."

"Azkaban must be terrible," Harry muttered.

Remus nodded grimly. "The prison is on a small island, out on the North Sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheerful thought. Dementors cause most of them go mad within weeks."

"But Sirius Black escaped from them," Harry had said slowly. "He got away."

Remus dropped his briefcase as Sirius' name fell from Harry's mouth. _Our job_, Remus thought to himself. _No... _my _job. _My _job to keep him safe. _My _job to keep _them _safe. Safe from Sirius_.

"Yes," he had said, straightening up, "Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn't have believed it was possible. Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard of his powers if he is left with them too long."

It was _that _thought that stayed with Remus as he forced his way out of his chambers, eager to head toward the kitchens to get something to eat, having no tolerance for the company of his fellow Professors. It was Christmas and he was not in the mood to deal with Minerva's judgemental eyes, or Severus' underhanded comments about flea baths and housebreaking. It was bad enough that he now had to avoid Sybill Trelawney who seemed most eager to crystal gaze on his behalf. He'd originally thought her to be completely mental, recalling Mia's constant dislike of Divination. It didn't help that Sybill smelled like cooking sherry and incense, assaulting his overly sensitive nose. But when Remus had heard word that in Sybill's class Harry had seen a Grim in his tea leaves, Remus began wondering if there wasn't a little more to the supposed Seer.

Just in case he began avoiding her at all costs.

oOoOoOo

After a quick meal in the kitchens, Remus thanked the house-elves for all of their hard work and headed back to his quarters. Just as he turned the corner he heard the familiar sound of crying. Remus furrowed his brow and spun on his heels to investigate, hoping that it was nothing serious, but considering the dangers present around the castle he knew he couldn't be too careful.

As he turned another corner he spotted her.

Hermione sat in the shadows of a small alcove, her knees brought to her chest as she sobbed into her folded arms. Bushy brown hair covering her face. Much to Remus' relief, she appeared unharmed, at least physically, but the sound of her weeping was painful to him. With it being this close to the full moon, the wolf inside of him was louder than ever and the voice he'd come to associate as 'Moony' was growling in his head, yelling at him for not properly taking care of his Pack.

_She's not Pack yet_, Remus silently argued. _Not in her timeline_.

_Marked or not, Bonded or not, she belongs to us just like the rest of them_, Moony fought back.

"Hermione?" Remus whispered, kneeling down in front of her with a concerned look on his face.

The little witch jumped, startled by the sudden presence of her Professor and she immediately began wiping away at her tear-stained cheeks. "Professor Lupin... I... I'm sorry..." she began to apologize.

"What are you sorry for?" He inquired, confused. "Have you done something wrong?" He asked her with a smirk on his face, hoping to get a smile out of the girl who was known for following the rules down to a tee unless it was a life or death situation.

His failed attempt at a joke seemed to trigger something and suddenly the girl was sobbing once again.

Remus sat back on his heels, incredibly uncomfortable, not knowing how to proceed. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I... it was supposed to be a joke. I know you'd never actually do anything wrong," he assured her, reaching out and patting her on the back.

"But I _did_!" She cried and turned to look up at him, her chocolate brown eyes wet with tears. "And now they hate me!"

_"My Boggart would have been the two of you," _Mia had once told Remus and Sirius._ "Telling me how much you hated me."_

Remus winced at the memory, noticing quickly that the sting Dumbledore told him would fade upon removing the memories was _still_ just as strong as before. Remus immediately blamed his Lycanthropy. "Hermione I don't think anyone is capable of hating you," he promised her. "You're too good, too kind," he offered her a smile.

She looked up at him incredulously. "_Everyone_ hates me," she informed him.

"_I_ don't," Remus said.

Hermione sniffled and smiled sadly up at him. "All the Slytherins hate me because I'm Muggle-born, especially Malfoy," she said the boy's name with so much disdain Remus could actually see a glimpse of Mia inside of the girl. "All my roommates hate me because I care more about books than makeup, Professor Snape hates me because I'm a little know-it-all," she hiccoughed. "And now even Ron and Harry hate me."

"Come on," Remus insisted as he stood up, wincing a bit as his knees creaked. "I'll fix us a cup of tea and you can tell me all about it."

"No..." Hermione frowned. "I'm sorry Professor, I... I didn't mean to burden you with my problems... it's stupid..." she said, continuing to sniff through her words.

"You are not a burden Hermione," Remus promised her. "It's Christmas and it appears we're both not good company for others, so indulge this old man a cup of tea and some nice conversation, will you?"

Hermione smiled sadly. "You're not old, Professor," she pointed out.

"I'm old enough to be your Professor," Remus snorted and made his way into his office, waving his wand to levitate a small kettle to a nearby burner that ignited instantly. He turned around only to realize that the little witch had entered his incredibly cluttered office filled with books and parchments and old artifacts and objects he was hoping to show for the following term's lessons. Instead of appearing appalled at the state of his office Hermione looked intrigued by the large stack of books on his desk.

"Feel free to browse," he smiled at her.

Hermione's red-rimmed eyes brightened instantly and she sat down in a chair opposite his desk to peruse his collection of books immediately. "Am I _allowed_ to read some of these?" She asked curiously. "I have to imagine some would belong in the Restricted Section of the library."

Remus chuckled at the fact that even now she was obeying the rules. "Consider this a temporary pass to read what you'd like," he offered. "My Christmas gift to you."

Her small fingers ran over the spines of the books and almost immediately her attention was drawn to a slender book with a red cover. _'Taboo of Time Magic'_ was written in faded black ink across the cover. She silently opened the book and leafed through it leisurely, grimacing at the sight of notes written in the margins. On a blank page next to a chapter on Time-Turners were written a series of advanced Arithmancy equations that even Hermione couldn't figure out. At the bottom read, _'Impossible to move forward',_ followed by _'Return?'_, and something about Portkeys that had been faded too much over the years to read clearly.

"It belonged to a friend of mine," Remus said aloud, watching nervously as the girl read her own handwriting.

oOoOoOo

_**Flashback**_

**August 8th, 1978**

**93 Diagon Alley - Residence of Sirius Black, Mia Potter and Remus Lupin**

"Remus, do you have room on your bookshelves?" Mia asked as she walked into his room, a small red book in her hand.

The werewolf sat up from his position on his bed, a novel in his hands that he immediately turned away from her eyes, suspiciously placing the cover face down on the bed. "Umm… I suppose so. Have you run out already?"

"Not yet," Mia smirked. "But I can't keep this one in our room where Sirius could find it."

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"The only book on time related magic that Professor Dumbledore could find. When I first arrived here I had thought about trying to return to my own time," she explained. "Or at least I tried researching how. Albus found this book for me and I tried to figure out how to charm the Time-turner to go forward." She handed the book to him.

Remus thumbed through a few of the pages. "I assume you couldn't figure it out?" He asked.

"Why would you assume that?"

"Because you're still here," Remus chuckled but looked up to see her frowning. "What?"

"Remus I stayed here because I didn't _want_ to leave," she said with a sad smile. "Anyway, I hadn't finished all the equations on how to return, but I've given you a pretty decent head start on figuring out how to charm the Time-Turner to send me back in the first place."

Remus nodded, swallowing hard. "I'll keep it safe."

_**Flashback Ends**_

oOoOoOo

"It's dangerous to meddle with time magic," Hermione said under her breath as she closed the book and placed it quickly back upon the shelf, reaching immediately for another that sparked her interest. "You have '_Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality'_? Professor... could I... do you think I could borrow this?" She asked with pleading eyes. "It's just... I've been trying to help Hagrid with Buckbeak's case. The Ministry's trying to have him executed over what happened with Malfoy."

"Ah," Remus nodded as he pulled the kettle from the burner. "I heard about that little incident. You're more than welcome to borrow it, Hermione. It's very kind of you to offer to help Hagrid with his Hippogriff."

"Well, it's not Buckbeak's fault that Malfoy didn't pay attention in class. He was only acting on instincts. You can't blame a poor animal for attacking someone who..." but she stopped speaking immediately when her eyes fell on another book on Remus' desk.

Remus curiously followed her gaze where it landed on his worn copy of '_Lupine Lawlessness: Why Lycanthropes Don't Deserve to Live'_. His soft green eyes studied the witch carefully as she reached out to touch the text, hesitantly as though it were infected with something. "Tea?" Remus said, interrupting the suddenly awkward silence.

Hermione's eyes looked back up at him and she offered a hesitant smile as she reached for the cup he was extending to her. "Yes, thank you," she said gratefully before taking a sip and pausing. "Oh, you sweetened it," she noted aloud.

"Sorry," Remus apologized. "I just assumed that..." he began, but Hermione cut him off as her eyes peered into his own cup which was a lighter shade than her own, indicating that he'd fixed his with milk. Remus immediately realized his mistake. He'd known how she took her tea because it was how _Mia_ took her tea. It would have been one thing to sweeten _both_ cups, or leaving hers alone entirely, but he'd fixed hers specific to her tastes and then his own, showcasing that he knew she did not like milk in hers.

"No, it's fine," Hermione smiled, a blush creeping across her face.

_Oh Merlin_, Remus frowned at the sight. He decided to see the silver lining in the awkward situation. For one, Hermione knew nothing about their shared past... or future, and secondly, whatever awful school girl crush she apparently had on him was distracting her from the fact that he'd made such a colossal mistake.

"Why don't you tell me why you think Harry and Ron hate you," he said, hoping to further distract her. He felt a bit guilty but relieved at the same time when she frowned as she remembered why she had been crying earlier.

"Harry was gifted a very expensive broom for Christmas," Hermione whispered. "Too expensive. And anonymously," she pointed out. "And recklessly he and Ron were ready to go running off to test it out on the Quidditch Pitch, ignoring the fact that it could very well have been sent to him by Sirius Black!"

Remus frowned at the news. If the broom had, in fact, been sent to Harry by Sirius, it was confusing to think of the motive behind it. Certainly the broom could be jinxed, but it seemed stupid and pointless to purchase something so expensive, put all the work into spelling it, only to hope that someone wouldn't catch it? Plus, wasn't Sirius on the run? Where would he even get enough Galleons to buy a broom? And why go to all the effort at subtlety when he'd clearly already been able to break into the castle to try and attack Harry?

A nudging voice that sounded an awful lot like Mia was telling Remus that Sirius bought the broom because Harry was his godson, and it was Christmas. He remembered listening to a young Sirius Black go on and on with James after Harry's birth, talking about how they'd teach the boy how to fly and how to play Quidditch. Sirius had insisted that he'd teach Harry how to be a Beater, but James had told him that Mia said he'd grow up to be a Seeker. Because of course Mia had already known.

"So I told Professor McGonagall," Hermione continued. "And she took Harry's broom away."

"It's only a broom Hermione," Remus tried to smile at her, offering what little comfort he could.

"It was a Firebolt."

Remus choked on his tea and stared at the girl wide-eyed.

"I know," Hermione frowned.

"No, no," Remus cleared his throat. "Still just a broom... just a... a broom. Besides, once Professor McGonagall looks the broom over, and I'll help," he insisted, "it'll be returned to Harry and things will be fine. I promise."

"Professor," Hermione looked up at him. "I know this is more Hagrid's specialty, but would you happen to know anything about Kneazles?" She asked.

"Unfortunately no," Remus shook his head. "Just that they're quite intelligent and loyal creatures. Very independent too. I'm told they can be interbred with common cats."

Hermione nodded. "I have one, it's my familiar." She sighed. "And he's causing another problem with Harry and... well it's mostly just Ron. My Kneazle has apparently taken a dislike to Ron's pet rat," she scowled. "He's curious is all," she said defensively. "But it's started several fights, and if I can get Crookshanks to behave, maybe it'll make things easier."

"Training a rat seeking Kneazle," Remus smirked. "I wish you all the luck, Hermione."

"Thank you for the tea Professor, and... and for listening."

"I am always here to listen if you need someone," he promised her. "And I know he won't say it himself, so I'll thank you on Harry's behalf for looking out for his well-being. You're a good person, Hermione. Don't forget that."

The witch just shrugged her shoulders. "He's my best friend."

The words briefly stung, but Remus shoved the jealousy deep down remembering that Mia had once promised him that she considered Remus and Harry _both_ her best friends. "Happy Christmas," he said to her in parting before closing the door behind her as she left.

The werewolf turned around and let out a long sigh. A full moon in a few days, a crying witch, Sirius Black on the loose, Dementors surrounding the castle, and now he had to worry about a potentially jinxed broom. He groaned as he made his way back to his desk to look over the lesson plans for when classes were back in session. He reached across a stack of parchments for a book on vampires when he noticed his copy of _Lupine Lawlessness: Why Lycanthropes Don't Deserve to Live'_ was missing.

Standing up, Remus walked around the desk, wondering if the tome had fallen on the floor while Hermione was looking through his collection. Curiously his eyes scanned the rest of the room, and there in the corner he spotted the cover of the volume sticking out of the dust bin.

Remus chuckled under his breath at the sight. _Cheeky witch_.

* * *

**A/N**: A little flashback of Mia for those who've been looking for a fix. Also, for those of you who were upset that Remus handed over his memories so easily, Moony is clearly on your side LOL! Hopefully you're all happy with how Remus figures out to Charm the Time-Turner, Mia had already done the calculations for the spell. ;)


	107. Chapter 107

**Disclaimer**: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning**: Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N**: I had a panic attack this morning because I'm about to start writing the chapter that will lead into Part Four! OMG OMG OMG. Thank you all for your continued support. Being able to finish this Epic soon will be a huge and sad accomplishment! **corvusdraconis**, I think it was denial that kept Remus and Sirius from catching on to Pettigrews betrayal all those years ago. Who'd ever actually suspect Peter? **gypsyfurface**, I wouldn't call tomorrow's chapter a cliffhanger... per say...

Reference Chasers should read Prisoner of Azkaban Chapters 12, 13, and 14.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Seven: The Map Never Lies

"_...What I've felt,  
__What I've known  
__Never shined through in what I've shown.  
__Never free.  
__Never me.  
__So I dub thee unforgiven..."  
__(Unforgiven - Metallica)_

* * *

**February 5th, 1994**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Quidditch Pitch**

Watching Harry play Quidditch was a dream.

It had been a risk, of course, knowing that Remus would be at the Pitch watching the game as well, but Sirius stayed in his Animagus form, observing from a distance as Harry flew above the Pitch like he'd been born on a broom. He had hoped to see Harry fly opposite Lucius Malfoy's kid, all the while knowing that it had been Lucius's stolen Galleons that had paid for Harry's Firebolt, but as it was, the Gryffindors were facing off against Ravenclaw.

_I should be in there_, Sirius thought to himself as he stared at the stands. He closed his pale eyes at the thought. A lot of things should be different. James and Lily should be alive. Mia should be there at his side, married with a couple of kids of their own. Remus shouldn't be alone in the stands right now, watching Harry as though he were a painful reminder of what could have been. Sirius stared up at his one remaining friend in the world, who wasn't even his friend anymore. No, Remus thought Sirius was a murderer, a traitor, a Death Eater. And who could blame him?

Suddenly he noticed a furry figure approach him from the side. The big black dog gave a nod of greeting to the orange Kneazle and Sirius thought, _Well I guess I have one friend_.

He briefly lost focus when he heard someone scream, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

Fear flashed through Sirius at the thought of Dementors, and he looked around in a panic. Pale grey eyes stared ahead where he watched as Harry flew downward, wand extended and a massive Patronus shield emerging from the end of it. He rushed to the side to watch as Harry was enveloped by his team all cheering loudly, hoisting him into the air as he held the small golden ball in his hand. He turned his attention to the edge of the field where four Slytherins were fumbling out of a set of long black cloaks, disguised as Dementors. The beautiful face of Minerva McGonagall appeared, screaming hysterically at the snakes.

Sirius looked back as the Kneazle beside him nudged his hind leg. The large orange cat opened his mouth and a crumpled ball of paper fell out. Curious, the big black dog nudged the parchment open with his muzzle and a ball of excitement grew in his chest as he saw written at the top of the parchment: '_Passwords'_.

_Tonight, Wormtail, _Sirius thought. _You're dead._

oOoOoOo

**Gryffindor Tower**

Trying to keep his composure as he approached the portrait late that night, Sirius shifted into human form, glad to see that the Fat Lady was nowhere in sight. Instead stood a knight in armor waving a sword as Sirius approached.

"Come to fight me you mangy cur?" The knight shouted.

Sirius raised an impatient brow but let the irritation fade and amusement take its place. It was nice to _not_ be recognized. "Fight _you_ sir?" Sirius asked, appearing offended. "I dare not. I come seeking entrance to your fine Tower this good eve."

"Entrance to the Tower you say? 'Tis a dangerous place," the knight whispered. "Only the bravest dare to enter."

"You are then very brave to guard such a place," Sirius commented thoughtfully. "I suppose you need a password good knight?"

"You suppose right!"

"Very well," Sirius said and reached into his pocket, retrieving the list. "Caput Draconis, Pig Snout, Wattlebird, Fortuna Major, Flibbertigibbet, Oddsbodikins, Scurvy Cur, Braggart..." he said, reading the list.

"_All_ the passwords?" The knight laughed.

"I'm very thorough," Sirius grinned.

"Then enter my brave comrade and good eve to you," the knight replied and the portrait open.

"And to you," Sirius said darkly as he entered the old familiar common room.

Once inside, he made his way straight to the stairs of the boys dormitories, but a short inhale had him stopping in his tracks. _Rainstorm_. Pale grey eyes turned toward the direction of the girls dormitories and Sirius frowned. The Tower still smelled like Mia after all these years. It was painful and it took him a second to collect himself before remembering why he was there.

_Wormtail. Wormtail. Must kill Wormtail._

Sirius silently crept up the stairs and into the room where the third years were sleeping soundly. Unable to stop himself, Sirius first went to Harry's bed. Slowly and silently he opened the curtains to look down at the boy, _his_ boy. _Almost grown up_, Sirius thought to himself as he stared at his sleeping godson remembering the last time he'd had a chance to do such a thing Harry had been only a year old.

Sirius reached a hand out, tempted to brush the messy black hair from the sleeping boy's forehead when he caught sight of his own hand in the moonlight. Filthy hands and long, dirt-crusted fingernails. He pulled his hand back immediately, not wanting to taint Harry further by his presence let alone physical contact. He closed the curtain quietly and turned around to face the other bed where the Kneazle told him that the rat often slept with the red-haired boy.

Hands shaking, Sirius gripped his knife tightly and, unable to stop himself, sliced the blade straight through the curtains, pulling them aside in search of the rat. When there was no sight of him, Sirius panicked_. No, no, no... _"Where is he?" Sirius growled under his breath, unaware that he'd done so aloud.

A pair of cerulean blue eyes slowly opened and Sirius stared down into the face of the ginger boy who looked up at him with fearful recognition and then noticed the knife.

_Fuck_, Sirius thought just as the young wizard began screaming.

oOoOoOo

**February 6th, 1994**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Staff Room**

He'd thought about talking to Harry about his friendship with Hermione during their Anti-Dementor lessons, but eventually decided against being too personally involved. Already Harry was asking questions that Remus didn't know how to answer. It was a constant struggle being around the boy that Remus should have known his entire life; by all rights should have raised himself. Except werewolves didn't have rights.

Harry was an unbelievably talented wizard. Not only was he brilliant at Quidditch and dueling, but he was exceptional at Charms though nowhere near the bar that Hermione had set for the rest of the school. Through a bit of prodding, Remus discovered that Harry struggled a bit with Potions, something Remus himself could relate to, and that he was annoyed with Divination. When they weren't practicing Harry's Patronus Charm, they talked about Quidditch.

Quidditch was something Harry could easily talk about, now with much more enthusiasm since Minerva had returned him his Firebolt. Though the identity of the mysterious gift giver remained a secret, Remus still had a feeling that it had come from Sirius. No one else seemed logical, but the werewolf couldn't put together why a man who had a hand in murdering the boys parents would care to give him a present.

"_Trust Sirius. Always Sirius," _Mia had said.

A part of him really, desperately wanted to, despite all the damning evidence. A part of him actually began questioning that evidence, that was until the entire castle had been woken in the middle of the night with rumors of another break in involving Sirius Black. Though he had to originally hear about it through whispers among the portraits, Remus had the rumors confirmed the following morning during an emergency staff meeting.

"Perhaps you should consider removing the portraits altogether, Minerva," Severus suggested. "Seeing that an escaped convict was able to enter your Tower simply by uttering a password to an idiot painting. I would advise perhaps something akin to Ravenclaw's method of Common Room accessibility, but basing entrance upon intellect would certainly leave your entire House sleeping on the stairway."

The old witch seethed with fury. "Is _now_ the time Severus?!" She snapped. "I understand that with Remus back in the castle and Sirius Black on the loose you've felt the need to revert to an adolescent attitude, and a poor one at that, but can you perhaps put aside your personal issues and House rivalries to be more concerned about the fact that Sirius Black could have killed Harry Potter!"

It was then that the rest of the staff decided to voice their opinions. Remus instead held his head in his hands and tried to push away the growing headache due to all of the noise. Eventually though his thoughts got the best of him and he too spoke up. "But he _didn't_ kill Harry. He didn't even _attack_ Harry."

"Well, not for a lack of trying," Pomona chimed in. "I heard that the Weasley boy's curtains were slashed. If he'd gotten the right bed..."

"But he didn't. He got the wrong bed. Why would Sirius randomly attack without searching for the proper bed?" Remus asked, of course he knew that Sirius' canine sense of smell would have been able to help him spot Harry immediately in the dorm room. So, why attack Ron Weasley? "Why put the effort into breaking in, stealing the passwords, entering the Tower only to lose patience at the last moment and attack at random?"

"Who knows the mind of a madman?" Severus sneered. "Black has always been reckless and foolhardy."

"I'm just saying that something doesn't make sense..." Remus tried to continue, but Severus was having none of it.

"Why are we not inquiring as to _how_ he's getting into the castle in the first place?" The Potions Master spat. "Have you asked the wolf how he and his friends used to sneak about the castle when they were all young delinquents?" Snape asked, turning to Dumbledore. "Or maybe he's keeping those secrets because he's aiding Black. It wouldn't be the first time that Lupin's put a student at risk..."

"I had nothing to do with that and you very well know it!" Remus snapped, standing in his chair to come face to face with a glaring Severus Snape. "I am well aware that you have a history with Sirius, with me, but protecting Harry is what is important right now!"

A few more choice words were tossed between the two colleagues which ended with Remus apologizing for his temper and Severus storming from the table, his robes billowing behind him.

"I regretfully must ask again, Remus," Dumbledore said softly as the rest of the staff, save for Minerva, began leaving the room. "Do you know of any way that Sirius Black is able to enter the castle?"

Remus tried speaking, his doubts over Sirius' constantly wavering though, at the moment, they were all but vanished. However, any time he tried to mention Sirius' Animagus form or the secret passages leading in and out of Hogwarts, he could feel the warning burn on his wrist from where the Unbreakable Vow had been placed. Remus sighed. "Unfortunately Albus, my hands are _quite literally_ tied in regards to this situation," he said, lifting his wrist in silent notification.

Dumbledore seemed to understand, and he gave a solemn nod in Remus' direction. "Well, if that's all..." the Headmaster began to say as he stood.

"That's _not_ all," Remus interrupted him. "I want to talk about Hermione."

Minerva was suddenly back at the table, narrowing her eyes at Remus.

"Professor... Minerva," Remus sighed in frustration. "Can you please stop looking at me like I'm the big bad wolf who's going to throw little red over my shoulder and make her my child bride?!" He snapped. "I know who she is and you obviously know who she was, or will be, but have I not proven that I am a man of honor over the years?" He asked her.

She had the grace to look ashamed. "Forgive me, Remus," Minerva sighed. "I just... she's not had it easy here, being Muggle-born. With you here and Sirius Black on the lose it... it has made it difficult not to worry about her safety. Circe," she exclaimed. "To think of what that madman would do if he knew who she was."

"It's one of the reasons I agreed to stay on as a teacher here," Remus confessed. "I know she's not Mia, not... not yet, but that doesn't make me feel as though she's any less _my_ responsibility. Both because of what Mia was, and what Hermione will be to me... and because she's my student and therefore under my protection." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Can we be done with this?" He asked the witch.

Minerva nodded. "I clearly overreacted and I deeply apologize."

"Forgiven," the werewolf said softly. "But as I was trying to say earlier, I'm worried about Hermione. I know about the Time-Turner," he said, eyeing Minerva. "And I think she's overextending herself. She's taken too much on with her classes, I'm also fairly certain she's not eating."

"How would you know that?" Minerva asked.

"Because I know the signs. She may not be Mia yet, but she's the same obsessive girl inside, and whenever Mia overly stressed about something, she didn't look after her own health," he explained. "I... her friends were always there to take care of her," Remus frowned. "But Harry has been focused on the Dementors and Sirius... and Ron's not currently speaking to her."

"And why is that?" The witch asked, rolling her eyes, clearly annoyed by teenage drama.

"Last I heard it's because her Kneazle familiar ate his rat," Remus mimicked Minerva's expression of irritation.

"That sickly looking thing?" She grimaced. "I hope it had a quick death. Though I've never been fond of rats myself," she said with a smirk that looked much too similar to her Animagus form.

Remus chuckled. "I'm surprised you and Mia didn't get along better Professor, she had a similar distaste for rodents," he couldn't help but remember that first night in the Shrieking Shack when the fox had chased the rat. The memory instantly made him sad, recalling that even though Mia was still alive... technically, Peter was not.

"I will keep an eye on Miss Granger," the witch promised.

"I'll keep a closer watch on Harry," Remus offered.

oOoOoOo

**February 12th, 1994**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Keeping a closer watch on Harry was easier said than done. Remus had done his best to look after the boy, but he was absolutely certain that Harry had somehow inherited James' Invisibility Cloak which made tracking him that much more difficult without appearing to look like a lunatic as he drifted through the corridors sniffing about like a dog.

And though he wasn't aware exactly how, Remus was certain that Harry had figured out how to access certain secret passages between the castle and Hogsmeade. The Marauder within him was abundantly proud. However, the Professor was irked by the blatant rule breaking, considering Harry's life was in genuine danger. Remus had never thought Hogsmeade to be so important. Then again, his chocolate stash _was_ running low...

"I've been up in Gryffindor Tower."

Remus looked up at the voice, recognizing it as Harry's immediately. With the rest of the school finally returning from the village, he'd been asked to patrol the corridors to make certain students weren't already setting out pranks purchased from Zonko's Joke Shop.

"Can anyone confirm that?" Snape's voice carried down the hallway.

Remus followed the sounds, not entirely trusting of Severus when it came to Harry. Dumbledore swore on Snape's loyalty, which made Remus believe that the former Death Eater was an honorable man, but it was clear that when Harry was involved, Snape was not being objective. The werewolf found the Professor and student facing off against one another in the center of a corridor. Eager to hear their conversation so that he could judge Severus' treatment of Harry, Remus remained in the shadows.

"So," Snape said. "Everyone from the Minister of Magic downward has been trying to keep famous Harry Potter safe from Sirius Black. But famous Harry Potter is a law unto himself. Let the ordinary people worry about his safety! Famous Harry Potter goes where he wants to, with no thought for the consequences."

Remus rolled his eyes. Had Snape even met the boy? Remus had been teaching Harry for less than an entire year and already he knew how much Harry disliked being famous, how much he detested preferential treatment. The boy was a teenager who just wanted to play Quidditch with his friends, learn interesting new spells, visit Hogsmeade with the rest of the students and skiv Potions class. He just wanted to be normal. Anyone actually paying attention could see that.

"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter," Snape said suddenly.

Remus felt his heart rate increase immediately. He found himself incredibly grateful that the full moon was still almost two weeks away. Though gone from this world, James was Pack and Remus couldn't help but still feel protective of his fallen friend.

"He too was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch field made him think he was a cut above the rest of us too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers ... The resemblance between you is uncanny."

"My dad didn't strut," said Harry.

Remus snorted. _Oh, but he did_, he thought to himself.

"And neither do I," Harry finished.

"Your father didn't set much store by rules either," Snape went on, pressing his advantage. "Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. His head was so swollen ..."

"SHUT UP!"

"What did you say to me, Potter?"

"I told you to shut up about my dad!" Harry yelled. "I know the truth, all right? He saved your life! Dumbledore told me! You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for my dad!"

Remus winced and covered his face.

"And did the Headmaster tell you the circumstances in which your father saved my life?" Snape whispered. "Or did he consider the details too unpleasant for precious Potter's delicate ears? I would hate for you to run away with a false idea of your father, Potter," he said. "Have you been imagining some act of glorious heroism? Then let me correct you ... your saintly father and his friends played a highly amusing joke on me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't got cold feet at the last moment. There was nothing brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine. Had their joke succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts."

Remus closed his eyes remembering that awful night and the horrible weeks that followed after he almost killed Severus when Sirius tricked the Slytherin into sneaking beneath the Whomping Willow on a full moon. It had only been _partially_ a joke, but Remus had known that a small part of Sirius had wanted Snape hurt. Severus had threatened Mia, which was something that Sirius wouldn't stand for. Like her overprotective nature when it came to the pair of them, in their eyes she was always the line people were never to cross.

"Turn out your pockets, Potter!" Snape spat suddenly. "Turn out your pockets, or we go straight to the headmaster! Pull them out, Potter! And this... what might it be?"

"Spare bit of parchment..."

Remus raised a brow and listened closely.

"Reveal your secret! Read it!"

"_Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape,"_ Harry read aloud.

Remus' green eyes flashed amber and widened at his adolescent nickname being said aloud. Something that he hadn't heard from another living soul in twelve years. _Harry has the Marauder's Map!_ Remus grinned at the thought, imagining the look on James' face if he knew that somehow his own son had acquired the Map that they had created and left regretfully in Filch's office after Peter had lost it.

It was too late before Remus remembered the security measure put into the Map.

"_...and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business,"_ Harry finished.

There was absolute silence and Remus held his breath as he waited for Snape to lose it. Unfortunately, Harry continued to read.

_"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git."_

Remus covered his face repressing a guilty smirk.

"_Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor."_

Harry would pay the price for this. Remus knew he would.

"_Mr. Wormtail bids, Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball."_

"Why you insolent little -" Snape began and Remus took this as a cue to step out from the shadows.

"Harry?" He called out.

"Professor...?"

"Ah, good afternoon Severus," Remus smiled politely, ignoring the red tint on Snape's normally pale face. "Is everything alright?"

"I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this," Snape spat, thrusting the Marauder's Map into his hands.

Remus forced himself not to smile at the familiar parchment. He looked it over briefly as though it were nothing more than a piece of paper before his eyes looked up at Harry, noticing the way that the boy was shaking, whether out of fear of punishment or anger over what had been said about James, Remus didn't know. "Are you alright, Harry?"

"That remains to be seen," Snape answered. "Take a look, Lupin. This is supposed to be your area of expertise. Clearly, it's full of Dark Magic."

Remus snorted. "I seriously doubt that, Severus. It looks to me as if it merely insults anyone who tries to read it." He shrugged his shoulders as he opened the parchment, letting his eyes follow over the page as though it was currently insulting him. "I suspect it's a Zonko product."

"Indeed?" said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. "You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?"

The werewolf repressed a knowing grin. Severus had clearly remembered the nicknames that the Marauders used for one another. _Well, it wasn't like we were subtle about using them in public_, Remus thought to himself.

"I shall pursue any hidden qualities it may possess. As you say, it's my area of expertise," Remus said, taking note of the look of loathing that fell over Snape's face as Remus casually reminded him who the Defense Professor was. "Come with me, Harry."

oOoOoOo

Once inside his own office, Remus shut the door behind Harry and threw the Marauder's Map down on his desk before turning around and leaning against it, folding his arms. He looked down at Harry, trying to evoke an expression of disappointment.

"I don't want to hear explanations," he said shortly, a strange almost fatherly voice coming out of him, something he assumed Lily would have preferred in this situation. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. Yes, I know it's a map," he said when Harry's bright green eyes widened. "I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in." Remus sighed in frustration. "Did you ever stop to think that this," he picked up the Map as he spoke, "in the hands of Sirius Black ... is a map to you?"

Harry looked down and Remus let out a sigh of relief, hoping that maybe the boy had realized the severity of the danger he had put himself in. Remus set the Map back down on his desk, eager to place it somewhere hidden and secure to make certain that Sirius didn't come into contact with it.

"Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?" Harry asked.

The question clearly caught the werewolf off guard and the surprise was noted in his expression. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Because ..." Remus hesitated, "because these map-makers would have wanted to lure you out of school. They'd think it extremely entertaining."

"Do you know them?" Harry asked, a look of excitement on his face.

Remus' mouth formed a tight line. "We've met," he answered shortly. "I think you know that I can't return you the Map, Harry," he frowned. "I would suggest you do your best to avoid Professor Snape for the time being as well," he said, gesturing to the door.

Harry turned to leave but paused as he opened the door of Remus' office. "Professor, just so you know, I don't think the Map always works. Earlier, it showed someone in the castle. Someone I know to be dead."

Remus' brow furrowed. _Impossible, the Map never lies_, he thought silently. "And who was that, Harry?" He asked.

"Peter Pettigrew."

All the color drained from the werewolf's face as the boy left his office.

* * *

**A/N**: Snape's sass at the staff meeting was one of my favorite parts of this chapter. My Snape muse only comes out on very rare occasions, but when it does I try to take advantage of it. Also, for those wondering I used the scene from both the book and the movie for the Maurader's Map confrontation with Snape. In the book Remus doesn't stumble upon them like he does in the movie, and I wanted Remus to overhear everything, but the movie didn't include all the specific insults that the Map goes through, and I really wanted to include those. I hope it worked well!


	108. Chapter 108

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Jumping right into the Q&amp;As today! **corvusdraconis**, I agree about Harry needing to know his parents for who they really were. My own mother died when I was a baby (I'm The-Girl-Who-Lived LOL) and I used to HATE stories about her growing up because she was so wonderful and perfect and everyone loved her. It wasn't until I was an adult when I started begging to know the bad things, and I enjoyed those stories almost more because it made her human. I think letting Harry think that his parents were these perfect people was more damaging than the truth. **annieca**, I literally do nothing else LOL. **lils18**, I know, it's completely insane and I'm sure by the end of it I'll have surpassed the word count because I just never know when to shut up LOL.

Reference junkies should read Prisoner of Azkaban Chapters 15, 16 and 17.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Eight: Sirius Black!

_"...You used to captivate me by your resonating light  
__Now I'm bound by the life you left behind  
__Your face—it haunts my once pleasant dreams  
__Your voice—it chased away all the sanity in me..."  
__(My Immortal - Evanescence)_

* * *

**June 9th, 1994**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**The Library**

Remus had been on his way to lunch in his quarters after giving the sixth years their final exam, something the werewolf was quite proud of himself for putting together, when Professor Flitwick approached him.

"You wouldn't happen to be on your way to Gryffindor Tower, would you Remus?" Filius squeaked.

"No, but if you're in need of something I wouldn't mind heading that way for you," Remus offered a kind smile to his old Professor and current colleague.

Flitwick sighed in relief. "Miss Granger missed class this morning and well... she's never done that before," he said with exasperation. "I would go and look for the girl myself but I've a class here in just a few moments," he explained.

"Not a worry Filius, I'll search for Miss Granger," he promised and quickly cursed under his breath as he immediately headed toward the Library instead of Gryffindor Tower.

He'd told Minerva and Albus months ago that Hermione was overexerting herself using the Time-Turner. There was no doubt in his mind that she was only using the device to catch up on classes and extra study time, not fitting in the sleep she was missing. Adding in the extra hours to her course schedule, Remus figured that Hermione was extending herself at least three times as much as he'd _ever_ seen Mia do.

_And this is why_, he thought to himself. Mia remembered her original third year and always tried to keep on top of her health, save the one year she'd lost sleep due to stress over spying on Slytherins. She'd known her limits because she'd pushed them too far during her original third year.

As expected, Remus found the bushy-haired witch slumped over a massive Arithmancy tome, snoring quietly. He frowned at the sight, knowing that he would have to wake her and she'd surely go into a fit knowing that she'd missed a lesson. He sighed and looked at the small puddle of drool on her book. Wincing at the sight, he silently and delicately Scourgified the book before she could wake up and see that she'd slobbered over a three-hundred-year-old text.

Remus sat down in the chair beside her and placed a gentle hand on the witch's shoulder. "Hermione?" He whispered and watched slowly as chocolate brown eyes opened to look up at him. There were dark circles beneath those innocent eyes and Remus frowned at the sight. Hermione, unfortunately, took the look on his face to be anger and she jumped up immediately.

"Oh! Professor! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep in class!"

"Hermione," he tightened his grip on her shoulder to prevent her from moving too quickly. "You're not in class, you're in the Library," he said quietly.

She blushed in embarrassment, looking over her shoulder as Madam Pince glared at her for screaming only moments earlier. "Oh... I..." Hermione looked around at the table confused as if she'd forgotten what she was supposed to have been studying.

"You need to go back to the Tower and catch up on some sleep," Remus instructed her.

"No, no," Hermione shook her head, stifling a yawn. "I need to... revise... for Charms," she mumbled.

Remus winced, not wanting to tell her that she'd missed Charms class. The thought of doing such flew right out of his head when the witch reached up to cover another yawn, wincing in pain as she moved her hand.

"Hermione, what happened?" He asked, reaching out tenderly to take her slender hand within his own. A large bruise encircled her entire thumb, extending up past the wrist. "Hermione your thumb is broken," he said with a worried tone, his green eyes looking down into the girl's face.

She looked guilty.

"What happened?" He asked again.

"I broke my thumb," she replied.

"Obviously," the werewolf sighed, reaching into his pockets for his wand. "And why didn't you go see Madam Pomfrey?" He asked. "This looks painful."

"I... I thought I could fix it myself, but I was already off schedule and I thought it could wait," she began. "And I... I didn't want to get into trouble." She frowned.

"Why would you get in trouble, Hermione?"

She looked up at him with fearful, pleading eyes.

"You can trust me," he promised her.

The little witch took a deep breath. "I... I punched Draco Malfoy."

Remus' eyes widened ever so briefly and he had to remind himself more than once that he was a Professor and therefore not allowed to laugh over the fact that the tiny witch had punched what he assumed was her first Slytherin. _The first of many_, the werewolf reminded himself.

"I see," he noted aloud, leaving it at that as he gently tapped her hand with his wand. "_Episkey_!" He said and smiled sympathetically when she winced briefly in pain. "There's nothing to be done about the bruise unless you go down to the Infirmary," he explained.

"That was..." Hermione smiled brightly, flexing her fingers. "Thank you, Professor."

"You're most welcome. Healing spells come in very handy." He smiled down at her. "You're a very bright witch, I'm sure you'd have a talent for picking them up with great ease. I have a book I can loan you, in fact," he said thoughtfully knowing that in the future she would need it if she were going to go into the past and help him through some of his worst full moon injuries.

"I would love that," Hermione smiled brightly. "Don't you… don't you want to know why I did it?"

"Would it be foolish of me to admit that I trust you had your reasons?" He asked her with a smirk.

Hermione laughed. "It would be… very suspicious. You're not like the other Professors," she added softly.

Remus frowned. "I've heard Draco Malfoy say some very unkind things about his fellow students, the world as a whole, and even my own person, which to be honest I could not care less about. My self-esteem does not rest on the words of a thirteen-year-old boy," he chuckled. "I imagine he said something very cruel to you?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "Often, but that wasn't why I did it. He was… he was being mean about Hagrid," she admitted.

Remus smiled. "Hermione Granger, champion of the underdog." He looked at her wrist again, frowning at the bruise. "I should probably take away points or issue detention for assaulting another student, but instead I offer advice for the future, _'He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious,'_."

"Sun Tzu," Hermione smiled.

"I trust your judgement Hermione though I regret to inform you that you may have lost the moral high ground when it comes to instilling a pacifist outlook in Mister Weasley," he chuckled. "Feel free to come by my office to pick up those books. Oh," he added quickly, "in exchange for borrowing from my bookshelves," he said teasingly. "I insist that you go back to your room and get at least an hour's worth of rest."

When she tried to argue, Remus shook his head. "Please," he added quickly. "It would give me relief to know that you're taking care of yourself," he insisted and smiled when Hermione nodded. "Thank you," he said, wincing slightly as his muscles began to ache.

"Professor?" Hermione looked up at him. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be just fine, Hermione," he promised her.

She stared at him with those brown eyes that said she knew he was lying. _How did she always know?_

Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a small box, placing it on the table and sliding it across to him. When he looked down, he noticed the little box containing a Chocolate Frog.

Remus smiled. "You're too kind, Hermione."

"_You_ fixed _me_," she said, shrugging her shoulders innocently, as though he was unaware that she had been dropping off various chocolate items at the Hospital Wing every month during the full moon.

Remus made to stand, graciously taking the Chocolate Frog with him. He stopped as a thought occurred to him. "Oh," he reached down for her non-bruised wrist, formed it into a tight ball under his own hands and tucked her thumb along the outside of her knuckles. "The next time you punch someone," and there would be a next time, "keep your thumb out so it won't break," he advised her.

Hermione lowered her head and laughed quietly as Remus walked out of the library.

oOoOoOo

**Remus's Office**

Remus stretched his arms above his head, grimacing in pain despite the moon not rising for another hour or so. The werewolf yawned, looking over the notes he'd taken during the day while his students had faced the obstacle course he'd created for their final exam. He'd been so proud when Harry had defeated the Boggart at the end of the lesson, though it was, of course, Hermione who left the biggest impression on the werewolf.

A part of him had been worried when she'd stepped into the trunk to battle the creature, whatever it might be, so when he heard the little witch scream, Remus had gone running to her aid with Harry and Ron following closely behind.

"Hermione!" He had said upon seeing her crawl out of the trunk. "What's the matter?"

"P-P-Professor McGonagall!" Hermione had gasped, pointing to the trunk. "Sh-she said I'd failed everything!"

He felt terrible for wanting to laugh, which was why he held it in until she'd stopped shaking, offering her back the Chocolate Frog she had given him earlier that day.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Come in," Remus called, trying to smile pleasantly as Severus walked through the door, smoking goblet in his hands. "Ah, thank you very much, Severus," the werewolf said politely, briefly glowering at the goblet as it was placed on his desk.

"Lupin," Severus nodded to him curtly. "You'll want to drink that right away," he said, gesturing to the goblet the same way he did every night leading up to the full moon.

"Says you," Remus sighed looking at the cup. "You're not the one who has to drink it."

Snape scowled at him. "Perhaps you'd like it if I stopped brewing it for you," he sneered. "Or maybe you could make it yourself. Tell me, because I seem to have forgotten, what marks did you get in Potions?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Point made," he conceded. "I did not mean to appear ungrateful to you. Quite the contrary," he sighed looking at the goblet. "Despite my obviously poor attitude."

"I see you've kept Potter's parchment," Snape said, black eyes looking behind Remus' desk to the folded up Marauder's Map sitting on the shelf beneath a collection of books. "Did you ever happen to discover what magics it contained?" He asked, eyeing Remus carefully.

The werewolf sighed in frustration. "Are we going to play this game forever? Where you insult my intelligence or me directly, and I try to remain polite to you despite the fact that you have a habit of being surly and discourteous?"

Snape held a detached expression as he stared down at Remus for several long moments before answering. "Don't fool yourself, wolf," he drawled. "You're the _Defense_ Professor. You'll be gone by the end of the month." With that, Snape spun on his heels and left the office, slamming the door behind him on the way.

Remus rolled his eyes and turned back to the folded Map on his shelf. He retrieved it with a brief thought on the last time he'd opened it a few days ago. After confiscating the Map from Harry, or technically Snape, Remus tried to pay special attention to it when he could. It hadn't been difficult in locating Sirius Black on the parchment though he seemed to be avoiding the castle in favor of the Forbidden Forest where it would look suspicious if Remus were seen entering, especially with Snape already watching him. Despite what Harry had told him, he'd yet to see Peter's name appear on the Map.

The first time he'd seen Sirius's name he'd wanted to go straight to Dumbledore, but for some reason that seemed to be in violation of the Unbreakable Oath he'd made to Mia all those many years ago.

Her voice played on a loop inside his head anytime he thought about Sirius.

_"Trust Sirius. Always Sirius."_

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Remus muttered and watched as the Map unveiled before his eyes. He immediately located himself predictably there in his office, noting that a small dot labeled 'Severus Snape' appeared to be pacing back and forth down the corridor and around the corner. Remus chuckled, assuming that Snape was seething with anger and wondering if he should come back into the office to yell at Remus a bit before storming out once again.

One by one, he located each Professor, the wandering Prefects in the halls, Hagrid down in his hut with Professor Dumbledore and a retreating Cornelius Fudge and Walden Macnair. Out of habit, Remus searched quickly for the dot labeled 'Sirius Black', finding it almost immediately near the Whomping Willow.

Remus frowned at the sight. He hadn't come that close to the castle since Remus' obtained the Map. But it wasn't the dot labeled 'Sirius Black' that caused the color to drain from Remus' already paling face. Huddled close together but moving swiftly across the Map he could easily locate Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, and a fourth name among them: _Peter Pettigrew_.

But Peter was dead.

_"Ron was trying to do magic to show off," _Mia had told him once, stories about the future._ "Said this worthless spell over his pet r-r-r... Scab-b-b..." _she'd begun stuttering and her eyes widened in anger and she had screamed,_ "Fuck!"_

_Pet rat_, Remus gasped. _Scabbers_.

_"My Kneazle has apparently taken a dislike to Ron's pet rat," _Hermione had told him.

"_I'm surprised you and Mia didn't get along better Professor, she had a similar distaste for rodents."_

His eyes flash gold and amber as they turned back to the Marauder's Map where he watched the dots labeled, 'Sirius Black', 'Ronald Weasley', and 'Peter Pettigrew' vanish beneath the Whomping Willow.

oOoOoOo

**Whomping Willow**

He was here somewhere. Sirius knew it. When the Kneazle had informed Sirius that the rat had bit itself and bled all over the Weasley boys bed to fake his own death - _again_ \- Sirius waited patiently, relying on the large cat for as much help as possible in tracking down Wormtail. The orange beast assured him that the rat was nowhere inside the castle, and Sirius trusted the Kneazle to track Wormtail's scent, knowing that the cat had been in contact with Peter more recently.

On the other side of Hagrid's hut. _That's_ where the Kneazle insisted Wormtail was. Unfortunately, even from where Padfoot was crouched in the shadows of the setting sun, he could sense that Harry was nearby even if he couldn't see him. _Probably under the Cloak_, he thought. Not only that, but he had heard Fudge and Dumbledore inside Hagrid's hut only moments earlier. He'd never be able to get Wormtail without being spotted, he was just too damn big.

_Go_, he told the Kneazle and let out a shaky breath when the cat sprung into action and darted across the grass, listening closely and waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

"What's the _matter _with him?"

"No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"

"Scabbers ... NO!"

Padfoot's paws were shaking on the ground, eager to lunge forward and bite and claw. Shaking because he had to be patient and wait for the cat; wait for some sign that things would finally turn in his favor. Pale grey eyes narrowed across the grass as he saw the orange cat bounding toward him chasing something small in the grass, both being followed by the red-haired boy, a screaming girl, and Harry.

_No, I'm not letting him go again_, Sirius swore to himself and began his ascent toward his prey, ignoring the fact that the rat was now being scooped into the hands of the young ginger wizard.

He briefly caught sight of Harry attempting to raise his wand at him and the big black dog growled and jumped, knocking his godson to the ground and out of the way just in case Peter attempted to shift back into human form and use Harry as a hostage. The situation was unlikely, of course, considering Peter was a complete coward, but Sirius wasn't allowing another Potter to be anywhere near the traitorous rat.

His grey eyes locked on the rodent squirming inside Ron's pocket and he lunged forward jaws open. The boy, probably thinking that the big dog was trying to attack him and not the rat, moved to defend himself by raising his arm. Already in motion, Sirius didn't stop when he bit down on the boy's forearm, dragging him and the rat to the ground. There was no time to waste, and so Padfoot gripped tight with his teeth and moved backwards swiftly, dragging the wizard and the rat beneath the Whomping Willow which had been briefly calmed by the Kneazle who pressed it's paw into the notch of the trunk.

"Ron!" He could hear Harry shout over the screams of the boy in his grip. A part of Sirius felt deep remorse when he heard a loud cracking noise followed by a shrill cry coming from the ginger wizard as his leg broke on the way down. But he couldn't stop now. He'd apologize later once the rat was dead.

And then maybe buy the poor kid a new pet.

Padfoot moved quickly, biting down harder anytime the boy slipped from his grip until eventually he shifted into his human form, releasing the wizard only a moment before grabbing him by the collar of his robes and dragging him into the old familiar Shrieking Shack.

Despite a broken leg, the boy fought back, scooting across the floor and into a corner ready to defend himself. Sirius took note that the Weasley boy was quickly observing his surroundings, purposely keeping the wall at his back.

"Professor Lupin's taught you well," Sirius chuckled. "Not well enough I'm afraid," Sirius smirked and held up the willow wand in his hands just as the boy realized that in the scuffle he'd been disarmed.

"Y-You... you're Sirius Black!" Ron wailed.

"Very observant," Sirius growled, eyes searching the boy for the skittish rat. "Now hold still," he ordered and raised the wand, readying himself. "I'm terribly sorry about the leg."

Just then, noises could be heard coming from the other side of the door and Sirius snarled at the interruption. The door burst open and Sirius jumped back, dodging the large slab of wood as it barely missed hitting him.

"Ron ... are you okay?" The girl asked, rushing to her friend.

"Where's the dog?" Harry said.

"Not a dog," Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. "Harry, it's a trap ..."

"What ..."

"_He's_ the dog ... he's an Animagus..."

Sirius slammed the door shut behind his godson, and the moment he and his friend turned, Sirius aimed the willow wand in his hands and shouted, "_Expelliarmus_!" capturing both of their wands. Sirius took a step closer, grey eyes fixed on Harry.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely, not used to speaking so much after being silent for so long. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful ... it will make everything much easier..." The last thing he needed was for Dumbledore to interrupt.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" the broken-legged boy on the floor said fiercely, and he moved to stand. What little color he had left in his face drained quickly and he swayed slightly as he spoke.

Sirius frowned at the sight. "Lie down," he said quietly to Ron. "You're going to damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"

"There'll be only one murder here tonight," Sirius grinned, his eyes scanning Ron's robes, searching for any sign of movement so that he could spot where the rat was hiding.

"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free from his friends. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew. What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

Sirius shook his head. "Harry, you don't understand..."

"YOU KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!"

Sirius flinched at the accusation and the last thought that flew through his mind before his godson punched him in the head and then tackled him to the ground was, _he has Mia's fondness for physical violence_.

Harry growled, Ron shouted, and the girl screamed. Sirius grunted in the struggle, ignoring the fact that the breath had been knocked out of him by a ninety pound scrap of a boy who was very close to reclaiming the wand that was firmly gripped in Sirius' hands. The Animagus tried to think of a harmless way to regain the upper hand, but everything in his head that he knew to do would end up hurting his godson and Sirius couldn't risk that.

He coughed as another of Harry's punches landed in his gut and instinctively Sirius reached a hand out and gripped onto anything to stop the attack. What his hand landed on, however, was Harry's throat. "No," Sirius growled, "I've waited too long ..." He tried to use his grip to push Harry away, not wanting to actually choke the boy, but he hadn't had time to put a plan into action when someone kicked him from behind.

Sirius let go of Harry and with a grunt of pain he fell to the floor, gasping for breath, one arm draped across his rib-cage. His chest rose and fell rapidly and grey eyes looked up to see Harry Potter standing over him, a holly wand aimed at his heart. _I should have been there_, Sirius thought as he looked at the wand._ I should have taken him to Ollivander's_.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" Sirius whispered, coughing as blood poured down from his nose into his mouth.

"You killed my parents," Harry said.

Sirius noted that despite the fact that Harry's voice was shaking with emotion, his wand hand was steady. _Just like James_, he actually smiled until Harry's words truly reached him. Killed his parents. Killed his parents. Sirius stared up at him out of sunken eyes.

"I don't deny it," Sirius said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story."

"The whole story?" Harry repeated. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"No," Sirius shook his head and tried to sit up only to feel the end of Harry's wand press hard against his chest. "You've got to listen to me," he said urgently, his eyes flickering to Ron. "You'll regret it if you don't... You don't understand..."

"I understand a lot better than you think," Harry's voice still shook. "You never heard her, did you? My mum... trying to stop Voldemort killing me..."

_Oh Godric, Lily_. Sirius winced in pain at the thought, remembering the sight of red hair sprawled out on the floor of Harry's nursery behind Hagrid's feet. Sirius looked up into Harry's green eyes - _Lily's eyes _\- and prepared himself for death.

Before either of them could say another word, there was a flash of movement and Sirius felt something heavy land on his chest, knocking Harry's wand out of the way. He glanced down to spot the big orange Kneazle sitting there on his chest as though he were a sofa, big yellow eyes looking up at Harry daringly. "Get off," he growled, trying to push the cat off him. The cat replied by sinking his claws into Sirius's chest.

And then came a new sound. Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor. Someone was approaching.

"WE'RE UP HERE!" The girl screamed suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE ... SIRIUS BLACK ... _QUICK_!"

At the sound of his name coming from her lips, the breath stilled in his lungs. Sirius turned his grey eyes in her direction and they widened instantly.

_"Ugh, I am not having this argument with you again, Sirius Black!"_

_"Sirius Black! You did not tell Remus and Jamie you were going off to snog me!"_

_"One more word Sirius Black, and I will march right out of these dungeons and this prank is over!"_

_"You keep your filthy paws off of me Sirius Black!"_

_"I'm warning you Sirius Black..."_

_"You are a good man, Sirius Black!"_

_"You are good Sirius Black. You are good and kind and brave and... Merlin, so brave."_

_"What are you trying to accomplish Sirius Black!?"_

_"Don't you 'kitten' me, Sirius Black!"_

_"When I think about the past and the future, the first thing I always think is ... I miss Sirius Black."_

_"I love you, Sirius Black."_

It was her. But how was it her? Missing, dead, they'd told him that she was dead. He hadn't believed it but... Mia... _his _Mia, but too young. Far too young. She had to be fourteen or fifteen, so not _his _Mia. _Remus's _Mia? Her eyes were brown, not amber. But there was something wrong with her hair and her teeth, and the way she was looking at him... she was afraid.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Someone in the room shouted.

"Where is he, Sirius?"

Was someone calling him? Sirius's eyes never left her face, her perfectly terrified face. Why was she afraid of him? Didn't she know he could never hurt her? The Soul Bond wouldn't allow it even if he tried. Why couldn't he feel her through the bond? Something was wrong with it. It was still there, he could feel it, but she was... she wasn't there. Why wasn't she at the other end of it?!

"Sirius!"

His face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he looked up into the eyes of Remus. Confused, Sirius stared at the werewolf helplessly.

"Sirius, where is he?" Remus asked again.

The raven-haired wizard raised his empty, shaking hand and pointed straight at Ron.

"But then..." Remus muttered, staring at Sirius so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "... why hasn't he shown himself before now?" Remus asked. A moment later his eyes widened though he was seeing something beyond Sirius. "Unless he was the one... you switched didn't you?" Remus asked. "You had James and Lily switch... and no one told me."

Very slowly, Sirius nodded, his eyes turning back to stare at the girl.

"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on?"

Suddenly Sirius felt a hand grip his own and he was being pulled to his feet. Someone was touching him; someone was touching him and not hurting him. Sirius flinched almost in reaction as if to prepare himself for an attack that twelve years in Azkaban had conditioned him for, but instead he felt long arms wrap around him and the old familiar scent of werewolf washed over him.

"Moony," Sirius whispered, his voice shaking as Remus held him tighter. "Am I out... the Dementors... did they... did they finally..." he sobbed into Remus's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Remus replied.

"Remus... the... the girl," Sirius's voice broke.

"She's real, I promise you. Don't say a word about her," Remus said as quietly as possible, a sense of urgency in his voice. "I'll explain everything later, Padfoot, I swear it. I'm so sorry."

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" The girl screamed.

Remus released Sirius and they both turned to look at her. "You ... you ..."

"Hermione ..." Remus held his hands up and slowly approached her.

_Who the fuck is Hermione?_ Sirius thought bitterly.

* * *

**A/N**: I have to admit, I loved writing this chapter. I didn't know how Sirius was going to react when he saw Hermione for the first time, and then the flashback of her words came to me and I thought, "Oh, this is messed up... I have to use that." LOL. Sorry.


	109. Chapter 109

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Decided that since I'm getting caught up on chapters (officially in Part Four now!) I'd post Chapter 109 a day early!

Q&amp;As - **Lheto**, I honestly have no idea how Sirius and Crookshanks communicate, LOL that was Canon. **estelle sky**, I think I justified Hermione's mental age with her physical age. Hormones control us and Hermione had to revert back to a child when Dumbledore De-Aged her. So even though she has the memories and intelligence level of a girl who lived extra years, she still really was the same age as Remus and Sirius when she first started dating them. Her maturity level was proof enough of that. **bluecurls** and **ghzowy**, I doubt I will do anything regarding Sirius remembering his meeting with Richard Granger. Mostly because how many of us remember every meeting we've ever had with random strangers? Especially fourteen years later after a stint in a mentally abusive prison.

Reference Addicts should read DoT Chapter 49 (to cover this chapter and 110), as well as Prisoner of Azkaban Chapters 18, 19 and 20.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Nine: Forgetting Something?

_"...As time passes, things change every day  
__But wounds, wounds heal  
__But scars still remain the same  
__But tomorrow today's gone down in flames  
__Throw the match, set the past up ablaze..."  
__(Beautiful Pain - Eminem)_

* * *

**June 9th, 1994**

**The Shrieking Shack**

"Hermione, calm down ..." The werewolf pleaded with the little witch who was staring at him like he had betrayed her personally. Those eyes, those chocolate brown eyes were filled with hurt and it killed him to see her look at him like that.

"I didn't tell _anyone_!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you!"

"Hermione, listen to me, please!" Remus shouted. "I can explain everything."

Could he? The Unbreakable Vow said that he could only tell people who already knew about her time-travelling, in addition to being able to tell Sirius Black fifteen years after the Vow was made, which was, apparently, now. It meant that Mia had _known_. Mia had known that Sirius had been innocent, would escape this year, and would need to know the truth about her.

Remus turned and looked at Sirius who was still staring at the girl with a mixture of devastating grief and the slightest hint of fear-tainted hope. His heart broke for his friend who must have been so confused at the very sight of the little witch.

"I trusted you!" Harry suddenly shouted at Remus, and the werewolf turned to face the boy. "All the time you've been his friend!"

"You're wrong," said Remus. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now. Let me explain..."

"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too! He's a werewolf!"

The way she said the word cut him to his core and Remus physically flinched as if stung. During the entire time he'd known Mia, she'd never once referred to him or his condition with such a tone in her voice and it hurt more than Remus was willing to admit. He noticed quickly that she had gasped and covered her mouth as though she'd cursed, regret in her eyes immediately. Remus did what he could to remain calm in the situation despite the fact that Harry and Ron were now staring at him, horrified.

"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said with a slight smile, trying to hide the hurt. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have _not _been helping Sirius get into the castle and I _certainly _don't want Harry dead." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."

Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain.

Remus frowned seeing that he was injured and instinctively moved to help the boy.

Ron gasped at the movement and shouted, "Get away from me, werewolf!"

Remus stopped dead and swallowed down the anger and familiar feeling of rejection that came with discrimination. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione, who looked mortified over what she had done, and asked, "How long have you known?" despite already knowing the answer.

Hermione frowned, clearly upset with herself. "Since Professor Snape set the essay," the witch said quietly.

Remus smiled at her. "You really are the brightest witch of your age, Hermione," he said with deep admiration.

There was a long breath of silence that hung in the air until a quiet squeaking sound came from Ron's pocket and Remus felt more than saw Sirius' body move forward. The werewolf turned to catch his friend in his arms, using his superior strength against the Animagus who struggled to free himself.

"We're wasting time!" Sirius screamed. "He dies. Now! If you won't do it with me, Remus, I'll do it alone!"

"Wait, Sirius..."

The raven-haired wizard pushed away from Remus and shouted, tears in his pale grey eyes. "I did my waiting! Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!" He shouted, pounding a fist against his chest.

Remus finally noticed the filthy clothes that Sirius wore, Azkaban clothes no doubt; dirty and molding and very nearly completely shredded. Sirius' chest was easily visible and there, in the center of his once pale skin was a scarred brand, marking him a prisoner of Azkaban. Remus frowned at the sight before his eyes drifted to the side where he could still clearly see the tattooed name scripted across Sirius' chest in ink: _'Mia'_.

"All right then," Remus nodded and held a wand out to Sirius. "As you wish."

"No!" Harry yelled and moved to step in front of his friends. "You betrayed my parents! You sold them to Voldemort!"

"That's a lie!" Sirius growled. "I _never_ would've betrayed James and Lily!"

"Harry," Remus said softly, calmly. "You have to listen..."

"Did _he _listen!" Harry shouted, pointing a finger at Sirius. "When my mother was dying! Did he hear her screaming?!"

Sirius winced at the words, the reminder. "No!" He barked. "I wasn't there when it... I wasn't there to stop it! And I'll regret it the rest of my life!"

Harry was looking positively murderous and Sirius looked broken. Remus knew that if the boy attempted anything, Sirius wouldn't defend himself. Harry would kill his own godfather and suffer so greatly for it when the truth did come to light. Remus knew he needed to act fast. Harry had the temper of both of his parents, and Black blood to boot.

"Someone _else _betrayed your parents, Harry." The werewolf moved to stand in front of Sirius. "Someone in this room right now. Someone who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead."

"He's as good as dead," Sirius growled viciously from behind Remus' arm. "Come out, come out, Peter. Come out, come out and play..."

"Peter Pettigrew?" Harry stared. "He's dead! _He _killed him twelve years ago!"

"I meant to," Sirius snarled, his teeth bared, "but Peter got the better of me. Not this time, though!" The raven-haired wizard lunged forward at Ron who fell with a yelp of pain as Sirius' weight landed on his broken leg.

"Sirius, NO!" Remus yelled, launching himself forwards and dragging Sirius away from Ron again, "WAIT! You can't do it just like that," he said as he struggled to contain his friend. "They... they have a right to know why! We need to explain!"

"We can explain afterwards!" Sirius shouted. "There will likely be a lot of explaining," the Animagus glared at his friend, his grey eyes darting once quickly to the witch who stood protectively near Harry.

"No!" Remus snapped. "They've got a right to know everything, Sirius!" He said, ignoring Sirius' occasional attention toward Hermione; there would be time for that later if they all survived this. He turned quickly to Harry. "Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," he said. "I believed it myself until I saw the Map tonight. Because the Marauder's Map never lies ... Peter's alive."

"And he's right there," Sirius said, pointing a finger at Ron.

"M-me?" The redhead paled.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Not you, you idiot. Your rat."

"Scabbers?" Ron protectively cupped the rat that was hiding in his pocket. "Scabbers has been in my family for..."

"Twelve years?" Remus asked knowingly.

Then Hermione spoke, in a trembling, would-be calm sort of voice. "But Professor Lupin, Scabbers can't be Pettigrew ... it just can't be true."

"Why can't it be true?" Remus asked her calmly, a hint of tenderness in his voice as though he were trying to let her know that he was not angry with her for her earlier outburst, revealing his secret.

"Because..." Hermione hesitated for a moment. "Because people would _know _if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework. The Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things ... and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list."

Remus smiled. "Right again, Hermione!" He said. "But the Ministry never knew that there used to be f... _three _unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts." Remus took note of the incredulous way that Sirius was now looking at him, presumably because he'd caught the lie.

"Hermione, you are right that _I am_ a werewolf," he said softly. "I was bitten when I was a very young boy," he said and sighed when he saw the look of pity cross her face. "I didn't even think I would be able to come to Hogwarts, but Professor Dumbledore pulled some strings and I was able to get a proper education. Though... I was prepared to be very lonely," he frowned. "The Whomping Willow was planted the summer before my first year because this shack was set up for me to be able to transform in. It was set up so I could go to Hogwarts and still keep people safe.

"Apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, _great_ friends," he said and patted Sirius on the back. "Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and, of course, your father, Harry," Remus smiled. "James Potter."

Harry stood still shaking, looking confused.

"Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I spent every month in the Hospital Wing..."

"Migraines," Sirius snorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Remus glared at him briefly before turning back to Hermione, Harry and Ron. "Eventually they figured out what I was..."

"More like stumbled upon it and got yelled at," Sirius said petulantly, interrupting him again.

"Do _you_ want to tell the bloody story?!" Remus snapped.

"No, I want to murder the bloody traitor!" Sirius growled. "Hurry the fuck up, Remus!"

The werewolf took a slow deep breath and continued speaking. "Instead of abandoning me like I thought they would, my friends did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."

"That's... impossible," Hermione said, her mouth hanging open in shock. "It's not only incredibly difficult, it's highly dangerous, and for students to attempt it... it would take..."

"Years?" Remus smirked and nodded. "It did."

"For _most_ of us," Sirius said under his breath.

"Peter, as the smallest, would slip beneath the Whomping Willow's attacking branches and touch the notch that freezes it. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep the werewolf in check," Remus explained.

"Forgetting something?" Sirius cocked his head to the side.

"Not now, Sirius," Remus growled. "So you see," the werewolf sighed. "Snape's been right about me all along."

"Snape?" Sirius turned and gaped at Remus. "What's Snape got to do with anything?"

"He's here, Sirius," said Lupin heavily. "He's teaching here as well."

"I know that," Sirius groaned. "I saw his stupid face wandering the castle. I go to Azkaban and Snivellus gets a job offer?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fan-fucking-tastic," he spat bitterly.

"Why does Snape hate you?" Harry asked Remus.

"Because he's a dirty, rotten, greasy git!" Sirius snapped.

"Because," Remus said, ignoring Sirius' outburst. "Professor Snape and your father were long time rivals. Slytherin versus Gryffindor, House prejudices played out much like they do now."

"It had nothing to do with House rivalries," Sirius interrupted. "He started it."

Remus continued to ignore Sirius. "You see Harry, Sirius played a trick on Snape which nearly got him killed," he said, eyeing his friend and taking note of the way that Sirius averted his gaze. "A trick that involved me, a full moon, and this very shack."

"Oh, he deserved it... at least a little bit," Sirius grumbled. "He was always sneaking around trying to get us expelled for one thing or another, and he threatened..." he growled and let himself trail off as his attention flickered to the girl, to _Hermione_.

"Sirius tricked Snape into going beneath the Whomping Willow. Had he gotten as far as this shack he would have come face to face with a werewolf," Remus said. "But luckily your dad found out what Sirius had done and saved Snape just in time. Dumbledore forced Snape to keep quiet about my condition."

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," Harry said slowly, "because he thought you were in on the joke?"

"That's right," sneered a cold voice from the wall behind Remus. "I told Dumbledore you were helping your old friend into the castle. And here's the proof. _Expelliarmus_!"

"Brilliant!" Sirius said loudly after losing the wand in his hand. He applauded as he stared ahead into Snape's black eyes with disdain. "And - as usual - dead wrong. Now give us our wands back. Remus and I have a bit of unfinished business to tend to."

"Give me a reason," Snape whispered, approaching Sirius swiftly and sticking the end of his wand against the Animagus's throat. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."

Sirius was shaking with hatred as Snape glared into his eyes.

"Don't be a fool, Severus!" Remus snapped.

"He can't help it. It's habit by now," Sirius growled.

"Shut up, Sirius!"

"Listen to you two," Snape sneered at the pair. "Quarreling like an old married couple. The creature and the criminal."

"Piss off," Sirius spat.

"Professor Snape," a small voice called from the corner of the room. "It... it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-would it?" Hermione asked.

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," Snape spat. "You, Potter, and Weasley are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue!"

"But if ... if there was a mistake ..." she tried again.

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted, looking suddenly quite deranged. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

Sirius growled loudly and despite the wand against his neck he advanced toward Snape with a murderous look in his grey eyes. "You watch your fucking..." he began to say but was cut off by a loud shout of, "_Expelliarmus_!" and watched with amusement as Snape flew backwards into the wall. Sirius turned back to see Harry standing there with his wand aimed high. "Thank you, Harry," he said.

"You attacked a teacher!" Hermione was shaking, brown eyes wide.

"I'm still not saying I believe you," Harry told Remus.

The werewolf nodded as he approached Snape to check his pulse, wincing at the blood on the Slytherin's head. _That's not going to be easily forgotten_, he thought to himself then retrieved the collected wands, handing one back to Sirius. "I understand. I suppose it's time we offered you some proof," he looked to Sirius hoping that his friend had something to show. Almost immediately, Sirius stuck his hand into a pocket and removed a folded piece of paper, handing it out to Remus.

"The idiot Minister tossed that at me when he came for inspections," Sirius said. "Taunting me about Harry's birthday," he added with a frown. "I knew the rat immediately. How many bloody times had I seen him transform? Caption said that the kids would be going back to Hogwarts. I had to..." Sirius looked up, his eyes meeting Harry's. "I had to make sure you were safe."

"Merlin," Remus said softly, staring at the picture in the paper. "His front paw..."

"What about it?" said Ron defiantly.

"He's got a toe missing," Sirius answered.

"Of course," Remus breathed. "So simple ... so _brilliant _... he cut it off himself?"

Sirius nodded. "Just before he transformed. When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I had betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself. Then he sped down into the sewer with the other rats, leaving me sitting there holding his blood-covered robes."

"Scabbers probably lost ithe toe in a fight with another rat," Ron defended. "He's had a rough life, and this year he's been terrorized by that mad cat!" The boy pointed at the orange Kneazle who was purring on the nearby bed.

"That cat is the most intelligent creature I've ever encountered," Sirius said, walking over and petting the Kneazle who nuzzled his hand affectionately. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at the sight with their jaws dropped. Crookshanks had never shown affection like that to anyone except Hermione herself.

Ron frowned and experimentally moved closer to Crookshanks who turned and hissed at him. "Bloody menace," the boy whispered under his breath.

"He recognized Peter for what he really was," Sirius noted aloud, taking a bit of pride in the fact that the Kneazle was affectionate with him and not the boy who was standing so close to the girl who looked so much like his Mia. "When I was able to communicate with him, he offered to bring me Peter if he could capture him. He brought me food from the kitchens and the passwords to the Tower," Sirius said, continually petting the creature.

"Crookshanks brought you food?" Hermione asked.

"Yours?" Sirius inquired, looking up at the witch.

She nodded.

"I'm... I'm very grateful to you then," he said, nodding his head to her, his voice breaking as he spoke.

Remus seemed to think for a long moment and then he turned toward Ron. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat," he ordered.

"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked tensely.

"Force him to show himself," Remus replied. "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."

Ron hesitated. Then at long last, he held out Scabbers and Remus took him. Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes bulging in his head

"Together?" Remus asked Sirius quietly, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and his wand in the other. The Animagus nodded. "On the count of three. One, two, THREE!"

A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair - his small gray form twisting madly. Ron yelled and the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then...

"Well, hello, Peter," Remus said pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old school friends around him. "Long time, no see."

"S-Sirius," Peter stared up into the angry face of Sirius Black. He turned and looked at the werewolf who appeared to be the lesser of two evils. "R-Remus ... He's come to try and kill me again!" Peter squeaked suddenly, pointing at Sirius. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too. You've got to help me, Remus!"

"No one's going to try and kill you until we've... worked out a few details," Remus said threateningly.

Sirius grinned as he quickly caught the Marauder speak.

"Worked out a few details?" Peter squealed frightened before he fell to his knees and cried. "I didn't mean to! The Dark Lord, you have no idea the weapons he possesses! He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Sirius roared. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

"Ron ..." Peter crept across the floor and fell at the boy's feet. "Haven't I been a good friend ... a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you ... you're on my side, aren't you?"

But Ron was staring at Pettigrew with the utmost revulsion. "I let you sleep in my _bed_!" he said.

"No, no, no," Peter pleaded. "Kind boy ... kind master ..." Pettigrew crawled again toward Ron. "You won't let them do it. I was your rat, I was a good pet."

"If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," Sirius said harshly.

Ron, going still paler with pain, wrenched his broken leg out of Pettigrew's reach. Pettigrew turned on his knees, staggered forward toward Hermione, which was the wrong thing to do.

"Sweet girl ... clever girl ... you," Peter paused and stared up into Hermione's face as though there was some recognition there. After a long moment, whatever held his attention broke and he reached forward, taking hold of her robes. Remus and Sirius reacted instantly and Peter was thrown back on the ground violently, the breath knocked from his lungs. When he finally was able to gasp, he found himself staring up into the faces of a deranged silver-eyed Animagus and a seething golden-eyed werewolf, both looking positively lethal.

"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done?" Peter cried. "The Dark Lord ... you have no idea ... he has weapons you can't imagine. I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me..."

"DON'T LIE!" Sirius bellowed. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!" He screamed. "You... it was you who betrayed us and set up that trap," Sirius growled. "You killed Mary, didn't you?!" He snapped and tore at the sleeves of Peter's robes, revealing the Dark Mark on his left forearm.

Peter wept.

"You should have realized," Remus said quietly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter," the werewolf said callously, raising his wand at the same time as Sirius. Remus had never taken a life, not even in battle. _But this_, he thought. _This would be worth it_.

"NO!" Harry yelled, running forward, placing himself in front of Pettigrew, facing the wands that were immediately withdrawn. "You can't kill him," he said breathlessly.

"Harry," Sirius breathed heavily. "This... this... _rat_ is the reason you have no parents. He stole their lives, stole my life and _everything_ from me."

"I know," Harry nodded. "You still can't kill him."

Sirius and Remus both shook with rage.

"We'll take him up to the castle," Harry said, looking at both of the men with pleading, emerald green eyes. "We'll hand him over to the Dementors. He can go to Azkaban."

oOoOoOo

**Whomping Willow**

Sirius moved through the passage heading toward the Whomping Willow, following behind the orange Kneazle that led the way, and Remus, who was not only pulling a properly tied up Pettigrew, but also bearing the majority of the weight of the Weasley boy and his broken leg. Floating ahead of him was an unconscious Severus Snape - which Sirius thought made the _best_ Severus Snape - who was being levitated by his own wand in Sirius' hand. A very small, very childish part of him briefly thought about letting his head hit the ceiling a few times.

Harry and the girl - Hermione - trailed behind him.

_The girl._

Remus had promised that she was, in fact, Mia, but there were obviously complicated circumstances considering she looked different, was at least five years younger than he last remembered her - never mind that Mia had been less than five months younger than him growing up -, her name was different, and what was most apparent - and upsetting to Sirius - she didn't know him.

"You know what this means, Harry?" Sirius said abruptly to his godson as they made their slow progress along the tunnel, ignoring the way Hermione gasped when Snape's head actually _did_ run into the ceiling. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," Harry replied.

"Yes," Sirius said and let out a sigh of what felt like relie; what felt like hope. "But I'm also..." he cleared his throat before speaking again. "I don't know if anyone ever told you ... I'm your godfather."

"Yeah, I knew that," Harry replied.

Sirius smiled, looking back at the boy who was an exact copy of James. "Well, your parents... er... in the Wizarding world godparents are quite important. I should have been..." he began but then stopped and ran a hand down his face in frustration. Was now the right time to confess all of his guilt over not being there while Harry grew up? Was now the right time to teach the boy about bonds and how, because of their Familial bond, he felt as though Harry was his own? Was that overstepping? "Well, they made me your guardian," he said, finding the word to be completely inadequate, but the best he could come up with at the moment. "I'd understand though if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," even though he didn't, "but, well, you can take some time to think about it. Once my name is cleared, if you wanted a different home..."

"I could live with you?!" Harry nearly shouted. "Leave the Dursleys?!"

Sirius frowned. "I understand if you wouldn't want to..."

"Are you insane?" Harry croaked.

Sirius stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at his godson who stared at him with bright green eyes. The raven-haired wizard briefly looked to the witch next to Harry who was smiling at him kindly looking much too like the love of his life who vanished fourteen years ago. _Am I insane? _Sirius thought to himself and then in reply just chuckled under his breath.

"Of course I want to leave the Dursleys!" Harry said with excitement, pulling Sirius' attention away from the girl. "Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

Sirius chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm that was so reminiscent of James it hurt to see. Sirius took note of Harry's distinct lack of caring for leaving the Dursleys, and while he certainly couldn't blame him, having met Petunia and Vernon several times, Sirius mentally filed the moment away, knowing that at some point in the future he would need to inquire about Harry's life under the Dursleys care. "You want to?" He asked. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" Harry grinned.

Sirius continued to levitate Snape out of the Whomping Willow, standing back to let Harry and the girl through the opening beneath the tree until they were all out in the open and Sirius took a deep breath, feeling free for the first time in twelve years.

"One wrong move, Peter," Remus threatened the rat before suddenly falling forward, clutching at his chest. "Sirius..." Remus gasped.

_Oh no_. Sirius's grey eyes flickered immediately to the sky where he saw the moon slowly rising above the clouds.

"Oh, my ..." the little witch gasped, launching herself in front of Harry as though she could somehow protect him from a transforming werewolf, the sight would have made Sirius laugh had they not been in incredible danger. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!" The witch yelled.

Sirius moved between the teenagers and Remus, who was shaking, teeth clenched trying to hold back the screams as the pain wracked his body. The Animagus turned and stared into Hermione's deep brown eyes. "Run," he whispered. "Run. Now."

Harry rushed forward to help unchain Ron from Peter and Remus, but Sirius quickly caught his godson around the middle and threw him backwards toward the witch. "Harry, leave it to me, take her and run!" He ordered the boy just as a snarl came from Remus who had hunched forward, his body elongating and shifting. The sound of bones cracking echoed around them and Sirius could hear the girl let out a sob. He watched as Harry and the witch stood frozen, staring at the scene in front of them.

He lunged forward and took his godson by the shoulders, breaking him out of his stupor. "Harry!" Sirius shouted. "Keep her... keep _them_ safe," he corrected. "It's _your _job," he added before stepping back and letting his body shift downwards into his Animagus form just as Moony, in his full glory, stretched up and let out a piercing howl.

The werewolf reared and snapped its jaws toward the teenagers, wrenching itself free from the binding that tied him to Ron and Peter. Before he had a chance to snap again at the injured boy on the ground, Padfoot leapt forward, clamping his jaws around Moony's neck and forcing the weight of them both backward. He felt, not for the first time in his life, the claws of the wolf tearing at his skin and a sharp bite to his front leg.

Eventually, the canines broke apart and Padfoot growled viciously, putting himself between the wolf and the path back to the Whomping Willow. The sandy grey wolf hovered dominantly over Padfoot who felt the pull to submit but fought against it. Moony took notice of the disobedience of his Pack member and snarled at the big black dog, snapping his jaws against the skin and fur of Padfoot's back. The dog let out a sharp yelp just as a loud howl came from elsewhere in the woods.

Moony sat up quickly, releasing the dog who then fell to the ground whimpering and bleeding, before turning on his paws and setting off into the Forbidden Forest at a run. Padfoot whined as he got to his feet, using what strength he had to try and chase after the wolf, but only making it as far as the Black Lake where he collapsed onto the ground.

"Sirius!" He could hear Harry screaming his name as he shifted back into his human form and a familiar unsettling cold washed over his body.

"Nooo..." Sirius moaned in pain and fear as hundreds of Dementors descended upon him.

"Hermione think of something happy!" Harry yelled.

_Something happy_, Sirius thought to himself as his grey eyes closed. Quidditch Cup trophies, fifth floor corridors, matching crescent-shaped scars, a flying motorbike, early morning coffee, red sheets, a copper clawfoot tub, a stag, a wolf and a fox, a fiery redhead with green eyes, a little boy with black hair, strawberry ice cream, a golden bracelet, a silver chain, and an opal ring...

Firewhisky-colored eyes.

"_Expecto Patronum_! Hermione, help me! _Expecto Patronum_!"

* * *

**A/N**: Hope it measured up to expectations.


	110. Chapter 110

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Just a heads up, I don't know how posting/writing is going to be over the next few weeks. I got word yesterday that my Grandmother is going to die soon and I'm not sure if I'll bury myself in writing as a distraction, or avoid it. It'll likely be the former because that's how I've always worked, but you never know. Yesterday was bad, but all of your reviews cheered me up a lot, so thank you. _Please_, for the love of Salazar, don't PM me or leave me comments offering sorrys and sympathies. While I would appreciate the thoughts, I'd rather ignore the situation, and I only told you all to convey my gratitude for your continual comments and reviews. Writing has always been my personal way to heal, and I'm glad to have found a community that loves my stories as much as I do.

Q&amp;As - **Duner89**, The Soul Bond is a tricky thing for Sirius and Hermione right now because it's different for the both of them. The Soul Bond goes through three steps: preparation (emotional), provocation (action), and sealing (ritual). For Hermione, the Soul Bond was provoked on her end by acting to bring Sirius back from the Veil in Chapter Two. Sirius' end of the Soul Bond was provoked when in Part Two he kissed her for the first time. So now that we've taken a step backwards in Hermione's timeline, her side of the Soul Bond remains unprovoked. Sirius can feel it, but she currently can't. Much like when Mia went back in time she could feel it, but until that first kiss, Sirius couldn't. It's still there though. It's always there.

Reference Chasers read DoT Chapter 49 and Prisoner of Azkaban Chapters 21 and 22.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Ten: Revealing Escapes

_"...Silence just keeps screaming back at me  
__The ones I love are lost in memories  
__And I wish that I could take back what was done  
__You can only change the person you've become..."  
__(Crash and Burn - Lifehouse)_

* * *

**June 9th, 1994**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**13th Window from the right of the West Tower**

When Sirius woke up he was poorly bandaged and sitting in a room. _No_, he thought, _a cell_. He sat up and tried to move but winced as pain shot through his muscles. "H-Harry..." he groaned as he tried to force himself to stand.

"Harry is being well cared for in the Hospital Wing," said an old familiar voice.

Sirius turned his grey eyes up to the door to see twinkling blue orbs looking through the bars back at him. "Dumbledore," Sirius whispered. "Professor... Albus, Harry's in danger," he winced again as he finally stood, limping over to the door and pressing his hands against the bars. "You have to protect him."

"From what or whom, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked. "You? Remus?"

"Remus had nothing to do with anything," Sirius growled defensively, doing what he could now to make up for the fact that he had broken his promise to Mia fourteen years ago and mistrusted the werewolf. "He's innocent. It's... it's Peter. Pettigrew," he clarified. "He's alive and he's been hiding in Hogwarts," Sirius coughed, suddenly aware that one of his ribs was obviously broken. "He's been... been hiding as a rat, he's an Animagus."

"Well," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "I have to admit, I didn't expect that. So, you claim that not only is Peter Pettigrew alive and not dead at your own hands, but that he is, in fact, an unregistered Animagus?"

"Yes!" Sirius barked. "As am I!" He snapped. "There, now I'm properly implicated, what reason would I have to lie about Peter being an Animagus? He's the one, Albus," Sirius said, his voice hoarse. "James and Lily changed Secret-Keepers. He's the one. _He_ did it."

There was a brief change in Dumbledore's eyes as though he were suddenly aware, his mind coming to the conclusion that what Sirius was saying was the truth. "There's no proof," he said finally, a sadness in his eyes. "Only your word."

"Harry was there, and Remus and the Weasley boy," Sirius insisted. "And... and... the girl," he said, unable to speak the name that sounded wrong being paired with her face. She wasn't Hermione to him.

"A werewolf and three teenagers," Dumbledore frowned. "I'm not sure how I can help you Sirius," the Headmaster confessed. "Against the Minister of Magic and a very angry Severus Snape who is at present nursing a head injury and insisting that the Dementors be brought to this very room to administer the Kiss to you."

Sirius flinched at the words in genuine fear and then looked down, clenching his eyes shut tightly as he tried to push away the terror that was quickly seeping its way into his sallow skin. "I... I don't care," Sirius admitted sadly. "Albus, I'm not saying all of this in order to escape. I'm telling you... regardless of my own fate," he winced again. "Peter Pettigrew is alive, he is a Death Eater and he has and will sell out anyone, Harry especially if it meant saving his own skin. Keep my godson safe," Sirius paused and then added. "Keep her safe too."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Do you remember many years ago Sirius when you were brought to my office after a prank had gone awry?" The older wizard continued when Sirius looked away from him guiltily. "Did you ever wonder why you were not expelled for endangering the life of a fellow student? Why you were not punished more severely?"

Sirius shook his head. "No," he whispered. "At the time I was preoccupied with seeking forgiveness."

"I should like to tell you then how I came to decide your fate," Albus smiled, _actually smiled_ at Sirius as though the man were not at present being sentenced to a fate worse than death. "A young witch informed me that Sirius Black was a confused and angry boy who was lashing out because he did not know how to properly handle the prejudices he'd grown up with," he said softly. "And then... she informed me that Sirius Black was a good man." The older wizard chuckled. "Interesting phrasing, don't you think?" He asked. "Almost as though she thought of the boy and the man as different people."

And without another word, Dumbledore left Sirius to his fate.

The wizard moved back to the bench in the corner and collapsed on it, one arm draped across his waist, holding his sore rib-cage. "So this is it," Sirius frowned as his grey eyes darted to the door, wondering how long it would take before Fudge showed up with Dementors at the ready, hungrily staring at him, eager to swallow his soul.

"He's there!" He heard a familiar voice shout.

Sirius turned his head and looked at the window, eyes wide as the strangest sight appeared before him. Harry Potter riding on the back of a Hippogriff, with a tiny bushy-haired witch clinging to him, her eyes shut tight. The flying creature tapped on the window with the tip of it's wings and Sirius, forgetting his pain, rushed to the window and tried to open it. "Locked!" He shouted.

"Stand back!" Hermione called to Harry, and she took out her wand, still gripping the back of Harry's robes with her left hand. "_Alohomora_!" And the window sprang open.

Sirius stared at them, gobsmacked. "How... how...?" He mumbled weakly. Hadn't Dumbledore just said, not less than a few minutes ago that Harry was in the Hospital Wing? How had they come to save him so quickly? How had they not been noticed? Where the fuck did they get a Hippogriff on such short notice?

"Get on!" Harry shouted, holding a hand out to his godfather. "There's not much time. You've got to get out of here," he said. "The Dementors are coming. We saw Macnair going to fetch them."

With no further prompting, Sirius pulled himself through the window and took Harry's hand as he climbed onto the back of the Hippogriff, flinging a leg over the large flying beast and leaning forward looking at the small witch with an apology in his eyes. _Mia_, he thought as he looked at her, placing a hand on her waist to steady himself. And that's when he felt it. _The bond_. It was faint, barely there and, had he not previously felt it at it's strongest, Sirius might have missed the sensation altogether as, apparently, the young witch had. She was young, so young it was quite a bit uncomfortable to look at her let alone touch her, despite the need to do so in order to stay balanced on the Hippogriff's back. She was a virtual stranger to him, but somehow... she was still Mia.

"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" Harry shouted and the creature took flight once again. "Up to the tower, come on!"

The girl had nodded to him with a sympathetic smile, silently saying it was okay for him to hold onto her as they flew away, and Sirius smiled when he noticed she had shut her eyes tightly once again. _Afraid of heights. Yes, this must be Mia_. He didn't know how, but there was no doubt in his mind.

The Hippogriff - Buckbeak, Sirius recalled - put his claws down on the top of the West Tower and Harry had jumped off immediately. The witch made to move but stilled immediately as Sirius felt himself cling to her waist slightly, afraid that if he let her go, let _either_ of them go, they'd disappear forever.

"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Harry panted, snapping the raven-haired wizard out of his daze. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."

Suddenly, Sirius let go of Hermione. She turned and smiled at him and he looked on the verge of tears as his slate grey eyes met her chocolate brown ones. He resisted the urge to touch her face. A face he thought he'd never see again.

"I owe you a life debt, little witch," Sirius smirked at her before helping her down from the Hippogriff. Hermione blushed and Sirius grinned at the sight and then looked to Harry. "How can I ever thank..." he began.

"Go!" The pair cut him off together and Sirius laughed looking at them. The girl, Hermione, and Harry who looked just like his father. If Sirius hadn't felt so old at that moment he would have thought that he was looking at James and Mia.

"We'll see each other again," Sirius promised. "You are," his grey eyes turned to his godson. "Truly your father's son, Harry."

oOoOoOo

**June 10th, 1994**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Most of his things were already packed, but Remus was finishing up separating a few books into two boxes when he heard his office door open and looked up. He grinned at the sight of Harry standing there, hands in his pockets looking guilty though Remus couldn't for the life of him imagine why. The boy had saved Sirius' life, protected his friends, helped oust a traitor, and faced a werewolf courageously. Albeit a bit foolishly.

"Hello, Harry. Saw you coming," Remus said and gestured to the open Marauder's Map on his desk. Remus' brows furrowed when Harry looked up at him with worry in his eyes and suddenly the pieces clicked. "I've looked worse, believe me," he laughed, gesturing to the puncture marks around his neck and the bruise along the side of his jaw from Padfoot's attack.

"You've been sacked," Harry frowned.

"Resigned, actually," Remus clarified as he threw another book into the smaller of the two remaining boxed. "It seems that someone has let slip the nature of my condition."

Harry growled. "Snape."

The way he had said the name was an instant reminder that the boy before him was truly James Potter's son. Remus sighed, hoping that somehow Harry would be able to overcome any faults that he might have inherited from his father, the ego for one. Somehow he believed that with Hermione there to temper him, Harry would turn out just fine.

"Whoever," Remus shrugged. "It was bound to get out. This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving. Parents will not want a... someone like me teaching their children," he said firmly, forcing back the bitterness that was rising inside of him.

_Of course it had been Snape, who else?_ A part of Remus couldn't blame him, he had, after all, endangered all of their lives simply by not taking the damn Wolfsbane Potion when it was right in front of him. He tried not to be angry about the situation, but Remus had, for the first time in many years, finally felt at home. Not only that, he felt useful. It didn't help knowing that he was leaving Harry and Hermione behind... essentially unprotected.

"But Dumbledore..." Harry began to argue.

"Has already risked enough on my behalf," Remus said, cutting him off. "Besides, people like me, well... let's just say I'm used to this by now," he frowned. "But before I go, tell me about your Patronus."

"How'd you know about that?" Harry asked.

Remus smirked. "What else could have driven off the Dementors?"

"Well," Harry began. "At first I thought it was a horse, or perhaps a unicorn, but I think it was..."

"A stag," the werewolf breathed. "Your father used to transform into one," he said with a bright smile at the memory of the large animal that had always seemed so regal and gentle, at least when he wasn't charging forward attempting to stab you with an antler in retribution for defiling his sister. "That's how he was able to keep me company when I became... sick. He was a great friend," Remus looked down and swallowed hard. "Their... their deaths were... very hard on me," he admitted.

"You knew my mum too?" Harry asked.

Remus nodded. "She was exceptional," he said with a grin. "One of the kindest witches I've ever know; amazingly talented and fiercely protective. In fact, there was only ever one other that surpassed her in that sense," he said quietly and then cleared his throat. "They and Sirius were my best friends. I am very glad to know that I haven't lost them all," he admitted.

"What will happen to Sirius?" Harry inquired.

"I'm not sure, Harry," Remus replied, leaning up against the edge of his desk. "I have hopes, and a general plan for the future I suppose," he shrugged. "Perhaps I'll share it with Sirius should I come across him."

"If you do," the boy smiled. "Tell him... tell him that our plan is still on. One day his name will be cleared and... and then we'll figure everything out."

"I'll do that," Remus nodded and he folded the Marauder's Map back up, tapping his wand on the top of it and whispering, "Mischief Managed," before handing the parchment out to Harry. "I'm no longer your Professor, so I don't feel guilty about giving this back to you," he grinned. "In fact I hope, and I know James and Sirius would feel the same way, that you, Ron, and Hermione find some fun uses for it."

"What about my mum?" Harry asked curiously.

"Merlin," Remus laughed. "Lily would have hexed your arse for even considering following in our mischievous footsteps," he grinned. "Which your father would say would just be a good enough reason to do so."

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Remus and Harry turned to see the little witch standing in the doorway. "Come on in, Hermione," Remus smiled and leaned forward, patting Harry on the back. "I'll see you again, Harry. I promise you that," he said and watched the boy smile and leave the office, shutting the door behind him.

"It's not fair," Hermione frowned.

"Few things in life are," he shrugged his shoulders. "Will you do me a favor, Hermione?" Remus asked. "Will you... take care of Harry?"

"Of course," she responded immediately. "But couldn't we write to the Ministry? All of your students don't want you to go," she insisted. "Okay, maybe the Slytherins, but they have biased opinions."

"Unfortunately, I believe it will do little good," Remus frowned at the way her eyes filled with tears. He had always hated it when Mia cried as it was so very rare that, when she did, it usually meant something truly terrible had happened. Hermione on the other hand appeared to weep quite often, which only endeared the girl to him more. "But your kindness, as always, astounds me."

"Where will you go?" She asked.

"Home," Remus shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps I'll travel. It does get quite lonely though," he smirked. "If I'm lucky perhaps I'll get myself a pet. I've always been a fan of dogs."

"I hear there might be a big black stray out there somewhere," Hermione smiled sadly.

Remus grinned at her. "If I track him down I'll do my best to look after him. You do the same with Harry. Oh," he said and turned around reaching for the small box of books, "these are for you."

Hermione's brown eyes widened with glee at the sight. "Really?" She took the box gratefully. "But I thought... I mean I couldn't..." she frowned.

"You're still _borrowing_ them," Remus clarified. "And when you're done, you'll send them back and I'll give you something new to read," he informed her. "I may no longer be your Professor, but considering Dumbledore previously hired Gilderoy Lockhart to teach you, I'd be remiss in my duties as a friend to leave your education in the hands of those less qualified," he said smugly. "Plus, you can keep me informed on Harry. I imagine you'll be much better at writing letters than a Quidditch obsessed teenage boy. But I do care to know that he's well... and I care to know that you are well, also," he confessed.

Hermione nodded, still frowning. "Can I help carry some of your things to the gates?" She offered.

"No need," Remus said, waving his wand and shrinking all of his belongings into one large trunk. "I'm not vanishing just quite yet. Professor Dumbledore has been keeping some things of mine for me and I need to retrieve them before I depart."

Hermione nodded. "I suppose this is goodbye."

Remus shook his head. "_'Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting,'_," he smiled kindly at the curly-haired witch.

"Peter Pan," Hermione beamed at the reference. "Professor? Do you promise to write me back?" She asked nervously.

"I promise."

oOoOoOo

**June 10th, 1994**

**Lupin Cottage - Residence of Remus Lupin**

The green flames erupted from the fireplace and a tired Remus Lupin stepped into his small living room. Leaving Hogwarts had been difficult and he'd not even completely processed everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. A day ago he had been certain that Sirius Black was, at least partially, responsible for the deaths of Lily and James. A day ago he had been certain that Peter Pettigrew was dead. Now everything had changed.

"Got sacked I take it?" A voice called from behind him and Remus jumped a foot in the air, startled into a scream. "When did you get so jumpy?" Sirius asked from his place on the long sofa, his legs stretched out to the end, his hands resting behind his head.

"What... where..." Remus gaped at the sight of Sirius Black in his living room. On his couch. Still unbathed and laying on his couch. The werewolf grimaced for a moment before turning his attention back to his friend and fugitive. "How the fuck did you get in here?" Remus asked.

"You use the same security wards that we used to put up on our flat," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Constant vigilance, Moony."

"How did you take them down?" Remus asked, wide-eyed. "You don't have a wand. Did you steal a wand?"

"Please," Sirius scoffed. "I could take down our old wards wandlessly, wordlessly, and in my sleep if I wanted to," he said smugly. "Don't worry, Aurors have already been here," he explained. "I staked out the place until I saw the D.M.L.E. leave. Moody's still a cranky old bastard," he barked a laugh. "Overheard that he's retiring though. Brought my little cousin along for the ride. Can't believe little Tonks is an Auror."

Remus paled at the mention of the girl he hadn't seen in almost a year. Inside the wolf was scratching the never ending itch that only ever seemed to dissipate in her general proximity. Remus did his best to hide his reaction to Sirius's words. "Did... did anyone see you?"

"I'm still here aren't I?"

"Do you... do you want some tea?" Remus offered as he lazily walked into the kitchen. "I don't have much in the way of food, but I think I left behind a few things."

"I'd like some Firewhisky," Sirius stated clearly. "But you're out. I already checked."

"I wouldn't even waste _cheap_ Firewhisky on you," Remus said as he came back into the living room, collapsing into the large armchair in the corner, still physically exhausted and sore from the prior night's transformation. "Last I remember you couldn't even get properly pissed."

"Not on Firewhisky," Sirius nodded. "But I miss the taste. Miss a great many things," the Animagus said with a frown. "We have a lot to talk about," he said after a full minute of silence.

"That we do, Pads," Remus nodded. "I'm sorry," he blurted out. "I'm sorry for fighting with you the last time we saw one another. Maybe if I hadn't... I don't know," he frowned and leaned forward in the chair, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "I shouldn't have jumped at the chance to take every mission Dumbledore threw at me. I missed her and I couldn't talk about things and you were..." he sighed. "I didn't know how to keep you alive, Sirius. You barely functioned after Mia went missing, almost died, and then the Order started putting us out on missions. I... I didn't know how to stick around and watch if something happened to you. But if I had been around more, you never would have mistrusted me and..."

"Don't go there, Moony," Sirius shook his head. "I know what I was like those last few years. If I wasn't drinking I was fighting, and since I kept getting arrested for doing it in public," he sighed, "I tried bringing it home. Couldn't fight with James because he and Lily had Harry and they had their own problems and it didn't help that I had Wormtail right there whispering shit in my ear and Snivellus accusing one or the other of us of being a spy during Order meetings," he grumbled. "So, I took it all out on you. It was a fucked up situation."

"Yeah," Remus nodded.

"Mia?" Sirius asked, grey eyes looking up and meeting Remus' stare.

"Hermione," the werewolf quickly corrected. "She's called Hermione Granger here. Now," he clarified.

"Time-Turner?" Sirius questioned.

Remus' eyes widened. "How the hell would you..."

"I'm not an idiot, Remus," Sirius scoffed. "I got more O.W.L.s than you did. Once I figured out that I wasn't hallucinating her, I was able to put two and two together. When she and Harry rescued me, she had a necklace on. I've never seen one up close, but I've read about Time-Turners. Plus... I know it's her. I could..." Sirius cleared his throat. "The Soul Bond."

"You can feel it?" Remus asked, appearing somewhat relieved.

Sirius nodded. "Barely. It's there it's just... faint. Mum... Dorea," he said, "told me that a Soul Bond needs to have both partners fully knowing, willing, and loving. It's not strong right now because she doesn't know me, does she?" He asked.

Remus shook his head. "She's just a normal fourteen-year-old girl."

"When did _you_ find out the truth?" Sirius asked, somewhat bitterly.

"Seventh year, just after her scar appeared," the werewolf replied, gesturing to his forearm. "She brought me to Dumbledore and took me into a Pensieve to show me her memories of the future to prove who she was and where she came from." Remus looked down sadly. "I... for years I honestly didn't ever think that the future I saw would come to pass... but now, with you free..."

"You saw me?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded. "Saw us both. She was selective of what I could see, of course," he sighed. "But I saw her, younger her, Hermione," he said specifically, "with you. It'll be a few years, of course, she's just a kid now."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Merlin, don't remind me," he groaned. "Alright so... when does everything happen?"

"I send Hermione back in time September of 1998," Remus explained. "And I charm the Time-Turner into a delayed Portkey that will bring Mia _back to_ 1998 from September 19th, 1979."

"The night she left..." Sirius's eyes widened. "_You_? _You_ took her away from me?"

"Apparently," Remus shrugged. "Time travel is complicated. I only end up doing things because I've already done them. Same with her apparently. Same with all of us," the werewolf sighed in frustration. "I didn't want to take her away from you, I swear it. But... fuck..." Remus winced. "I watched her leave. She called me you know," he looked up across the room and glared at Sirius. "Told me that you walked out on her when she was... fuck, she was trying to tell you what was happening to her!"

Sirius stood up and kicked the nearby table. "How the fuck was I supposed to know that?! I come home and my witch is crying her heart out, tells me that she's been keeping more bloody secrets and she starts stuttering..."

"That was the spell," Remus sighed. "Dumbledore put some spell on her to prevent her from talking about the future. Prevent her from changing anything. Any time she got close to talking about it, she'd start stuttering and blackout."

"Fuck," Sirius rubbed his face raw with calloused palms. "So, she _knew_?" He asked after another long pause of silence. He looked up into the grief-stricken eyes of his friend, his only friend left in the world and some pain buried deep down inside of Sirius came to life. "She... she knew about Prongs and Lily. She... Mia let James die," he gasped.

Remus frowned and nodded, but then quietly added. "We _all_ let them die."

And it was the truth in a way. Sirius had been reckless, hiding his grief and pain with alcohol, fighting and eventually espionage. He'd cut ties with Remus, catered to Peter, and relied too heavily on James and Lily. Despite his good intentions, Sirius still blamed himself for their deaths, at least in part.

But she'd known _everything_. Known about Peter, about the attack and the war and Voldemort's destruction. She'd obviously known about Harry considering the girl was his best friend now. Worst of all, or at least the most personal revelation had been that Mia had known about Azkaban. Sirius struggled with feeling betrayed over her secrets and relieved that she was, in fact, alive.

"I don't know whether to hate her or love her anymore," he confessed. "How could she let James... how could she... she left me there. Twelve years," Sirius said and buried his face in his hands.

Remus walked over and sat down beside his friend. "Love her," he advised. "She suffered, believe me," he sighed. "She couldn't change anything, Pads. Even one thing out of place might have made our world worse. More people could have died, more could have suffered," and when it appeared like Sirius had stopped listening, Remus threw out, "Harry could have died."

That struck something inside of the Animagus who looked up into the eyes of the werewolf and slowly nodded. "Harry's alive," he emotionally choked out the words. "I love her then," he decided aloud, as though he even had a choice in the matter. Sirius knew his heart had decided long ago that Mia was everything, and even at her worst he loved her unconditionally. This... this was apparently her worst.

"We should get some sleep," Remus moved to stand.

"Stay out here with me, Moony," Sirius insisted.

The werewolf stretched his arms over his head. "I'll set up the spare room tomorrow," he said, ignoring Sirius' specific plea. "We can stay here for a few days but then we should probably leave. At least until the Ministry stops looking for you. I know of a few old Order safe houses that Dumbledore had me stay in when I was working with the other packs. We can move between them for the time being. If you want you can sleep in my room tonight," he offered.

"I can't do that, Moony."

"Pads, I insist. After everything you've been through... I can give up my bed for tonight."

"No," Sirius looked up at his friend and smirked. "I mean, neither of us can use your bed tonight. I stuck the Hippogriff in there before you got home."

oOoOoOo

**June 11th, 1994**

**Lupin Cottage - Residence of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black**

When the water poured out of the shower head and hit his hand, Sirius flinched at the cold temperature that reminded him too quickly of the long swim through the North Sea after escaping Azkaban almost a year ago. Merlin, had it really almost been a year? A year of running, hiding, and being scared? Twelve years in prison and another waiting... waiting for vengeance. Vengeance that hadn't come in the end.

When the water turned hot Sirius breathed in the steam as though it was rising off of a freshly baked treacle tart. Slowly, he stripped the filthy grey prison robes from his body, kicking them into a pile in the corner of the bathroom. When he stepped into the shower and moved immediately under the fall of hot water, Sirius let out a loud moan mixed with pleasure and relief. He rested a palm against the wall and closed his eyes, letting the warmth spread down over the taut skin of his back, penetrating the stiff and sore muscles.

Reaching for a small bar of cheap soap, Sirius lathered up a flannel rag and ran it over his skin to wash away the dirt, the grime, and twelve years worth of memories. He washed the rag across each of his arms and down his legs, then across his stomach and sides, pausing to feel the way his fingers rose and fell over his rib-cage. He vigorously scraped the dirt away from his pale chest, looking down with relief as the tattoo of Mia's name revealed itself. He hissed in pain as the soap cleansed a still open cut along his back, making a mental note to have Remus heal it once he was out of the shower; the werewolf had, after all, been responsible for that and a number of other recent wounds.

He groaned when he was able to, after several attempts, get his fingers through his thick, dirt-crusted hair. After the fourth time washing his ebony locks, the feeling of cleanliness was so great that he was able to confirm a worry he'd had over the years: did long-term exposure to Dementors decrease a man's ability to get hard? The answer was a _resounding_ no. Unfortunately, his previous go-to fantasy was his witch, but his witch was now a fourteen year old girl, and though thoughts about _Dementors_ didn't have the ability to kill an erection, the very _implication_ of lechery certainly did.

His eyes turned down and watched as the dirty water circled the drain, washing away the dirt, blood, and pain. Sirius logically knew that he'd never be able to forget Azkaban. Still, when he watched the water finally run clear there was a sense of accomplishment that overcame the Animagus who had long ago come to terms with the fact that he might never feel clean again.

After turning the water off, he reached for a towel that had been set out for him, rubbing the dry, soft cloth vigorously over his skin. Grey eyes fell across a set of clean clothes that Remus placed on the edge of the bathroom counter. Sirius smiled at the gesture, having forgotten what it was like to have someone take care of him, even with something as simple as setting out clothing for him.

"It's a good thing life's been as shitty to you as it has been to me," Sirius commented as he walked out of the bathroom wearing only a pair of Remus' denim jeans. "The fact that we've both been starved has kept us the same size," he noted aloud, attempting to make a joke but Remus' silence drew his attention to the werewolf.

Green eyes stared at Sirius' form in shock. Remus looked at the body of his best friend, noting each and every unfamiliar scar. Sirius frowned at the look of concern and turned around to show him the gash on his back. "Go ahead and fix this one for me, would ya?" He asked. "And stop staring at me like I'm broken. I'm still better looking than you," he pointed out smugly.

Remus let out a short laugh and nodded, holding back tears as he walked over to heal the wound on Sirius' back. "At least you don't have grey hair," the werewolf said. "Though, I suppose it does make me look... I don't know, more like a Professor."

When he felt the skin of his back repaired, Sirius slipped the faded t-shirt on over his head and turned to face his friend. "How was that?" He asked curiously, moving back to the couch in the living room. "Being back at Hogwarts, teaching... teaching Mia of all people."

"Hermione," Remus corrected.

"I know who she is, Remus," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"You really don't. They're different witches. Mia _was_ Hermione, but Hermione is not Mia," he clarified. "The reason that Mia was who she was is because of the life Hermione is living now. Mia was... a completed puzzle," Remus said thoughtfully. "Or at least close to completion. And right now Hermione is all the uncoordinated pieces. You can see them fitting together though." Remus approached Sirius again, carrying a cup of hot tea in his hands.

Sirius drank immediately, ignoring the fact that the liquid was slightly burning his mouth. The warmth of the tea penetrated his bones and seeped into each and every vein, warming his entire body that had been left slightly cold after stepping out of the shower. "Mia never talked about her life before... before the Potters took her in," Sirius reflected aloud. "Just the scars," he frowned. "I didn't see the rest of her, obviously," and he grimaced at the very thought of the fourteen-year-old in any potential state of undress. The age gap between them now was horrifyingly inconvenient. "But I saw her forearm. It was clean."

Remus nodded. "She hasn't been hurt yet. At least not by Death Eaters," the werewolf said, rolling his eyes. "I don't think you want to know what she and Harry have been up to since they started Hogwarts."

Sirius raised a brow.

"Let's just say, facing a werewolf and an escaped convict this past year has been boring compared to their previous adventures." Remus took a sip from his own mug. When he noted that Sirius was staring at him, expecting him to continue, Remus sighed. "Last year the Chamber of Secrets was opened."

"That's a myth."

"Tell that to the Basilisk that Harry apparently killed."

Sirius choked on his tea and winced as the hot liquid spilled out of the mug. He stared at Remus incredulously, waiting for his friend to tell him that he was joking, and when he didn't Sirius sat up and put his head in his hands. "Tell me everything you know," he pleaded.

An hour later when the stories had finished, Remus made another pot of tea and the two pretended it was the Firewhisky they needed to settle their nerves.

oOoOoOo

When Sirius woke in the middle of the night because Remus was shaking him, he looked around to find himself in Animagus form, laying across the werewolf's lap. He sat up quickly and shifted back to his human self, and then awkwardly said, "Well, I suppose you and I have been in more compromising positions before."

Remus smiled sadly. "You were having a nightmare."

Sirius nodded.

"You can shift unconsciously?"

He nodded again. "Dementors... they don't pay attention to animals."

"I umm.." Remus cleared his throat. "I have some things for you. When the Ministry seized our flat, Dumbledore was able to get most of our belongings out. He gave everything to me and I've kept it all this time. I was going to wait until tomorrow morning so you could have a chance to go through everything, but something tells me you could use some old familiar comforts."

Remus stood and walked over to the coffee table in the middle of the room where a small box sat that hadn't been there before Sirius had fallen asleep. The Animagus sat up, paying attention as Remus slipped his hand and then arm into the box all the way up to his shoulder.

"Undetectable Extension?" He asked.

Remus nodded.

A moment later, the werewolf walked back over with two things in his hand. Sirius held out a shaking palm as a long piece of chestnut wood was placed there. The raven-haired wizard took a sharp breath as the magic from his wand instantly reconnected with him like an old friend the same way it had when he was eleven years old, standing in the middle of Ollivander's. "Mate," Sirius breathed out softly. "I don't think I've missed _any object_ in the entire world more than this over the past twelve years," he admitted.

"You might want to save that declaration," Remus said before holding his hand out and dropping a long silver chain into Sirius' hand. Sirius pressed his lips tight together as he immediately threw the silver chain around his neck, tugging at it like he used to do when he needed comfort, needed to feel safe. He closed his grey eyes, fighting back the tears that were threatening to surface.

There were no words that Sirius could use to properly convey his gratitude to Remus.

There were no words needed as far as Remus was concerned.

* * *

**A/N**: I know this Chapter was a big request from everyone and I really hope it met expectations. It was one of my favorite to write and I still enjoy reading it, particularly the last bit with Sirius' shower and Remus returning the wand and silver chain. JKR (and myself) wrote a lot of pain for Sirius Black, but I actually felt a sense of accomplishment by writing this little bit of healing.


	111. Chapter 111

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Writing through Goblet of Fire was a giant pain in my ass. There's only one mention of Remus in the entire book and Sirius only comes in at random intervals. It was rotten. I worked through it mostly with this chapter to summarize the goings on at Hogwarts (and skipping all the non-Remus/Sirius stuff there) and I've included a few other fun things in upcoming chapters. I hope you all like it!

Q&amp;As - **annieca**, yes, the silver chain Remus' gave back to Sirius is the original emergency Portkey that Mia gave him. Also, as far as Mia knowing her way around Hogwarts, there was the one moment with the Room of Requirement when the boys asked her how she found the place and she played coy. I think she would have done that a lot if anyone noticed anything. Then again, eleven-year-old boys? Not the greatest attention span LOL. **bluecurls**, I'm so laughing about the Joey/Ross thing. There's a moment in a future chapter I know you're going to absolutely love. Remus/Sirius friendship is my life. To answer your question, Remus has no idea that he's going to lose Sirius at some point. He knows (because of the letter) that in the future Sirius needs to be "rescued" from the Department of Mysteries, but Remus is banking on his memory of the night that Hermione goes back in time. So he thinks that "well, at least we all make it to that point". **MusicGirl1821 **and **Lalina92**, Year Four goes a lot faster than Year 3, I promise. **Duner89**, there will be at least one chapter before Part Four that will cover some missing moments from Part One aka Year 7. **GTH**, yes they are in a continuous loop. Remember what Remus' letter said, nothing can be changed. Hermione will be sent back in time because it's already happened. However, when Mia vanished from 1979, she will reappear in 1998.

Reference Chasers read Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 22 and pretty much all of Goblet of Fire.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Eleven: Correspondence

_"...We were made for each other  
__Out here forever  
__I know we were, yeah, yeah  
__All I ever wanted was for you to know  
__Everything I do, I give my heart and soul  
__I can hardly breathe, I need to feel you here with me, yeah..."  
__(When You're Gone - Avril Lavigne)_

* * *

**June 18th, 1994**

**Lupin Cottage - Residence of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black**

"Did you get the owl?" Sirius asked the moment that Remus burst through the fireplace in green flames.

Only a week in the safety of Lupin Cottage and Sirius was already looking better than ever. The color had mostly returned to his cheeks and with proper food he'd actually filled out quite a bit, though still nowhere near his normal healthy stature. He had, of course, noted that the food supply was dwindling and with Remus constantly searching for work Sirius felt guilty for being a drain on his friend. He hadn't revealed it yet, but the Animagus was planning on going back on the run if only to spare the werewolf the extra trouble. Besides, he knew that Dementors hadn't yet been recalled from Hogsmeade and assumed that if someone spotted him somewhere south of London, the Ministry of Magic would put turn the manhunt for Sirius Black away from Scotland, which would better keep Harry and Hermione safe.

Sirius had been happy to see that among his things given to Remus by Dumbledore had been a stash of Galleons that he was not surprised the werewolf hadn't used for himself over the years. He'd done what he could to help his friend restock his cupboards, saving whatever was left - which was not much - to purchase a new owl to send a letter to Harry.

Remus grimaced as he walked over toward the Animagus who was sitting at a large desk, quill in hand. "I got an owl," the werewolf admitted. "Though for the cost he's not exactly..." he sighed. "He's adequate enough to send a letter; very enthusiastic," he finally said and revealed a small cage with a grey, snitch-sized ball of feathers that bounced from one end of the cage to the other.

"What the fuck is _that_?" Sirius gaped.

"Apparently an owl," Remus shrugged. "It was the only one they had left for the amount of money you gave me."

Sirius scowled. "I should have just sent something back with the owl that arrived for you this morning," he said bitterly.

"I got an owl?"

"Dropped off a letter and a book. I read the letter," he noted. "It's from Hermione. Since when are you pen pals with a fourteen-year-old girl?"

"Jealous?" Remus snorted and walked over, looking at the book Hermione returned, smiling as he opened the letter.

"Shut up, Remus," Sirius pouted.

"She only has Harry and Ron as friends, Sirius, and while Harry is talented at Defense, Quidditch, and Charms, she's very ahead of them intellectually. I offered to loan her my book collection and help with anything she might be in need of, especially if Dumbledore hires another imbecile to take over my position at Hogwarts," he explained. "Besides, she'll help me keep an eye on Harry. He's not very forthcoming with asking for help when he needs it."

"The son of James Potter doesn't know how to ask for help?" Sirius inquired sarcastically. "Next you'll be telling me he loves Quidditch and doesn't know how to comb his hair."

Remus chuckled and sat down to read Hermione's letter.

_"Professor Lupin,_

_I hope you'll indulge my need to address you formally, regardless of whether or not you are still a Professor. Somehow 'Mister Lupin' sounds strange to me, and as the best teacher I've ever had in Defense, I believe the title is well earned and much deserved. I hope you are well and that your journey home, wherever that might be, was not uncomfortable due to your condition. Once again, I hope you'll forgive me for the things I said in the Shrieking Shack that night. It was rude of me to imply you were anything but honorable and please know that I will never again reveal your condition to others._

_Thank you again very much for the books you've loaned me. I've returned to you your copy of 'Dreadful Denizens of the Deep' and I can't wait to see what you're willing to send me next, that is, if you are still alright with me using you as a mail order library._

_The end of term was without incident, at least in the life threatening sense. Gryffindor won the House Cup again and shortly after the announcement, Fred and George Weasley somehow transfigured one of Professor McGonagall's cats into a miniature Hippogriff and let it chase Malfoy around the Great Hall, pecking at his ankles. They've been given detention for two weeks starting next September. Ron and Harry are well. Ron's leg is healing from the break and he's quite content to tell anyone who will listen about his heroic face off against the now infamous Sirius Black, though no one appears to believe him which I think is well and good._

_Harry worries about Sirius._

_It might be strange to say, but I do as well._

_Hermione J. Granger"_

"She's worried about you," Remus smirked.

"I know, I read the letter," Sirius scowled as he took up his own quill and put it to parchment.

_"Dear Harry,"_ Sirius wrote.

_"I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post. Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he does seem eager for the job._

_I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts so that the security on the castle will be lifted._

_There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt. Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth_

_of presents from your godfather."_

"Wait just a damn minute," Remus said from over Sirius' shoulder.

Much like a pre-teen caught sending a love letter to a girl, Sirius covered the parchment quickly and turned to scowl up at the werewolf who was smirking at him.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, you read _my_ mail," Remus laughed. "I knew you had sent him the Firebolt, but how exactly did you get anyone to access your vaults?" He asked.

"I lied," Sirius said through clenched teeth. "I don't want the kid to think any worse of me than he already does," he admitted.

"So where'd you get the money to buy the broom?" Remus asked.

Sirius smirked. "Stole if off of Lucius Malfoy."

Remus' laughter echoed through the house as Sirius continued his letter.

_"I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you._

_I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable. If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me._

_I'll write again soon._

_Sirius_

_PS: I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat."_

oOoOoOo

**June 24th, 1994**

_"Dear Moony,_

_Don't be pissed that I left. I feel bad enough as it is leaving during the full moon knowing you could probably use some help recovering, but I knew that if you weren't distracted enough you'd never let me leave, and I needed to leave. It's not safe for me at the cottage. You're not safe with me there. Aurors are still on the lookout, and as clever as you are with your fancy Patronus, I've seen what happens when faced with a hundred Dementors and I will not bring that down on you._

_Take care of yourself. I'll keep in touch when I can._

_Padfoot"_

oOoOoOo

_"Professor Lupin,_

_I received your copy of 'Hairy Snout, Human Heart' today and I'm excited to begin reading it. I find the subject of Lycanthropy quite interesting, and I hope should I have any questions regarding it you won't be offended were I to ask you._

_Knowing that the full moon was last night and in keeping with tradition, I've enclosed a bar of chocolate. It's a Muggle brand and sugar-free so it's not quite the quality of Honeydukes, but my parents are dentists and I would have to listen to a well rehearsed and memorized speech about cavities if they caught me spending money on proper candy._

_I've only received one owl from Harry so far. Apparently his aunt and uncle have allowed him to access his Hogwarts books because he's told them that the escaped murderer Sirius Black is his godfather. I told him that wasn't appropriate to scare Muggles, especially since Sirius was perfectly innocent, but I doubt he'll listen to me._

_Hope you are well._

_Hermione J. Granger"_

oOoOoOo

**August 23rd, 1994**

_"Dear Sirius,_

_Thanks for your last letter. That bird was enormous; it could hardly get through my window. Things are the same as usual here. Dudley's diet isn't going too well. My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window. That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn't even got Mega-Mutilation Part Three to take his mind off things._

_I'm okay, mainly because the Dursleys are terrified you might turn up and turn them all into bats if I ask you to. A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don't reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterward?_

_I'll send this with Hedwig when she gets back; she's off hunting at the moment. Say hello to Buckbeak for me._

_Harry_

_PS: If you want to contact me, I'll be at my friend Ron Weasley's for the rest of the summer. His dad's got us tickets for the Quidditch World Cup!"_

oOoOoOo

**August 24th, 1994**

_"Dear Hermione,_

_While I wish you would not waste your money on indulging in the sweet tooth of an old werewolf, I am constantly grateful for your monthly packages. I was also glad to hear that Harry received a good amount of things for his birthday. You are a good friend and I hope he is grateful for all that you do for him._

_I know I am._

_To answer your question, no I will not be attending the Quidditch World Cup though I'll be eagerly listening via wireless. While I did not play on the House team at Hogwarts, I was quite the fan and enjoyed flying a bit in my youth, though I was never as skilled at it as Sirius or Harry's father. Please say hello to Harry and Ron when you see them and do try to enjoy yourself at the game. Though when all else fails, I suppose you could just bring a book along._

_Please take care of yourself._

_R. J. Lupin"_

oOoOoOo

**August 27th, 1994**

_"Moony,_

_Can't tell you where I am these days for obvious reasons. Your owl back will be able to find me. Sure would be nice to have those old Galleons Mia made back in the day. I'm always worried that one of my birds will get intercepted. I've been picking up random varieties as I travel, exotic ones from various locations so that if they do catch one, they'll never be able to trace it. Getting one inside Hogwarts is going to be difficult I think._

_I'm worried about Harry and Hermione. I caught wind of what happened at the World Cup. Death Eaters out in the open again. It's like it's starting all over. Isn't this what we fought against? Isn't this what Lily and James died for? What we lost Mia for? Didn't you tell me that she said the war was over in her time? Fuck. I hate not being able to do a thing to help. I heard someone mention that they've given Moody your old job. I hated the bastard when I worked under him, but if anyone can keep an eye out (get it?) on the kids, it'll be that old coot._

_Padfoot"_

oOoOoOo

**September 4th, 1994**

_"Professor Lupin,_

_You've never been more missed here at Hogwarts. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts taught his first class today and I honestly don't know how to feel about it. He's supposedly some famous Auror who came out of retirement to take up your post, but the things he taught us..._

_I don't even know if I can say._

_Unforgivables. It was horrible. The look on Harry's face and... and poor Neville._

_Professor Moody even attacked a student. Granted, it might have been well deserved._

_I hope you are well._

_Hermione J. Granger_

_PS: Do you happen to have any books on house-elves. I find myself poorly educated on the subject and if I plan on freeing them (yes, you read that correctly) I feel I should learn as much as possible. I've included a badge for you if you'd like to join the cause. S.P.E.W. stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."_

oOoOoOo

**October 30th, 1994**

_"Harry,_

_I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore ... they're saying he's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs, even if no one else is._

_I'll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry._

_Sirius"_

oOoOoOo

**October 31st, 1994**

_"Dear Sirius,_

_I reckon I just imagined my scar hurting, I was half asleep when I wrote to you last time. There's no point coming back, everything's fine here. Don't worry about me, my head feels completely normal._

_Harry"_

oOoOoOo

_"Nice try, Harry._

_I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Don't forget what I said about your scar._

_Sirius"_

oOoOoOo

**November 1st, 1994**

_"Dear Sirius,_

_You told me to keep you posted on what's happening at Hogwarts, so here goes ... I don't know if you've heard, but the Triwizard Tournament's happening this year and on Saturday night I got picked as a fourth champion. I don't know who put my name in the Goblet of Fire, because I didn't._

_The other Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff._

_Hope you're okay, and Buckbeak._

_Harry"_

oOoOoOo

**November 13th, 1994**

_"Harry,_

_I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted ... we need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November?_

_I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose._

_Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd of November as quickly as you can._

_Sirius"_

oOoOoOo

**November 14th, 1994**

_"Professor Lupin,_

_Things are not well at Hogwarts. I suppose you've heard about the Tri-Wizard Tournament taking place here? I don't know who did it or how it was done, but Harry has been chosen as a second Champion for Hogwarts. Something doesn't feel right and I'm terrified to think what might be happening that we're unaware of. Harry is in danger, I just know it. I'll do my best to help him of course, but it looks like I'm on my own. With the exception of Fred and George (who, let's be honest, aren't exactly helpful) the whole school has turned on Harry thinking that he's cheated and entered the Tournament himself._

_Even Ron has abandoned him. He's turned into quite a jealous child, throwing a tantrum because the spotlight is once again on Harry, ignoring the fact that Harry never asked for the attention. If the boys aren't fighting these days it's because they aren't speaking to one another and I've been put in the position of owl relaying messages between the two._

_Malfoy has been particularly cruel to Harry and the two got into a duel this afternoon. As per usual when a fight breaks out, it's those on the sidelines who are casualties. I'm writing this letter from the Hospital Wing. I'm quite alright though a stray hex from Malfoy hit me and Madam Pomfrey has promised to fix me up._

_Sirius has been writing to Harry and I'm worried for them both._

_Hermione"_

oOoOoOo

"_Hermione,_

_There are few people I have met in my life who remain as loyal a friend as you are. Harry is very lucky to have you and I will always be grateful that you are looking out for him. The Tri-Wizard Tournament is very dangerous and hasn't been around for so long for a good reason. I have to admit though, had it come to Hogwarts during my time as a student I doubt there would be anything that would have kept Sirius and Harry's father from entering. _

_It upsets me to hear that you were injured in a duel with Draco. I know you have a hard time with needing to follow the rules, but Slytherins rarely play by the same set. I've included my copy of 'Self-Defensive Spellwork' and I'd very much like it if you studied it closely. _

_Please take care of yourself._

_R. J. Lupin"_

oOoOoOo

**November 22nd, 1994**

**The Three Broomsticks - Hogsmeade**

He was dead if Rosmerta caught him.

Sirius moved from town to town, city to city and even Apparated to the Continent to get spotted roaming around Venice, Paris, and Amsterdam before returning to London and eventually making his way back north to Hogwarts after overhearing two Aurors discussing the fact that the manhunt for Sirius Black had hit a terrible standstill when Dementors and Ministry officials lost him somewhere outside of Luxembourg.

Harry's letters concerned him more than anything, and he was desperate in his need to talk to his godson face to face, or Floo to Floo. He had slipped into Hogsmeade unnoticed by anyone, stealing food and copies of the Daily Prophet where he could. Now that he was in a country where he was too easily spotted, food would become scarce once again.

Slipping into the Three Broomsticks was easy enough, and considering it was a busy night, he knew that Rosmerta wouldn't be slipping into her own quarters anytime soon, which was where he called into the Gryffindor Common Room, stuck his face in the fireplace and waited for Harry who turned up right on time.

"Sirius, how are you doing?" Harry asked.

Sirius smiled at the sight of the boy who was growing much too quickly for his liking. He frowned at the thought of Harry growing up but took solace in the fact that the faster Harry aged, the faster Hermione did as well, which meant one step closer to getting Mia back. His chest hurt to think about her so he pushed the witch from his thoughts and focused on Harry.

"Never mind me, how are you?" Sirius said.

"I'm ..." the boy hesitated.

A part of Sirius wondered if Harry would be able to talk to him like this. They'd only had a short chance to be with one another face to face before he had needed to disappear once again. Harry was good about writing, though it was clear he worried about being a burden to anyone. Sirius worried that there would be too many obstacles between godfather and godson and that as soon as he'd asked how the boy was doing, Harry would shut right up.

Sirius was wrong.

"Sirius, I'm horrible! No one believes that I didn't enter this damn Tournament, never mind that it's supposed to be impossible. Dumbledore put an age line around the Goblet of Fire, not even Fred and George could trick it and they know _twice_ as many spells as I do! Ron's been a complete tosser and Malfoy's gone around and made up all these buttons that say 'Potter Stinks' on them, the prat! I'm to go up against Cedric Diggory, who's actually a nice bloke, and this snobby girl from France and Viktor Krum! _Krum_! He's a famous Seeker, Sirius! And his Headmaster... Karkaroff blamed Dumbledore and then threatened to leave, but Snape said it was all _my_ fault. Then this crazy lady from the Daily Prophet interviewed me and lied throughout the entire thing making me seem like some crying baby and Hermione's the only person to stick by me, but really that's to be expected, she's always been there by my side. But not even she can help me in this bloody contest and now Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons! Dragons! Sirius, I'm a goner," he finished desperately.

Sirius stared wide-eyed at Harry who was now catching his breath. "Fucking hell..." Sirius sighed as he tried to think up any spells, hexes, charms, or curses that could be used against a bloody dragon.

oOoOoOo

**November 24th, 1994**

_"Dear Sirius,_

_I did it! I can't believe I did it, but I made it out alive. Tied for first place with Krum as well! Hermione stayed up all night helping me learn a Summoning Charm and right in the middle of the first task I summoned my Firebolt. So I guess I have you both to thank for that! I'm not sure yet what the second task will be, but I'll keep you updated._

_Harry_

_PS: Hermione and Ron say hello."_

oOoOoOo

**December 23rd, 1994**

_"Dear Harry,_

_I'm sorry this letter comes so late, but I had trouble getting an owl to deliver it without being seen. Congratulations on getting past the Horntail. Whoever put your name in that Goblet shouldn't be feeling too happy right now! I was going to suggest a Conjunctivitis Curse, as a dragon's eyes are its weakest point, but your way was better, I'm impressed._

_Don't get complacent, though, Harry. You've only done one task; whoever put you in for the Tournament's got plenty more opportunity if they're trying to hurt you. Keep your eyes open, and listen to whatever Hermione tells you. She's clearly a brilliant witch who has proven her loyalty to you._

_Keep in touch, I still want to hear about anything unusual. In case you don't hear from me before then, Happy Christmas, son._

_Sirius"_

oOoOoOo

**December 25th, 1994**

_"Dear Sirius,_

_Happy Christmas. I wish more than anything we could spent it together. It'd be much better than staying here at the castle, that's for certain. The school hosted a Yule Ball in celebration of the Tournament and it was an absolute disaster. Did my Dad know how to dance? Because if he did, the talent skipped a generation. Ron and I were absolute gits and waited until the last second to ask for dates. The one girl I wanted to go with was already going with Cedric Diggory. In the end I managed to get dates for Ron and I. He tried asking Hermione but she had already been asked by Viktor Krum!_

_Ron caused a right scene at the Ball, accused her of fraternizing with the enemy. She stormed off and we found her in the Common Room crying after the dance where she screamed at Ron and I ducked out as quick as I could. She can be scary when she wants to be. I know I should be focused on the Tournament (and Hermione's been on my case for weeks about figuring out what the second task is supposed to be), but I can't help but think I've got the worst luck in the world with girls._

_My Dad would never have had this much trouble._

_Harry"_

oOoOoOo

_"Moony,_

_Do you think the Bulgarian Quidditch Team would notice if their Seeker went missing?_

_Pads"_

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks again for all your wonderful reviews and messages!


	112. Chapter 112

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** At this point during writing I was still disliking Goblet of Fire, so I decided to throw in a little surprise! I'm actually really pleased with it and it turned out to be one of my favorite moments of the entire series. Q&amp;A's -** j-jip**, Part Four begins on Chapter 126.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Twelve: It's a Werewolf Thing

_"...Be careful of the curse that falls on young lovers  
__Starts so soft and sweet and turns them to hunters  
__A man who's pure of heart and says his prayers by night  
__May still become a wolf when the autumn moon is bright..."  
__(Howl - Florence + The Machine)_

* * *

**March 4th, 1995**

**Diagon Alley**

Embarrassing is what it was. A nearly thirty-five-year-old man hovering outside of Sugarplum's Sweets Shop because the owner thought she saw a Death Eater walking down the street. Since the attack at the Quidditch World Cup last summer, alleged Death Eater sightings had increased ten-fold and, though Remus had no business investigating them, he couldn't help but linger around Diagon Alley as the Aurors followed up on each report.

Or well... _one _Auror.

"And you think he was a Death Eater because..." the purple-haired Metamorphmagus said, staring at the old shop owner, doing her best not to appear bored.

"I don't _think _missy, I _know_! It was a Death Eater, it was! I saw them back in the first war!" The old woman screeched loudly. An owl perched on the counter flinched at the noise and took flight. "I saw them I did," the woman continued. "Walked right in front of my shop this morning wearing black robes and that Death Eater mask. I recognized him though, had to be that Lestrange fellow."

"Lestrange?" Tonks raised an annoyed eyebrow. "Which one?" She asked, knowing for a fact that _both_ Lestrange brothers were securely locked away in Azkaban with her aunt Bellatrix. "And how exactly did you know it was him if he was wearing a mask?"

Another twenty minutes of listening to Death Eater conspiracy theories and Tonks put on her best 'polite face', which looked eerily similar to her 'you're a crazy bint' face and bid the shop owner farewell, dashing out the door as quickly as possible in the hopes of escaping the insanity that was, so far, her entire morning.

She turned left out of the shop immediately and began heading down toward The Leaky Cauldron, eager for a lunch break when she realized she forgot to actually get the name of the shop owner. Grumbling under her breath, Tonks turned around quickly and spotted a the tall, lanky man in brown robes following her. She stopped in her tracks and stared at him curiously.

He had no logical reason for it of course, but with Death Eater activity being reported all across Wizarding Britain, Remus felt the urge to protect. Sirius was on the run up near Hogsmeade and Harry and Hermione were both safely locked behind Hogwarts wards. That left only... only _her_... his mate unguarded. He hated himself for thinking she couldn't take care of herself, she was an Auror, after all. But then again Remus had seen her trip four times that morning and the wolf inside him paced nervously. It wasn't stalking. He just... just needed to make sure she was safe.

So he had followed her all morning, watching from a distance as she went from shop to shop, taking statements from a vast majority of crazy paranoid elderly witches and wizards. She was good at her job, a bit brusque at times, and she had a tendency to take little bullshit or attitude; earlier that morning she'd hit a man with a Stinging Hex for leering at her. So when Remus followed her past the Sweet Shop with his eyes fixed on the ground until her footsteps stopped, he was shocked when she'd caught him trailing her and didn't jinx him.

"Are you following me?" Tonks asked bluntly.

"What... me? I... what... umm..." Remus swallowed hard, his soft green eyes wide as they stared into hers. _They're blue today_, he thought to himself as his breath quickened in a panic. Not knowing what else to say, Remus decided that fleeing would be the best option so he quickly turned on his heels and ran directly into the side of a building.

A moment later he found himself staring up at the sky, a purple-haired witch hovering over him. "I see you've met Wally," she said with a smirk.

"Wally?" He blinked.

"Yeah," she chuckled and then gestured to the brick building he had just cracked his forehead against. "Wally and I have had our run-ins in the past," she touched the wall affectionately. "See this?" She knelt down beside Remus who flinched away from her. She was pointing to a small scar on the left side of her forehead. It was barely visible and had she not pointed it out, he might never have known it was there. "Cracked my head clean open when I was eleven," she said with a grin. "Was so bloody excited to get my Hogwarts shopping done that I ran right into old Wally here. Woke up in St. Mungo's six hours later."

Remus grimaced. "Are you... are you okay?" He felt the need to ask.

"What, ten years later? Yeah, I think I'll live," she said and then laughed.

A glazed look fell over Remus' face at the noise which he thought immediately was the loveliest sound in the known universe.

"So, you gonna tell me why you were following me?" She asked.

The werewolf paled.

He'd known who she was for over fifteen years, had seen her from time to time - always from a distance - here and there, but had never once made contact, and now he'd spoken eleven words to her and more than half of them hadn't made a lick of sense. "I was just... umm..." he grimaced. "Because Death Eaters... and you're an Auror..."

"You've spotted a Death Eater have you?" Tonks rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm officially off the clock. Haven't eaten all day. So if you want to make a report, you'll have to talk while I eat. C'mon," she held her hand out to help him up.

Remus stared at it.

"Go on then," she shoved her palm closer to him. "I ain't gonna bite you."

Remus laughed loudly, much louder than he'd intended to, had he even intended on laughing in the first place. He covered his mouth and blushed apologetically. "I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you, just..." he winced and stood on his own, ignoring her hand which was still held out to him. The wolf inside his head growled viciously at the fact that his human half was rejecting her physically.

oOoOoOo

**The Leaky Cauldron**

"Wotcher, Tom!" Tonks said as she entered the Leaky, making her way to an empty table and taking a seat, but not before knocking over a chair in the process, flushing red as she uprighted it. "Two Butterbeers and a big plate of chips if you please!" She called out to the older wizard who nodded in her direction.

Remus, as though lost, simply followed her into the pub and sat down opposite the witch and blinking wide-eyed as she ordered two Butterbeers, one of which was presumably for him. It suddenly and strangely felt like a date. But it couldn't be a date. They'd never actually, technically _met_ before despite Remus having previously met her mother on numerous occasions, and being best friends with her cousin for over twenty years. Plus, she didn't even know his name.

"So, Death Eaters," Tonks said, bringing her attention up to Remus' face. "You seen 'em?"

"What?" He blinked. "Umm... no, I was just... I mean I heard that there had been sightings."

"So you were following me because you heard there had been Death Eater sightings?" She asked curiously. "You think I'll protect you?" She winked at him.

Remus huffed indignantly. "I can take care of myself quite well, thank you," he said with an air of smugness. "You're much too friendly," he pointed out. "You shouldn't trust people so easily. In fact, I could have been a Death Eater myself. You kept your back to me the whole walk over here. It's not safe for you to just..."

"You're no Death Eater," she said with a laugh.

Remus scowled. "And how do you know that?"

"Easy," Tonks shrugged and took a sip from her Butterbeer as Tom set both bottles down in front of the pair, slipping the plate of chips between them. "Death Eaters are Pure-blood fanatics and even if you _were _a Pure-blood," she said thoughtfully but then added, "which you're _not_," she grinned at the shocked look on his face, "they wouldn't take you because you're a werewolf."

Remus' entire body froze solid and he felt his breath catch in his throat. This was _not _how this was supposed to happen. He was supposed to meet her casually, _not _get caught stalking her in Diagon Alley. He was supposed to introduce himself with a smile, _not _run into a wall like a wanker. He was supposed to invite her to dinner, _not _silently follow her into the Leaky. And then months and months down the road when she'd had time to get to know him, he would have slowly introduced her to the fact that he was a werewolf.

Which she apparently already knew.

"I may be dead clumsy and trip over my feet fifty percent of the time that I'm touching solid ground," she smirked. "But I'm a damn good Auror. Despite the fact that I may or may not have had issues with the Stealth and Tracking portion of my testing, I'm pretty handy at everything else. Like investigation. I know exactly who you are, Remus Lupin."

The werewolf exhaled sharply.

"You come by the Ministry about once a month to put down job applications, but because the Wizarding world can't pull their heads from their arses, you never get hired because of your condition," she shrugged her shoulders. "I saw you lingering in the Atrium once at work and asked old Mad-Eye if he knew you. He told me your name and then said to mind my damn business and get back to work. So naturally I looked you up," she grinned. "Found you on the werewolf registry pretty quick to be honest," she shook her head. "They need to up the damn security down in Administrations."

"Wh... why would you look me up in the registry?" Was the only question he could think was appropriate enough to ask.

"I've seen you about," Tonks shrugged her shoulders and pushed the plate of chips in front of him. "Eat something, you're all skin and bones," she ordered. "Anyways, since I can change my appearance at will I was curious how you kept finding me. Smell, right?" She asked, smirking.

Remus nodded.

"I knew it!" She cheered victoriously.

"You don't think it's weird?" He asked incredulously.

"No," Tonks shook her head. "You think _this _is weird?" She asked and then scrunched up her nose, barely concentrating as her hair changed from purple to turquoise.

Remus shook his head.

"See?" She smiled. "Can't help what you are. Out of curiosity, what do I smell like?" She asked.

"Cookies," Remus replied without thinking and then immediately flushed bright red.

Tonks laughed brightly. "Nice," she grinned. "Better than Dungbombs or Stinksap. Oh, I'm Tonks by the way but I'm guessing you already knew that," she said as she held a hand out to him in greeting.

Remus stared at her palm once more. "You're... you're not afraid to let a werewolf touch you?" He asked her.

"I'm a little offended that a werewolf hasn't been taught that it's rude to not accept a hand of greeting when it's offered to him," she smirked.

Remus smiled nervously and reached up, taking her hand in his. The very second that her skin touched his Remus felt it. A tiny golden string connecting them. His heart rate quickened and he wondered if she could feel it too. The relaxed look on her face said that no, she hadn't, but the werewolf couldn't help but be pleased with the feeling that Mia and Sirius had described to him all those years ago.

"So are you the same Remus Lupin that used to live with my cousin, Sirius?" Tonks asked out of the blue, reaching across the table and snatching a few chips from their now shared plate.

"You _know _about that?" Remus raised a brow. "I mean... you remember? You were so..." he paused and winced. _Young. She was so young_.

"Pretty good memory on me," she grinned. "Plus, Mum and I aren't exactly invited to many Black family reunions. Not that there would _be _any considering most of them are either in Azkaban or dead these days," she said. "It makes it a little easier to remember the good family members."

"And you think Sirius is good?" Remus asked her curiously. "Isn't he supposedly Voldemort's right-hand man who betrayed his friends, murdered Muggles, and escaped Azkaban?" He questioned her.

"No," Tonks shook her head. "He's the cousin who used to share his Cauldron Cakes with me when I was a kid and never minded that I broke his favorite crystal whiskey tumbler. He had a cat that didn't like me, but he said it didn't matter because it didn't like him either," Tonks smiled thoughtfully. "He slipped me a Sickle anytime I made my Mum roll her eyes, he had a girlfriend who let me eat chocolate bars from a cauldron she kept under the sink," she laughed at the memory, not noticing the shocked and mildly annoyed look on Remus' face. "And they had a flatmate who was always sick whenever I came over. His name was Remus Lupin."

The werewolf studied her carefully as he finished off his Butterbeer.

"And despite everything, my Mum always said that Sirius was innocent, and considering she married my Dad despite everything she had up against her, I like to think my Mum is a good judge of character," Tonks said firmly. "What about you?"

"What _about _me?" Remus asked.

"What do _you _think about my cousin?"

Remus paused and let the question linger in the air. "I don't think there's anything in the world he wouldn't do for those he loved. Family and friends mean the world to him. I hope you'll be reunited someday," he said with a smile. "He'd love to see you."

"You still haven't answered my question, by the way. Why were you following me?" She asked plainly.

Remus hesitated. He wanted to lie, but something felt wrong about it, almost painful. "I... I wanted to make sure you were... you were safe," he winced as the words left his mouth.

Tonks laughed. "That's... an odd thing for a stranger to do."

He grimaced at the word, 'stranger'.

"Care to explain why you're worried about my safety?" She asked.

"Not particularly."

"Well, don't worry your handsome face about me," she stated simply, unaware of the way his eyes widened or the way his breath caught in his throat when she had called him handsome. "People think just because I was a Hufflepuff means I'm some weak little sap. Trust me," she said, her blue eyes flashing with a look of daring that was reminiscent of Sirius and Mia, a Black family trait no doubt. "I'm not a girl to be trifled with."

"I don't think you're weak," Remus said softly. "I just... was worried. It's a... a werewolf thing. Maybe," he winced as he tried to lie his way through his explanation. "Maybe being Sirius' cousin makes me feel... I don't know... protective? Sorry, that's weird and... inappropriate," he leaned forward and put his face in his hands.

"It's a little weird," she acknowledged. "If you'd like to be friends it would make it a lot _less _weird," she suggested.

Remus rose a brow and opened one of his eyes to look up at her. "You don't even know me," he pointed out.

"What I do know I like," she shrugged. "You're a man who happens to be a werewolf, you have a long term loyalty to my family, the good side at least," she chuckled. "You run into walls, and didn't bother to pick up the chair that I knocked over," she said with a smirk. "Which means that despite saying you're worried about my safety, you're okay with letting me clean up my own messes. You continually apply for jobs at the Ministry even though they're not going to hire you which either says that you're clueless, resilient, or you've been going there for another reason," at this admission Remus' face flushed and Tonks smirked as though she got confirmation for a silent theory. "And you didn't eat all the chips," she gestured to the plate in front of them. "I've created lifelong friendships with knowing less." She took a moment to finish her Butterbeer. "But if it's not enough for you then we can play twenty questions. What House were you in at Hogwarts?"

"Gryffindor," Remus replied with a genuine smile, the scent of cookies flooding his senses and the way she smiled in his direction warmed him over.

"Ah, loyal, handsome _and _brave," Tonks leaned her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm. "What on earth will I ever do with you?" She asked, a devious glint in her eyes.

_Love me, marry me, shag me stupid?_ Remus thought to himself as he stared into her blue eyes that were slowly shifting green, matching his shade perfectly. He took immediate notice that her hair was changing as well, turning into the sandy blonde color that he knew all too well from looking in a mirror. He took it as a good sign and summoned up that famous Gryffindor courage. "You could let me take you to dinner?" He suggested.

oOoOoOo

**March 10th, 1995**

**Hogsmeade Village**

"You look like hell," Remus said as he made his way into the small cave Sirius was apparently living in with Buckbeak.

There was a large nest in the corner where the Hippogriff was content to sleep, surrounded by rat carcasses and chicken bones. Opposite the large beast was a pile of papers, a mixture of the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly. Remus could see Harry's picture in a few papers, and one of Hermione dancing with a tall, bulky boy.

"You're terrible at sweet talking Moony," Sirius scoffed, looking up at his friend. "Now you're _definitely _not getting in my pants."

"You're sleeping in a cave," Remus pointed out.

Sirius shrugged. "You occasionally sleep in a cage. Don't be a judgmental prick, Remus."

The werewolf sighed. He'd spent the past few days meeting up with Tonks in Diagon Alley, having lunch at the Leaky or stopping at Florean's for a bite of ice cream. He wouldn't necessarily call them dates, especially since he could never afford to take her anywhere nice and she always insisted on paying her half of the check when it came, but it was nice enough just to spend time with her, be near her and get to know her as a person. The ache to keep her safe slowly dulled, as did his utter idiocy anytime she spoke or smiled in his general direction. Remus was actually finding himself happier than he'd been in years, and the reason was painfully obvious.

Just as obvious and just as painful was the understanding as to why Sirius was looking worse than ever. Stuck living in a cave so close to Hogwarts he could see the towers from this distance, and yet unable to be near Harry or Hermione with the exception of reading about them in the papers. Something that Remus himself had been doing, and if Sirius was taking _any_ of what was written about them to heart, it was no wonder he looked a mess.

"I'm worried about you is all. Why don't you come back to the cottage?" Remus offered. "You've already lost all the weight you put on last summer and I promised Mia that I would take care of you."

Sirius scoffed. "Yeah well, I promised her I'd take care of you too, and we promised her that we'd trust one another, but we both fucked that one up royally didn't we?"

Remus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Yes, we most certainly fucked that one up, _he thought.

"Sorry..." Sirius frowned and looked down at the stack of papers leaning up against the wall of the cave. "I... I'm still not exactly... I haven't been sleeping well," he admitted. "I've been trying to get into Hogwarts, at least near the Forbidden Forest but with the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students constantly running around the grounds... I was only able to get in once before two French girls starting screaming, 'Get eet away! Filzy mongrel!'," Sirius said in a mocked French accent.

"I could go back into the village and get you some food," Remus suggested, knowing that Sirius would continue to fight him on leaving Hogsmeade altogether.

The raven-haired wizard shook his head. "Don't waste your Knuts on me, Moony. Harry came to see me a few days ago, and he's been having the elves send me food," he said, looking miserable over the fact that his godson, the boy he was supposed to be taking care of was, in fact, taking care of him instead.

"Just Harry?" Remus asked, leaning down to pick up a copy of Witch Weekly. The page had been marked and Remus smiled at the sight of the little witch dancing on the arm of the Bulgarian Seeker, Viktor Krum, or at least that's what the caption read. It was the nicest one as well considering the article hadn't said a decent think about Hermione, instead it slandered her character completely.

_HARRY POTTER'S SECRET HEARTACHE_

_A boy like no other, perhaps — yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss._

_Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl." However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys' interest._

"_She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."_

_Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate._

"The other two came to visit as well," Sirius stated, snatching the magazine from Remus' hands and tossing it back onto the pile in the corner.

"The _other two_?" Remus rose an eyebrow. "Are you trying to distance yourself from Hermione?"

"Why not?" The Animagus shrugged. "She's Hermione, not Mia."

The werewolf rolled his eyes dramatically. "Excuse me? You're the one who fought me last summer telling me that they were the same person! What's changed?"

Sirius turned his eyes away from his friend.

"Is this about the Bulgarian?" Remus laughed. "Oh Circe, you're so bloody dramatic. She's fourteen..."

"Fifteen," Sirius corrected him.

"...And she went on _one date _with him."

"And then she became so important to him that she was dropped into the Black Lake, all for some stupid Tournament!" Sirius snapped.

Remus scoffed. "Well to be fair, considering how many girls Mia Tele-Portkeyed into that lake I'd say it's pretty decent karma."

There was a pregnant pause before Sirius whispered, "Lily almost _died _in that lake."

Remus winced at the memory as it flooded straight to the forefront of his mind. "Shit..." he groaned and walked across the cave to take a seat down beside his friend. "I'm sorry Pads, I... I forgot."

Sirius sighed. "She's a teenage girl and, even though... I don't see her like... _can't _see her like I want to," he clarified, "she's still mine."

Remus nodded in full understanding. He'd spent the entire previous year watching Hermione grow and it was hard to reconcile the two witches. Despite his very intimate history with Mia, he never saw Hermione in that way so he understood exactly how Sirius felt. Though, he assumed his friend was dealing with a lot more pain in regards to the memories of his witch.

"_She _might not know about the Soul Bond, but _I_ do and it's my job to make sure she's safe and happy," Sirius sighed miserably. "Right now _she's _not safe and _Harry's _not safe and I can't do a damn thing about it. I have to just sit and pretend like I don't know who or what she is. You have no idea how that feels."

The werewolf snorted. "You'd be surprised," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, hesitating for a moment before deciding to confess. "I uh... I found my mate."

Grey eyes widened and Sirius was immediately pulled out of his depression. "I'm sorry, you _what_? When? Who is it?!" He asked excitedly.

Remus shook his head. "I really can't say. Let's just go with the fact that she's younger than me, and I've had to do exactly what you're doing. Watch her grow up and wait... all the while hoping that she doesn't accidentally get herself killed."

"Killed?" Sirius stared at Remus. "What, is your mate a Dragon Tamer?"

The werewolf growled bitterly. "No, but she apparently _dated _one," he said, recalling a recent conversation with Tonks where she told him about her short-lived relationship with Charlie Weasley while the two were still at Hogwarts.

"Oh, _now _who's pouting?" Sirius said mockingly.

"Fine," Remus huffed. "Aren't we a pair of sad sods."

"Your girl dated a Dragon Tamer and mine's dating a famous Professional Quidditch Player," the Animagus sighed and leaned back against the cold stone wall of the cave. "And one day if we're very, very lucky they'll both settle for a werewolf and a felon."

Remus didn't want to tell Sirius that he was already making small strides with his witch. He didn't want to jinx himself by hoping his friendship with Tonks was more than it was, and he also didn't think it was appropriate to rub his momentary happiness in his friend's face.

"What the hell do we even have to offer?" Remus asked aloud.

"We're good looking?" Sirius suggested.

Each wizard took a moment to look the other over. Sirius in his torn grey robes, skinny and pale and dirty once again, though not as badly as he'd been after his prison escape. Remus in his patched brown second-hand robes, grey hair and scarred face.

"We _used to be_ good looking?" Sirius corrected.

Remus laughed. "At least _your _witch actually gets to go back in time and see you at your best. Mine will have to settle for old, poor, grey-haired werewolf."

"She won't care if she's your mate," Sirius pointed out.

Remus smiled. "Mia used to say things like that," he said thoughtfully. "I can still complain about it though," he added.

"You going to tell me who she is?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head. "Not a chance."

There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the air and after a few minutes of watching Buckbeak gnaw on a few chicken bones left over from when Harry and Hermione brought food, Sirius spoke up. "I'm worried about Harry."

"Me too."

* * *

**A/N**: Tonks is one of the easiest characters for me to write and I had a blast putting her in early even though she doesn't show up in the books until Order of the Phoenix.


	113. Chapter 113

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Super happy that you guys enjoyed Tonks' reintroduction into the story!

**ChizomenoHime**, good guess! **Phantomoflight**, Time will indeed soon catch up with itself, the aftermath of that will be Part Four. **GTH**, pretty much immediately. They can always feel the bonds, but some might not recognize what exactly it feels like. Others, like Mia/Hermione, can actually see them when they concentrate hard enough or meditate. **corvusdraconis**, I think that as much as Moony is in Remus' head, Remus is like this filter for Moony. When in true werewolf form without the Wolfsbane, he's uncontrollable. A Sealed Pack Bond might overpower the need to attack, but I doubt it would be pleasant for him to deal with. Werewolves are so primal and feral that I think even the fact that the humans would stand taller than him would be an insult and a threat, as they aren't lower or submissive than him in that form. I think when he is in human form, Moony has the ability to see the Pack members for what they are, the urge to kill subdued because Remus is at the forefront and not the wolf. Same with the Wolfsbane Potion.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Thirteen: Old Enemies, New Loves

_"...We were made for each other  
__Out here forever  
__I know we were, yeah, yeah  
__All I ever wanted was for you to know  
__Everything I do, I give my heart and soul  
__I can hardly breathe, I need to feel you here with me, yeah..."  
__(When You're Gone - Avril Lavigne)_

* * *

**June 24th, 1995**

_"Albus,_

_It's been a year since you've known the truth about my innocence. A year since I've properly seen my godson. He's been at Hogwarts, in your care, and according to the letters I receive from him, not to mention the papers, he's been in constant danger. I'm coming to Hogwarts tonight. Albus, you and I are going to discuss Harry. I'm aware that the third Tri-Wizard task is tonight. I assume that once a victor is crowned, the celebrations will take place. Do me this favor - because I am owed it after what I've endured - and skip the parties. I'll be in Hagrid's pumpkin patch waiting for you._

_S.B."_

oOoOoOo

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hagrid's Pumpkin Patch**

He knew he should have gone earlier.

Sirius had waited hours in the pumpkin patch, listening to cheers coming from the Quidditch Pitch which had been turned into a massive labyrinth. In the distance, he could hear people chanting, 'Diggory!' and 'Krum!' and even 'Potter! Potter! Potter!' He wanted to smile and cheer for Harry as well, but something wasn't sitting right with him.

He'd owled earlier that week to Remus to see if his friend would be coming to Hogwarts to witness the Tournament for himself. The werewolf had written back informing Sirius that he'd wanted to, but only students, staff, Ministry officials and the occasional reporter were allowed. Family of the champions of course was allowed to be present, and Remus had requested to be let in to see Harry, but Dumbledore had informed the werewolf that Bill and Molly Weasley had been brought to Hogwarts to stand in place of Harry's family.

The news had left both Remus and Sirius fit to be tied.

_They_ were Harry's family.

Sirius had owled Remus back, promising full details of the Tournament he could get out of Harry once it was done with, and then indicated that his friend should go back to snogging his new girlfriend and mate, whom Sirius had yet to meet or learn any details of, other than the fact that she and Remus had been official for one month and she didn't care one bit about his Lycanthropy.

Applause turned to anxious silence in the distance and Sirius kept his ears open, waiting nervously to hear if a champion was declared. Nervous whispers turned to loud, boisterous cheers of, "Harry! Harry! Harry!" that all too quickly gave way to screams of horror. The Animagus shook in place, not knowing what to do. He felt horrible for feeling relieved when he heard someone yell, "Diggory's dead! Cedric Diggory's dead!" as he was certain they'd be screaming about his godson should the famous Harry Potter have been injured in any way.

If he had wanted to rush forward to see what had happened, his chance was lost when the crowds began rushing out over the grounds. A flock of French students ran to the pastel blue coach while a large group of Durmstrang students made their way in an orderly fashion toward the large ship that sat at the edge of the Black Lake.

"Ahem!" Someone cleared their throat and the large black dog turned to see Minerva McGonagall standing in front of the pumpkin patch, staring at him. "Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office."

Had he been in a chipper mood, or in human form, Sirius might have made a sarcastic comment about how that statement would have given him a flashback to his youth. Instead, the great black dog followed behind the witch until they reached the castle and then he ran as quickly as he could, stopping at the stone gargoyle where he waited for Minerva to catch up and give the password.

"Licorice wands," she said and they both watched as the spiral staircase opened in front of them, allowing them inside.

oOoOoOo

**Headmaster's Office**

The very second that the large oak door shut behind them, Sirius shifted into his human form and turned to stand in front of the witch. Minerva gasped and held her hand to her chest, her eyes remained wide in shock for a split second before they narrowed. "Sirius Black!" She hissed.

"Where's Harry?" He asked immediately, ignoring her panic and anger.

"An Animagus... but... how?" She gaped at him in furious frustration.

"A lovely story I'll be overjoyed to tell you about in detail later, Minnie," he snapped. "But not until I see my godson!"

"He..." Minerva swallowed and took a breath to collect herself. "He's with Albus. Safe," she added sensing that the wizard needed the confirmation. "There was a... a death in the Tournament. We're not certain what's happened. I have to go and report back to Professor Dumbledore and I will let him know where you are," she stated and then left the office without another word.

It might have been minutes or an hour, Sirius didn't know how long he waited. The moment that the door reopened and his grey eyes caught sight of Harry, Sirius quickly crossed the room and pulled the boy into his arms. "Harry, are you all right? I knew it ... I knew something like this ... what happened?" He asked, pulling away to look at Harry's face, shocked at the pale color and lack of ... of life there seemed to be in the usually enthusiastic teenager.

"What happened?" Sirius asked more urgently, turning his attention to Dumbledore as he brought Harry over to the desk, sitting him down in the chair.

"It would appear, Sirius, that you were not, in fact, the first man to escape Azkaban," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Alastor Moody has been kept prisoner for the past nine months, and Barty Crouch Jr has been using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate him."

"Barty... no," Sirius shook his head. "No, Crouch died in Azkaban, I remember."

"He changed right before our eyes and is now being held captive here in the castle, waiting to be questioned by the Minister of Magic," Albus said. "He was charged by Voldemort to come to Hogwarts, arrange for Harry to become a Tri-Wizard Champion and make it to the end of the final task where the Tri-Wizard Cup had been charmed into a Portkey."

Sirius' eyes widened and he felt himself shaking. A glance down at Harry told him that he wasn't the only one. There were more answers needed, but Sirius remembered hearing about another boy dying, and by the look on Harry's face, Sirius could tell that the boy had seen it with his own eyes.

"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore?" Sirius said harshly. He had put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Let him have a sleep. Let him rest."

"Cedric," Harry began. "Cedric and I touched the Cup together and it... it pulled us away into a graveyard," he spoke, green eyes staring ahead as though neither man were there with him. "They... he killed Cedric," Harry cried. "Pettigrew. Pettigrew killed Cedric."

Sirius took a deep breath and tried to control his rage. He made to speak, but Dumbledore held up a hand, requesting his silence for the moment.

Harry told them everything then. Told them about being trapped in the cemetery with Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew, and Cedric's body. Told them how Wormtail cut into his arm and brewed a potion to bring Voldemort back to full strength.

Sirius knelt down at Harry's side to look at the wound on his forearm, immediately remembering the scar on Mia's arm, marking her a 'Mudblood', and the burned scar on his own skin from where Lucius Malfoy tried to brand the Dark Mark into him. The Animagus closed his eyes and tried to focus his anger on something productive. Three was a powerful magical number, and somehow, whether by luck or fate, Mia, Sirius, and Harry had made up a trinity of sorts. Mia, a Muggle-born who had been branded a Mudblood, had the word carved into her flesh to remind her, only to be adopted into a Pure-blood family and become one of the most powerful witches that Sirius had ever known. Then there was himself, Sirius, a Pure-blood who defied his family and the traditions of his House. They had tried to force him to serve Voldemort, branding him a Death Eater against his will, but he had fought back. Finally Harry, a Half-blood who had his flesh pierced to bring back to strength the one wizard who wanted nothing more than to kill him. But Harry lived.

_Harry lived_.

Sirius focused on those words as his godson continued telling his story of how Voldemort returned to a full body, called forth his Death Eaters, and tried to duel Harry only to fail when something strange happened between the pair of wands.

"The wands connected?" Sirius asked, looking from Harry to Dumbledore. "Why?"

"_Priori Incantatem,_" Dumbledore muttered.

"The Reverse Spell effect?" Sirius asked sharply.

"Exactly," Dumbledore replied. "Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand share cores. Each of them contains a feather from the tail of the same phoenix."

Harry went into more detail regarding the duel and how the echo of the spells was made manifest, visibly, allowing Harry to see for a brief moment in time... his parents. Sirius fell into a nearby chair and held his head in his hands as he tried to wash from his memory the images of the night that James and Lily died. Leaping over James' body and rushing up the stairs to Harry's room. Lily's red hair, fanned out on the floor behind Hagrid.

"I will say it again," Dumbledore said to Harry. "You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you tonight, Harry. You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You will come with me to the Hospital Wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitory tonight. A Sleeping Potion and some peace ... Sirius, would you like to stay with him?"

Sirius nodded and stood up, transforming back into the great black dog and walked with Harry and Dumbledore out of the office, accompanying them down a the flight of stairs.

oOoOoOo

**The Hospital Wing**

Sirius in Padfoot form followed Dumbledore into the Hospital Wing, never leaving Harry's side. The moment Dumbledore pushed open the doors to the Infirmary a small group of redheads and Hermione turned to see them enter.

The ginger witch gasped loudly and moved to rush toward Harry, shouting his name. Instinctively, Padfoot stepped in front of the boy and growled protectively.

"Molly," Dumbledore said, holding up a hand, "please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him, you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."

"Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said as she approached, her eyes staring at the great black dog, "may I ask ... ?"

"This dog will be remaining with Harry for a while," Dumbledore answered simply. "I assure you, he is extremely well trained. Harry ... I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Fudge, and I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school."

Madam Pomfrey handed Harry a pair of pajamas to change into. While he was doing so behind the screens that surrounded his bed, Padfoot walked over toward Hermione; the stress of the night, the past few months, the last fourteen years, had been too much and he needed her, even if she wasn't who he needed her to be right then. The big black dog moved to where Hermione sat on a nearby hospital bed, jumping up to sit beside her and resting his large heavy head in her lap.

"He'll be okay," Hermione whispered and ran her fingers through his fur causing his body to shiver at the feel of comfort, something that hadn't been afforded him in far too long.

The ginger witch approached Hermione, cautiously staring at the dog. "Hermione, dear, maybe you shouldn't touch that dog," she suggested. "He's filthy and who knows where he's been." When she took another step closer toward the bed, the dog gave another low growl in warning, baring his teeth for a brief second before dropping his head back in the curly-haired witch's lap, pleading with her to resume petting him.

When Harry pulled the screens back around his bed and slipped beneath the covers, the ginger witch was at his side, smoothing down the blankets. Padfoot jumped from Hermione's lap and rushed over to the bed, leaping onto the mattress and circling twice before curling up at Harry's feet, sending cautionary glares to anyone else who felt like coming near the boy.

oOoOoOo

It was starting again.

Harry hadn't been asleep for more than an hour before Sirius could hear screaming in the corridor outside the Infirmary. Voices he knew too well. Cornelius Fudge and Minerva shouting at one another. Barty Crouch was dead, Kissed by a Dementor that Fudge brought into the school even after everything that had happened the year before. Crouch was dead and there was no proof. No proof except Harry's word, and according to Fudge that just wasn't enough.

Minerva was beside herself with rage. Dumbledore stood defiantly in righteous anger as he faced off against the delusional Minister of Magic. Even Snape burst into the Infirmary, tearing up the sleeve of his robes to show the Minister the Dark Mark, which was a dark black color on his skin. Sirius did his best to ignore the _supposed_ former Death Eater, forcing down years of pent up hatred. The Weasley family was off to the side bitterly bristling, and Hermione sat by Harry, one hand on his arm and the other fiddling with Padfoot's velvety soft black ears. Somehow her presence kept him calm, despite the fact that he could hear her angrily grinding her teeth.

"There is work to be done," Dumbledore said once Fudge left the room. "Molly, am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?"

"Of course you can," Molly Weasley replied. "We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride."

"Then I need to send a message to Arthur," Dumbledore said. "All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius."

"I'll go to Dad," said the tallest Weasley boy, Bill, standing up. "I'll go now."

"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. Minerva," Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall, "I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also, if she will consent to come, Madame Maxime."

Professor McGonagall nodded and left without a word.

"And now," Dumbledore said, "it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius ... if you could resume your usual form."

The great black dog looked up at Dumbledore, then, in an instant, turned back into a man.

Mrs. Weasley screamed and leapt back from the bed. "Sirius Black!" she shrieked, pointing at him.

Sirius ignored her screams because his grey eyes were focused solely on the greasy-haired Death Eater standing in front of him.

"Him!" Snape snarled, staring at Sirius, whose face showed equal dislike. "What is _he_ doing here?"

"Nice _tattoo_ there, Snivellus," Sirius growled, narrowing his eyes at Snape.

"Lovely _prison_ robes, Black!" Snape hissed.

"Sirius is here at my invitation," Dumbledore said, looking between them, "as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other." Both Sirius and Snape scoffed loudly at the exact same time. "I will settle, in the short term," Dumbledore said, with a bite of impatience in his voice, "for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth do not stand united, there is no hope for any of us."

Very slowly - but still glaring at each other as though each wished the other nothing but ill - Sirius and Snape moved toward each other and shook hands. With Dumbledore looking the other way, Sirius mouthed, 'Fuck you' and Snape snarled in reply. They let go of hands extremely quickly.

"Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there."

"But ..." Harry began.

Sirius moved to Harry's side cupping the boy's face in his hands and looking down at him, summoning what he thought could be a fatherly expression, something perhaps James would have done in a moment like this, or at least he hoped. "You'll see me very soon, Harry," Sirius swore. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Yeah, of course I do."

Sirius grasped his hand briefly, turned his face toward Hermione and offered her a kind and grateful smiled before transforming again into the black dog and disappearing through the doors of the Infirmary.

He had a mission and Dumbledore could not have been clearer.

The Order of the Phoenix was regrouping.

oOoOoOo

**Lupin Cottage - Residence of Remus Lupin**

One month. One whole, unbelievably wonderful, miraculous month since Nymphadora Tonks had officially been _his_ witch. One whole month since, after taking her on a date to Florean's, Remus had anxiously mumbled out something about exclusivity in a stutter that would have embarrassed the poetic romantic he had been in his youth; shocking him into a stupor, the girl had actually said yes.

Remus was finding that his limited romantic experience, while intense, had been just that: limited. The one relationship he'd had with Mia had not prepared him in the slightest for handling a witch like Tonks. While Mia was ever the suspicious Slytherin and temperamental Gryffindor, Tonks was as loyal and friendly as any Hufflepuff Remus had ever met. Where Mia had been graceful, Tonks was notoriously clumsy. Where Mia had been well read, Tonks preferred to learn in the moment. While they differed greatly, Remus couldn't help but see many similarities as well. Determination, goodness, power, and an unwavering need to protect loved ones. Though he thought of Mia often when he was with Tonks, it was only ever in the fact that he had missed his best friend dearly, and this witch - his mate - he found, reminded him of her.

Remus was finding himself more and more eager for the day when he could send Hermione Granger to the past in the hopes that Mia Potter would return to him, if only so that he could introduce the two witches, and maybe, just maybe, feel a little more whole.

As often as he thought about Hermione and her future - or past - counterpart, Mia was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment as the young witch in his lap seemed to be attempting a record at how long she could hold her breath while she passionately kissed him. Kissing Tonks had quickly become an addiction that Remus hoped he'd never be rid of. Their first kiss had been clumsy and awkward when she had tripped over a cobblestone in Diagon Alley and fell into his arms. Too close to the full moon, the wolf had taken over and Remus found himself kissing the witch enthusiastically and they hadn't even been on a real date yet. He had apologized profusely and tried to explain lunar symptoms, but Tonks had laughed it off and said that if she'd known werewolves were _that_ sexy, she would have been snogging them for years. Remus had growled in response which had apparently earned him a wink.

She flirted with him relentlessly, kissed him any chance she got, and trusted him too easily. Like that moment, straddling his lap and tilting her hips in such a way to make her intentions obvious, her lips giving him the same message. Remus, however, didn't trust himself. One wrong move and not enough control and he knew he'd be Marking her before he'd had a chance to explain what it meant, and considering she was a Black - and Sirius' cousin - there was a high chance that she'd merely interpret biting during sex as a bonus.

"You know Remus," Tonks whispered when he pulled away from the kiss and tried to adjust her sitting position away from him a touch. "You've got a way of sending a girl some pretty mixed up signals."

"How's that?" He asked, still catching his breath.

"Well," she leaned forward and kissed just below his ear, earning a rumble in his chest that made her grin smugly. "I'm sitting on your lap with some _hard_ evidence," she winked at him, "that says you want me just as much as I want you, and yet you're still holding back. Why? Is it the age thing again?" She pouted and rolled her eyes. "You know I don't care about that."

"No..." Remus rubbed the palms of his hands down his face. "I mean, yes it kind of bothers me still but it's not _that_.."

"The werewolf thing?" She asked. "It had better be the werewolf thing because if you bring up money again I might gag you," she said with a genuinely threatening voice reminding them both of their first and, so far, only fight where he'd thrown a mild tantrum when she'd fought him over going to an expensive restaurant for dinner, a place he knew he'd never be able to afford. She had insisted that it was her treat, and the werewolf had decided to spend the night lamenting over the anti-werewolf legislation that prevented him from getting a job and some bitch named Umbridge who wrote the damn thing.

"I might gag you anyways," Tonks said with a smirk and kissed his chin. "Tie you up a little... I'm pretty good with Restraining Charms." She grinned when she heard Remus growl. "Oh, he likes that idea," she captured his lips with her own and opened her currently hazel eyes to see his soft green irises turn golden when she rolled her hips forward. "There's my beautiful golden-eyed boy," the witch whispered victoriously.

Remus thrust his hips upwards and grinned when he made her gasp. "Hardly a boy."

"Not entirely a man either," she teasingly bit her lower lip. "I like it."

Remus frowned slightly at her words. "I'm not a novelty."

"No more than I am," Tonks said with a smile, ignoring the familiar frown he wore anytime she commented on the beast within him. She reached up and touched the space between his eyebrows, silently willing away the wrinkles he was forming with his bad attitude. "I like the wolf," she confessed. "I like the wizard. They're the same man to me. So whatever your deal is Remus, get over it. I like you, I _want _you, and I'm not putting up a fight. You're not the big bad wolf who's come to ravish the fair maiden."

"There's..." he sighed. "There's a lot you still don't know. It's only been a month."

"A pretty great month," Tonks grinned. "And technically we had our first date back in March."

The werewolf scoffed. "Yes, where I stalked you through Diagon Alley and you bought me chips and a Butterbeer while regaling me with my life story, which you apparently already knew. How romantic," he said sarcastically.

"You've quite made up for it since then," the witch smiled sweetly. "Flowers I forget to water, chocolates that you've half eaten, and poetry that I'll never understand. You better be careful there Remus Lupin, a girl could get used to this kind of treatment. What happens when I decide that I'm never letting you go?" She asked and stared down into his eyes as they softened back to amber and then to green.

Looking up at her, his mate, the girl he had waited eighteen years to know by name, twenty-nine years to see with his own eyes, and thirty-four years, eleven months, and twenty-two days to speak to. She was so very much his polar opposite and yet she was utter perfection. Lost in his thoughts and without thinking, Remus whispered, "I love you."

Tonk's violet hair quickly turned bright red and her hazel eyes shifted to blue and widened in the process. "Woah," she muttered as her mouth fell open.

Remus groaned as he realized what he'd done. "Oh Merlin, I know, I'm sorry, but... I can't..." he stammered. "I can't help it and it's not because we're in the position we're in, and it's not because you're so very pretty, but you are," he momentarily lost his train of thought as he looked up at her face, cheeks flushed pink and eyes still slightly dilated from arousal, the tiny shimmer of the scar on her forehead which she kept visible even though she had the ability to morph it away. "And it's not because you smell like cookies," he said and then breathed her in, his own eyes glazing over at the scent of living Amortentia. "Which you do," he added. "But... you're just... perfect."

Tonks snorted indelicately. "Hardly. I trip over everything."

"I like catching you," he replied. "I _love _catching you."

She grinned down at him. "You're a big sap, aren't you?"

"The biggest."

She took a moment and smiled sweetly, running the pad of her thumb over his bottom lip and grinning when he kissed it. "I think I lov..." she started.

"Don't say it," Remus blurted out, interrupting her. "You don't have to say it just because _I_ said it. That was not me fishing for some sort of declaration and if you don't..."

"Remus, shut up," she ordered him, leaning forward and kissing him deeply. "I love you," she said when she pulled away, breaking the kiss to notice that his eyes had once again shifted golden. She loved the man and the wolf, and to send the point home, Tonks shifted her own eyes into that deep golden color that practically glowed in the dark.

Remus shivered at the sight and felt himself involuntarily gripping her hips hard. "We have things we need to talk about if we do this," he confessed while simultaneously flipping her over and pinning her beneath him on his living room couch. "I might... not be able to control myself..." he confessed.

"Who said I want you to?" Tonks grinned deviously.

The wolf howled and Remus smiled and crushed his lips against hers, shifting his position until he found himself cradled between her thighs, grinning like an idiot when her fingers laced through his hair and tugged.

"MOONY!"

Remus broke the kiss immediately and pulled away from Tonks looking horrified. "Oh fuck."

"Who's that?" Tonks asked.

"Moony!" Sirius shouted as he stepped out of the fireplace and walked straight into the living room where he caught the - thankfully still dressed - form of Remus hovering between some witches thighs. "Oh, sorry!" He chuckled but didn't bother looking away. Considering how many times Remus had walked in on him and Mia having sex, Sirius considered this fairly decent payback.

"Get out," Remus growled at his friend.

"Sirius Black?" Tonks blurted out, shifting away from Remus until she could see the Animagus clearly.

"Shit..." Sirius groaned, realizing he'd been recognized. "Look," he said as he withdrew his wand from his robes. "I'm sure you're a very nice girl and I don't _want_ to Obliviate you, but wanted man and all, I can't exactly let you..." he paused and looked the girl over, watching as her red hair shifted purple. "Mini-Tonks?" He gaped at the sight of the witch.

She turned on Remus, wide-eyed and furious, shoving his body off of hers in the process. "You knew where Sirius was this whole time?!" She snapped viciously at the werewolf.

Sirius was immediately in front of Remus. "You're shagging my baby cousin!?" He growled.

Remus stared between the two, noticing immediately that Tonks' hair had turned as black as Sirius' and her eyes became a matching grey. Family traits. _Frightening_ family traits. "I... I... I am not equipped to handle two Black tempers at the same time, can one of you please be on my side for the moment?" He pleaded.

The witch was the first to back down, turning her attention to the raven-haired wizard. "Merlin, Sirius you're... you're..." she grinned and stood up, embracing the man tightly. "You look like shit, cousin."

Sirius grinned and hugged the girl back, having forgotten what it was like to be hugged by someone who wasn't a self-righteous werewolf. "And _you're_ all grown up," Sirius smiled as he pulled away to get a better look at his cousin. His grey eyes peered at Remus over Tonks' shoulder. "_Sort of_ grown up," he said with a scowl.

"She's a grown woman," Remus defended.

"You're an old man," Sirius countered.

"Judging _me_ on age?" Remus scoffed. "At least she's _of_ age!" He snapped.

"Low blow, Moony! She's my baby cousin!"

"She's twenty-two!"

"_You're _thirty-five!"

"Oh good, we all know how to count!" Tonks jumped in loudly. "Seven years of Hogwarts really pays off doesn't it?" She asked with a smirk, moving herself between Sirius and Remus, sitting down on the werewolf's lap as if to make a point to her apparently overly protective cousin. "How'd you get out of Azkaban? Why were you in there to begin with? Who really killed all those Muggles, because I know it wasn't you! Where've you been for the past two years?"

Sirius huffed at the sight of his cousin sitting on Remus' thigh, the silver lining was that the werewolf looked incredibly uncomfortable, something that definitely pleased him. "Animagus. Framed. Peter Pettigrew. Around," Sirius said, answering each of her questions. "Now there are much more important things we need to take care of, and I can't believe I'm saying this but the _least_ of which is the fact that your apparent mate is my bloody cousin."

Remus paled.

"Wait... mate?" Tonks blinked. "Like _werewolf _mate? That's really a thing?" She asked.

Sirius winced realizing his mistake. "Oh... shit."

Remus glared at his friend. "You are an arsehole of epic standards, Padfoot."

"I'm your _mate_?" Tonks asked point blank.

"You didn't tell her?" Sirius asked.

Remus grit his teeth. "Obviously not."

Suddenly the witch slapped his chest. "How could you not tell me?" She asked, eyes wide. "Wait, is this why you were following me around before we started dating?"

Sirius snorted. "Classy, Moony."

"Don't judge me you hypocritical dickhead!" Remus snapped. "Want to tell me exactly why you smell like a certain witch we both know?"

Sirius averted eye contact and toed the floor innocently. "I don't have to answer to you when I walked in on you shagging my cousin."

"We weren't shagging!"

"Yet," Tonks added quietly.

Remus' eyes widened. "Really?"

Sirius snapped his fingers at the pair of them. "Focus!"

"Wait, you can smell a witch on him?" Tonks asked Remus curiously.

"It's not what you think," Sirius defended. "She was just petting me."

"Oh," Tonks smirked. "Well umm... good for you."

The Animagus sighed in frustration. "Not like..."

"Pads!" Remus said, cutting him off. "Why are you here?!"

Brought back to the memories of the rest of the night, Sirius' jovial expressions faded immediately, leaving behind obvious anxiety. "Voldemort's back."

* * *

**A/N**: The last half of this chapter was one of my favorites to write. If there's anything I love more than Remus and Sirius banter, it's Tonks or Hermione thrown into the middle of it. And we are officially DONE with Goblet of Fire! Are you as excited about that as I am?!


	114. Chapter 114

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Yikes! Yesterday's chapter was a mess! For some reason when I edit things in FF Doc Manager, it sometimes copies sentences and paragraphs and pastes them down a few spaces so it's duplicated. I didn't catch it, but many of you did and I appreciate all the PMs from you to have me fix it. Thankfully, it was fixed really quickly and I thank you all for your eagle eyes!

Q&amp;As - **TheWierdestSister**, a few things from Canon will be slightly altered but unfortunately Remus' stupidity is not one of them. **ilovekayne09**, Part Three ends with Chapter 125. **annieca**, as of right now I'm working my way through Chapter 134.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Fourteen: Home Sweet Home

_"...One more time across the empty sea  
__Promise me that you won't sleep  
__One more cigarette and I'll let you be  
__Who the hell am I? Oh who the hell am I?..."  
__(Forget Me Forgotten - Hollow Wood)_

* * *

**July 3rd, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

Sirius stared in front of him at the long forgotten house; there between Numbers Eleven and Thirteen, stood a battered door and dingy windows attached to the building that had been almost as much a prison as Azkaban had been. Sirius mentally calculated the number of times he'd almost died in Azkaban and wondered if any of them had been as bad as the last time he had stepped foot inside Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

"Moony," Sirius said to the friend who stood to the right of him, never taking his grey eyes off of the building ahead as it appeared as though out of nowhere before them; the Fidelius Charm already in place. "Do you remember sixth year after the panty raid, you told me that you would do your best to make sure I didn't do anything incredibly stupid ever again?"

"I remember," the werewolf replied.

"Then care to explain to me why we're walking into my parents house right now?" He asked, suddenly aware that his feet were carrying him forward toward the battered old door. A hand reached out, taking his arm and Sirius sighed at the comfortable feeling of Tonks there on his left. "I swore to Merlin I'd never step foot in this place again."

"Because, in a moment of surprising generosity, you offered this place to Dumbledore for the Order," Remus reminded him, reaching forward and opening the door.

The smell of dust, dirt, and mold immediately assaulted their senses. Sirius and Remus visibly recoiled, though Tonks seemed hardly affected.

"What the fuck was I thinking?" Sirius shook his head in disbelief.

"That we needed a safe house and somehow Dumbledore convinced the Goblins to allow access the Black family vaults?" Remus offered.

The Animagus let out a strange sigh of relief. "It is nice to have money again," he acknowledged. Somehow, though he wasn't certain exactly how, Dumbledore had been able to get Sirius access to his vaults. Not personally, of course, he was still a wanted man. But once again, he had money. Not that he'd be allowed to spend it in person, but thankfully Remus wasn't opposed to making the occasional trip to Diagon Alley; his only complaint being that for every trip he made on Sirius' behalf, Sirius insisted Remus buy something for himself.

"You've got to appreciate the fact that Goblins don't give a shit about Wizarding laws and who may or may not be an escaped felon," Sirius noted. "As long as they get their cut. What exactly did Dumbledore give them?" He inquired.

Remus shrugged his shoulders lightly as they walked into the front entryway of the old house. "Supposedly your mother had a few Goblin-made weapons and jewels stored in the vaults. The Goblins were very happy to have them returned to their rightful owners."

Sirius scoffed. "Well, Goblins are happy, Dumbledore's happy, everyone's happy except for me."

Tonks patted her cousin on the shoulder. "Look on the bright side, Sirius. At least you won't be starving and on the run."

"No," he frowned. "I'll be fucking trapped in a new prison."

He took immediate note of the large frame that had been covered with black curtains. Several members of the Order had come to Grimmauld Place before their arrival days earlier to give it a good once over. The portrait of Walburga Black had been the first thing they'd all stumbled upon, and Sirius had been warned of its loud resemblance to the original witch. Finding out that his mother had died while he'd been in prison had been one of the best moments since escaping Azkaban, but now... knowing that she was still there, right on the wall in front of him, he felt like a child again.

A part of him was reminded of the way he could so easily rile her up and how amusing it always was. The other part of him remembered the embarrassing Howlers she'd send to Hogwarts, the way she'd lock him in his room and starve him for days, and the way that she'd force him to cut the words of House Black into his own skin with a blood quill to prove a point. Sirius swallowed hard and took a deep breath to control his emotions. He was a grown man in his thirties and would not allow a fucking painting to make him feel weak.

"Promise you'll visit... often," he pleaded quietly to Remus.

The werewolf nodded and directed Sirius away from the portrait on the wall. "I'll be staying here with you unless out on missions, I promise, Pads."

The news seemed to settle Sirius' nerves a bit.

"Do you have my stuff?" He asked and looked back as Remus removed a shrunken box from the pocket of his robes, waving his wand over it to enlarge it once more and then handed it over to Sirius. "I'd like to go put everything away," the Animagus said. "See if my dear dead mother didn't turn my old bedroom into an altar where she sacrificed Muggles and bathed in their blood to make herself beautiful."

"No offense Pads, but I remember your Mother..." Remus began, his face contorted into a disgusted grimace.

Sirius snorted. "Well, I didn't say that bathing in Muggle blood would work. You sure the place is clean?" He asked, wiping a finger along the banister by the stairs and scowling at the feel of the grime on his fingers.

"Depends on your definition of clean," Tonks chuckled as she leaned up against a nearby wall. "I went through the place with Mad-Eye and Kingsley. They needed someone with Black blood to open up the blood wards, of course, but then they made me sit on the front porch after I broke a vase, while they scoured the place for Dark magic," she rolled her brown eyes and ran a hand through her long blue hair. "Said I might end up accidentally knocking over an actual cursed item if I wasn't careful. Anyway, the place is infested with a number of creatures, mainly Doxies but Kings thinks there might be a Boggart in the upper floors roaming around, but there weren't any Curses set up."

"Good," Sirius nodded and made his way up the stairs. "I'll see you two in a bit. Moony, go check out the basement and see if we can't set something up for the full moons."

Remus sighed heavily, watching his friend ascend the stairs. "Will do, get some rest, Pads."

oOoOoOo

Once downstairs, Remus and Tonks used a variety of Levitation Charms to move boxes and old trunks to the side, Scourgifying the floor and walls the best they could, which still left behind a few layers of filth. Remus paced back and forth in the back near the wall, running his hands along the brick to test the durability while simultaneously counting steps as though he were measuring for something.

"So how will this work?" Tonks asked.

Remus scratched his head. "Shouldn't be too bad. I can set up a cage in the corner here," he informed her.

The young Auror seemed to flinch at the word. "A cage? You're going to lock yourself up in a cage?"

Remus nodded. "It's safest for everyone. We'll put up wards at the top of the stairs... better yet," he turned his attention back the way they came, "position them at both the top and the bottom just in case. Sirius can be down here with me in his Animagus form as a precaution as well."

"What about me?" She asked.

Remus scoffed. "I'd prefer if you were in a different country during the full moon," he said with a serious tone.

Tonks put her hands on her hips defiantly and glared at the werewolf who still had his eyes on the ground, measuring for what she now concluded would be the base of this apparent cage. "Remus, I am a fully trained Auror."

"Then you should know better than to ask," he snapped at her, his soft green eyes narrowed in her direction. Long gone were the sweet moments of Remus succumbing to the smell of cookies and the sweet sound of her laughter. At least when her safety was concerned. Nothing was more important than that to him, and he didn't care if her feelings got hurt in the process so long as she remained alive and unharmed.

"Dumbledore says that Severus is willing to make my Wolfsbane Potion again, but just in case we'll need to keep a large stock of Pain Potions, Calming Draughts, and Essence of Dittany," he made a mental checklist, purposely ignoring the shocked look on her face. "I'm not the best at Healing Charms and Sirius is no better..." he sighed in frustration. "I wonder if Madam Pomfrey would be willing..."

"Remus, how bad is it?" Tonks asked, interrupting him with her whispered question.

He took several minutes to reply and she gave him the time he needed. He knew what she was asking. The pain. His parents had seen him transform when he was young, but even then after the first few times they'd shut him away in the basement of their home so they wouldn't have to watch. That always seemed easier, at least on them. Even at Hogwarts with Mia, Sirius, James, and Peter there with him each moon, his friends had always stayed in another room while he completed the transformation, listening on the other side of the door as he screamed, cried, and sobbed his way through the anguish. No one had seen him transform in decades except, of course, a little over a year ago when Sirius, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He tried to focus on the memory of their fear, strangely enough, to avoid the looks of pity that had quickly followed.

"Depends on the Wolfsbane," he finally answered his girlfriend. "Being in a new environment with numerous people coming and going... not to mention a cage... it's not the best case scenario," he admitted with a frown. "But as long as my mate is safe and my Pack is with me I'll be fine."

"Pack?" Tonks rose a brow.

"Yes, Sirius and... ahem..." he stopped as he realized his slip up. Did he even really have a Pack anymore? Sirius was there, of course, still marked as he'd been for almost sixteen years, and though Moony considered both Tonks and Harry as Pack members, it was Hermione that Remus had been thinking about when he'd originally said the word. Hermione who Moony somehow recognized as his Beta still, and yet she was unmarked, the Pack Bond with her remained unsealed. "It's a long story," Remus confessed.

"Well," Tonks said and took a seat on a nearby trunk. "You've barely told me anything about me being your mate since Sirius outed the secret. Do you plan on telling me anything?"

"I'll answer any question you have," Remus replied.

"How do you know I'm your mate?" She blurted out immediately.

Remus realized she'd been creating a list of questions for this very moment. "I... I can feel it," he answered. "There's a bond between us. Magical creatures can feel or see them better than witches and wizards. It feels similar to the bond I share with my Pack, but more... more important. Essential."

"So does this make us... what? Married?"

His eyes widened. "No! Bonds are... complicated. Especially with werewolves. Bonds have to be prepared by emotional attachment, provoked by physical or magical intention and sealed with..." he paused and let a blush creep over his facial features, averting her gaze. "Well, normal bonds are sealed with a ritual like marriage, but werewolves are... different."

"How?"

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'd have to... be intimate with you..."

"That doesn't sound so complicated," Tonks chuckled.

"And then bite you."

Her laughter briefly faded. "More complicated. Would I..."

"No!" He said quickly. "I'd... I wouldn't bite you while transformed. You wouldn't be infected."

"Are you sure?" She asked curiously.

Remus briefly thought of Mia, Sirius, and the orchards of Potter Manor. "Pretty damn," he answered and then cleared his throat. "It didn't happen last time."

"Last time?" Tonks frowned. "You've had a mate before me?"

"What?" He paled. "No! No! I meant... fuck... the Pack Bond, we umm... we sealed our Pack Bond years ago."

"Oh," Tonks nodded in partial understanding until a thought occurred to her. "Wait, you had sex with and bit Sirius?"

"No!" Remus answered too quickly and then paused. "Well..."

"Holy Hufflepuff!" The witch laughed, eyes wide.

Remus shook his head. "I didn't. There was... I mean," he groaned. "Oh, this is the worst situation in the world. There was a ... a witch as well. In the Pack. I... I sealed it with her."

"Oh, okay," Tonks smiled, amused at how easy it was to get him flustered. "Who is she?"

Remus frowned and looked away from her completely.

Her amusement faded entirely. "Remus?" She stood up and approached him, reaching out and placing her hand on his arm. "It's not like I'm going to be jealous," she promised. "I've read enough about werewolf mates to know how the fidelity works, and you're a good man so I don't think you'd just run off with one of your ex-girlfriends. I'm not a jealous witch. The past is the past. I don't expect you to go running off on a crazy killing spree chasing after Charlie Weasley or Donaghan Tremlett."

"It's not that, I..." he began but then turned and stared at her with furrowed brows. "Wait, Donaghan Tremlett? The bass player for The Weird Sisters?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "He was a year ahead of me at Hogwarts. We dated for a few months. I read he's getting married this fall," she said with a smile.

Remus looked highly unamused. "You dated a rock star and a Dragon Tamer," he stated, the words hanging heavily in the air between them.

"And a werewolf," she said, poking Remus in the chest. "I've got some interesting tastes in men, wouldn't you say?" She smirked. "Especially since I prefer the wolf despite the fact that he's a bit of a prude."

"I..." Remus winced, taken aback. "Nymphadora..." he began, eager to scold her.

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus," she pointed a finger in his face, the famous Black family traits never more obvious than when she was either angry or annoyed. "Now, tell me about this ex-girlfriend who is apparently very complicated."

"Mia Potter," Remus blurted out.

"Mia... wasn't that Sirius'..." Tonks raised a questioning eyebrow. "Wait, _Potter_? Potter as in _Harry _Potter?"

Remus nodded. "She's is... _was_... his aunt... sort of."

"How come I don't remember her?" Tonks asked. "I remember Sirius' girlfriend, of course, sort of," she added. "It's a bit hazy, but I was just a kid at the time. But the Potters were famous..." she said emphatically, catching the sudden look of pain in the werewolf's eyes. "I mean, I'm sorry, Remus, I know they were..."

"It's okay," he cut her off quickly. "Mia, she was James' sister. She went missing in the fall of 1979. Moody closed the case just a few months later, she was presumed dead and Dumbledore - I assume - kept her name out of the papers."

Tonks frowned. "Why do I feel like that's not the end of the story?"

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "What do you know about Time-Turners?"

oOoOoOo

An hour later the couple sat on the ground of the basement, leaning up against the brick wall where Remus' cage would eventually be placed. He stared nervously at the witch, anxiously biting the inside of his lip, his left leg bouncing. She appeared contemplative as she took in all the information he'd literally dumped on her. Memories and knowledge he'd been collecting for two decades involving his entire time at Hogwarts, the ups and downs that followed in the year after, and the many years since. And he told her about Mia. Told her everything he could think to tell her about Mia that would be at all useful - and then some.

"Huh," she finally said.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I believe you," Tonks laughed.

"Do you think I'm a horrible lecherous monster?" He asked her, frowning.

"For what?" Tonks snorted indelicately. "She was your age when you dated her, wasn't she?" He nodded. "Not like you could help she'd one day vanish and suddenly become your thirteen-year-old student. Wow, what was that like? Being her Professor?" She asked, intrigued.

"Almost as awkward and uncomfortable as finding out that a five-year-old was my mate when I was eighteen," he said, his face in his hands.

"So that's why you were always sick when I came around Sirius' flat?" Tonks asked. "And Mia knew?"

Remus nodded. "She knew us both. At least she told me so. Came running into the flat the first time you and your Mum came to see Sirius," he remembered the day and couldn't help but laugh at his ridiculousness. "Locked me up in the bedroom and told me who you were and that I needed to stay hidden so I didn't... well... stalk you through Diagon Alley," he chuckled.

"Aww," Tonks leaned forward and ran her fingers through Remus' hair affectionately, scratching his scalp and grinning when he made a quiet noise of contentment. "But I like creepy stalker Remus. He's terrible at it."

"I appreciate that my obsessive nature is apparently endearing to you," he said sardonically.

"You _should_. So Mia, or well I guess _Hermione _now... she'll be coming here?" She asked and when Remus nodded, she continued, "Are you going to be okay with that? Merlin, is _Sirius _going to be okay with that?" Her eyes widened dramatically at the thought of her barely sane and constantly on edge cousin being forced to temporarily live in the same house as his bond mate who was not only underage, but had no idea who he really was to her.

"He's not going to attack her or anything," Remus said defensively. "He's assured me that he sees her as... well... the _future _and nothing more really. Potential. Their Soul Bond would prevent him from hurting her anyway," he explained. "I'm worried about his emotional health though. When she vanished he just... collapsed." Memories of a comatose Sirius came to the forefront of his mind, put there by heavy drinking and self-destruction. "Knowing that she's alive has given him hope, but it's also... I mean she doesn't know. Doesn't know a thing and he has to sit back and pretend that he doesn't love her."

"So do you," Tonks pointed out.

He shook his head. "I don't..."

"It's okay, you know," she smiled at him and found herself crawling into his lap, wrapping his long arms around her waist. "I get it. I mean, I may not _completely _understand bonds or werewolf magic but I still feel it." She leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. "I didn't know that's what it was when I was with you, but it makes sense. I may be a little adventurous, but I'm hardly the type of girl who'll just jump into bed with a man she just met."

"We didn't jump into bed!" Remus said, offended.

"I know, I'm starting to think you're a tease," she winked at him. "What I'm saying is, I feel something for you Remus. Trust and... and other deeper things," a lovely blush flooded her cheeks. "I love you," she reassured him. "And if I feel that _now, _with knowing you for less than a year, I can't imagine how connected you are to someone you grew up with, fell in love with, shared a life with, as lovers and friends... and to have her not _know _you... to have to wait..."

Remus pulled her close to him and buried his nose in her long hair, breathing in her scent and letting it calm him. "It hurts like hell," he admitted quietly, abundantly grateful that he was lucky enough to have someone like Tonks who understood him. "Sirius has always been one of my best friends, but Mia was..." he sighed, "the closest thing to happiness and wholeness I could have without... without _you_. She called me her kindred spirit. Said that I was her heart but Sirius was her soul."

Tonks grinned. "She sounds like a big sap like you."

"I don't see her that way," he sat back and stared up into Tonks' eyes. "And I won't. I haven't seen any woman in that light since... since I knew who you were."

The witch grinned down at him. "Then I'll do what I can to help. Keep her safe, keep Sirius sane when she's around, and we'll all get through this war so you can fulfill your Vow, send her to the past and hopefully... get her back to you _both_," she promised and the look of hope in Remus' eyes made the witch light up inside as though she'd just accomplished some great feat by making him happy. "Speaking of the Vow, I thought you said you were only allowed to tell people who already knew, with the exception of Sirius. How are you alive after telling me everything?"

"You're my mate," Remus smiled, nuzzling the side of her neck. "Our magic supersedes any other, even an Unbreakable Vow."

Somehow his words made Tonks feel unbelievably special. She decided that she very much liked werewolf magic. She tugged lightly on his hair to pull him away from her neck so she could properly convey her feelings to him by pressing her soft lips against his, grinning when she heard him lightly growl as his tongue sought entrance and his fingers moved from her hips to the curve of her arse, gripping her to him tightly.

Their blissful euphoria of desire was all too quickly interrupted by the sound of screaming.

oOoOoOo

"What's wrong?!" Remus shouted as he ascended the staircase to find Sirius pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration while an elderly elf in a hideously filthy rag tied around its waist like a loincloth seized on the ground in front of them. Remus winced at the smell of the creature, but then he began to worry as he watched the elf thrash about on the floor.

"The fucking elf is having a damn... attack," Sirius snapped, glaring down at the creature.

"It came back!" The house-elf moaned. "Master, the ungrateful brat he is, wasn't supposed to come back! Oh, my poor Mistress! What should poor Kreacher do? Kreacher serves the Ancient and Noble House of Black, but its Master is a filthy blood-traitor, a nasty stain on his most noble House. Oh, my poor Mistress!"

Remus just stared at the aptly-named elf. "What happened?" He asked Sirius.

"I'm trying to do what Dumbledore said and be nice to the little git!" Sirius shouted.

"Then why's he banging his head on the wall?" Tonks asked as she approached her boyfriend and cousin, looking down as the elf had moved from faking a seizure to apparently punishing himself.

"Oh, apparently accepting kindness from the stain on the most Ancient and Noble House of Black is against whatever orders my sweet old Mother gave him last," Sirius said sarcastically, hissing out the words. "I said hello, and he's been sobbing and smacking himself ever since. Godric, I miss Tilly," he said, thinking of the sweet, overly attentive house-elf that doted on the Potter family, and himself once she'd finally warmed to him.

Kreacher continued to cry as he smacked his face against the metal railing of the staircase. "Oh, if Mistress knew that the traitorous brat has come home... what would she do to poor Kreacher? What would she do if she knew that Kreacher was to serve this Master, the rotten blemish on her House and his filthy half-breed friends?"

"I wouldn't be calling anyone filthy there. You smelled yourself lately?" Tonks smirked.

Kreacher glared at Tonks with pure and utter hatred. "The shifty one speaks to Kreacher. She smells like a Black, but she tricks Kreacher and breaks his Mistress' treasures."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Oh, it was _one _vase and that was an accident."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with him?" Sirius asked.

Remus shrugged. "Give him an order and make him stop?"

"Kreacher, shut up!" Sirius snapped loudly.

The elf immediately quieted, but the loud noise had somehow awakened the portrait of Walburga Black and the curtains surrounding her painting flew wide open and her hateful face turned immediately to Sirius.

_"You!"_ She hissed at him. _"Stain of dishonor on the House of my Father! Wretched, traitorous boy! No son of mine!"_

"Fucking hell..." Sirius gaped at her portrait, suddenly feeling all of sixteen years old once again as she shrieked her disappointment at him.

_"Bringing filth into this house! Scum! Creatures of dirt!"_

Remus scoffed. "Nice to see you too, Mrs. Black," he said sarcastically.

_"How dare you step foot back in this house!"_

Sirius glared. "Wasn't my first choice of living arrangements, believe me, _Mother_. But as you can see, I _am _back, here to further ruin your bloody Ancient and Noble House."

_"Wretched boy! Traitorous boy! My poor Regulus was the last Noble son of this House. He died pure while you were out ruining our name by-"_

"Fucking the blood-traitor daughter of Dorea Potter?" Sirius finished her sentence, a menacing grin on his face.

_"HOW DARE YOU-"_

Remus flicked his wand quickly and the curtains shut closed over the portrait, immediately silencing the painting.

"Wow," Sirius stared pleasantly. "Just close the curtain and she goes away. Why couldn't we have installed this years ago?"

"Fucking the blood-traitor daughter of Dorea Potter?" Remus repeated Sirius' words, looking incredulously at his friend.

Sirius barked a laugh. "Did you see how angry she got? Merlin, that felt good. Vulgar, I know, but I had to get it out of my system before everyone else shows up," he admitted, though didn't appear sorry in the slightest for his choice of words. "Speaking of which, is there a way to get the portrait down or at least permanently silenced?" The Animagus asked. "I don't want Harry or Hermione to hear the things my mother will certainly call them. Hermione especially."

Tonks shook her head to answer his question, frowning when he looked a bit defeated by it. She walked forward and wrapped an arm around her cousin's shoulders. "It'll be fine, Sirius. We'll figure everything out."

"Easy for you to say," he growled. "The two of you actually get to _do _something."

"You know who you sound like?" Remus asked with a soft smile.

"James," Sirius replied quietly with a nod. "Fuck, I don't know what I'll do if I end up in hiding as long as him and Lily. You should have seen him by the end, Moony. Fidgety as hell, and Lily was temperamental and snappy," he groaned at the memory. "You could tell they were itching to get out of that house. You think I'll last that long?" He asked, trying - but failing - to conceal his worry.

Remus patted his friend on the back. "I think you'll last as long as you need to. As long as _Harry _needs you to. In the meantime, just try and hold out on going crazy for as long as possible."

As long as possible turned out to only be one month.

* * *

**A/N**: One thing that bothered me about the Canon books is that they never explained why a wanted fugitive and easily recognizable man was able to access not only his family properties but his personal bank vaults. Wouldn't the Aurors have done something about that? So I threw in the bit with Dumbledore and the Goblins to fill the pet peeve plot hole.

Fic Recs: I was in desperate need of some Remione this week and lucked into two new stories. _The Subtle War_ by **lagenerale** (a spin on the Marriage Law), and a new wolf mate fic I'm proud to Beta called _Wolf and I_ by **TimeCannotErase**.


	115. Chapter 115

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Is it seriously March already? Yikes. Times goes by too fast. I should know, the husband and I celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary yesterday! Craziness. Finished writing a big chapter this morning and was so thrilled by it I thought I'd update a day early since I'm back to being 20 chapters ahead of schedule!

Q&amp;As - **Mystery of the Night**, When Mia returns to 1998, she will still be nineteen years old. No time will have passed for her (technically). **Lalina92**, good guess! **annieca**, it really is shocking how Sirius can be so very thoughtful and selfless when he needs to be, but at the core he's still abundantly arrogant and selfish. Are you reading _The Love of a Good Man_ by **bluecurls** yet? OMG soo good. In her latest chapter she describes Sirius perfectly in one sentence: _"Self-importance, while he had it in abundance, was not something Sirius tolerated in others."_ Seriously. Go read!

Reference Chasers should read DoT Chapter 8, and Order of the Phoenix Chapters 1 and 2.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Fifteen: Not Often Very Likable

_"...I'm so tired of being here  
__Suppressed by all my childish fears  
__And if you have to leave  
__I wish that you would just leave  
__'Cause your presence still lingers here  
__And it won't leave me alone  
__These wounds won't seem to heal  
__This pain is just too real  
__There's just too much that time cannot erase..."  
__(My Immortal - Evanescence)_

* * *

**August 2nd, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

"They're here! People are here!" A jittery Sirius Black shouted as he rushed down the many flights of stairs at Grimmauld Place, looking like Christmas had come early. "Moony! Tonks! People are here!" He shouted, quickly silencing the portrait of his mother who started screaming immediately.

"Calm down, Pads," Remus chuckled as he followed Sirius to the front of the house where Weasleys began filing inside. "You're going to scare them," the werewolf said, patting Sirius on the shoulder as he joined him in greeting the family of redheads.

"Sirius," Arthur Weasley stepped forward while his wife and children struggled behind him with their trunks. Arthur appeared just as Sirius remembered him years ago, though with a few more pounds around the middle and a little less hair on top. "Good to see you again after all these years," Arthur offered a kind smile and extended a hand of greeting to the Master of the House.

"Arthur Weasley," Sirius grinned. "Can't thank you enough for taking your family on that trip to Egypt. Without that photograph in the Daily Prophet, I'd still be in Azkaban."

Arthur immediately frowned and looked down, guilt-stricken. "I only wish that..."

"You couldn't have known Arthur," Sirius said, interrupting the man.

Arthur nodded and sighed. "Still. Twelve years. No rat lives that long," he shook his head. "I'd brought my son Percy with me to work one day, not long after You-Know-Who… well… vanished," he looked down. "Don't know how he found it, but by the time we got back to the Burrow, Percy was holding onto this rat. Molly told me to get rid of the filthy thing, but Percy was attached. He'd never had anything of his own before; something that hadn't first belonged to either of the older boys. The rat wouldn't let anyone else hold him for those first few years. Just Percy." The mention of his son, his _estranged_ son, was clearly painful for the man. "We should have known something."

"You should have bought a cat," Sirius laughed, hoping to alleviate the guilt from the wizard in front of him who had never done a damn thing wrong in his life. Mia had always spoken kindly of Arthur, who fought for Muggle rights against a Wizengamot that despised him, doing his best to make the world a better place while providing for his exceptionally large family in the process. "No hard feelings, honestly," Sirius assured the man.

"No," Arthur shook his head. "I feel I need to apologize. I know we didn't know one another very well back then, but, we were friendly and..." Arthur paused and looked down, appearing to fight back tears. "And Mia loved and trusted you. She was a good witch and her word should have been enough. But when she..."

"I know," Sirius said quickly, his smile fading at the mention of his witch.

"Did... was she ever found?" Arthur asked, looking up.

"No," Sirius answered without hesitation.

"Sirius I'm so..."

"Arthur!" Molly Weasley called from the front door. "Can you help with these... BOYS! PUT THAT DOWN! Ronald! Help Hermione with her trunk!"

Sirius and Remus looked up to spot the little witch making her way through the front door, struggling with the large Hogwarts trunk, her massive orange Kneazle slipping between the legs of the crowd, making his way toward Sirius. The Animagus grinned and leaned down to scratch Crookshanks behind his ears, smiling smugly when the animal purred at him.

"She's got hands," Ron snapped at his mother. "I've got my _own _stuff to take care of."

"Such a gentleman," Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes as she finally made her way into the house. "It's fine Mrs. Weasley, I can take my own things, thank you."

"You'll do no such thing, kitten," Sirius said, moving through the crowd to take the handle of her trunk in his hand, pulling it away from her. Grey eyes looked down at the witch who stared up at him and swallowed nervously.

"Kitten?" Hermione repeated the word, making a displeased face as she spoke.

Sirius rose an eyebrow. "Yeah, cause you've got claws," he said with a grin.

"Huh," Hermione nodded and then added, "I don't like nicknames."

"It's a _pet _name," Sirius argued and tried pulling her trunk down the hallway only to find she still had a grip on it, apparently intending on carrying it herself. Sirius stared at the girl incredulously and tugged on the trunk a bit, trying to pry it away from her. Hermione mirrored his movement, pulling on her luggage.

"With all due respect, Mister Black..."

Sirius winced at the moniker and released the trunk immediately. "Please don't call me that," he begged.

"It's..." Hermione frowned. "You're allowing us all to stay in your home, it's only proper that I be respectful and call you..."

"You can call me Sirius," he said, interrupting her. "_Please_, don't call me Mister Black. I'm... I'm begging you." He stared at the witch who had a look of disappointment on her face at being told what to do. It was eerily similar to the one Mia used to wear when she'd catch the Marauder mid-prank at Hogwarts.

"Very well," Hermione nodded and then tested by saying the name to his face, "Sirius. Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home."

"What's mine is yours," the words tumbled out of his mouth before he realized what he'd said.

Thankfully, it seemed like the meaning of the statement didn't register as her brown eyes looked over Grimmauld Place. Not daring to reach out and touch anything, Hermione fished for words to compliment the house, "Um... it's... it's very..."

"It's a Dark Magic infested shit hole," Sirius said bluntly, smirking when his foul language seemed to stir a bit of annoyance in the witch. It was apparently still great fun to get her a little angry. "You don't have to say anything nice about the house, Hermione. I promise you won't offend me. It's not _my _house anyways. Belonged to my parents. I haven't lived here since I was sixteen," he admitted.

"Oh," she frowned and turned around to face him once more, taking her eyes off of the painting on the wall covered by thick black curtains. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Sirius shrugged. "I didn't get along well with my folks, obvious reasons, of course," he said, gesturing to the house. "So I... I left one day," his eyes briefly flickered to the other room, a room he now kept purposely closed because he had yet to go inside since returning to Grimmauld Place. The one request that Sirius had before moving back to his childhood home was that before he arrived Moody, Kingsley and Tonks were to make certain that a certain stained Persian rug was nowhere to be seen.

"I moved in with the Potters and closed the book on this part of my life. But..." he stared at the witch as she moved through the hall, glancing at a few of the other portraits on the wall that were left uncovered, "the past has a way of coming back to haunt me," Sirius whispered.

"_'If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future,'_," Hermione quoted with a soft smile.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"Winston Churchill," Remus stepped around Sirius and smiled brightly at the girl. "Muggle."

"Professor Lupin!" Hermione's smile intensified at the sight of the werewolf.

Sirius scowled at his best friend. "Aren't _you_ popular."

Remus chuckled and ignored Sirius' petulant comment, walking forward and giving Hermione a polite hug from the side. "Hello, Hermione. I've not been your Professor for over a year, I think you can call me Remus if you'd like."

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "You'll _always_ be Professor Lupin to me."

Sirius snorted. "Let's hope not."

"Sirius," Remus said reproachfully.

"Would you like a tour?" The Animagus offered the little witch who seemed immediately interested, until a loud scream came from below.

"Ginny! Hermione! Can you girls come and help me set everything up in the kitchen downstairs!?" Molly Weasley's voice boomed and echoed inside the walls. Taking a preemptive measure against his mother, Sirius held the black curtains in front of her portrait shut.

"Maybe another time," Hermione smiled at Sirius. "I'm sure Fred and George would be willing to go on a tour of the place. They've been talking our ears off about the pair of you."

"Us? Why?" Remus questioned.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're apparently their idols. Marauder's Map and all."

"GINNY! HERMIONE!" Molly yelled again.

Sirius had briefly let go of the curtains in front of the portrait which, at Molly's volume, sprung open revealing the enraged image of Walburga Black.

_"Filth! Disgusting creatures, blood-traitors and Mudbloods tainting the house of my father!"_

Sirius jumped back as quickly as possible and shut the curtains, silencing the witch. He turned and looked at Hermione, guilt written all over his face. "I am so sorry about that. It's... it's my mother's portrait. We can't seem to get it down from the wall."

The shouting from the painting and the specific words used had clearly upset Hermione who was clutching her hand to her chest as she caught her breath. Her face was a stony expression as she tried to reign in her emotions, not wanting to ever appear weak, but her eyes revealed the pain that the slur caused. "It's... it's fine," she lied. "Not your fault."

Sirius and Remus both stood awkwardly in the hallway, both clearly struggling with the need to comfort her, but neither in a position to do so due to the fact that Hermione wasn't Mia yet and she was just a fifteen-year-old girl, the best friend of their best friend's son. Almost as if the thought occurred to the men at the same time, they grimaced and took a step back from the witch.

At the same time, Ginny came barreling down the stairs, rushing past Remus and Sirius who she silently greeted with a polite smile before snatching Hermione's hand and pulling her toward the door. "Come on Hermione, before Mum starts screaming again."

The moment Hermione was out of sight, Sirius leaned against the wall behind him and dropped to the floor defeatedly while Remus leaned his forehead against the nearby door frame.

"That could have gone better," the werewolf muttered.

"Is that right? _Professor_?" Sirius said sarcastically and grinned victoriously when Remus seemed to groan at the title. "How the hell did you get through an entire year?" He asked.

Remus stood back up straight and looked down at his best friend, shoving his hands in the pockets of his robes. "Honestly? I had Dumbledore remove some of my more... _potent _memories," he admitted, blushing. "I still knew everything that had happened, but it was supposed to take the edge off. Unfortunately, _Moony _remembers everything, so even when _I_ struggled to make the connection, the wolf was right there to shove it in my face. It would probably help _you_ though if you'd want to try it."

Sirius looked up at his friend, contemplating the thought for a moment before speaking. "Take my memories of her out of my head?" He smiled softly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Remus, I'll be as gentle as I possibly can when I say this: I will very _literally _tear the throat out of any witch or wizard that tries to take that girl away from me again. Even in memory." His grey eyes were the dark color of steel and his voice eerily soft as he let the threat pass from his lips.

Remus nodded in understanding, but then smiled to hopefully change the tense mood that had fallen over them both. "Don't let Hermione hear you say things like that. She's quite a pacifist."

"I thought you said she punched the Malfoy kid?"

Remus chuckled at the memory. "That was a rare moment, and you could tell she felt bad for it afterward. She's almost _pure _Gryffindor. Apparently it took... it'll _take_ Dorea to bring out her inner Slytherin."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Terrific," he said sarcastically. "I'm trapped in my childhood home, the place I _literally _almost died once, my dead mother screams obscenities anytime anyone speaks too loudly, Dumbledore refuses to bring Harry here, and not only am I forced to be around the fifteen-year-old version of my bond mate who doesn't even remember me, but she no longer finds my violent streak endearing. What the fuck _else _could go wrong?"

As if summoned by the words, Kreacher appeared walking around the corner, glaring at Sirius. "Master, horrible wretch that he is, has let in the filthy blood-traitors into the house. Oh, my poor Mistress, what would she do to Kreacher if she knew Kreacher was forced to clean up after traitors and werewolves and shifters and the filthy Mudblood. Oh, they've let a Mudblood girl into the house. Poor Kreacher!"

Enraged by the slur being used against Hermione, Sirius stood and, unable to contain the rage he'd been burying deep down all month, barreled down upon the prejudiced house-elf. "Don't you _ever_ say that word again you rotten fucking elf!" He snapped, putting his dragonhide boot on Kreacher's back and shoving him forward down a small set of stairs.

"Sirius!" Remus scolded.

The raven-haired wizard turned to look at the werewolf who was staring across the hallway where Hermione stood in the open door, her brown eyes wide and furious as they glared at Sirius. Before the Animagus could say a word, the little witch rushed forward and fell to Kreacher's side on her knees. "You poor elf!" She said, reaching to help Kreacher, ignoring the way that he tried to fight her. "How could you!? He's just a poor house-elf!" She yelled, narrowing her eyes back up at Sirius.

The wizard gaped at her. "Hermione, that thing just called you..."

"I don't care what he called me!" She snapped. "You think I haven't been called a Mudblood before?" She asked, ignoring the way that both Sirius and Remus flinched at the word. "It's just a _word_, one that _wizards _taught him to use. Are you alright?" She asked the little elf.

"The Mudblood touches Kreacher! Oh, what would Mistress say if she knew!?" He howled as if burned and then Disapparated away from her.

"Do you see?" Sirius pointed. "He's not a thing to be pitied Hermione."

"He's not a _thing _at all," she bit back. "And... and I'd greatly prefer if you didn't violently attack a poor elf on my behalf. Not only is it cruel, I don't need you to defend me. It's not your job, Mister Black," she said and then stood up, turning on her heels and storming out of the hallway, presumably back to the kitchen with Molly and Ginny.

"That went well," Remus groaned.

"Not my job?" Sirius said, staring at the empty space where Hermione had recently stood.

"You _did_ know that Mia had a soft spot for elves," Remus reminded his friend.

"Not my job?!" Sirius' eyes widened.

"I'm going to do you a favor Pads," Remus said, placing his hands on Sirius' shoulders and directing him up the stairs. "One that Mia did for me a long time ago."

"Not my job?" Sirius continued to say. "Did you _hear _her?!"

Remus ignored him as they ascended the stairs. "We're going up to your room, and you're going to take a Calming Draught and maybe a hot bath so you can relax. Because your _still underage _bond mate is downstairs, completely unaware of who you actually are, and right now you're a little intense and if Molly Weasley catches you looking at Hermione in that overly protective and possessive way..." he stopped as Sirius turned around and glared at him, grey eyes flashing. "Yes, the way you're looking right now..." he nodded and forcefully turned Sirius back around. "She's going to Avada you in the kitchen and feed you to Buckbeak."

"Wotcher Sirius," Tonks said as she walked down the stairs, meeting the pair on the landing. "Hullo, love," she smiled brightly and kissed Remus' cheek. "What's wrong with him?"

"He may or may not have kicked the bitter old prejudiced house-elf after he called Hermione a Mudblood," Remus answered. "But he did so in front of Hermione who happens to be a house-elf rights activist."

Tonks winced. "Ouch. Wait..." her currently green eyes widened. "So she's _here_? Merlin, I'm gonna go meet her!" She said excitedly and began to move down the stairs.

"What?" Remus paled. "Wait!"

"Oh, you two calm down," Tonks turned back and grinned at the wizards. "I'm not going to go and pretend to read the girl's future. I'll just make with the nice, morph my face a little to impress," she said while simultaneously turning her nose into a pig's snout. "And soon we'll be the best of friends and I'll try and play you up a bit, yeah?" She said, gesturing to Sirius.

"That..." Sirius paused and stared at his cousin. "Would actually be really appreciated."

"Are you seriously playing matchmaker for your cousin with a fifteen-year-old witch?" Remus asked incredulously.

"What?" She shrugged her shoulders. "It's not like she'll start swooning over him now. There's still years before you send her back in time, and then she's got to grow up a bit there. Besides, if we're being technical I'll be playing matchmaker for _you _too," Tonks said and then outright laughed when Remus' mouth fell open and he stared at her, gobsmacked. "What? Did you happen to forget the fact that she's _your _ex as well? Want me to talk you up?" Tonks waggled her eyebrows, amused with the look of horror crossing her boyfriends face.

"You're doing this on purpose to rile me up," Remus stated.

"It's just so easy," Tonks grinned.

"This is so uncomfortable," the werewolf admitted. "How are you even remotely okay with this?" He asked her.

Sirius was the one to answer him. "Dorea once told me it had something to do with being a Black. Things that are considered uncomfortable, unacceptable or apparently awkward kind of come naturally to us. Born without shame."

Tonks nodded, seemingly accepting of the answer. "You boys go have fun, I'm going to go ask your lovely little witch if she's got a preference for blondes or brunettes," she chuckled and left the men standing, sharing in one another's awkwardness.

oOoOoOo

**August 5th, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

"Before we begin, have Silencing Charms been cast on the doors? I don't think it would be appropriate for the younger guests of this house to be privy to Order information just yet."

"Not to worry, Albus. I cast them myself," Molly Weasley assured the older wizard as the group gathered around the large table.

The Order was gathered together for their first official meeting as a whole since the return of Voldemort. Until tonight, Albus had been indirectly setting things in motion, all the while hoping that they could get Grimmauld Place set up securely enough to meet in secret. Everyone took their place around the large table with the exception of Emmeline Vance and Arabella Figg who were taking turns, keeping an eye on Number 4 Privet Drive. It would have been Mundungus' shift, but he'd spectacularly fucked up once already and Harry had been attacked by Dementors because of it.

At one end of the long table sat Albus Dumbledore with Mad-Eye to his right and Kingsley Shacklebolt to his left. At the other end of the table sat Sirius, Remus, and Tonks. Sirius couldn't help but feel like they were already in some sort of battle as he stared across the long table at the elderly wizard. Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, McGonagall, Mundungus, Sturgis Podmore and Hestia Jones filled in the remaining seats in between the many heads of red-haired Weasleys. Standing in the corner of the room was a glaring Severus Snape.

"You might want to put up an Imperturbable Charm on the door as well, Molly," Sirius advised the witch who turned and glared at him as though he were questioning her skills at Silencing Charms.

"And why's that?" She demanded, placing her hands on her hips to add emphasis to what she thought was a commanding tone. Unfortunately for Molly, she was not dealing with her offspring, but rather Sirius Black, who did not fear her the way her children might have.

Sirius stared up at her, unaffected by her attitude which was growing more and more insolent by the day. "Because I've had the honor of getting to know your children over the last few days and they are more intelligent than people give them credit for," Sirius said and gestured to the bottom of the door where a pair of Extendable Ears were slipped through the one inch gap on the floor.

Sirius smirked. Molly bristled. Severus snatched up the Extendable Ears, yanked them through the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, and then threw up the Imperturbable Charm whilst glaring across the room at Sirius.

"How goes the effort to clean out the house?" Albus asked.

"Very well," Molly replied as she took her seat at the table next to her husband. "There's an infestation of Doxies we need to take care of and we've got plenty of time before the children return to Hogwarts. Lots of little helping hands."

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"And Sirius?" Albus looked across the table at the Master of the House. "How are you doing? Since you are incapable of leaving Grimmauld Place, please don't hesitate to ask any Order member to bring you anything you stand in need of."

Sirius immediately looked up at Severus and grinned, earning a sneer in return. He had half a mind to make a long list of things he was in need of just to send the greasy git off on an errand, but he knew that such things would likely be passed down to Molly, who would lecture him on the amount of Muggle liquor was on his shopping list.

"Thank you, Albus," Sirius said, his attention drawn back to the old Headmaster. "I very much appreciate that. There is actually one thing I've been wanting brought to me if it's all possible."

"What would that be?" Dumbledore smiled brightly, eyes twinkling.

Sirius looked up, his grey eyes hard and dark. "My kid."

Remus reached a hand out and set it on top of Sirius' arm. "Sirius..."

"No!" He snapped at the werewolf and yanked his arm away, glaring back across the table at Dumbledore. "I want to know why Harry's not here. He should have been brought to me the moment we opened this house up. Not living back with those... rotten Muggles."

"Lily's sacrifice..." Dumbledore began.

"No longer applies," Sirius said, cutting him off. "Wormtail used Harry's blood to bring Voldemort back to full strength," he declared, ignoring the way that more than half of the Order flinched in response to the name. Honestly, weren't _they_ supposed to be the ones brave enough to face him? "Lily can no longer protect Harry," Sirius continued. "And I'll thank you Albus to not mention it again. There are very few subjects anyone should take caution when broaching with me, and Lily Potter is one of them," he said on the edge of a growl.

Someone in the room scoffed loudly.

Sirius turned his angry eyes upon Snape instantly. "Don't start with me, Snivellus!" He stood up, pointing at the Potions Master.

"Sirius," Dumbledore called, redirecting the attention of the angry Animagus. "Lily's sacrifice made it so that I was able to cast a protection Charm over Harry," he informed him. "While he remains living with his aunt and uncle, he is safe in their home."

Sirius nodded his head, retaking his seat. "Understood. Except you know, should he ever need to step a single foot outside that home, and then he's got Dementors attacking him," he pointed out. "Never mind whatever the Muggles are doing to him inside the house."

"Harry is perfectly safe," Albus tried to say but Sirius was having none of it.

"Arthur, Molly, when Harry's not with the Dursleys he's generally in your care, isn't he?" Sirius asked. "Tell me, what do you think of the treatment he's been getting from the Muggles?"

Arthur and Molly both averted the eyes of everyone else in the room. Before either could reply, Dumbledore had cleared his throat. "It is _because_ of the Dementor attack and Harry's approaching hearing with the Ministry that we do plan on retrieving him early. Tomorrow, in fact."

"Good," Sirius replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"I'd like to put together an Advance Guard to bring Harry to Grimmauld Place by broom. Alastor?" The old wizard turned to the retired Auror.

Mad-Eye nodded. "Of course. I'll bring Doge, Diggle, Shacklebolt, Podmore and Vance," he announced, gesturing to each person around the table.

"'Scuse me, Mad-Eye," Tonks spoke up, looking offended. "Forget someone?"

"Did I?"

"I'm coming too," Tonks announced, glaring at her mentor in a way that said he'd have a bigger fight on his hands by arguing with her.

"And Remus," Sirius added.

Moody looked up and glared across the table. "No."

Sirius sighed in frustration. "Moody, I know you and I have problems that go back decades," he said, reminding himself of a moment where he'd physically assaulted the old Auror, threatening to shove his badge down his throat the day that Sirius quit his job. "But that's my godson and if _I_ can't be there, then _Remus _will be. Every last one of James and Lily's requests have been ignored for Harry's entire life, now that I'm back I'll be setting things straight. When Harry is not at Hogwarts, he's with Remus or myself," he said firmly. "I'll concede that he can go to the Burrow, but that's only because I trust Arthur," he said, purposely leaving out Molly's name just to see her fume.

"I can agree to allowing Remus to be a part of the Advance Guard," Albus said kindly.

Sirius immediately noted that the old wizard didn't speak of any of Sirius' other demands regarding Harry's care and safety.

"Thank you, Albus," Remus nodded politely to the old Headmaster.

"Now, intel says that You-Know-Who's after the prophecy once more," Moody began. At the mention of 'intel', each set of eyes fell on Snape who appeared to ignore every last one of them. "Once Potter's safety is secured and the damn hearing is taken care of, that's our biggest issue to deal with."

"What do you suggest, Alastor?" Arthur inquired.

Moody looked up, his magical eye swirling in its socket. "Constant vigilance," he replied.

oOoOoOo

After the meeting, the Order departed leaving behind the current residents of Number Twelve. Remus said goodnight to Tonks who left for a night shift at the Ministry, before he watched as Arthur and Molly retired to their temporary rooms. The younger occupants had been ushered off to bed hours earlier and Remus himself was looking forward to a good night's rest, his body already aching from the approaching moon the upcoming week.

He passed the open door to the Black Family Library but stopped in his tracks and turned around to peek his head inside. There on the couch was a quietly sleeping Hermione. Her wild mane of honey-brown hair circled her head like a halo, her hands crossed over her chest, cradling a book. Sitting on the floor near her head was Sirius, staring at her while she slept.

The Animagus leaned forward and very gently brushed a lock of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Remus frowned at the look of pain on Sirius' face.

"Pads? Everything okay?" He whispered as he walked into the room.

Sirius turned his head and looked up at his friend. "I put up a Muffliato. Didn't want to wake her," he replied, turning his attention back to the sleeping witch. "Do you see?" He asked with a small sad smile. "No nightmares. I know Mia stopped when we got older but... seeing her at this age and not screaming in her sleep..." he let out a shaky breath as though he were waiting for the ball to drop and for the witch to start stirring.

Remus looked down at the girl and smiled. He couldn't deny that it was good to see her sleeping soundly. He had far too many memories of watching Mia jerk awake, screaming loudly with tears in her eyes. Terrified. She woke up terrified far too often. He pushed back the memories and looked down at Sirius who turned away from Hermione for a moment to rub at his eyes. "How've _you _been sleeping?" The werewolf asked.

"Same," Sirius replied.

"Dementors?"

Sirius nodded. "If not _that_ then it's Azkaban in general or... Godric's Hollow... lately it's my own mind putting together alternate versions of whatever happened to Harry in that cemetery."

Remus leaned forward and put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "He'll be okay, Sirius. _They'll _be okay."

"Dumbledore has apparently forbidden them from writing Harry," Sirius informed his friend. "I don't know why but the old man doesn't want him knowing anything that's going on. I didn't mean to snoop," he lied but at least looked ashamed for it. "But she had a whole letter written out, tucked in her book there. Told Harry she was sorry for not writing him sooner, asked if his aunt and uncle were _feeding _him..." Sirius growled. "Treating him well. What the hell is Albus playing at, Moony? I've always trusted the man, same as you and James, but Mia never did and now I'm starting to really wonder why."

Remus frowned and sat down in the chair behind Sirius, looking across the room at Hermione who continued to sleep, ignorant of the stressful conversation taking place around her. "That Order meeting was a nightmare," Remus acknowledged. "I know you're angry Pads_, I'm_ angry but it's not going to help. You need to stop antagonizing Snape, and Moody, and Albus," he paused then added with emphasis, "and Minerva."

Sirius scowled. "Do you see how that witch looks at me?"

"Yes," Remus nodded. "And she spent the better part of a year looking at _me_ the same way. She knows who Hermione really is and knows who she is to us. You can't really blame her."

Sirius huffed indignantly. "Still, I spent seven years in her classroom. You'd think she'd know me better."

"She knows you're not going to hurt Hermione," Remus assured his friend. "But look at it this way, right now Hermione Granger is a well behaved, model Muggle-born student at the top of her class, despite all the trouble she ends up saving Harry and Ron from."

"And?"

"And apparently all it took was growing up with _us _for a few years to turn her into a trouble-making, prankster with a penchant for punching Slytherins," Remus chuckled softly.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair as he stared at the girl, watching as she took in soft breaths in her sleep, a strange little smile on her face as though she were dreaming of something pleasant. A stark contrast to the nightmares that he had borne witness to far too often when growing up. "She's in there," he said quietly. "I can see her... I wish she could see me." He frowned.

Remus mirrored Sirius' expression. "She will. One day."

"And in the meantime _this _little witch hates my guts," Sirius sighed.

Remus smirked slightly. "You're not often very likable."

"She loved me once."

"I still suspect Imperius."

Sirius laughed. "Yeah well, I think dating a werewolf softened her up for me."

Remus smiled at the sound of his friend laughing. It came so rarely these days. "She's going to be sore if we leave her sleeping on that couch," he pointed out.

Sirius nodded and then stood up, reaching his arms forward as though to scoop Hermione into his arms, but then he hesitated and stepped away from her, wincing as though in pain. "Can... can _you_ take her? I... I can't," he shook his head, subconsciously scratching at the tattoo of Mia's name on his chest. "If she wakes up in my arms she's likely to hex me. If she wakes up in your arms the little witch will be over the moon, pun intended."

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius but leaned forward and lifted Hermione's small frame into his arms, her bent knees handing over his left forearm while his right cradled her shoulders. He turned to step out of the library to find that Sirius wasn't following him. Looking back, he watched as his friend poured himself a small tumbler of Firewhisky, all the while knowing it wouldn't do anything to him but remind him of days gone by.

* * *

**A/N**: I love Sirius filled with righteous anger. I never understood how Dumbledore could leave Harry with the Dursleys and not at least check to make sure he was being treated well. Oh, hopefully I filled in the little plot hole as to how Scabbers ended up with the Weasleys. I imagine after Sirius' arrest, the rat hung around the Ministry to snoop for information before Percy stumbled upon him and offered him treats or something.


	116. Chapter 116

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Happy Monday people! I've got writing on the brain and I'm hoping to be able to tackle a few chapters today in Part Four. Speaking of Part Four, are there any moments you all are looking forward to after Mia's return? (Outside the obvious box of the reunions with Remus, Sirius, Harry and Weasleys). I want to make sure to include scenes I might not have thought about previously. Right now I'm just ticking off a checklist as I go.

Q&amp;As - **corvusdraconis**, to my knowledge the wolf mate concept when it comes to the HP Universe is an entirely fanmade idea that we've all just adapted as head Canon LOL. I still prefer it of course. **xoxogg12**, Because of the time-travel element, Sirius and Hermione's bond is in a strange place at various points because it's provoked at two different moments in the timeline. For Sirius, it was provoked when he kissed her when they were teenagers (which was why Tilly was able to see it immediately afterward), but it wasn't provoked on Hermione's end until she used blood magic to pull him from the Veil, and only after that moment was Kreacher able to see it. Right now, the Soul Bond is strong on Sirius' side, but not on Hermione's. So it's like a string that's loosely connecting them both. Very frustrating for Sirius. The same thing happened to Hermione though when she was sent into the past and had to deal with her side being unconnected. Great question! **Grovek26**, they'll remember Mia's warnings, of course. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinterpretation that happens along the way. **stupefyBlack**, when Part Three catches up timeline wise with Part One, there will be a catch up chapter showing missing moments from Part One, and then we'll see a bit of Chapter 15 from Remus and Sirius' POV.

Reference Chasers read Order of the Phoenix Chapters 3-9.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Sixteen: King of Prats

_"...Remember when  
__We were further than you'd ever been  
__And I think about it now and then;  
__It takes me to that place.  
__When I pretend  
__That I'm better than I've ever been  
__Well at least that's what I tell my friends  
__Cause I can't show my face..."  
__(Just Say the Word - Josh Kelley)_

* * *

**August 6th, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

Days and nights spent at Grimmauld Place were complicated for Hermione. They were officially at war, Voldemort was back, a secret organization was established to fight him - the headquarters in this very house - and yet, every morning Molly Weasley woke everyone up, fixed breakfast and assigned chores as though they were back at the Burrow and life was normal. It made Hermione feel anxious to see how easily Fred and George still goofed around, playing pranks on Ron and Ginny (they knew better by now to try anything with _her_). Even Ron barely acknowledged the new tense feeling in the air that occurred the moment Harry returned from Little Hangleton with Cedric Diggory's body.

But Hermione felt it, and she knew she wasn't the only one.

Despite the way he'd smile politely at her and ask her about her classes at Hogwarts, Hermione knew that Professor Lupin was on edge. She'd spent the better part of her third year obsessively watching the man, nursing a crush that, thankfully, had waned a bit over the years, and she'd learned to read the signs of stress upon the werewolf's face. Likewise, the young bubbly Auror named Tonks, who had befriended Hermione and showed off her skills as a Metamorphmagus while telling her interesting stories about Remus and Sirius, had a way of losing composure when something was wrong, for instance, when word reached Grimmauld Place that Mundungus Fletcher had somehow allowed Harry to be attacked by Dementors.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had been angry to hear of what happened to their best friend; Molly had been positively outraged; when Dumbledore arrived and began scolding Mundungus over what happened, he'd actually frightened many in the house. But it was Sirius and Professor Lupin's reactions that had Hermione the most intrigued. In the presence of everyone else, the Animagus and werewolf remained calm and quiet, as though they held no opinion of the situation, which Hermione found very strange indeed.

After Dumbledore had left and Molly stormed off to bed, Hermione stuck down into the kitchens for a cup of tea to calm her nerves when she heard crying from another room. Unable to let her curiosity go, the little witch had followed the sounds to an empty room where she could see Professor Lupin sitting calmly in a chair, his fingers laced together, resting on his chest as he reclined his feet up on a stool, one leg kicked over the other. His usually green eyes were a deep-set amber color as they stared across the room where a familiar bearlike black dog had Mundungus Fletcher pinned to the ground.

"Please!" Mundungus pleaded with the dog.

Even from where she stood in the hallway, Hermione could smell the stink of booze on the man, not to mention other smells she'd rather not identify.

"Please," the man repeated. "Dumbledore already... already said..."

"As much as I respect the man," Professor Lupin said with an eerie calm, "Albus Dumbledore was not present during the birth of Harry Potter. He did not hold him when he cried, he did not help teach him how to speak or to walk, and despite the fact that Harry Potter is to be believed to be both target and weapon by many in the Wizarding world, that beast digging his claws into your chest looks at him like a son, a son that _you_ put in very grave danger."

The big black dog bared his teeth and leaned forward. Even from the awkward angle, Hermione could see the terrifying glint in the pale grey eyes as they bore their way through Mundungus.

"I'm sorry," the wizard cried. "I swear it'll never happen again! I swear it!"

"Good to know," the werewolf smiled. "The full moon is in four days, and I've been told that I'm a bit bigger and much less controlled than Padfoot here," Lupin said, gesturing to the black dog.

It was then that Hermione realized just how dangerous Sirius and Professor Lupin were. Just how far they would go to protect Harry. She knew she should have disapproved of the two of them punishing Mundungus like they had, but she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of pride growing from within her over their protective instincts and actions against the criminal who'd endangered Harry's life. Besides, who was she to judge them? She'd kept Rita Skeeter in a jar for several weeks over the summer.

oOoOoOo

"It looks wonderful, Molly," Professor Lupin said at the dinner table, ladling stew onto a plate for Hermione and handing it across the table.

The little witch smiled up at him in gratitude, taking the plate from the werewolf once he'd finished plating up a serving for Tonks, who was busy changing her nose into whatever suggestion Ginny gave her. She supposed they were hoping to cheer up Harry who had arrived earlier that night. He'd been furious with them all, but it seemed a lot of his wrath was saved for Professor Dumbledore, who had been purposely leaving Harry in the dark over many things. Something that irked Hermione a great deal.

She was pleased to see that Harry's presence had cheered up both Professor Lupin and Sirius.

"Can't you get your _own_ food?" Ron whispered to Hermione.

"What?" She turned and stared at her friend.

"You haven't noticed, 'Mione?" He asked. "Lupin fixes up your plate at every meal. You and Tonks. Has done since we got here."

"It's calling being polite, Ronald," she scowled, hiding back the strange way it pleased her to note that Ron was right, Professor Lupin had fixed her plate at every meal. _And he knows how I take my tea_, she thought to herself as she remembered her meeting with him in his office during her third year.

"I don't see him fixing up _my _plate," Ron said with a pout.

Hermione rolled her eyes and did her best to pay attention to the conversation being had between Bill and Professor Lupin about the Goblin Horde's potential involvement in the war. It was difficult, however, when, at the other end of the table, Mundungus was telling some sort of story that had the twins laughing loudly.

"I don't know where you learned about right and wrong, Mundungus, but you seem to have missed a few crucial lessons," Mrs. Weasley said coldly.

Fred and George buried their faces in their goblets of Butterbeer; George was hiccoughing. Mrs. Weasley threw a very nasty look at Sirius before getting to her feet and going to fetch a large rhubarb crumble for dessert. For some reason, the glare the witch cast toward Sirius had Hermione on edge, and she listened closely as Sirius whispered to Harry, "Molly doesn't approve of Mundungus."

"How come he's in the Order?" Harry asked very quietly.

"He's useful," Sirius muttered. "Knows all the crooks ... well, he would, seeing as he's one himself. But he's also very loyal to Dumbledore, who helped him out of a tight spot once. It pays to have someone like Dung around, he hears things we don't. But Molly thinks inviting him to stay for dinner is going too far. She hasn't forgiven him for slipping off duty when he was supposed to be tailing you."

Harry seemed to nod silently, and soon everyone was digging into their dessert save for Hermione who was staring at Sirius in confusion. Hadn't she seen the man threaten Mundungus a few nights ago because of what had happened to Harry? The little witch wondered if Sirius was purposely not telling Harry how he felt about the situation so that his godson wouldn't worry. She did, however, catch a brief look shared between Sirius and Mundungus where the latter swallowed hard and reached nervously for a flask he kept in his cloak pocket.

oOoOoOo

"Nearly time for bed, I think," Mrs. Weasley yawned once dessert was through and all the plates had been shifted from the table to the kitchen where a scrubber had been charmed to wash them.

"Not just yet, Molly," Sirius said turning to look at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

Next to her, Ron gasped at the mention of Voldemort's name. Hermione rolled her eyes at the noise and turned her attention to Sirius and Harry, who suddenly looked relieved that someone was _actually_ speaking to him about something important.

"I did!" Harry said indignantly. "I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so-"

"And they're quite right," Mrs. Weasley interrupted. "You're too young." She was sitting bolt upright in her chair, her fists clenched upon its arms, every trace of drowsiness gone from her previously tired face.

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" Sirius asked. "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen-"

Sirius never finished his thought as the twins burst into the conversation.

"Hang on!"

"How come _Harry_ gets his questions answered?"

"Harry's not even of age!"

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing," Sirius said calmly. "That's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand-"

"It's not down to _you _to decide what's good for Harry!" Mrs. Weasley said sharply. Her normally kindly face looked dangerous. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked politely but coated the edges of his tone with steel, as though preparing to fight.

Hermione's brown eyes widened slightly as she recognized that look on his face. That same dangerous glint in those pale grey eyes that she'd seen when he'd been punishing Mundungus in Animagus form. Her heart thudded against her rib-cage. She might have thought it would have been out of fear, but she felt her cheeks warm over as well and a strange thought occurred to her, _am I attracted to... no... that's preposterous!_

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he _needs to know,_" Mrs. Weasley said, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words.

"I don't intend to tell him more than he _needs to know_, Molly," Sirius said. "But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back, he has more right than most to-"

But Mrs. Weasley cut him off once more. "He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix! He's only fifteen and-"

"And he's dealt with as much as most in the Order," growled Sirius, "and more than some-"

"No one's denying what he's done!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. "But he's still-"

"He's _not_ a child!" Sirius snapped impatiently.

"He's not an adult either!" Mrs. Weasley said, the color rising in her cheeks. "He's not _James, _Sirius!"

Silence filled the room instantly and while everyone else was staring ahead at Sirius, waiting to see how he'd respond, Hermione was watching Professor Lupin who - for some reason - was looking at _her_, guilt painted across his face. His green eyes turned to Sirius, however, when the Animagus clenched his fist tightly.

"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly," Sirius said coldly.

"I'm not sure you are!" Mrs. Weasley huffed. "Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!"

"What's wrong with _that_?" Harry snapped.

Hermione reached out and took Harry's hand in her own and gripped it tightly, an attempt to help keep his temper in check while at the same time offering what support she silently could. She could see Mrs. Weasley's point; the witch was a natural mother who wanted nothing more than to protect her children, and it was obvious that she considered Harry - and at times even Hermione herself - as one of her large brood. Hermione, however, couldn't help but see the pain that Sirius was struggling to conceal; couldn't help but see the guilt that Professor Lupin wasn't even _trying_ to hide; couldn't help but see the anger and bitterness in Harry's eyes.

"What's wrong, Harry, is that you are _not _your father, however much you might look like him!" Mrs. Weasley replied, her eyes still boring into Sirius. "You are still at school and the adults that are _responsible_ for you should not forget it!"

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" Sirius questioned, his voice rising.

"Meaning you've been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and-"

"We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this if you please!" Sirius snapped loudly.

"Personally," Professor Lupin quietly interjected, looking away from Sirius at last, as Mrs. Weasley turned quickly to him, hopeful that finally she was about to get an ally, "I think it better that Harry gets the ... not _all_ the facts, Molly, but the general picture ... from us, rather than a garbled version from ... others."

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said, breathing deeply and looking around the table for support that did not come, "well ... I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has got Harry's best interests at heart-"

"He's not _your _son," Sirius said quietly.

"He's as good as," Mrs. Weasley shot back fiercely. "Who else has he got?"

"He's got me!"

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said, her lip curling. "The thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"

There had been a collective gasp around the table as everyone turned to stare at either Sirius or Mrs. Weasley, both looking positively ready to duel at any moment. Hermione turned to look at Harry who appeared emotionally torn and she could understand why. Mrs. Weasley had been like a mother to Harry over the years, but even Hermione could understand where Sirius was coming from, and after stumbling upon Professor Lupin and Sirius' moment with Mundungus the other night, the little witch could very clearly see how important Harry was to his godfather.

oOoOoOo

**August 10th, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

The door to the basement slowly opened and Hermione turned from her place on the floor where she had fallen asleep to find herself face to face with Padfoot.

She had tried going to sleep that night, but her and Ginny's bedroom window had a clear view of the full moon, and knowing that Professor Lupin was somewhere in the house below suffering had caused her heart to ache something fierce. The little witch silently pulled herself from bed, grabbing a book on her way and made the short journey down the many steps to the basement where she knew Professor Lupin was being held behind a variety of Protective Wards. She'd sat down near the door and listened to the sounds of pacing claws on pavement, loud sniffing, and the occasional bark. She figured that the ward included some sort of sensory block considering her presence outside the door didn't appear to cause any trouble from within.

When the opening door woke her and she looked over to see the big black dog staring down at her, Hermione blushed.

Sirius shifted into his human form and frowned down at Hermione, his brows furrowed. "Are you alright, Hermione?"

"I..." she tried to think of a lie but was too tired to come up with anything good. Plus, she was a terrible liar. "I was worried," she admitted and glanced behind him at the door. "Is he..."

"He's fine," Sirius answered. "Sleeping. It'll be a few hours still until sunrise. I thought I'd get a cup of tea and some biscuits. Would... would you like to join me?" He asked her.

Hermione stared up into his grey eyes and she smiled. He'd regained a lot of the weight he'd lost both in Azkaban and on the run. There was no denying that he was handsome... darkly beautiful, in fact. His aristocratic features reminded her of the Malfoys, but the casual way that he held himself was relaxing, comforting even. She realized that she'd been staring and hadn't answered him, and Hermione turned her head down as she felt a blush fall over her cheeks. Horrified, she missed the way he smiled at her smugly as though he'd read her mind and was preening over the attention.

"Umm... no, thank you," she shook her head and moved to stand up. "I just wanted to make sure Professor Lupin was alright," she admitted and made her way quickly for the stairs.

"I'll take care of him," Sirius called after her. "I promise, kitten," he added on the end of a whisper, his eyes looking at her as though he were asking for something rather than offering.

He looked sad, guilty even. _Perhaps_, she wondered, _he was asking for forgiveness_, but for what she couldn't possibly imagine, least of all from her. The words coming off of his lips - as well as the only _slightly _less irritating _pet _name - and the genuine way he'd spoken, as though he knew how important it was to her that the werewolf be cared for, felt... intimate. It stirred something in her once more and she tried to bury it under a polite smile before she rushed away, back up the stairs to her room.

Once inside, Hermione tried to catch her breath. _Great_, she thought to herself. _Two Professors, Viktor Krum, and now Harry's godfather? Why can't I be attracted to someone my own age?_ She silently scolded herself, wondering if she should try and be a little nicer to Ron. However, memories of how he'd acted over the Yule Ball put him at the bottom of the list for potential future love interests. _I should just focus on my studies_, she thought and quietly willed herself to go to sleep where she would absolutely, positively, definitely _not _have dreams about a dark-haired Animagus.

oOoOoOo

**August 31st, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

She didn't know how to apologize any better than she'd already done. It wasn't as if she'd _meant_ to insult Ron by being shocked that he'd received a Prefect badge; though she had, in fact, been shocked. _What on earth had he done to become a Prefect?_ Hermione had worked so hard for years to get the badge that she coveted so greatly, and somehow, despite his poor grades, his habit of rule breaking, his attitude and disrespect of staff members like Professor Snape, Ron was somehow deemed worthy to be a Prefect. And her one moment of surprise had apparently earned her the cold shoulder and a glare anytime she was in the same room as him.

Fine, if he wanted to be that way.

"Your brother is a prat," Hermione mumbled to Ginny as she walked down the stairs to find the little redhead with her ear against a closed door. Surprisingly, Ginny didn't even jump at Hermione's sudden intrusion.

"Which brother?" Ginny asked. "They're all very prattish from time to time, so you'll need to be a lot more specific."

"Well, I suppose considering everything lately, I should say Percy," Hermione frowned. "But I meant Ron."

"Oh, he's king of the prats, didn't you know?" Ginny smirked. "Earned himself the title when the twins went off to Hogwarts for their first year, leaving only me and ickle Ronnie behind. '_But... Mummy... I don't want to be with stupid Ginny..._'," Ginny mocked her older brother's sobbing. "He threw a temper tantrum at Kings Cross _and_ my stuffed dragon in front of the Hogwarts Express."

"He did not," Hermione gaped.

"Oh, he did. Mum reddened his arse good and proper once we got home," Ginny smirked at the memory. "I loved that bloody dragon."

"Language," Hermione scolded quietly. "Ginny? Care to tell me why we're whispering?"

"Because I don't want to get caught eavesdropping, of course."

The curly-haired witch frowned disapprovingly. "Ginny, it's not nice to invade someone else's privacy."

"Sirius and Professor Lupin are giving Harry the sex talk," Ginny said as though that were a good enough reason to invade anyone's privacy.

"What?" Hermione's brown eyes widened and she rushed to Ginny's side. "Scoot over! I can't hear anything."

"Well, you wouldn't," Ginny chuckled. "They're trying to teach him how to do a non-verbal Contraceptive Charm. Don't ask me how they're getting around Harry being able to use magic outside of Hogwarts. Those two are better than Fred and George."

Hermione's face turned beet red, whether from embarrassment, shame or anger she wasn't exactly sure. "What?! Oh Godric..." she rolled her eyes, "firstly, as talented as everyone seems to _think _Harry is, he's not even _close _to being able to perform non-verbal spells, and secondly, he's _much_ too young to be thinking about things like... like..."

"Sex?" Ginny smirked, stifling a laugh when Hermione's face turned pink at the word.

"Contraceptive Charms," Hermione corrected.

"Says you," Ginny giggled. "I may not be able to do it non-verbally, but I've known the charm for the last six months."

The Muggle-born's mouth fell open. "Ginny! _Your _mother actually-"

Ginny threw her head back and laughed quietly, covering her mouth so that they weren't discovered. "Merlin no! Fred and George taught me when they caught some Ravenclaw bloke taking a fancy to me last year," she admitted. "They apparently locked _him_ in a broom closet for two days and then came and taught _me_ the charm, in addition to a few nasty hexes, both just in case," she winked at her friend.

Their conversation was brought to an immediate halt when they heard voices from the other side of the door.

"...I don't think I'm getting it. You're wasting your time, Sirius," Harry said.

"Don't get out of shape, Pup, I taught you how to walk and I taught you how to talk, I'm sure as hell going to be the one to teach you this," Sirius declared.

"You taught me how to walk and talk?"

"Sure did. Bought you your first broom as well. Only hovered about a foot off the ground, but still."

"What about... what about my parents?" Harry asked.

Professor Lupin chimed in. "Your Mum and Dad were always there, but we were around just as much. Or well... when we could be. The war was going on strong when you were born, and with your parents in hiding, that left all the missions up to the rest of us."

"Really?" Harry seemed suddenly very interested. "What kind of missions?"

"Boring stuff," Sirius answered. "Lots of traveling, nothing happened. Now hold the wand like this and try it."

"What... what was my first word?" Harry nervously asked.

There was a long moment of silence before Sirius spoke up. "Er... I'm not exactly allowed to say."

"Why not?"

"Because I made a Wizard's Oath to your Dad that I'd keep it a secret," he admitted. "Your Mum would have hexed my arse raw if she knew you'd learned it from me. Let's just pretend that it was 'Snitch' and call it a day, yeah?"

Harry, Sirius and Professor Lupin all laughed. Outside the door, Ginny was silently chuckling, but Hermione was shaking her head in disapproval.

"So," Harry spoke again, "if you were so close with my parents, how come I never knew about you two before my third year? I had a godfather this whole time and my aunt and uncle never told me anything."

"That's because Petunia is an uppity little cun-"

Professor Lupin cut Sirius off instantly. "Because your Mum wasn't exactly close with her sister around the time you were born. She sent her a birth announcement I know, but I doubt your aunt and uncle cared about any details regarding the rest of the family."

"Family?" Harry questioned.

"Umm..."

"Yeah," Sirius answered. "Me and Moony. Family. I was practically adopted by your Grandparents you know, Remus as well. Your Dad was our brother and your Mum was our sister. When they..." Sirius paused and when he spoke again Hermione could hear the change of his tone. "You should have been with me. But I fucked up, I know that now. Still... your folks had express wishes. Had _I_ not been around you were supposed to have been raised by Remus."

"Then why-"

"Anti-werewolf laws," Professor Lupin answered. "The Ministry would have taken you away from me the second they found out."

Hermione scowled at the information.

"Enough with the sad trip down memory lane," Sirius insisted. "I'm trying to impart decades of wisdom on the kid."

"I really think you're wasting your time, Sirius. I've never even kissed a girl," Harry said.

Ginny and Hermione shared a look. Ginny seemed strangely surprised by the news, but Hermione wasn't in the slightest. Harry was incredibly shy when it came to girls and she knew it. The only one he'd ever taken a fancy to was Cho, and he'd barely had the courage to ask her to the Yule Ball, a bit too late as well.

"Really?" Sirius asked. "See what happens when you're off saving the world? We all appreciate your sacrifice, Harry," Sirius said and then chuckled loudly.

"Thanks," Harry replied sarcastically. "How old... umm..."

"I was fifteen my first time," Sirius answered.

"Same," Professor Lupin replied.

Hermione's eyes shot wide open at the revelations.

"Do you know... my umm... my Dad?" Harry nervously asked.

Sirius chuckled. "Almost eighteen. Don't worry Harry, you've got plenty of time. I'm just being cautious," he admitted. "We were a little younger than you when our Dad, or well, _James' _Dad took us aside and taught us the Charm. If it makes you feel any better, I was almost seventeen the first time it actually counted."

"How did it not count before?" Harry asked curiously.

"Didn't _love _the other girls. I was a stupid, reckless kid that tried burying my issues in witches... literally," he admitted. "But everything changes when you find the one you really, really love."

"He's right about that," Professor Lupin said.

Hermione pulled away from the door, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty for eavesdropping. She turned to Ginny and shook her head. "Well... I still don't approve, but I suppose it's not completely horrendous."

Ginny chuckled. "That's because you missed all the good parts. Before Harry walked in there, they'd been telling Fred and George all about their adventures at Hogwarts."

"Adventures?"

The ginger witch smirked. "Apparently Sirius was very popular among Ravenclaw House."

Hermione grimaced. "Ugh... _Ravenclaws_," she said the word as though it were suddenly a curse.

"And Professor Lupin once shagged a girl in the Library."

Hermione's brown eyes widened and she gasped loudly. "_My_ Library?!" She shrieked, horrified at the thought of her sacred space being desecrated by... by a Professor! "He should know better!" She insisted loudly, ignoring the fact that Ginny had wrapped her arms around her, struggling to cover her mouth. She eventually stopped screaming out loud, in her head, however, was another matter entirely. In addition to silently shouting, torrid images of Professor Lupin, shirtless and leaning against the shelves that lead into the Restricted Section flooded her mind. Her cheeks flamed red and she fought against Ginny's grip, now as an attempt to escape.

"Girls?" Mrs. Weasley called out, appearing at the railing of the first landing on the stairs. "What are you doing up so late?" She asked.

"Nothing!" Hermione and Ginny said at the same time.

"Then get to bed," Mrs. Weasley gestured to the stairs. "Lots to do tomorrow, and you'll need your rest."

oOoOoOo

Back on the other side of the door, Sirius and Remus sat at a small circular table with Harry opposite them. Reliving the good memories of their youth was relaxing, and they'd both _tried_ to reign it in a little when they'd each heard the two witches on the other side of the door. The moment that they could both hear Molly Weasley direct Hermione and Ginny off to bed, the tension in their shoulders eased quite a bit.

"So, do you have a girl in mind?" Sirius asked his godson.

Harry blushed and then stared down into the bottom of his empty cup of hot chocolate. "Sort of," he admitted quietly. "It's complicated."

"Hermione?" Sirius suggested, ignoring the look that Remus was sending him as he stared ahead at Harry.

It was something he'd been wondering for months now, ever since Rita Skeeter had decided to play story time with his godson and bond mate. Remus insisted it was all lies, but Sirius wanted to hear it from the boy himself. He'd thought about the day when he finally would need to tell Harry the truth about Hermione, Mia, and her trip through time, and he was dreading it. If Harry was, in fact, in love with Hermione it would only make everything worse and he wanted to prepare himself for it.

"What?!" Harry looked up at his godfather, a grimace on his face. "Merlin, no!" He insisted. "That's... that's disgusting! She's like my sister."

Sirius held back the big sigh of relief he wanted to let go of, and simply nodded thoughtfully and said, "Good to know. Calm down, son. So why's your actual girl complicated?"

"Well, she had a boyfriend and..." Harry frowned, "and he died."

Sirius and Remus shared a look and sighed looking down at the table. Remus was the first to speak. "That's terrible, Harry. But... life goes on," he offered. "You can't stop living because others pass away. Trust us on this. We're experts on the subject."

The werewolf looked at Sirius who rolled his eyes in response, knowing that Remus was thinking of Sirius' poor coping mechanisms after Mia disappeared.

"Thanks," Harry said quietly. "I better head off to bed."

"Not so fast," Sirius reached out and put a hand on Harry's shoulder to keep him sitting. "You think I'm just going to offer you girl advice, teach you a Contraceptive Charm then send you on your way?" He chuckled. "What kind of godfather do you take me for?"

"An _awesome_ one?" Harry suggested.

Sirius smirked. "Nice try, Pup. You keep safe this year, and I mean that," he said with a fatherly tone of voice. "And pay attention in class. I know not every lesson is as fun as the last, but you need every bit of magic that your Professors are willing to teach you," he insisted.

"And stop asking Hermione to do your homework for you," Remus chimed in and, when Harry looked up at the werewolf as though he'd been caught with his hand in his chocolate cauldron, Remus added, "Yes, I know you've been doing it for years."

"I... umm..." Harry looked down, properly ashamed of himself.

"And stop treating that girl poorly," Sirius demanded. "And allowing others to upset her. You say she's like your sister, then treat her as such. You can't begin to imagine the level of pain I would cause someone if they'd have made your Mum cry. She was _my _sister," the raven-haired wizard insisted, his grey eyes dark.

Harry took in the look his godfather was giving him and thought for a long moment before frowning. "You're not talking about Malfoy, are you?"

Remus raised a brow at the boy. "Would it be more painful to be insulted by an enemy or a friend?" He asked.

Harry sighed in defeat and nodded his head. "I understand. I'll try and keep a better eye on Ron's temper."

Sirius and Remus both looked proud that they didn't need to come right out and say it. "The kid won't like it if _I'm_ the one who has to speak to him," Sirius threatened quietly. "She's your sister, that makes her family. We protect our family, Harry."

"I understand," Harry nodded. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," Sirius smiled and leaned over, pulling the boy into a tight hug.

* * *

**A/N**: I'd forgotten how much I loved this chapter. The conversation at the dinner table was taken almost word for word from the book. Mrs. Weasley really is that controlling and insulting. I had a blast writing the "sex talk" though. This was one of the moments I really wanted to show to establish the differences between Hermione and Mia, so when the latter does come back, it's that much more of a shock to the system of those who are completely unprepared to meet her.


	117. Chapter 117

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I went through and spent thirty minutes or so editing this chapter only for FFnet to log me out before I clicked save. Bleh. There's no way I'll have the same eagle eyes as the first time around so I apologize if I don't catch all the potential mistakes.

Q&amp;As - **sambam17**, the time between Hermione vanishing to the past and Mia returning to the present is roughly about one hour. **Mandie Weasley**, the Soul Bond is so subtle on Hermione's end right now (only in the emotional preparation stage) that her attraction to Sirius is actually genuine, and who could blame her? He's Sirius Black! **Wriggle Grace**, Mia returns in Part Four. **Duner89**, the amount of time spent during Mia's return to the present (for her) will be seconds, so she'll come back to 1998 the same age she left 1979, nineteen. **DramionesLady**, Part Four will cover Mia's return and adjustment to the present, as well as the end of the story. I'm still not entirely sure how long that will be. It will feature at least two significant time jumps at some point before the Epilogue.

Reference Chasers should read Order of the Phoenix Chapters 13-23, and DoT Chapter 75.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Seventeen: Just Not Healthy

_"...I stuck a knife in my side  
__They tell me death doesn't hurt  
__But I think they lied  
__Because I'm still empty inside  
__Oh I'm still empty inside…"  
__(Forget Me Forgotten - Hollow Wood)_

* * *

_**Flashback**_

**January 31st, 1977**

**Muggle London**

Mia and Sirius stumbled out of the tattoo shop together, arms draped over one another, supporting each other in order to stay balanced as they walked. The elf wine had been strong and still coursed through their systems. Mia told Sirius that they were probably dealing with an endorphin high to counteract any pain from their latest tattoos. Neither could actually say that they'd felt much pain.

Mia had seemed to rather enjoy it.

It had been Sirius' idea, of course, to get Mia's name tattooed on his chest, and the curly-haired witch swooned at the romantic gesture, but a primal part of the girl watched with aroused interest as he was branded hers for life. When Sirius had suggested she get one of his name, she was all too ready to reciprocate until he'd mentioned where he wanted it placed.

"Sirius! That's… probably going to hurt, don't you think?" She'd asked him while blushing. In the end, it hadn't hurt that bad. Elf wine numbed what little pain there was, and Sirius' heated stare kept her distracted enough that she was barely coherent when the tattoo artist told her that he was done.

She giggled when Sirius lifted her into his arms and spun her around whilst kissing her, dodging a pair of Muggles who were glaring at their wanton behavior in public. Sirius looked around the neighborhood to see if anyone was watching before pulling Mia down a long, empty street and sneaking around an old closed-down thrift shop.

"Jamie's going to kill you when he finds out," Mia said in reference to the tattoo as Sirius' hand began sneaking up the inside of her skirt.

_No wonder the Muggles were staring at us_, Sirius thought to himself. _She looks mental walking around in a skirt in this weather_.

Sirius laughed at her comment. "That tosser pretty much tattooed 'Lily' across his entire chest, I just put your name right above my heart, where it belongs," he grinned proudly and pressed his lips to the side of her throat, taking the little whimper that came out of her parted lips and adding it to his list of things he loved about her.

"You know that's not what I meant," Mia smirked, threading her fingers through his hair. "And if _my _name belongs above your heart, then why again is it that I got _your _name tattooed on my thigh?" She teasingly asked as his fingers grazed just under where the ink sat against her skin.

"Because," he pulled away to watch a soft pink color develop in her cheeks as his fingers crept higher and higher. "I figured tattooing my name where it _belongs _might hurt a little more than on your thigh," he said with a smug grin as he ran the pad of his thumb over the center of her knickers, drawing a shocked gasp from the witch.

"Sirius!" She scolded him, slapping his shoulder. "We're in public!" She hissed.

"We've had sex in public before."

"At Hogwarts, in the corridors, after curfew... not in the middle of London!" Mia blushed.

Sirius grinned darkly at her, his grey eyes boring into her chocolate brown irises that flashed amber when she was excited or angry. Merlin, how he wished they'd stay amber forever. "You know," he leaned in close and whispered, brushing his lips against the shell of her ear. "Remus told me you let him fuck you in the middle of London. Some dark alley after that concert we all went to."

Mia breathed heavy as he lifted her into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and pressing himself against her. "He told you that?" She asked, unashamedly, her confidence being one of the many things Sirius found sexy about her.

"We compare notes," Sirius teased and then flinched when she pinched the tender skin near his armpit. "Ow!" He promptly dropped her legs and dashed away from her as quickly as he could, laughing. "I was joking!" He insisted with a smile before rushing forward and grasping her before she had a chance to get away. "I am a little offended though. You'll have sex with _Remus _in London but not me?" He pouted.

Mia rolled her eyes at his poor attempt at feigned jealousy. "What do_ I _get out of it?" She asked.

Sirius slowly raised an eyebrow. "Are you bartering with me?" He barked a laugh. "Godric, you really weren't Sorted properly."

"So I've been told," she said, hissing the 's' as she spoke. "Now tell me what I get out of it."

Sirius immediately fell to his knees and stared at the hem of her denim skirt heatedly. When she folded her arms across her chest, apparently unaffected by his subtlety, he looked up at her. "What? Don't you like to see me on my knees, begging?" He grinned.

"That's hardly worth my time when I know how much _you _enjoy it," she teased him, chewing on the side of her bottom lip, squealing when he growled and gripped a hand around each of her thighs and held her roughly.

"What if I stop _begging _and instead start _demanding_?" He asked, running his nose up the inside of her skirt, eyes searching out the tattoo, grateful for healing spells, otherwise the area might have been a little too raw for the attention he was planning on giving it.

"That's more like it," Mia grinned and leaned back against the wall behind her, grasping for something to hold onto as Sirius buried his face between her thighs, planting open mouthed kisses against her skin and breathing hot over her core.

"Mmm…" Sirius moaned. "I want to see what my name tastes like," he said and then immediately ran his tongue over the ink, feeling powerful at the way she trembled by such a simple gesture. "You like that, kitten?" Sirius asked, looking up to see her head thrown back, bottom lip caught between her teeth. "Well then you're going to _love_ this," he said and stood up, hitching her legs around his hips as he undid his buckle, to remove his swollen length. Slipping his fingers against her glistening quim, he pulled the knickers to the side and ran the tip of his hardness against her slick center and...

_**Flashback Ends**_

oOoOoOo

**October 8th, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Padfoot! Are you awake?"

Sirius opened his eyes at the intrusion, trying to quickly shut them in an attempt to cling to the memory that he'd been dreaming, placing a hand on his hardened cock before the thoughts of reality came crashing down on him._ No, no, no_... he thought desperately as he stroked his hardness once, twice... _denim skirt, tattooed thigh_...

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Kicking the blankets off of his body violently, Sirius stood and rushed toward his bedroom door, throwing it open to glare at the werewolf on the other side. "You... are such... a prick!"

"Well, good morning to you too, arsehole," Remus scowled at him.

"What's wrong with _you_?" Tonks asked as she appeared from behind Remus, blowing bubbles with Muggle chewing gum; turning her hair the same shade of lavender as the candy in her mouth.

"What's wrong…" Sirius growled. "Is that I haven't come in almost fifteen fucking years," he said bluntly, ignoring the grimace that crossed Remus' face, as well as the loud 'pop' that came from Tonks' gum.

"That's... just not healthy," she said.

Remus rolled his eyes and Sirius noted the dark circles beneath them. "So we woke you up from a sex dream? Do I even want to know?"

Sirius grumbled as he turned back around, grabbing a set of black robes that he threw over his body, not bothering to tie them around his waist as his erection was already a distant… "Memory," Sirius stated clearly. "I probably told you about it before," he said smugly. "Tattoo shop, London alley, denim skirt…" he groaned miserably. "Fuck... I hate my life. I hate this house," he said loudly, kicking the wall before turning his eyes on his best friend, "I hate you, Remus."

The werewolf laughed. "Oh, go hop in the shower and have a wank."

"I can't," Sirius said through clenched teeth.

"Why not?" Remus asked curiously.

"Because what do you think I think about to get off?"

"Oh," Remus nodded thoughtfully and then his eyes widened. "Oooh!"

"Yes, '_oooh_'," Sirius snarled as he stormed down the stairs, shouting for Kreacher to get his breakfast started, not in the mood to deal with Remus and Tonks until he'd had at least one cup of coffee.

"I don't get it," Tonks muttered as she followed Remus and Sirius down the stairs.

"Mia," Remus answered her.

Tonks took a long moment to let the one-word answer ferment in her brain before it clicked and she grimaced. "Oh, yeah," she nodded. "She's sixteen-years-old now."

"I'm very aware," Sirius snapped. "What's worse is that my cock is aware, so even when I _try _to think about _Mia _when she was lovely, naked, wrapped around my waist and perfectly _of age_... my brain likes to remind me that she's _not _anymore!" He kicked open the door to the dining room, pleased to see that the house-elf had, at the very least, put a cup of coffee on the table next to Sirius' seat. "What did you two wake me up for anyway?"

"The Floo in the drawing room was open," Remus said as he walked in after Sirius, taking a seat beside his friend. "Wanted to see if someone came by while we were out."

"No one," Sirius replied, taking a long gulp from the mug of black liquid, ignoring the fact that Kreacher purposely left out the sugar because Sirius hadn't properly ordered him to put it in. _That elf is going to be the death of me_, Sirius thought. "I made a call to Hogwarts last night to talk to Harry."

Remus narrowed his green eyes at Sirius. "Again?" He asked angrily. "Are you insane?!"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "I wasn't caught," he said, leaving out the fact that he very nearly was since that Umbridge bitch had gone sniffing through the fires, attempting to grab at anyone who had their head stuck in the Floo. "I had to talk to him. He wrote me. He's having pain in his scar again."

The werewolf frowned immediately. "Any nightmares?" He asked.

Sirius shook his head. "Not sure," he sighed. "Maybe get out that fancy parchment and quill of yours and write your penpal. She might have a better idea if he's even told her," Sirius suggested. "Harry thinks it was triggered by that Umbridge witch that took over the Defense class." He noted quickly that Remus' expression soured instantly at the mention of the woman, and Sirius didn't blame him one bit.

"I've heard a few things about her," Tonks made a face. "But the looks on your faces tell me I should know more."

"She's a rotten manipulative…" Sirius began.

"Prejudiced toad-faced cunt!" Remus spat angrily, his eyes flashing gold.

Tonks' hazel eyes widened dramatically at Remus' sudden outburst. "Woah," she said and reached over, running her fingers through his hair which seemed to calm him down a touch. She looked up to find Sirius mouthing 'moon' and she nodded in sympathetic understanding.

"What?" Remus bitterly huffed, his nose twitching. 'It's because of _her _that I can't go to St. Mungo's when I'm injured. It's because of that witch that I wasn't allowed to raise Harry, and why I can't get a job now. She's been writing anti-werewolf laws since Mia worked at the Ministry," he admitted, remembering many evenings when his best friend would return to their flat screaming about the pink-clad older witch.

"_Mia, I'll be fine, you've always taken better care of my injuries than any Healer," a younger Remus had insisted when Mia had come home to 93 Diagon Alley screaming about a piece of legislation that had gone through, effectively barring all half-breeds, werewolves especially, from St. Mungo's and any other medical facility in Wizarding Britain._

"_It's not the point, Remus!" Mia had yelled. "It's discriminatory and horrible and should not be left up to a bunch of pompous blood supremacists that don't even understand Lycanthropy!"_

"_Yeah, well," Remus had passively shrugged his shoulders. "There's nothing to be done about it. It's how it's always been and how it always will be," he said defeatedly._

"_Oh, no," Mia shook her head. "You listen to me Remus Lupin, one of these days I am going to overturn every last one of these awful laws, and then I'm going to find Dolores Umbridge and I will fucking bury her!" She snarled, her body shaking with rage as she stormed off down the hallway, cursing as she went. "That prejudiced toad-faced cunt!" The witch had screamed before slamming her bedroom door, leaving Remus standing in the living room, wide-eyed and mouth open_.

"He's pretty sexy when he gets all riled up, isn't he?" Sirius smirked at Remus who was still bristling despite Tonks lavishing him with affection.

"He _really_ is," the young Metamorphmagus said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Remus pouted a little and then stood up immediately when he felt Tonks place a hand on his thigh. He cleared his throat. "Well, then my job is done I suppose," Remus said, ignoring his girlfriend who was rolling her eyes behind him. "Go have a wank thinking of me, dickhead," the werewolf said to Sirius, a bite to his voice, before storming out of the room.

Sirius chuckled at the display and then turned to Tonks. "He hasn't lost it like that in a while," he said thoughtfully. "Don't mind the attitude. Pre-moon Moony has always been a bit pissy. He was a lot easier to tolerate when he was getting laid on a regular basis," he shrugged at the thought and then asked, "He's still being a prude then?"

"Big time," she leaned back in her chair, letting it hover on two legs which both of them knew couldn't end well for her or the chair. "I don't get it, is it the age thing?" She asked her cousin.

He shook his head. "It's the commitment thing," he replied. "He doesn't think it's fair that you'll end up stuck with a broken down, second-hand werewolf without a Sickle to his name."

She frowned. "I don't care about that."

"I know," he nodded. "As good as Mia was for his emotional health growing up, I think living with his old man after James and Lily died...did a number on him," Sirius sighed. "Lyall Lupin _hated _werewolves, and he didn't think Remus deserved to be happy because he _was _one. When Remus publicly announced his relationship with Mia, his Dad cut him off completely. I'm guessing knowing that Umbridge is at Hogwarts, teaching in what should be _his _job, potentially turning a new generation into prejudiced little shits…"

"It's probably bringing up a lot of stuff," Tonks acknowledged aloud.

Sirius nodded. "He doesn't bury emotions as well as he likes to think he does. When things happen and he's too close to the full moon, everything he tries to hide just rises to the surface. It would be a lot easier if he just spoke his mind and told everyone how shitty it feels to have people think of him as a monster instead of trying to convince himself that they might be right. That stupid Umbridge bitch though..." Sirius growled.

"Speaking of Umbridge," she said, setting the front legs of the chair back on the ground much to Sirius' relief. "Are the kids still doing that secret Defense group?" She asked.

Sirius smirked. "As far as I can tell. I gave them Molly's warning," he said, rolling his eyes, "followed by _my _wholehearted support and approval."

Tonks laughed. "Care to tell me why Molly Weasley has it out for you? She seemed like a sweet little house-witch the first time I met her."

Sirius laughed loudly. "She's anything _but _a sweet little house-witch. Don't let that dainty white apron fool you. I'm guessing that her original issue with me has everything to do with my reputation. You should have seen the look on her face when I transformed in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts," he rolled his eyes. "Woman start screaming her bloody head off."

"Yeah, but you're not a murderer now. I mean…" she winced, "not that you ever _were_. You know what I mean."

"I may not be a murderer, but I _am _Harry's godfather and once my name is cleared, that gives me rights," he growled. "She's been playing parent to my kid since he started Hogwarts, and I've overheard her more than once saying she hopes that Harry'll take a liking to her daughter once they're of age. Not to mention she's said the same thing about Hermione and her youngest boy."

"That'll end well," the purple-haired witch scoffed.

"Either one of them makes Hermione cry again and I find out about it, it'll end... period," Sirius stated, his knuckles turning white as he clenched the coffee mug in his hands.

"Who made her cry?"

"Remus said the kid has a temper and takes it out on the little witch," Sirius admitted. "He's not the best friend to Harry either, but I'm not going to say anything and jeopardize my relationship with my own kid. _Molly _made Hermione cry too. Last year the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly wrote…"

"Oh, I read what they wrote," Tonks said, and then rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, apparently Molly bought all that bullshit and gave her the cold shoulder for a while."

The young Auror frowned. "Poor thing. What do you think will happen when Hermione becomes... well... _Mia_. Molly's not going to react well to that revelation."

"I could give a Hippogriff's arse what Molly thinks about it," Sirius snarled. "Though I'm honestly looking forward to the day I get to introduce Molly Weasley to Mia Potter."

"Why's that?"

"Because I have a feeling Molly will have some right nasty things to say to me," Sirius said, a dark grin crossing his face, "and Mia has a _delightful _habit of hexing the shit out of witches that call my respectable character into question."

oOoOoOo

**December 18th, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

When the portrait of Phineas Nigellus alerted Sirius that Arthur Weasley had been attacked and Grimmauld Place needed to allow a Portkey through to bring the Weasley children and Harry, the Animagus was quick on his feet to prepare himself to deal with a lot of emotional teenagers. Thankfully, when the group arrived, Sirius was still just frightening enough to keep them all in place considering the boys - save for Harry - were ready to rush off to St. Mungo's, Order of the Phoenix be damned. A few Butterbeers later and they'd mostly calmed down.

The redheads gathered together to comfort one another, inadvertently leaving Harry out in the cold, although, by the looks of it, Harry was more than happy to not be included in the group. Sirius took to his godson's side and draped an arm around him, occasionally offering words of support and comfort.

Hours later when Molly Weasley made her way into the house looking worse for wear, Sirius stood to greet the witch as she updated her children on their father's condition.

"He's going to be all right," she said, her voice weak with tiredness. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now, he's going to take the morning off work."

Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face. George and Ginny got up, walked swiftly over to their mother, and hugged her. Ron gave a very shaky laugh and downed the rest of his Butterbeer in one.

Sirius awkwardly watched as anxiety and relief mixed in each of the Weasleys, no more than the matriarch herself who had poorly tried to glamour away the red from her eyes. Not knowing what else to do, Sirius channeled his inner-Lily and clapped his hands loudly as an idea came to mind. "Breakfast!" he said joyfully. "Where's that damn house-elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!" But Kreacher did not answer the summons. "Oh, forget it, then," Sirius muttered, counting the people in front of him. "So it's breakfast for ... let's see ... seven ... bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast ..."

Sirius hurried into the kitchen where he began fumbling with items to make breakfast. Harry was quickly at his side, eager to help. The Animagus grinned down at his godson. "You know how to cook?" He asked the boy.

Harry nodded. "The Dursleys made… er… taught me," the boy replied.

Sirius' nose twitched at the information that he filed away in the back of his head in a box labeled 'Dursleys, Vengeance' and patted Harry on the back. "That's good," Sirius said. "Because I have no idea what I'm doing," the wizard admitted.

"You've never cooked before?" Harry asked.

"Not well," Sirius admitted. "Always had house-elves. Here at Grimmauld Place, at Hogwarts, and even at your Grandparent's home," he informed the boy. "The only time I had the option of cooking was when I shared a flat with Remus after Hogwarts, and we mostly lived off of food from the Leaky Cauldron and snacks from the sweet shop," he laughed at the memory. There were, of course, the occasional home cooked meals, but they were rare and usually came on the end of one of Mia's angry meltdowns.

Sirius watched curiously as Harry began breakfast, impressed by the way the boy naturally took to cooking. He smiled sadly at the sight, knowing that Harry was most likely trying to help to hide away whatever guilt he was feeling over Arthur's attack, though Sirius couldn't understand why Harry felt he was to blame. However, if the boy wanted to work off his emotions, Sirius wasn't going to stop him. So far, Harry was better at handling stressful situations that Sirius had ever been.

While Sirius poked at eggs in the frying pan - mostly to appear as though he were actually participating - Harry turned to grab plates from the nearby dresser. Mrs. Weasley approached the boy, lifted the plates from his hands and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been for you, Harry," she said in a muffled voice. "They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late, but thanks to you he's alive and Dumbledore's been able to think up a good cover story for Arthur being where he was, you've no idea what trouble he would have been in otherwise..."

She turned away from Harry, wiping tears from her eyes and looked at Sirius, paused for a long moment before she sniffled and then spoke. "Sirius… I… I've been wrong about you," she admitted quietly. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate you looking after my children and… and Harry," she added on a whisper, looking down shamefully.

"It's my job to look after Harry," Sirius commented thoughtfully, smiling when the witch seemed to nod her head in agreement. "But it was my pleasure to have been able to help your family, Molly," he smiled at her. "The kids are supposed to be out of Hogwarts anyways and Arthur will need time to recover, so why don't you all stick around here for as long as you need to," he offered.

Molly burst into a fresh set of tears and wrapped him in a tight hug that Sirius grimaced at. He wasn't used to physical affection these days, least of all from witches, and his cousin Tonks certainly didn't count. He cleared his throat and lightly patted Molly on the back.

"Oh, Sirius, I'm so grateful. They think Arthur will be there a little while and it would be wonderful to be nearer ... of course, that might mean we're here for Christmas..."

_Christmas! _Sirius' eyes lit up. "The more the merrier!" he said brightly. "Now Molly, make yourself useful and save this food will you?" He said with pleading eyes as he looked back down at the pan of eggs which appeared to be turning a shade of black that could not be healthy. "I should have let Harry handle this," he admitted with a chuckle.

oOoOoOo

**December 20th, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

He wasn't entirely sure what had happened at St. Mungo's when the Weasleys and Harry were escorted there by Tonks to visit Arthur, but when they all returned, Harry sequestered himself in his bedroom and refused to speak with anyone, or come out. By the mid afternoon, when not even Ron or Ginny could get Harry to say a word to them, Sirius was worried.

"Where's Harry?" Remus asked as he walked into the drawing room to find Sirius sitting in his large armchair, tapping his foot anxiously while swirling eggnog - in place of Firewhisky - in a crystal tumbler.

"Stuck up in his room," Sirius answered, gesturing his hand to the stairs. "Won't come out. Not for meals, not for his friends, and not for me."

"What happened?"

"Fuck if I know, Moony," Sirius sighed in frustration. "Can... can you get up to Hogwarts?"

The werewolf nodded. "Of course, what for?"

"Tell Dumbledore to send Hermione."

Remus raised a brow. "What? He's not going to just…"

"He will," Sirius said with dark eyes. Dumbledore owed him, owed the Weasleys, and certainly owed Harry. "Pup needs her. She'll get him out of there and fix whatever's wrong with him," he insisted.

"How do you know that?" Remus asked.

Sirius finished off his eggnog and stood up to get a refill. "Because Mia would have done it for James," he replied.

oOoOoOo

**December 20th, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

Hermione and Remus stepped through the front door of Number 12 covered in snow. Sirius was there to greet them, belting out 'God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs' as he sauntered down the stairs and into the front hallway, smiling at the sight of the young witch who looked at him and smiled politely.

"Hermione! You're here, thank Merlin!" Sirius beamed brightly and skipped toward her, stopping short of giving her a hug. At the awkward moment, Sirius turned and wrapped an arm around Remus instead and leaned against his best friend who was shaking the snowflakes from his hair.

"We took the Knight Bus," Hermione said quietly and then her polite smile broke. "It was… awful. Just awful," her face paling as the Knight Bus induced nausea rose up, "I'm glad I didn't eat breakfast this morning."

Sirius turned and narrowed his grey eyes at Remus. "You took her on the Knight Bus?" He asked incredulously.

The werewolf shook his head, clearly feeling the similar after-effects to the mode of transportation as Hermione did. "Dumbledore suggested it," he groaned. "Don't look at me like that, you know I hate riding on that thing."

"A new experience is what it was," Hermione said, trying to find the silver lining. "One that I would like to never repeat," she stressed.

Both Sirius and Remus grimaced when she wasn't looking, each knowing already that the Order had decided that the children would return to Hogwarts by the Knight Bus as the train would draw unwanted attention and they'd already risked a lot by using a Portkey getting the Weasleys and Harry to Grimmauld Place the first time.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to be here? Your parents…" Sirius asked, forcing himself to remember that Hermione still had a Muggle family.

A part of him had worried about them instinctively, knowing that Mia had once informed them all that her family was taken from her which was how she ended up in the Potter family tree. Remus reminded Sirius that because they didn't know exactly what would happen to Hermione's parents, there was little they could do other than to place security wards around the Granger home, which had apparently already been done by Minerva the previous summer.

"I told them I was staying behind at school to study," Hermione explained as she removed her jacket and mittens, handing them to Remus first even though it was Sirius who extended his hands to receive. "It is the year for my O.W.L.s, so they'll believe it. Frankly, I'm surprised they even had me agreeing to come home in the first place. I really should have stayed behind to study."

Remus chuckled.

"You didn't have to lie to them for us," Sirius said, feeling guilty for having pulled her away from her family.

"Yes, I did," Hermione insisted. "I lied to them for me, and for Harry and mostly for themselves. They're Muggles," she explained. "They… they don't understand." The little witch frowned. She had considered it a matter of great pride - and spoken often of - being Muggle-born, but there were many downsides, the greatest of which being alienated from her own family who could only know so much for their own safety. Hermione knew that one day she would need to make a choice regarding which world she would properly live in, and she wasn't looking forward to the day, already knowing her decision.

"Besides, if I hadn't started lying to my parents about the Wizarding world when I was twelve, they would have pulled me right out of it the moment I said the word, 'Mountain Troll'," she rolled her eyes and then looked up at Sirius, hands on her hips and a determined look on her face. "Where is he?"

"Upstairs," Sirius gestured. "He won't open the door for anyone."

Hermione scoffed and made her way to the stairs. "We'll see about that." She said and then made her way up the staircase.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Harry, I know you're in there, will you please come out?" Hermione called against the closed door to Harry on the other side. "I want to talk to you."

Sirius and Remus listened from the floors below. Miraculously the door opened.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, allowing Hermione inside and shutting the door behind him.

Sirius stood staring up the flights of stairs, wide-eyed. "That girl is absolute magic," he whispered in disbelief. "Was it any trouble getting her… Moony? What are you hiding?" Sirius asked, staring at the werewolf who had his lips pursed tightly, his hands shoved in his pockets like he was suspiciously filing away evidence.

"Nuffing," Remus mumbled, cheeks puffed.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Merlin, does the witch keep a stash of Honeyduke's bars on hand just in case she runs into you? You're spoiled," he insisted, poking Remus in the chest.

The werewolf laughed in response as he swallowed the bite of candy. "You're jealous."

"Git."

"Prat."

"Prick."

"Stupid mutt."

"Bloody fucking wolf."

"Language!" Molly Weasley snapped as she came walking into the hallway to spot the two grown men teasing one another. "Honestly," she frowned, "Sirius, you're supposed to be setting an example for the children," she shook her head in disappointment at him before turning to Remus and smiling sweetly. "Hello Remus, dear how are you?"

Sirius scoffed. "How come _he_ doesn't get…"

"I'm wonderful Molly, it's good to see you," Remus grinned.

"Would you like something to eat?" She asked as she and Remus both ignored Sirius' pouting. "I put a stew on for dinner, but I'm sure I could fix up a sandwich or two for you while we're waiting."

"Oh, I don't want to be any trouble," Remus shook his head.

"No trouble at all dear," Molly insisted, patting him on the shoulder before shuffling off down toward the kitchen.

Remus turned to head after her but was stopped when Sirius took a hold of his robes and yanked him back. "Not so fast, Moony," the Animagus grinned. "I need you to play fetch first." He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small bag of coins. "Take this money and get Christmas presents for everyone. Something real good for Harry. Decent defense books maybe, kid's already got the best broom on the market. And Christmas decorations too. I've sent Dung out to get a tree."

Remus beamed. "Sounds nice. I don't remember having a good Christmas since…"

"When Prongs proposed to Lily," Sirius nodded with a smile. "I'd say it's about damn time we start making good memories again, wouldn't you say?"

* * *

**A/N**: Let's be honest, if anyone deserves Remus and Mia's wrathful outbursts, it's going to be Umbridge.


	118. Chapter 118

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I'm glad everyone got their Mia fix to last them a few more chapters. This chapter has three of my favorite scenes. Lots of fluff and then some serious discomfort. Q&amp;As - **Wriggle Grace**, Part Four begins on Chapter 126. **wishiwererowling**, I update generally Monday-Friday but occasionally throw in a chapter on the weekend as well.

Reference Chasers should read Order of the Phoenix Chapters 23 and 24; and DoT Chapter 75.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Eighteen: Common Bonds

"_...Hanging from my fingertips, you're a phantom limb_  
_Start to slide, branches die, I'm buried under it_  
_Thought I was climbing by your side, you left me behind_  
_I saw our future up ahead, now it's caving in…"_  
_(Avalanche - Flyleaf)_

* * *

**December 25th, 1995**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

It was late in the evening on Christmas when Sirius found Hermione curled up in the library with a book. It had been the best holiday he'd had in years, for obvious reasons; it wasn't as though the warden brought in Christmas trees into Azkaban, after all. "Hey there, kitten," he said, smiling at the little witch who turned and smiled back at him when she looked up from her textbook.

"Hello, Sirius."

He took a seat across from her in a big leather chair, setting down two steaming mugs of hot chocolate on the table between them. He gestured to one and she blushed before taking it, offering a smile of thanks.

"This is delicious," she said as she took a sip.

"Remus' recipe," he informed her. "Also Remus' chocolate, but you didn't hear that from me," he said and then winked at her.

She laughed and he felt like his heart could burst at the sound.

"Are you having a good Christmas?" She politely asked him as she took another sip of her drink, closing her book and setting it down on the couch beside her.

"Grand," he answered joyfully. "Surrounded by family and friends, and decorations all over that are doing their hardest to conceal this horrid place in holiday cheer," he chuckled and then looked back down at her, noticing the brief flash of sadness in her eyes. "At least, it was pretty cheerful until you lot came back from St. Mungo's. Is everything okay?" He asked her. "Molly's pretty much fit to be tied, but I'm not stupid enough to ask her what's wrong just in case it's something _I've_ done."

Hermione shook her head. "You've done nothing wrong," she insisted. "It's very generous of you to open your home like this to us all."

"It's generous for all of you to take pity on me, keeping me company."

"Well, Mrs. Weasley is upset because apparently Mr. Weasley allowed one of the Training Healers to use Muggle stitches on his wound," she informed him.

Sirius chuckled. "Isn't that where they stick a needle and thread through your skin?" He asked.

"Yes."

He shook his head. "Arthur gets fascinated with the strangest Muggle things. I stick to the basics. Food, music, clothes," he said firmly. "So, I get why _Molly's_ upset. But what about the rest of you?"

Hermione frowned, no longer attempting to cover her sadness. She looked down into the cup of hot chocolate, reflecting on the day that began with stacks of presents. Harry seemed overjoyed at being able to spend Christmas here at Grimmauld Place, and not even the homework planner that she'd bought him as a gift was able to ruin his good mood. The trip to the hospital, on the other hand, brought everyone down, and for good reason too. "We… we ran into Neville at St. Mungo's."

Sirius' brows furrowed. "Was he in an accident?" He asked. "Remus mentioned that he occasionally has trouble with cauldrons."

"No," she shook her head, "he was… he was visiting his parents."

Sirius swallowed hard. "Alice and Frank?" He whispered.

"You know them?"

"I… I knew them," he nodded. "I was already… already in Azkaban when I heard what happened to them. When the Aurors brought in… my…"

"Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"_You will not touch my family, you bitch!" A fourteen-year-old Mia Potter had said to Bellatrix when they first met and faced one another, wands drawn at Narcissa's wedding._

_"You dare to speak to me that way?! Do you have any idea who I am?!" Bellatrix had shrieked at Mia, but the little witch stood firm while even Sirius was shaking at the look of rage in his cousin's eyes._

He realized now that Mia _had _known who Bellatrix was. _Exactly _who she was and apparently what she was capable of.

"_You filthy little blood-traitor, I will enjoy watching you die screaming!" Bellatrix had threatened._

Sirius remembered being afraid in that moment. It had been his fault that Mia met the crazy witch in the first place since he'd been the one to drag her along with him to the wedding. But Mia hadn't even flinched in reply to the threat. Instead, she'd offered one of her own.

"_And I will enjoy watching you die… gasping." _

Years later, knowing all that he knew about Mia and Hermione and the bloody Time-Turner, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly she'd meant by that.

"My cousin," Sirius said as he pulled himself out of his thoughts. "If anyone belongs in Azkaban, it's her."

"It's horrible what happened to them," Hermione whispered. "And to see Neville… so sad. I wish there was something I could do."

Sirius rose a brow. "Do you?" He asked her. After all, Hermione would go back into the past knowing all there was to know about the future. About what happened to Alice and Frank; about what happened to himself and Remus; about what happened to Lily and James. Why hadn't she done anything to stop it?

"Of course," Hermione insisted. "I just… don't know what."

Sirius frowned and brought his mug to his lips. "I'm sure you'll think of something," he said, not fully believing his words.

oOoOoOo

She didn't know how the Weasleys and Harry slept through the noise, but when she'd heard the scream, she leapt from her bed and rushed out the door, wand grasped tightly in hand even though she knew she wasn't allowed to practice magic outside of Hogwarts. Crookshanks was right on her heels as she slipped down the stairs, following the cries until she found herself outside of Sirius' bedroom. Hermione's heart pounded inside her rib-cage as she listened to the sobs coming from the other side of the wooden door. She turned and looked up and down the stairs, hoping that someone else could come and help. Torn between her worry for Sirius and not wanting to intrude on a man's privacy, she reached for the door knob and lightly turned it.

Her eyes scanned the dark room, unable to see much save for the shadows, but when Sirius cried out again, clearly terrified, she could see the silhouette of his body thrashing in his sleep. The sound instantly brought tears to her eyes, but she didn't know what to do. A part of her said that she should shut the door and leave immediately, that his business was his own and he'd probably be furious with her if he woke and found out that she'd snuck inside his bedroom. Embarrassed that she had discovered him in the middle of a nightmare; at least, if Harry's reactions were any indication as to how males reacted in such situations. Before she could think of what to do, the door opened further and she looked down and hissed, "Crookshanks! Get back here!"

Her large, orange Kneazle had sauntered into Sirius' room and, with a few tries, jumped up onto the bed and curled up next to the sleeping Animagus. Almost instantly, Sirius stopped moaning, and she could see his breath evening out. Hermione let out a long sigh of relief and the ache in her chest subsided somewhat.

Not knowing what else to do, Hermione leaned her back against the wall and slid down to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest. She had hoped that once Sirius was properly sleeping she could call for Crookshanks and get him out of the room. If Sirius were to wake to find her familiar in his bed, he would more than likely have questions, and she wouldn't even begin to know how to answer them without blushing awkwardly. It was less than twenty minutes later when her eyes grew heavier and closed of their own accord.

"Hermione?" Remus whispered once he'd stumbled upon the little witch sleeping in the hallway, her wand gripped tightly in hand. "Hermione, are you okay?"

Her chocolate brown eyes blinked a few times before turning to look up at him. "Professor?" She whispered, and Remus grimaced at the title as he usually did. "I umm…"

"Hermione, is there a reason you're sitting outside of Sirius' bedroom?" He asked, poking his head inside the cracked opening of the door to see Sirius snuggled up on his bed, an arm slung over Hermione's ugly cat, both snoring softly.

"I… he… I heard noises," Hermione mumbled nervously. "He… he was shouting."

Remus frowned in understanding. "Oh… I'm sorry, Hermione. He normally puts up Silencing Charms."

"Normally?" Her eyes widened. "This happens a lot?"

The werewolf nodded. "He was kept in Azkaban for twelve years. That much exposure to Dementors should have rendered him either completely insane or powerless. I hate to say it, but he's lucky to walk away with _only_ nightmares and memories. I try to help when he lets me, but…" Remus looked back in the bedroom at his best friend and he sighed, "he's stubborn."

"Harry has nightmares too," Hermione confessed. "Ron tells me he talks in his sleep, screams… cries sometimes," she looked down. "But he won't talk about them, least of all to me. So I tell Ron to take care of him. I wanted to…" she began, her eyes looking into Sirius' room.

"What is it?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I don't like that Sirius is having nightmares. It makes… makes something inside of me hurt. I feel the same way when I know Harry is having nightmares, or if he's in danger… which is often."

Remus snorted. "That it is."

"And I feel the same way during the full moon," she admitted and Remus' eyes widened in shock. "Oh, I'm sorry…" she covered her mouth, clearly embarrassed. "I don't know why I said that. I don't know why I feel this way. I just…"

"You have a big heart, Hermione." He smiled. "You have a gift of empathy. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I don't feel the same way about others. Not even Ron," she admitted curiously.

Remus stilled his expression as he processed her words. Of course, it made sense to _him_. Harry, Sirius and himself all eventually would share deep magical bonds with her, though none were sealed or even provoked at this juncture, at least for her. Still, emotions were what prepared the bonds. The Familial Bond with Harry, the Soul Bond with Sirius, and the Pack Bond with himself. Of course, he couldn't very well tell her that.

"Well…" Remus scratched the back of his neck as he tried to come up with a lie to placate her for now. "I suppose Harry, Sirius, and I should consider ourselves quite lucky to have you worry about us," he said, smiling at her. "Though I assure you, it's hardly necessary. It's late, I was heading down to get a cup of tea. Would you care to join me?" He offered.

Hermione shook her head, watching as Crookshanks made his way back out of Sirius' room. "No, thank you, Professor. I just… I wanted to make sure Sirius was alright," she said and turned to head back up the stairs.

"I… I'll take care of him," Remus called after her. "I promise," he said, feeling lighter when she'd smiled at him as though this pleased her.

Once out of sight, Remus looked in Sirius' room and sighed stepping in and closing the door behind him. Already without the Kneazle in his arms he could see Sirius beginning to stir. Frowning, Remus lifted the blankets and peered down to make sure that his friend was at least clothed. "Oh, thank Merlin," he said in relief before giving Sirius a good shove. "Move over," he insisted.

Sirius' eyes slowly opened. "Whosere?" He mumbled.

"Move over," Remus shoved him again and then crawled onto the mattress. The werewolf leaned his back up against the headboard and yawned, looking down as Sirius stretched diagonally across the bed, his legs nearly hanging off the side. "You were having a nightmare."

"Nothing new," Sirius grumbled into his pillow.

"Hermione heard you."

Sirius sighed loudly. "Fuck. Is she okay?" He turned and looked up, bleary-eyed at his friend.

"She's worried about you," Remus replied. "Get some sleep."

"It's not the same," Sirius admitted as he sat up and looked at the right side of the bed which remained empty, but looked as though it should be filled.

The werewolf nodded. "Yeah," he whispered, running his hand against the empty spot beside him where Mia used to sleep, and James next to her. He looked down when he felt Sirius grab his hand and place it on top of his head of black hair. Remus rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Indulge me, I had a nightmare," Sirius pouted.

Remus groaned and awkwardly ran his fingers through Sirius' hair. "Any better?"

"You're shit at this, Moony," Sirius said.

Remus laughed loudly. "Godric, we're a mess, aren't we?"

"Very pathetic."

"Don't tell Dora about this," Remus pleaded.

"She's going to find out eventually," Sirius mumbled through a yawn. "One day we'll have everything. Mia will be right back there on your right where _she_ belongs, my head in her lap where _it_ belongs," he said firmly. "And you can have my cousin there on your left if you like."

"I really think we should stop the bed sharing at thirty-five," Remus insisted.

"Fifty," Sirius argued.

"This is weird, Sirius," Remus laughed.

"Fine," the Animagus conceded. "We'll stop at forty-five. Not like it matters though, you're still old enough to be Tonks' father," he teased, something that had practically become a ritual.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Go to sleep you hypocrite."

oOoOoOo

**January 11th, 1996**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head looking down at the letter in his hands, signed by Dumbledore. He waved his wand over it, verifying the signature and scowling when it came back clean. "I don't care what Dumbledore says, I know what it feels like to be taught Occlumency, and the person who taught _me_ loved me more than anything and it _still_ hurt like hell," he growled and narrowed his eyes up at Snape who stood with his arms folded across his chest, his hands buried in his robes, returning Sirius' disdain with equal measure.

"As it stands, Black," Snape drawled. "It is not up to you. The Headmaster has requested, no, _demanded_ that the boy be taught and I have been given the assignment to complete the task."

"Sirius, Dumbledore says that Severus is the best for the job," Remus whispered while Tonks stood next to her cousin, hand on his shoulder. The werewolf looked over the letter from Dumbledore with interest, and then sighed as he placed it down. "Harry needs to do this."

"Why _him_?" Sirius asked.

"Because the Headmaster wants it done right," Snape sneered.

"And how do I know that you'll do it right?" Sirius asked, glaring up at the Potions Master. "What proof do I have that you're not just looking for some excuse to torment Harry?"

"Because I have better things to do than wander around the mind of an insolent fifteen-year-old," Snape offered. "And do not call into question my abilities, dog," Snape glowered at the man.

Sirius growled. "I'll call into question whatever I fucking want you big nosed fucking wanke-" Sirius began, but his eyes widened as the Slytherin's tolerance for him finally snapped and suddenly there was a wand in his face and Severus was whispering, "_Legilimens_!"

_A nineteen-year-old Sirius Black wrapped his arms around the waist of the witch who had her back to him, sweaty and glistening as he slowly entered her, hissing at the tightness that surrounded him. He pressed his forehead between her shoulder blades, cursing under his breath at the exquisite sensations that were flooding his body. "So... fucking... tight..." he groaned loudly._

_"Are you ready for this, love?"_

_Sirius looked over the witch's shoulder to see Remus staring into her eyes, requesting permission and gaining her consent to join them. All too quickly they both filled her, and each was groaning and growling and the witch between them was whimpering and making the most delicious sounds. Unable to reach her mouth, Sirius ran wet kisses up and down her spine as he continued to bury himself inside of her each and every time Remus withdrew. _

_"I... I can't..." she cried. "I need... please, Remus..." she pleaded._

_"Do you... do you feel that?" Sirius moaned from behind the witch and both she and Remus nodded in reply. A magical silver cord wrapped around the trio tightly, squeezing, binding and pulling them._

_Sensing the end approaching, and unable to hold back any longer, Sirius reached for her neck and turned to bare her shoulder to the werewolf, eyes glowing gold as he stared at the clean flesh. Sirius pressed his lips against hers as Remus bared his teeth, growled and thrust forward, deep and hard as he bit down._

"You son of a bitch!" Sirius screamed as Snape finally withdrew from his mind. The raven-haired wizard's eyes were molten silver as he launched himself across the table toward the Slytherin, only to be held back by Remus who was shocked at Sirius' sudden rage. "You're dead Snivellus! You're fucking dead!"

"What the hell?!" Tonks gaped as her cousin continued to fight against Remus, struggling to attack Snape with all his might. "What did you do?" She asked the Potions Master.

"Proved my abilities," Snape said.

"What happened?" Remus asked, shocked at the sight of tears in the corners of Sirius' eyes. "What did he see?"

"Orchards," Sirius replied, his teeth clenched tightly, as he brought a hand up to his shoulder where the Pack Mark rested beneath his shirt.

Remus' eyes flashed amber and much too fast for even Tonks to get in his way, the werewolf turned on his heels and sent a balled up fist into the side of Snape's jaw, sending the Slytherin to the ground in a pile a black robes.

"Remus!" Tonks yelled.

The door burst open and Molly Weasley stepped inside just in time to gasp at the sight of the growling werewolf hovering over the crumpled body of Snape, the tiny Auror trying to pull him back while Sirius sat at the table, hands threaded through his black hair, clenched tightly as his shoulders shook.

"What on earth is going on in here?!" Molly shrieked loudly.

"Unfinished business," Remus snarled down at Snape.

"Remus, let's go for a walk," Tonks insisted, pulling on his arm until he finally relented, letting her drag him from the room.

"What happened?" Molly asked, turning to look at Sirius who only replied by shoving Dumbledore's letter toward her. The witch read the request and then sighed as she looked over at Snape who had finally pulled himself to his feet, looking incredibly sore, but strangely proud of himself at the same time. It was clear that she had no intentions on stoking the fires. "Can I trust the two of you to be left alone in the same room while I fetch Harry so he can know what's to happen?" She asked, hands on her hips.

Sirius gave her a stiff nod.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Grown men," Molly muttered under her breath as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"You had no right," Sirius said quietly under his breath.

"Perhaps next time I'll just hang you upside down by your ankle," Snape hissed. "Or lead you into an underground passage with a werewolf on the other side."

Silence filled the room as Sirius forced himself to calm down while Snape cast a healing charm on his face. It didn't take very long before Harry stepped into the room looking as though he were facing the gallows.

"Er," Harry said, announcing his presence.

Sirius looked up and took a sharp breath, trying to school his expression into something a little calmer and collected. There wouldn't be a way to explain what had happened anyway, and it would only make Harry fear Occlumency lessons in the end.

"Sit down, Potter," Snape instructed.

"You know," Sirius said loudly, leaning back on his rear chair legs and speaking to the ceiling as he was unable to look at Snape's face without seeing red, "I think I'd prefer it if you didn't give orders here, Snape. It's my house, you see."

"I was supposed to see you alone, Potter," Snape sneered, "but Black..."

"I'm his godfather," Sirius practically shouted.

"I am here on Dumbledore's orders," Snape glared across the table, "but by all means stay, Black, I know you like to feel ... involved."

Sirius' grey eyes widened and the image of himself in the Orchards with Remus and Mia came quickly to mind. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" he growled, letting his chair fall back onto all four legs with a loud bang.

Snape grinned at him, clearly his words had hit a tender spot. "Merely that I am sure you must feel frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing _useful_," Snape laid a delicate stress on the word, "for the Order."

Sirius looked back down at the table as he tried to reign in his temper, something that Harry had already seen too much of in the short time they'd spent together. Sirius didn't want his godson to think poorly of him, but it was hard to ignore the fact that Snape had witnessed one of Sirius' most sacred and intimate memories to date. Something that hadn't even been spoken of - in details - to James, who had actually been a part of the Pack.

"The Headmaster has sent me to tell you, Potter, that it is his wish for you to study Occlumency this term," Snape told Harry.

"Study what?" Harry asked.

"Occlumency, Potter. The magical defense of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one."

"Why do I have to study Occlu ... thing?" Harry blurted out.

"Because the Headmaster thinks it a good idea," Snape said. "You will receive private lessons once a week, but you will not tell anybody what you are doing, least of all Dolores Umbridge. You understand?"

"Yes," Harry replied. "Who's going to be teaching me?"

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I am," he said.

Sirius felt Harry's panic and looked up to see terrified green eyes looking at him, pleading for help. Sirius winced at the sight, feeling so incredibly inadequate. He forced himself to turn to Snape. "Why can't Dumbledore teach Harry?" He inquired. Even though he'd already asked before he had to look like he was doing something for the boy's benefit. Otherwise, he'd just appear weak, which was how he felt. Weak and useless. "Why you?"

"I suppose because it is a Headmaster's privilege to delegate less enjoyable tasks," Snape answered. "I assure you I did not beg for the job." He got to his feet. "I will expect you at six o'clock on Monday evening, Potter. My office. If anybody asks, you are taking Remedial Potions. Nobody who has seen you in my classes could deny you need them." He turned to leave, his black traveling cloak billowing behind him.

"Wait a moment," Sirius called out, sitting up straighter in his chair.

Snape turned back to face them both, sneering. "I am in rather a hurry, Black. Unlike you, I do not have unlimited leisure time… "

"I'll get to the point, then," Sirius stood up and approached Snape carefully, keeping an eye on the wand hand of his childhood rival. "If I hear you're using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time, you'll have me to answer to," he threatened.

"How touching," Snape sneered. "But surely you have noticed that Potter is very like his father?"

"Yes, I have," Sirius said proudly.

"Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him," Snape smirked.

Sirius kicked his chair to the side and rounded on Snape, pulling out his chestnut wand as he went; Snape whipped out his own. They were squaring up to each other, Sirius looking livid, Snape calculating, his eyes darting from Sirius's wand tip to his face.

"Sirius!" The Animagus thought he heard Harry yell behind him.

"I've warned you, Snivellus," Sirius growled, his face barely a foot from Snape's, "I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better."

"Oh, but why don't you tell him so?" Snape whispered. "Or are you afraid he might not take the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months very seriously?"

Sirius' jaw tightened. "Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he's delighted his lap dog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?"

"Speaking of dogs," Snape said, "did you know that Lucius Malfoy recognized you last time you risked a little jaunt outside? Clever idea, Black, getting yourself seen on a safe station platform. Gave you a cast-iron excuse not to leave your hidey-hole in future, didn't it?"

Sirius raised his wand.

"NO!" Harry yelled, vaulting over the table and trying to get in between them, "Sirius, don't..."

"Are you calling me a coward?" Sirius roared, trying to push Harry out of the way, but Harry would not budge.

"Why, yes, I suppose I am," the Slytherin taunted.

"Harry ... get ... out ... of ... the … way!" Sirius ordered, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder, trying to maneuver his godson who was just as stubborn as his mother ever could have been in stopping the fight between the two.

The kitchen door opened and the entire Weasley family, plus Hermione, came inside, all looking very happy, with Arthur walking proudly in their midst "Cured!" He announced brightly. "Completely cured!"

He and all the other Weasleys froze on the threshold, gazing at the scene in front of them, which was also suspended in mid-action, both Sirius and Snape looking toward the door with their wands pointing into each other's faces and Harry immobile between them, a hand stretched out to each of them, trying to force them apart. Sirius' eyes drew immediately to Hermione who was staring at the scene horrified.

"Merlin's beard," Arthur muttered, the smile sliding off his face, "what's going on here?"

Both Sirius and Snape lowered their wands.

"Six o'clock Monday evening, Potter," Snape said and then left.

"It's nothing, Arthur," Sirius frowned. "Just a friendly little chat between two old school friends." He then forced himself to smile. "So, you're cured? That's great news, really great."

Just then, Remus walked through the door, flexing his fingers which were looking slightly reddened. The werewolf paused and caught sight of the large group and frowned as all eyes turned on him. Molly was shaking her head in disapproval, Sirius looked no better than when Remus had left him, and Harry looked as though he'd just come out of a race.

"Arthur," Remus nodded. "You're looking better."

"What happened to you?" Arthur asked, gesturing to Remus' hand.

"Nothing to worry about," Remus insisted, his eyes briefly looking at Hermione but the memory of the Orchards so fresh in his thoughts forced him to look away from her quickly. "Just smacked my hand against something… unpleasant," he replied and made his way toward Sirius, putting a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder.

oOoOoOo

**February 14th, 1996**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

Once the students returned to Hogwarts and the Weasleys returned to the Burrow, Sirius was alone in Grimmauld Place once again save for the occasional member of the Order that needed temporary lodging, the few meetings that had been arranged, and Remus who - thanks to Order missions - rarely returned unless it was the week of the full moon. Thankfully, Sirius had his cousin to keep him company more often than not, and she was an abundance of entertainment, especially since she enjoyed teasing Remus just as much as Sirius did.

Despite Remus not having enough money to properly celebrate Valentine's Day with his girlfriend, Sirius had sent Tonks off to Diagon Alley on a few errands while he ordered Kreacher to make a lovely meal for two. Number Twelve was the least romantic place in the world as far as Sirius was concerned, but he had a feeling that his best friend would only have eyes for the girl.

When Remus had returned later that night, he was shocked to see the candlelit dining room and setting for two.

"What…?" Remus began to ask in shock.

"Sirius did it," Tonks smiled brightly as she greeted the werewolf with a kiss.

"In exchange for what?" Remus asked suspiciously.

"Don't trust me after all of these years, Moony?" Sirius said as he appeared from around the corner, a large box in his hands.

"Not in the slightest," Remus replied.

"He said all I had to do was pick up a few things for him from Diagon Alley," Tonks insisted.

"Valentine's Day gift for Hermione," Sirius smiled down at the long box in his hands.

Both Remus and Tonks widened their eyes in shock at the revelation, but it was the werewolf who spoke first. "Sirius… I know you've been getting closer, but she's still only sixteen and…"

Sirius nodded thoughtfully and held the box out to Remus.

"I know," Sirius said with a sad sigh as he forced the box into Remus' hands. "But you know… tradition," he said as he ran a hand through his long black hair. "She was always a pain in the arse to shop for, but there was one present the witch could always appreciate," he smiled and then nodded to each of them in parting before he turned and walked out of the room, presumably to spend Valentine's Day alone in the room he'd set aside for Buckbeak; celebrating the holiday with a Hippogriff and a bottle of Muggle Scotch which, so far, had been the only liquor to even remotely affect him these days. Firewhisky, he said, he drank for the memories.

"What did he mean?" Tonks asked.

Remus slowly opened the box and smiled as he saw the large selection of chocolates. There on the top was a handwritten card that just said, _'For my witch who doesn't even know the depths of my love yet, and her stupid werewolf who she pretends to like more than me.'_

"Mia never liked Valentine's Day," Remus said thoughtfully. "She hated the cliche gifts, and Sirius had a history with witches trying to sneak Love Potions in his food," he laughed at the memory. "So when they started dating, Sirius would buy her a box of chocolates, and then give them to me. She said that taking care of me was the best gift that…" Remus looked down and pressed his lips tightly together as he fought against the rising emotions.

Tonks smiled sweetly at him and immediately snatched one of the chocolates from the box, tossing it into her mouth. "I know I've said it before, but I think I like Mia Potter," the Metamorphmagus grinned.

* * *

**A/N**: The Occlumency moment in this chapter just came to me one day. I wanted to have something done that really sent Sirius a little closer to the edge of where he is mentally and emotionally toward the end of OotP. Plus, as much of a creep as Snape is in this Chapter, Sirius did almost get him killed once. They're both absolutely childish in their continued rivalry, but it still continues all the way to the end. Plus now Sirius, Remus, AND Mia all belong to the "I punched Snape" club LOL.


	119. Chapter 119

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I officially welcome you all into the 'I Punched Snape' Club. Your t-shirts and badges will arrive in seven to ten business days LOL.

Q&amp;As -** Mystery of the Night**, When Hermione goes back to 1971, Mia will arrive in 1998 and continue her life on at that point, aging like normal from them on. **twigsza**, it's a definite possibility. **TheWierdestSister**, The Ron/Peter comparison is actually done on purpose. While Harry does have his bad moments (like the broom) it's provoked by Ron whose temper is always way too volatile. A lot of Ron's bad moments are based on jealousy and fear, which is where Peter comes from as well. Unfortunately, Ron also has his mother stoking the fires of insecurity. He envies Harry's celebrity status, Draco's money, and Hermione's intellect. I'm all about showing ALL sides of the characters, and Hermione's violent streak is a big one, but so is Ron's cowardice and temper. It will be addressed when Mia returns because unlike Hermione, she won't put up with it. I won't just write Ron off though. I'm all about redemption and growth.** Goddess of the Written Word**, when Mia returns she will be physically and emotionally 19 because that's how the De-Aging Potion worked with her physiology, she does however have the mental capacity and memories of someone closer to 27 because she lived an extra eight years.

Reference Chasers should read Order of the Phoenix Chapters 27-33; and DoT Chapter 44 and 50.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Nineteen: Watch Me

"_...And I just can't keep living this way_  
_So starting today, I'm breaking out of this cage_  
_I'm standing up, I'ma face my demons_  
_I'm manning up, I'ma hold my ground_  
_I've had enough, now I'm so fed up_  
_Time to put my life back together right now!…"_  
_(Not Afraid - Eminem)_

* * *

**April 6th, 1996**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

"How bad is it then?" Remus asked as select members of the Order gathered around the large table at Number Twelve, Albus at one end and Sirius at the other as usual.

"I do believe that Cornelius will insist that Madam Umbridge take my place, at least temporarily as Headmaster of Hogwarts, seeing that I, as of tonight, will be considered a known fugitive," Dumbledore explained, not looking the least bit worried, despite the rest of the members of the Order around the table looking near apoplectic.

"I knew it!" Molly cried. "I knew that little club of theirs would lead to trouble!"

"Do not blame the children, Molly," Albus encouraged. "I am quite proud of them all, and incredibly honored that they named their group after me. It has, in fact, given us an interesting opportunity. Instead of fifteen or so students being expelled, it is only one silly old man in hiding."

"Two," Sirius reminded him. "Though I'd hardly call myself old."

Dumbledore smiled.

"How did Umbridge discover their secret?" Remus asked, clearly shocked that anyone knew anything. When he and Mia had established a similar group in school, Remus was certain that not a single adult had the slightest inclination that anything was happening right under their noses.

"It appears that one of the students involved was questioned. Though, she was unable to provide details regarding the group save for a sign-up sheet that has… unfortunately… cost the girl dearly," he said, his blue eyes falling on Remus and Sirius.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked Dumbledore. "What happened to her?"

"Well, when she was brought into my office, Miss Edgecombe had a terrible skin condition. It seems that purple-colored pustules had broken out on the poor girl's face, spelling the word 'SNEAK' across her forehead," Dumbledore replied softly.

Almost instantly, unable to contain themselves, Sirius and Remus burst into laughter.

It had taken at least ten minutes before Molly's scolding was enough to stop them from laughing at the expense of some poor, unsuspecting Ravenclaw (because _of course_ she turned out to be a Ravenclaw), but in the end the wizards had still excused themselves from the table while the rest of the Order tried to figure out what to do next now that Albus wasn't at the helm of Hogwarts for the time being.

Out in the hallway, Sirius was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "She's coming back to us," he said with a bright grin.

"Merlin," Remus sighed. "I forgot how absolutely…"

"_Slytherin_ she could be?" Sirius said and then laughed again.

"Oh, that poor girl," Remus chuckled softly and shook his head. "You think Hermione's still Hermione enough to lift the curse?"

"For selling out Harry?" Sirius shook his head. "That Edgecombe girl should get used to wearing bangs for the rest of her life. My witch is relentless when it comes to defending those she loves," he said proudly.

oOoOoOo

**April 27th, 1996**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

"Do you think we should start planning for it?" Sirius blurted it out as he sat at the kitchen table looking down at his cup of hot chocolate, which he was certain Remus made with a cheap brand and all the good stuff was hoarded away in cauldrons around the house.

"Planning for what?" The werewolf asked.

"Mia."

"_Hermione_," Remus corrected out of habit.

Sirius bristled. "No, I meant to say _Mia_," he insisted. "She turns seventeen in a few months," he muttered and then looked up to find Remus glaring at him. Sirius growled in response, knowing the expression and the reason behind it immediately. The implication pissed him off. "Don't look at me like that, I'm not saying that since she'll be of age, I'm going to jump at the chance to shag the girl, Remus!" Sirius snapped angrily. "I know better than that."

Remus looked down, wincing. "Sorry," he admitted softly.

"But she's… she's coming back to me, right?" Sirius asked quietly after a few moments of silence, appearing nervous and vulnerable. "You said you saw it."

Remus nodded. "I did. On her _nineteenth_ birthday."

"Fine, fine," Sirius waved his hand. "Two years. But do you have the Time-Turner?" He asked. "Do you know how to make it all work?"

The werewolf sighed and ran a hand through his greying hair. "I've been reading up on Time Magic since before she left," he replied. "She completed most of the calculations herself, I just need to finish figuring out how to adapt it to a specific time and place. But since I don't have the Time-Turner yet," he said, answering Sirius' first question, "I honestly don't even know where to begin looking. Department of Mysteries I suppose."

"Maybe when the mess with the Prophecy is over we can go in and…"

"_We_ are not doing anything. _You_ are staying here," Remus insisted, eyes flashing amber.

Sirius had been locked away inside Grimmauld Place for almost a year and the company of one prejudiced house-elf was not doing him any good. Not only were the frequency of visits from friends on a steep decline, but contact from Harry was next to almost nothing as Umbridge had begun inspecting student's incoming and outgoing mail. He hadn't seen Hedwig in far too long and the lack of news had put the Animagus on edge.

"I'm sick and tired of staying here."

"I know that," Remus groaned. "_Everyone_ knows that. You've been a bit of an arse about it," he said. "Stop letting Severus get inside your head…" he insisted and then winced as Sirius shot him a dirty look. "Don't look at me like that, you know I don't mean literally," he said, regretting his choice of words considering he'd been there when Snape used Legilimency against Sirius. "It wasn't just you in that memory you know," Remus frowned. "You're letting him provoke you into reckless action. You're not a coward, and the people who matter the most know that."

"Fine," Sirius huffed. "So Department of Mysteries. Why don't you snoop around when you're down there guarding the prophecy?"

"Because that's not my job when I'm down there," Remus argued. "Protecting Harry is the most important thing right now."

"I know that," Sirius barked. "I'm just… nervous. _You're _the one that sends her back. _You _send her the stupid letter. _You _got to see her memories. I'm feeling… useless, and anxious."

"We have more than two years to get her back, and there's still a war going on," Remus tried reminding him. The reminder however seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

"But the war will be over. She said so. She told you, right?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. It was the reason she didn't change anything. The reason Dumbledore wouldn't let her. Because the war was over and we'd won in her time." He frowned. It was the reason she didn't save James and Lily, the reason she didn't stop Alice and Frank from what happened to them, the reason she allowed Sirius to end up in Azkaban and Pettigrew to go free. It was the one thing that gave Remus hope in the dark times of this war. Mia's memories told him that _at the very least_ Tonks, Sirius, Harry, Hermione and himself would make it through this and the war would be over in less than two years.

"The letter says that you get the Time-Turner in the Department of Mysteries," Sirius said, pulling Remus from his thoughts. "I know you're acting like it's all guesswork, but the _letter_ says…"

"Just because the letter says…"

"What?" Sirius snapped. "Don't you trust yourself? It says that you go to the Department of Mysteries…"

"To rescue _you_!" Remus yelled. "_That's_ what the letter says. Which means at some point in the future, you do something idiotic like leaving Grimmauld Place and end up in danger! We can't have that happen, Sirius!"

"It's meant to happen," Sirius insisted, ignoring Remus' temperamental outburst. "Nothing can change what is meant to be."

The werewolf growled under his breath, "Years at Hogwarts watching you and Mia bullshit one another about avoiding Fate and 'fuck you, Remus we should have a choice' and now you're quoting about what's meant to be," he said bitterly. "Give me the letter. I know you have it," he ordered, extending his hand, palm up.

Sirius gaped up at his friend. "What?" He whined. "Don't get mad at me, they're _your _words!"

"Yeah well, they sound stupid coming out of _your _mouth. Give me the letter, Sirius."

The Animagus grumbled as he reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out the thirty year old sheet of parchment that had been touched, gripped, folded, and read so many times it looked like it was ready to fall apart at any moment. "Fine," Sirius said and threw it at the werewolf.

Remus unfolded it and tried to lay it flat on the table. "Now go off and pout to your Hippogriff over what a bastard I am."

Sirius stood and loudly shoved his chair back under the table. "I will!" He shouted as he turned his back, muttering, "Fucker," under his breath. "But I'm not leaving because you told me to," he called over his shoulder. "I'm leaving because I've lost my damn house-elf again, and I need to find him before the little tosser pilfers more of my stuff."

"Arsehole," Remus muttered as he leaned his elbows against the table, looking over the faded words in front of him in his own handwriting.

"_...A long time ago I was given knowledge that I've protected for so many years. Knowledge, instructions and a mission. That mission has now been fulfilled and you hold in your hand the fruits of my labors. You might recognize the time-turner in your hand from the night you and I entered the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius. I stole it from the Time room. I honestly thought you'd gone there yourself to retrieve it, but that was just wishful thinking on my part. I couldn't leave it to chance though. You needed to go back..."_

"What am I supposed to do, Mia?" Remus whispered to himself. "What the hell is Sirius going to do?"

"Sirius!" A voice shouted from the fireplace and Remus jumped, startled at the sound.

He turned toward the green flames and blinked a few times until he recognized the face in the fire. "Harry?!" He gaped, looking thoroughly shocked. "What are you … what's happened, is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "I just wondered ... I mean, I just fancied a … a chat with Sirius."

"I'll call him," Remus said, getting to his feet, still looking perplexed. "He went upstairs to look for Kreacher."

"Sirius!" Remus called once he'd made it halfway up the stairs.

"Piss off!" Sirius shouted back.

"Sirius! It's Harry!"

"What about Harry?" Sirius appeared looking down over the banister, grey eyes wide and panicked.

"He's in the damn fireplace!" The werewolf gestured. "Hurry up!" He said and turned to run back down to the kitchen.

"What is it?" Sirius asked urgently, sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes and dropping to the ground in front of the fire, so that he and Harry were level; Remus knelt down beside him, looking very concerned. "Are you all right? Do you need help? Is it Umbridge?"

"No," Harry said, "it's nothing like that... I just wanted to talk... about my dad."

Sirius and Remus shared a look of surprise.

"What do you want to know, son?" Sirius asked.

"I… I was having my Occlumency lessons with Snape and… I…"

"Go on, Harry," Remus encouraged, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder as he noticed his friend clenching his fists tightly at the mention of the Potions Master.

"I may have… accidentally… on purpose… sort of… gone into his Pensieve," Harry winced as though he were waiting for either of them to start yelling.

"Oh, Harry," Remus sighed. "What did you see?"

"Yeah kid, what did you see?" Sirius asked, paling slightly. There was no telling what Snape could have put into the Pensieve, and considering Sirius' last encounter with the Slytherin, he was terrified that Snape had bottled up Sirius' own memory of the Potter Orchards and his night with Remus and Mia. Granted, he was certain if Harry _had_ seen that they'd be having a much louder conversation. That and Harry had mentioned wanting to talk about James.

"I saw you two and my dad and… and Pettigrew," Harry whispered the last name.

Sirius growled.

"My dad had Snape in the air and my mum came to rescue him and she…" Harry looked positively disturbed by the memory he had seen.

Remus looked down, remembering the day immediately and when Sirius recalled it properly, he had the grace to look ashamed.

"I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen," Remus said quietly.

"_I'm_ fifteen!" Harry countered.

"Look, Harry," Sirius sighed, "James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other," he told him, remembering that first trip to Diagon Alley to get his things for Hogwarts. He'd stumbled upon Mia kneeling on the ground, her knee bleeding from when Snape had shoved her over. Sirius had been focused on helping the girl, but there was no way of drowning out the sound of James screaming in the background as he chased after Snape for hurting his sister.

"It was just one of those things," Sirius continued. "You can understand that, can't you? I think James was everything Snape wanted to be ... he was popular, he was good at Quidditch, good at pretty much everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts and James ... whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry … he always hated the Dark Arts."

"Yeah," Harry nodded, clearly not listening to every word Sirius was saying, "but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because ... well, just because _you_ said you were bored," he finished.

"I'm not proud of it," Sirius said quickly. "There are a lot of things I'm not proud of from back then, son. Snape's memories will never show me in a good light. The same goes for your dad."

Remus frowned at Sirius and then turned back to Harry. "Look, Harry, what you've got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in the school at whatever they did," he said and then smacked Sirius when he had the audacity to look smug about it, "everyone thought they were the height of cool ... if they sometimes got a bit carried away ..."

"If we were sometimes arrogant little berks, you mean," Sirius said.

Remus smiled.

"He kept messing up his hair," Harry said in a pained voice.

Sirius and Remus laughed loudly.

"I forgot that he used to do that," Sirius said affectionately.

"Was he playing with the Snitch?" Remus asked eagerly.

"Yeah," Harry answered. "I thought he was a bit of an idiot."

"Of course he was a bit of an idiot!" said Sirius bracingly. "We were _all_ idiots! That's what being a teenager is for. Well ... not Moony so much," he shrugged his shoulders, looking at Remus, but Remus shook his head.

"Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape?" He asked. "Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were going too far?"

"Yeah, well," Sirius sighed, "you made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes. Nowhere near as bad as…" he hesitated as his grey eyes darted back to the fireplace where Harry still sat looking at the two of the. Sirius cleared his throat. "That was something."

"And, he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!" Harry snapped.

Remus and Sirius both looked at Harry as though they were expecting for him to blurt out 'and one of them looked just like Hermione!' but he never did.

"Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around," Sirius finally answered, shrugging his shoulders. "He couldn't stop himself showing off whenever he got near her."

"She threatened to hex him," Harry pointed out.

"Well, I didn't say he was very good at it," Sirius snorted. "Your dad could charm house-elves, Professors, and his friends, and he probably could have done well with other witches, but the only one he ever had eyes for was your mum, and she never fell for the stupid tricks that tried with her." Sirius laughed as he remembered one of James' many proposals in front of the Hogwarts Express.

"How come she married him?" Harry asked miserably. "She hated him!"

"Oh, she did not," Sirius laughed at Harry's dramatic exclamation.

"She started going out with him in seventh year," Remus said.

"Once James had deflated his head a bit," Sirius smirked.

"And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it," Remus shook his head.

"Even Snape?" Harry asked.

"Well," Remus said slowly, remembering the train ride back to Hogwarts at the beginning of seventh year. "Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?"

"And my mum was okay with that?"

"She didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth," Sirius answered. "I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he?" Sirius frowned at the look on Harry's face. "Look," he said, "your father was the best friend I ever had, and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of fifteen. He grew out of it."

"Yeah, okay," Harry sighed. "I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Snape."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Did we treat Snape like shit? Yes. But what I'm sure he failed to put in that Pensieve were his own actions. I can admit that I was rotten, but nothing I ever did wasn't provoked, I promise you that," he said firmly and then looked at Remus who was staring at him. "What? It wasn't. Granted, I overreacted… a lot… but still, provoked. I was _provoked_," he insisted.

"Harry, what did Snape say when he found out you'd seen the memory?" Remus asked, trying to change the subject.

"He told me he'd never teach me Occlumency again," Harry answered indifferently, "like that's a big disappoint-"

"He WHAT?!" Sirius shouted.

"Are you serious, Harry?" Remus asked quickly, eyes wide. "He's stopped giving you lessons?"

"Yeah, but it's okay, I don't care, it's a bit of a relief to tell you the-"

"I'm coming up there to have a word with Snape!" Sirius snapped and made to stand, but Remus gripped his shirt and yanked him back down.

"If anyone's going to talk Severus, it will be me!" Remus said firmly, his eyes flashing amber. "But Harry, first of all, you are to go back to Professor Snape and tell him that on no account is he to stop giving you lessons."

"I can't tell him that, he'd kill me!" Harry said, outraged.

"Harry, there is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency!" Remus said sternly. "Do you understand me? Nothing!"

Once Harry's face left the fire, Sirius and Remus both stood up, the former running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Fuck!" He shouted. "What do we do? Don't get me wrong, Moony, I hated that Dumbledore wanted Snape to teach Harry… but he needs to learn it. If what Dumbledore says is true and Voldemort can see in Harry's head without even being near him…"

"We're all in danger," Remus nodded.

oOoOoOo

**June 18th, 1996**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

**Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix**

"_Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries! Kreacher and his Mistress are alone again!" _The house-elf's words echoed in Sirius' mind as Kingsley and Tonks stumbled through the Floo to grab Remus. He knew they had hoped he wasn't in the room when they'd arrived, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Snape had contacted Kingsley to let the Order know that Dolores Umbridge had detained Harry and his friends for breaking into her office and she was requesting Veritaserum. It was Harry's warning message to Snape that had made the Order members most anxious: _"He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden."_

"I've summoned Albus," Kingsley said to the rest of the small group which consisted merely of himself, Sirius, Moody, Tonks, and Remus. Where everyone else was was anyone's guess, which only made the Animagus more nervous.

"So what do we do?" Tonks asked, her blue eyes directed at Moody, awaiting official orders.

"Well, clearly You-Know-Who has infiltrated Potter's mind," the old Auror declared. "If the boy thinks that Black is in danger…"

"We need to get a message to Harry," Remus said, interrupting Alastor. "If he's anything like his father, he'll stop at nothing to save Sirius if he thinks he's in danger."

Tonks nodded in agreement. "Not to mention the kids that are with him. Hermione and Ron wouldn't let him go at it alone."

"I can contact Severus to see if he can pass a message along," Kingsley offered, "but if Umbridge is in league with loyalists as we suspect, he could jeopardize his role as spy and then we'd lose…"

"I don't give a bloody fuck what we'd lose!" Sirius shouted, launching the glass in his hand across the room where it shattered against the wall. No one even flinched at the display, each and every one of them accustomed to his behavior by this point, "This is a trap and Harry's going to walk right into it if we don't do something! Snape _knew _it was a trap! He's one of _them_ and I've been saying for years that he can't be trusted! I don't care if we have to break down the front fucking door of Hogwarts, Harry needs to be alerted!"

"Sirius…"

"No!" Sirius said, pushing away from the werewolf who stood to try and calm him down. "Remus… this is it… Department of Mysteries. Gone to rescue Sirius," he said quietly. "This is it."

"Then they've already left," Remus acknowledged.

"What are you two whispering about?" Moody snapped, his one good eye narrowed while the magical one spun in its socket, looking behind him every half a minute so that he'd literally have eyes in the back of his head. Being kept prisoner in his own trunk for nine months by a psychotic Death Eater had done nothing to curb Moody's paranoia.

"We need to get to the Ministry now," Remus insisted. "Harry and the others will have already escaped Hogwarts."

"How?" Tonks asked.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We're wasting time."

"We can't just storm into the Ministry of Magic," Moody scoffed loudly. "At least not all of us. You heard Snape yourself, Black, someone needs to stay here to tell Dumbledore everything that's happened."

"Let the fucking elf tell him," Sirius snapped.

"You're not going!" Moody shouted.

Sirius turned and glowered at the rest of the group, his grey eyes shifting to a dark silver, his jaw tight. "Watch me."

* * *

**A/N**: *hides*


	120. Chapter 120

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Posting this early because it's like a bandaid and I want to rip it off quickly. Good news is that this story hit 1000 Followers! You guys are amazing! Bad news is that I did not want to write this chapter, and you all know the reason why. I put it off for weeks and weeks and probably drove my Beta crazy with all of my whining. LOL! Speaking of whining, I've been complaining about a lack of new reading material and just like that **bluecurls** starts a new Remus/Hermione/Sirius story called _No Longer Playing_. Check it out.

Q&amp;As - **annieca**, you are most certainly not alone. Scary and angry Sirius is a sexy Sirius. **DramionesLady**, not skipping anything. Part Three will cover the events of HBP as well as a chapter or two going through some missing moments and different POVs for Part One before we get into Part Four. **Kennilworthy Thisp**, Remus doesn't have the Time-Turner yet. He retrieves it from the Time Room in Chapter 2. And Potter Manor will definitely be brought up in the future. **Ordinary vamp**, good catch on the date. The calendar I was going by didn't list the actual date of the DoM attack, so I had to count and apparently I was off by one day. I'll be fixing that.

Reference Chasers should read Order of the Phoenix Chapters 34-38, and then read DoT Chapter 2 to remember that everything works out fine in the end.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty: All Things Subsist and Do Not Die

"_...Now I am mute despite myself_  
_All of them are gone_  
_The silence overtakes me_  
_The idle words forsake me_  
_And I am left to face me…"_  
_(In the Dark - Flyleaf)_

* * *

**June 18th, 1996**

**Ministry of Magic - Department of Mysteries**

They stepped into the infamous Hall of Prophecies to see nothing but wreckage. Thousands upon thousands of shattered prophecies littered the ground and there toward one end, appeared to be the eye of the storm where several shelves that used to hold prophecies had been blown apart, crashing down in various directions, but ultimately leading down a long pathway.

"This is madness," Kingsley whispered, staring wide-eyed at the mess.

"We're not here to sightsee!" Sirius snapped angrily at the others who stood around as though they were waiting for something to happen instead of searching for the students. "Mourn the thousands of prophecies lost another day, right now it's nothing but broken glass!" He stated firmly as his dragonhide boots crunched against the shards while he stormed ahead.

The group ended up back in the open circle room with the variety of doors. There were strange burn marks on some, and others were cracked open and shouting could be heard coming from behind several.

"What now?" Remus asked.

"Split up!" Moody ordered. "Everyone take a different room."

And they did so.

No sooner than Remus and Sirius opened one door, they each heard Tonks shout from another room, "Hermione!" and went running toward the sound as though their very lives depended on it. Once inside a large room surrounded by strange water tanks, Remus fell to his knees beside his girlfriend who was waving her wand over Hermione's motionless body. To the side, he could see Ginny and Luna unconscious; Ron was giggling maniacally in the background.

"Hermione!?" Remus called to her, cupping her chin in his palm. "No, no, no…"

"It's alright, she has a pulse," Tonks assured him.

"What happened to her?" Sirius asked, his hands shaking as they brushed the hair from her face. "Where's Harry?"

"Tonks, take care of Ron," Remus insisted, gesturing to the boy who was struggling against brain-like creatures attached to his arms. "And then check on Ginny and Luna."

Remus himself turned and pointed his wand at Ron to throw a Binding Charm at the boy in order to get him to hold still. When he turned back to Hermione, he frowned as Sirius had her pulled into his arms, a hand gently stroking her hair.

"Hermione?" Sirius whispered, his voice shaky. "Kitten, love, please wake up, please wake up," he pleaded with her. "What was she hit with?"

"I think she'll be okay," Remus tried to console his friend.

"You _think_?!"

Remus nodded, ignoring the outburst. Now was not the time to lose control. "I've seen this. In the Pensieve."

_"This is how I got my scars; all of them," _Mia had said to him inside the Pensieve before they entered the memory of the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts where Hermione had been recovering from an attack.

Remus scooted closer to Hermione's body and reached for the bottom hem of her shirt, lifting it slightly.

"What're you doing?" Sirius asked.

"The scar!" Remus said, showing him the bottom inch of a very recent long, purple wound that would be all too familiar to them both.

Sirius gasped at the sight. "Oh Merlin… that's from…"

Remus nodded.

"Ron's still a little dopey," Tonks said as she rejoined Remus and Sirius. "Ginny and Luna both have pulses and should regain consciousness soon, how's…" her hazel eyes fell on the witch, catching sight of the blistering wound on her ribcage, "holy…" she gasped, "is she…"

"She'll be fine," Remus insisted, "but we need to get them all back to Hogwarts. She'll be unconscious several days if I remember correctly." He reached forward and gently pulled Hermione out of Sirius' arms to lay her back down on the ground. They weren't even close to being finished here; Harry and Neville were still missing.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked, his grey eyes looking down at the witch, subconsciously scratching at his tattooed chest with one hand while the other anxiously tugged on the silver chain around his neck. "Remus… that… that looks like the same curse that killed…"

"Charlus," Remus nodded. "I know, but her attacker had been silenced. She'll live, I swear it."

Sirius leaned down and kissed Hermione's forehead, whispering, "I'll see you soon, love, I promise."

"We need to find Harry and Neville," Remus insisted.

Sirius looked up as though he suddenly remembered his purpose. "Neville's here too?" He asked as he turned and made his way for the door, eager to find his godson.

"I remember from Mia's memory," the werewolf replied.

"Ward the room so no one can get in," Sirius ordered.

"On it!" Tonks yelled after the pair as she turned and waved her wand in a series of movements to throw up security measures.

"A little help!" Moody was shouting as he battled a Death Eater in the center of the circular room. He didn't look as though he actually needed assistance, more like he was annoyed that it appeared the others weren't fighting anyone like he was. Kingsley walked out of what seemed to be an empty room, aimed his wand at the back of Moody's Death Eater, stunning and binding him on the ground. "Took you long enough!" Moody snapped.

"_Crucio_!"

The incantation of the Unforgivable came from behind a closed door and everyone turned to stare.

"Bellatrix…" Sirius breathed out the name and rushed forward.

"Sirius, wait!" Remus called after his friend.

The Animagus practically kicked the door open and stepped through, Remus, Kingsley, Tonks, and Moody on his heels. A large, dimly lit rectangular room stood before them. In the center was a great stone pit surrounded by benches that descended into the area like a great theater. A large stone dais sat in the center of the room, where a massive archway stood, unsupported by any surrounding wall.

The five looked around and all glared at the sight of Death Eaters closing in on Harry and Neville, the latter appeared to be bleeding profusely from a clearly broken nose, kneeling on the ground while Bellatrix Lestrange aimed her wand at him; he was clearly the victim of the Cruciatus that they'd all just heard.

"_Stupefy_!" Tonks shouted as Lucius Malfoy raised his wand at her.

Remus growled at the sight of someone attacking his mate and moved to follow her, but another Death Eater jumped in his way, appearing far too eager to take on the werewolf. "Bad idea," was all Remus said before tightening his grip on his wand and narrowing his suddenly golden eyes.

Near the bottom of the ground where the stone dais stood, a masked Death Eater held Harry tightly in his grip, pressing on Harry's windpipe. Sirius passed by Kingsley, who was fighting two Death Eaters at once and looking strangely pleased with the fear they each displayed at his prowess. The Animagus turned to look at Tonks, still halfway up the tiered seats, and firing spells down at Bellatrix. The Animagus rushed down to aid his godson when a Death Eater appeared before him, shouting "_Avada Kedavra_!" The green light passed just over Sirius' shoulder and the raven-haired wizard growled. "It really pisses me off when you pricks try to kill me," he muttered dangerously and sent a Stunning Spell at his attacker who dodged it and advanced forward.

"Aargh!" He heard someone scream and turned to spot Neville stabbing the man holding Harry in the eye with what looked to be Hermione's wand. Harry whirled around to face him and gasped, "_Stupefy_!" The Death Eater keeled over backward.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Sirius shouted at his opponent who froze up immediately and fell over. "I'll kill you later," Sirius growled and rushed to where he saw Moody crumpled on the floor, bleeding from his head. "Get up old man," Sirius mumbled, running his wand over the wound on Moody's head, a simple enough healing spell that would at least get him out of this place alive, Sirius wasn't good enough at Healing Charms to fix the man permanently. With Moody handled, Sirius turned back to look for Harry and growled at the sight of Dolohov, stalking toward his godson.

The Death Eater raised his wand just as Sirius charged and Harry threw up a Protego. The Animagus rammed the Death Eater with his shoulder and sent him flying out of Harry's path and unfortunately into his own.

"Black!" Dolohov hissed.

"This is for my father," Sirius snarled and raised his wand, shouting every curse - legal or not - at the Death Eater responsible for the death of Charlus Potter; responsible for Hermione's current state. Dolohov was quick and dodged Sirius' attacks, only occasionally taking a hit to the arm here and there, which somehow didn't even throw the man off balance. Not like it did when Dolohov hit Sirius in the shoulder with a Slicing Hex.

Springing up, Harry yelled, "_Petrificus Totalus_!" And Dolohov's arms and legs snapped together and he keeled over backward, landing with a crash on his back.

Sirius turned and grinned at his godson. "Nice one!" he shouted and jumped up, forcing Harry's head down as a pair of Stunning Spells flew toward them. "Now I want you to get out of… " They both ducked again. A jet of green light had narrowly missed Sirius; across the room they both saw Tonks fall from halfway up the stone steps, her limp form toppling from stone seat to stone seat, and Bellatrix, triumphant, running back toward the fray.

Sirius' eyes widened and he turned to search for Remus who was barrelling down upon a pair of Death Eaters twenty feet from where Tonks was, unaware that Bellatrix had turned her eyes on the werewolf. "Harry," Sirius turned back to the boy, "take the prophecy, grab Neville, and run!" Sirius yelled at him, dashing to meet Bellatrix.

"_Cruci-_" Bellatrix began, aiming her wand at Remus' back.

"_Lacarnum Inflamare_!" Sirius shouted.

A ball of fire flew from the end of his wand, hitting Bellatrix in the chest and momentarily setting the witch on fire. The witch screamed in fury and extinguished the flame much too quickly, turning her rage upon her cousin who merely grinned at her.

"You always did have a soft spot for saving filthy things," Bellatrix said as she glared at Sirius. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

"You'll enjoy trying, bitch."

"DUBBLEDORE!" Neville shouted and every pair of eyes in the room turned to see the old wizard appear, wand aloft, his face white and furious. Dumbledore sped down the steps past Neville and Harry. There were yells; one of the Death Eaters ran for it, scrabbling up the stone steps. Dumbledore's spell pulled him back as easily and effortlessly as though he had hooked him with an invisible line.

Momentarily distracted by Dumbledore's assault, Sirius barely managed to duck from a hex that Bellatrix sent his way. He growled looking back up at her, grinning when he threw a curse her way and she'd only barely missed it. She was positively enraged as she descended upon him, losing what little grace she still possessed as she flung her wand about in the air like mad, throwing everything she could at him as though she were merely hoping something would stick.

Sirius laughed loudly at the sight of her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The next jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Remus turned just in time to watch Sirius' body curve backward, sinking through the ragged Veil hanging from the arch in the center of the dais. He didn't feel the panic set in until Sirius' body completely vanished and then an old familiar coldness sunk into his chest. The Pack Bond. "No," Remus whispered as he realized what had just happened.

Sirius was gone.

"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, "SIRIUS!"

Unable to let the moment sink in at the sight of Harry rushing toward the terrible Veil, Remus ran as quickly as he could, grabbing the boy around the chest tightly, both of them tumbling to the floor as he held the young wizard back while he struggled against the werewolf's grip.

"There's nothing you can do, Harry ..." Remus muttered, staring at the Veil with wide eyes while the wolf inside his head snarled and howled at the sudden missing magic in the Bond. It was something Remus had only felt once before in his life… the night James and Lily died. "He's gone," Remus whispered.

"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!" Harry continued to scream.

"It's too late, Harry… "

"We can still reach him!

Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Remus would not let go. Moony wouldn't allow Remus to let go. His mate wasn't in sight, his Beta was unconscious and injured in another room, and Padfoot was... Moony wasn't letting go of Harry. The wolf was pacing, scratching and clawing inside of Remus, trying to get out of the control that Remus kept him in.

Harry cried in his arms and Remus fought against the urge to do the same as he held the boy tightly, trying to be the strength that the boy needed him to be now. "There's nothing you can do, Harry ... nothing. He's gone."

"He hasn't gone!" Harry yelled. "SIRIUS!" He bellowed, "SIRIUS!"

"He can't come back, Harry," Remus spoke, his voice breaking. "He can't come back because he's d- "

"HE ... IS ... NOT ... DEAD!" Harry roared. "SIRIUS!"

Remus was shaking and knew that if he didn't get control of Harry soon, he'd lose his grip and the boy would certainly kill himself by running toward the Veil. The werewolf physically dragged Harry away from the dais toward Neville who was still fighting against a Jelly-Legs Jinx.

"Harry, I'b really sorry," Neville said, his voice muffled a bit due to his obviously broken nose. "Was dat man … was Sirius Black a ... a friend of yours?"

Harry nodded.

"Here," Remus said quietly, pointing his wand at Neville's legs. "_Finite_." The spell was lifted. Neville's legs fell back to the floor and remained still. Remus' face was pale as he looked around for someone else to help him with the boys. "Let's ... let's find the others. Where are they all, Neville?" He asked, hoping that the three other kids were the only ones they needed to worry about.

"Dey're all back dere," Neville said. "A brain addacked Ron bud I dink he's all righd ... and Herbione's unconscious, bud we could feel a bulse ..."

Remus nodded in a moment of relief knowing that there was nothing left to do but clean up and take care of the wounded and… and move on. He knew he was in shock because, though it hurt like hell, the real pain hadn't settled in yet. Still the wolf in his mind remained unsettled and howling as though he could feel everything that Remus was trying to remain numb to.

There was a loud bang and a yell from behind the dais. They all turned to see Kingsley yelling in pain as he hit the ground. Bellatrix Lestrange turned tail and ran as Dumbledore whipped around. He aimed a spell at her, but she deflected it. She was halfway up the steps just as Harry broke from Remus' side and rushed after the witch.

"Harry! No!" Remus cried.

"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" Harry bellowed. "SHE KILLED HIM! I'LL KILL HER!"

Remus moved to stand and chase after the boy, but Kingsley, back on his feet went to stop him, placing both hands on the werewolf's shoulders and pressing down. Losing the strength he had left, Remus collapsed backward against one of the stone steps, fighting the urge to scream and cry and run after Harry to help skin the bitch alive for killing… for… for...

"Dumbledore's gone after him. He'll be fine," Kingsley insisted.

Harry was out of his grip and Hermione was safe in the other room, which made Remus immediately think of… "Where's… where's Tonks?" He asked, his eyes searching the room for his mate, panicking when he couldn't spot her.

"Moody's taking care of her," Kingsley promised. "All the Death Eaters that didn't vanish have been stunned and bound."

"Where's Tonks?" Remus repeated, feeling like he was lost in a thick fog that was slowly trying to suffocate him. "Where's… Hermione and Harry and…" he gasped, struggling to breathe, the visual of the large Veil in the corner of his eye stood solid and still, taunting him.

"Remus?" Kingsley frowned. "Tonks was hit pretty hard. Moody's taking her to St. Mungo's."

Remus shook his head, not fully understanding. "St. Mungo's… no… I can't… I can't go there. They won't... they won't let me in."

"I know mate," Kingsley said, patting Remus on the shoulder. "I know. I'm so sorry about Sirius…"

"No!" Remus screamed and tore away from Kingsley's touch. "It wasn't supposed to…" He'd seen it. Mia's memories. Sirius was _alive_ in them. None of this was supposed to happen. He remembered seeing Bellatrix, Hermione, and Sirius at Malfoy Manor. He remembered seeing Sirius and Hermione in the library at Grimmauld Place. She was nineteen. That hadn't happened yet. Sirius was supposed to be alive.

_"It says you used a Time-Turner before?" A younger Remus mentioned the letter as he stood beside Mia inside Dumbledore's Pensieve. "To save Sirius?"_

_"He got in trouble," Mia had answered._

_"He does that. And the Department of Mysteries?"_

_"That's a long story," Mia shook her head, "and one better to be lived, I think."_

_"What lives are lost?" Remus had asked her. "Who dies in the war?"_

_Mia had frowned at and averted her gaze. "You know I can't say that."_

"Fuck!" Remus screamed as the tears finally broke free. He threw a fist out into the air, needing to strike something, but nothing came into contact so he fell back to the ground, crumbling to his knees where he dug fingers through his hair and sobbed loudly. Something had happened. Something had changed and the future was gone. Sirius was gone. Mia was… she would never forgive him for losing Sirius. He was supposed to take care of him. He'd promised her. He'd failed her... again. "I need to see Tonks, is she okay?" The werewolf looked up at Kingsley, his face wet, his eyes red.

"She'll be fine. Remus, Moody already Disapparated her out of her. We need to take care of the kids though," the Auror said, trying to give his friend a purpose to get him through his grief.

Remus nodded. "Hermione," he said and immediately rushed out of the room.

oOoOoOo

**June 23rd, 1996**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

For days, Hermione remained unconscious in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts. In between staying protectively by her side, Remus asked for constant updates on Tonks who was staying at St. Mungo's until she recovered, as she too remained unconscious after the battle. Unable to go to his mate, Remus tried to ease the panicked wolf inside of him by staying by Hermione's side, hoping that whatever was left of the Pack Bond magic would help her heal faster if he were close by. It wouldn't work of course, she wasn't sealed to him, not like Mia had been and Sirius... but Remus felt he needed to do something, even if it was stay out of everyone's way, guarding one little witch while she healed.

"Could have died," Madam Pomfrey had said when she examined Hermione's body.

Remus stood at the foot of the bed shaking.

Once the adrenaline from the battle had worn off, Remus had collapsed by Hermione's bedside, sobbing into his hands. He felt a slender pair of arms encircle him and he looked up to see a teary-eyed Minerva McGonagall looking down at his anguished face. He felt all of twelve-years-old again as the witch hugged him, remembering when his mother used to comfort him; remembering when Dorea would do the same. "I was supposed to take care of him," Remus choked the words out. "I… I promised her…"

"Shhh…" Minerva said, patting him lightly on the head. "You couldn't have predicted this, Remus."

"Why me?" Remus asked, his voice breaking again. "Why am I the one that always gets left behind?"

"You are not alone," Minerva said, exchanging her recently soft tone of voice for her usual clipped way of speaking. "Now, you need to take care of yourself young man. If you're not going to allow anyone else near Miss Granger, then you need to be up to the task of looking after her yourself," she insisted.

Remus had merely nodded, not catching all of her words. When she left only to be replaced by Madam Pomfrey again, Remus paid more attention to the Mediwitch who was at least allowed to heal Hermione, though with the other students in bad shape from the battle, Remus was left in charge of Hermione's potions, just as Mia had been left in charge of him so very long ago.

When Hermione finally regained consciousness, Remus was there, sitting in an uncomfortable chair by her side, her tiny hand held gently in both of his. He heard her breathing change and felt her stirring long before she spoke. Not knowing what to say to her, Remus remained silent.

"Harry?" Hermione mumbled quietly.

Remus frowned. "Hermione?" He responded, tightening his grip on her hand slightly.

"Professor Lupin?" Hermione replied, surprised.

At her words, his hands let her go and he sighed. What he wouldn't give to hear the witch call him by his name. To be his best friend again, because Mia would know what to do. Remus had never felt more lost without her.

"What happened? Can you cast a Lumos? I don't know where my wand..."

"No," Remus whispered. "It's... it's better that it's dark," he said and turned his head away from her, rubbing the redness in his eyes. He didn't want her to see him crying. "You've been unconscious for several days, and... and the light could be painful," he muttered, choking on the words as they left his lips.

"Professor what happened? Where's Harry?" She asked in worry.

"Harry is fine," he promised her. "Safe at least. The Order arrived at the Ministry in time. Or well... none of you were... some were injured, but you, Neville, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Luna made it back," he said his words carefully, not even knowing how to tell the witch that Sirius was dead. A part of him wondered if she could feel it the way he could.

"What happened to me?" She asked.

"Not sure," Remus lied and then cleared his throat. "You were hit with a powerful curse. Neville and Harry mentioned that the Death Eater who threw it had been silenced. We think you survived because of that," he remembered Charlus' body, hit with the same curse at their graduation, a part of him thrilled that thanks to a simple Silencing Spell, Hermione had survived the same fate.

"Can I see it?" Hermione asked.

Remus remembered the first time he'd seen the scar himself. In the Shrieking Shack with Mia after a night of lovemaking followed by a full moon and a morning of languid exploration. He'd seen the scar which had worried him at first, but somehow endeared her more to the wolf. He was covered in scars and she'd always told him he was beautiful, and she was somehow similarly marked and he found it strangely lovely as well.

But now...

After about a minute, he wordlessly lit the end of his wand and handed it to her, keeping his eyes forward, aimed at the curtains that surrounded her bed to offer her privacy as she examined her own wound. He listened as she undid her bandages, heard her gasp of breath followed by the whimper that she tried to stifle.

"They're just scars Hermione," Remus cleared his throat, still unable to look at her. "_'Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars,'"_ he whispered.

"That's beautiful," she replied.

"Khalil Gibran," he mumbled quietly. "Poet."

"Wizard?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Muggle," Remus let out a shaky breath.

"Professor, is there something you're not telling me?" Hermione asked

_"Remus, promise me something?" Mia had once whispered to him._

_"Anything, love."_

_"Promise me that... that you'll always trust Sirius. Always remember that he's a good man. And... and when he needs you the most, please take care of him for me."_

Take care of Sirius. At Hermione's words and the memory of his broken promise to Mia, Remus' shoulders began to shake as his head fell forward into his hands and the tears returned with a vengeance. After a few moments, he could feel Hermione's small hands patting his back, consoling him.

"Sirius is dead," Remus confessed.

"No," Hermione gasped.

_I'm so sorry_, Remus silently thought.

"Oh no, is... where's Harry?" Hermione asked. "Oh Godric... oh Remus," Hermione said his name for the first time and the werewolf cried harder. "Remus I'm so sorry. He was your best friend and… are you okay? I'm sorry, of course you're not..."

"Are _you _okay?" He asked her, turning slightly to see the soft light from his wand reflected on her worried face.

"I'll be fine," she nodded. "I'm more worried about you and Harry."

"I'm…" he paused. "I'm used to losing people I love," Remus said sadly. "But... don't worry about Harry. I'll do what I can to... it's my job now to take care of him," Remus said quietly.

"Mine too," Hermione whispered.

Remus turned away from her and choked on a breath that was trying to escape. "_Our_ job," Remus nodded after he was able to speak again. "Get some rest, Hermione."

"It still hurts, is that normal?" She asked, touching her rib-cage.

"Madam Pomfrey said I should give you one of these every three hours," Remus told her as he reached for a vial of purple liquid from the table next to her bed.

"How… how long have you been here?" She asked curiously.

"Doesn't matter," Remus shook his head and uncorked the Pain Potion, not wanting the little witch to know that he'd been at her bedside for days, not letting anyone save for the Mediwitch near her. "You should drink this," he insisted, handing her the vial. "It'll make you sleepy, but you need your rest. You need to…" he reached forward and brushed the hair from her face, tucking a curl behind her ear, no longer caring about propriety when it came to his lifelong affection for the girl. "You need to get better."

Hermione nodded and swallowed the potion down quickly. "Mmm…" She grimaced, "tastes… funny…"

He watched as the potion went to work immediately, Hermione's eyes blinking rapidly a sign of immediate fatigue, he was grateful that Madam Pomfrey had the good stuff on hand and that Hermione didn't need to be sent away to St. Mungo's like Tonks where he couldn't be by her side.

"Sleep now, love," Remus whispered as he watched her eyelids begin to fall.

"I called you 'Remus'," Hermione mumbled, clearly already fairly inebriated from the potion.

"That you did, love." He smiled sadly.

"You called me 'love' again. Why's that?" She asked him, a strange relaxed smile falling over her face.

Remus couldn't help but smile back at her, remembering how Mia Potter could easily down a bottle of Firewhisky and still hex someone sideways if they looked at her wrong, or threatened James, or insulted himself and Siri...

"It doesn't matter," Remus sighed. "You won't remember this when you wake up," he frowned.

"Then tell me."

Remus hesitated before speaking. "I call you 'love' because… that's what you are to me. Precious. Essential. My heart," he reached out and took her small hand back into his own. "There's only one other person in this entire world that I could ever love more than you, and I'm all but certain that I don't deserve her," he frowned thinking of Tonks. Remus wondered if Moody or Kingsley had told her that her cousin was dead and that Remus, who was supposed to know the future, hadn't done a thing to save him. "And she's safer without me," he whispered.

"That's… stupid," Hermione mumbled.

Remus laughed.

"Still hurts," she said softly.

He rose a brow and turned around. "The Pain Potion should have helped," he said, appearing worried. "Your ribs were badly bruised as well, I can get a salve for…"

"Not _there_. Feels cold… right…" and her fingertips brushed over her heart lightly.

Remus swallowed hard. He knew that pain. The pain of a broken Bond; missing magic, and she hadn't even known that she had it this whole time. "Hermione… I didn't save him," he confessed. "Sirius died and… Hermione I'm so sorry."

"Ralph Waldo Emerson," Hermione muttered, nearly incoherently.

"What's that?"

'_"It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die...'_" she began but never finished her thought as her eyes finally shut and she fell into a deep sleep.

"'_...but only retire a little from sight and afterwards return again',_" Remus finished the quote and swallowed hard looking down at the little witch with wide eyes. "Now why would you say _that_?" He asked her nervously.

* * *

**A/N**: I hated reading this part of Order of the Phoenix, I hated watching it in the movie, I hated writing this version, and I hated reading it again to edit. Someone pass the tissues.


	121. Chapter 121

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** The consensus in regards to the last chapter is apparently that few of you had tissues left over to lend me. Completely understandable. I'm having a little writer's block today (nothing too big) but usually when I can't write and I'm out of reading material, posting a new chapter seems to be the thing I do. So, here's a random Saturday chapter!

Q&amp;As - There weren't really any questions that won't be answered in this chapter, mostly because I think we were all in a community period of mourning.

Reference Chasers can read Order of the Phoenix Chapter 38.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One: The Right Thing

"_...How do I get through one night without you_  
_If I had to live without you_  
_What kind of life would that be_  
_Oh and I, I need you in my arms_  
_Need you to hold_  
_You're my world, my heart, my soul_  
_If you ever leave_  
_Baby, you would take away everything good in my life…"_  
_(How Do I Live - Trisha Yearwood)_

* * *

**June 30th, 1996**

**Kings Cross Station**

Remus stood at the train station just outside of the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, rubbing the bridge of his nose as a severe headache took hold of him. The lack of sleep he'd had worrying at Hermione's bedside mixed with his anxiety over being unable to see Tonks and the grief over Sirius had made the lead-up to the full moon unbearable; the worst in decades.

Tonks had made it out of the battle okay in the end, and despite her own grief over losing her cousin, which she refused to talk about, her hair was bright bubblegum pink, which usually meant she was in a good mood. The sight of her standing beside Remus must have looked ridiculous to the passing Muggles. She was nothing but youth, light, and life and he was an old, broken, bitter mess. Never before had he identified more with a nineteen-year-old Sirius Black who was too eager to bury his problem at the bottom of a bottle. Remus, however, knew that liquor would only make his headache worse, and considering how much he would need to drink to get properly pissed thanks to his Lycanthropy, it would never be worth it in the end. Plus Firewhisky cost money.

Fred and George, the most recent and infamous ex-Hogwarts students, approached the gathered group grinning from ear to ear. Remus stared at their obviously new jackets.

"Dragonskin?" He asked.

"The _best_ dragonskin…" Fred grinned.

"...that money can buy," George smirked.

"And money…"

"...is rolling in by the barrels."

"We'll be opening up our own shop in Diagon Alley soon," Fred said proudly. "Already scouted a few places."

"I used to live on Diagon Alley," Remus said thoughtfully. "If you can find a balance between business and fun, you boys will do quite well."

"How do you know that?" George asked suspiciously.

"Because I was your professor for a whole year and despite what you like to let people think of you," he eyed the boys, "I know how smart the pair of you are."

"So, since you were once our professor," Fred raised an eyebrow, "shouldn't you be telling us how we should drop all this nonsense and get back to Hogwarts?" He whispered, stepping in close to Remus to avoid the disapproving glare that his mother was giving her twin sons.

Remus shrugged. "Maybe, but don't you ever forget whose name came _first_ on the Marauder's Map," he said with a smirk that felt a little too forced as though he were trying to be happy when he knew he shouldn't be.

Fred and George didn't seem to notice. They each stood tall, adjusted their jackets and gave a low bow before the werewolf that seemed over the top and yet strangely genuine.

"We're much obliged, Mister Moony," Fred declared.

"Many thanks to you, Mister Moony," George proclaimed.

And then the two put an arm around one another and moved to stand with their parents, grinning in the face of the disappointment that was rolling off of Molly Weasley in waves.

Tonks stepped closer to Remus and linked her arm with his. "You sure made those two happy."

Remus sighed. "Remember that if they tell Molly what I said and she starts screaming at me."

"You alright, love?" The witch frowned looking up at him.

"Fine," he lied. "Just eager to see Harry and Hermione." He looked down at the witch on his arm, wearing a bright purple Weird Sisters t-shirt and patched jeans. Patched because that was the style, and not because they were her only pair. Not like the trousers _he_ was wearing, or his shabby jumper and threadbare overcoat. He looked away from her bitterly, pulling his arm out of her grip as the students stepped through the barrier.

"Ron, Ginny!" Molly hurried forward, hugging her children tightly. "Oh, and Harry dear, how are you?"

"Hello, Harry," Remus offered a tight smile as he approached the boy, putting an arm around his shoulders. A part of him had thought to ask Dumbledore if he could allow Harry to return to Lupin Cottage with him for the summer, like he had always meant to, but he hadn't had the chance before Albus was plotting out the next step for the Order, which was a familiar step for Remus and one that didn't include a teenage boy left in his care.

So, before he lost his nerve, Remus had requested something else. Something he felt that James, Lily, Sirius, and Mia would have approved of: a Dursley confrontation.

"Hi," Harry said. "I didn't expect... what are you all doing here?"

"Well, we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you home," Remus said.

"I dunno if that's a good idea," Harry frowned.

"Oh, _I_ think it is," Moody growled. "That'll be them, right Potter?" He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder; his magical eye was evidently peering through the back of his head and his bowler hat.

Harry and Remus both turned to see the Muggle family staring at the crowd around Harry with shock and disdain. Remus growled under his breath, a part of him eager to approach the Dursleys on his own and threaten Vernon the same way he had years ago in the middle of a Muggle cemetery.

"Ah, Harry!" Arthur called out, pulling Remus' attention back to their own little group.

His green eyes fell on Hermione who was off to the side speaking with an older couple that the werewolf immediately figured were her parents. Her _Muggle_ parents. It was a strange sight, seeing the little witch hug the couple with great affection, the same way she used to hug Charlus and Dorea. He frowned at the memory, a part of him wondering how Mia's heart had been large enough to not only include all the strays she picked up along her path, James, Sirius, and himself at the forefront, but a second set of parents, ones that she loved with as much energy as she did this first pair. There seemed to be no limit to her affection.

"Well, shall we do it, then?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur," Moody said.

The entire group, Hermione now included, approached Lily's sister and her family.

"Good afternoon," Arthur said brightly as he smiled at Vernon who glared back at him. "You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley. We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry."

"Yeah," Moody growled. "About how he's treated when he's at your place."

Remus watched closely as Vernon's mustache twitched at the obvious implication, and the werewolf glared at the man, glancing down at Hermione who seemed to be offering the Muggle the same look.

"I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house-"

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley," Moody snapped.

"Anyway, that's not the point," Tonks interjected, stepping forward. Petunia, in turn, stepped away from her, gaping in horror at the bright pink hair. "The point is, if we find out you've been horrible to Harry..."

"...and make no mistake, we'll hear about it," Remus added, almost pleasantly, grinning a little when Vernon's attention was drawn to him. Remus purposely allowed his eyes to flash golden, to remind the Muggle that yes, they _had_ met, and yes, he _was_ still just as dangerous as he was back then and all threats the werewolf had made before still applied.

"Yes, even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone," Arthur began.

"Telephone," Hermione whispered.

"Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," Moody said.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" Vernon asked, so loudly that passersby actually turned to stare.

"Yes, I am," Mad-Eye almost grinned.

"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?" Vernon barked.

_Yes_, Remus thought as he remembered James and Lily's wedding and a sweetly dangerous Mia speaking to the Muggles across the room, Vernon sweating at her words, whatever they might have been.

"Well," Moody pushed back his bowler hat to reveal his sinisterly revolving magical eye. Vernon leapt backward in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley." Alastor turned back to Harry. "So, Potter ... give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along."

Remus turned and looked at Petunia who was staring at him with wide recognition, and he growled low at her in reply, strangely enjoying the way that the woman whimpered. Pleased in knowing that Sirius would have threatened the Muggles similarly if he'd…

"Take care, Harry," Remus said quietly, patting the boy on the back. He'd originally gone in for a hug, but Molly was all too eager to grab the messy-haired wizard and smother him a touch. Remus turned back to Moody who was already limping away from the Muggles as Molly released Harry into their care.

"Right then," Mad-Eye began, going right back into Order mode. "Potter's taken care of. Weasleys, grab your brood and get out of here. Everyone else, I suppose wait for news from Albus when he figures out how to access Headquarters without Black. Lupin, if you've got time today I'd like to…"

"I don't," Remus said firmly. "I'm taking Hermione and her parents home," he insisted. "Minerva set up security wards around for the Grangers, but I'm going to check and strengthen them." He turned to look at the witch who smiled sweetly at him in gratitude. He could tell that, especially after the recent battle, she was worried for her family. He nodded to her as she walked away from the group to go and tell her parents to wait for him.

"Tomorrow then," Moody said.

"Owl me in a week," he told the old Auror.

Mad-Eye growled, not used to having his orders ignored by anyone other than Sirius. "If you've got something better to do then…"

Remus turned on the man and growled, his eyes glowing gold. "I'm sorry Alastor," he snarled. "But yes, I _do_ have something better to do! Tomorrow's the fucking full moon so I'll be trapped in my cellar while all of my bones break and then reset themselves, and then I'll be recovering from _that_ for a few days while simultaneously grieving over the fact that one of my best friends was just murdered…" he snarled and then added, "_again_!"

Everyone froze in complete silence.

Moody stared at Remus, unblinking, which Remus gave him a lot of credit for. Not many men would be able to stand in front of a raging werewolf without flinching. "Right," Moody nodded. "Take care of yourself then. Next week," he said, which Remus took as the closest to an apology as anyone would ever get out of the man.

"Do you want me to come with you to the Grangers, love?" Tonks asked as the rest of the Order parted ways.

"No."

"Remus…"

"I said no, Nymphadora," he snapped at her, wincing immediately at her hurt reaction. He looked down and sighed in regret. "Just… I'm sorry…"

She frowned. "It's alright. I know the moon's approachin'."

Yes, yes the moon was coming and Remus was sorely prepared for it. He and Sirius had been planning for this moon. First moon of the summer and they were hoping to have Harry back at Grimmauld Place where they'd overindulge in chocolate cake and whatever other sweets they could convince Molly to bring them before he and Sirius would retire to the basement to wait out the moon. Now though… he would be alone, back in the cellar of Lupin Cottage.

"Can we meet… tonight?" Remus asked Tonks.

She smiled. "Dinner at your place?"

He shook his head and tore his eyes away from hers. "I'd prefer drinks. There's a pub down the way here," he said, gesturing.

"Not the Leaky?" She asked suspiciously.

"No, it's umm... it's a Muggle place."

She raised an eyebrow and her blue eyes stared at him as though she could see into his mind. Remus looked away again. "A _Muggle_ bar?" She asked. "Remus what's going on?"

"I have to go," he said quickly. "I'll send you a Patronus when I'm done," he added and then turned away from her and rushed over to where Hermione stood with her parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, how do you do?" Remus forced a smile to his face and extended a hand to the pair of Muggles. "I'm Remus Lupin."

"Richard," Hermione's father introduced himself. "My wife Helen," he said, gesturing to the brunette standing beside him.

Remus looked the pair over, surprised at how much Hermione looked like them both. He had been equally surprised to learn long ago that Mia had been adopted. Granted, she'd never had the unfortunate 'Potter hair' as Dorea called it, he had still always looked at the witch as a smaller copy of her Slytherin mother. Yet here, standing in front of the Muggles, Remus couldn't deny the obvious similarities.

"Pleasure," he smiled at the couple and shook each of their hands. "I'll be accompanying you home this year. I know that Professor McGonagall put up some standard security measures for your home a while back and she's asked me to double-check them for her."

Helen frowned. "Is everything alright?" She asked.

Remus took a brief glance down at Hermione who smiled sweetly, but very subtly shook her head in a gesture that only _he_ seemed to catch and understand. "Nothing to be concerned about," he assured them with his lies. "Like I said, it's fairly standard. Most magical homes have their own personal family protections, so Hogwarts likes to take special care of the Muggle-born students who don't have them."

"Oh, are you from Hogwarts then?" Richard asked.

"Lupin," Helen whispered and then looked down at her daughter. "Hermione, didn't you once have a teacher named Lupin?"

"Yes, Mum," Hermione nodded. "This is Remus Lupin, formerly _Professor_ Lupin."

Remus felt mildly relieved to hear her use his title after the word 'formerly', thrilled to finally be rid of the girl seeing him as a strict authority figure and not the friend that she had always been to him, save of course for the one year in which she actually _was _his student.

"I see," Helen Granger said as her brown eyes raked over Remus. He swallowed slightly, nervous as though he were being appraised. "Well, it's so nice to meet you," Helen grinned. "Hermione just went on and on about how wonderful you were in her letters home."

"Mum!" Hermione hissed, her cheeks flushing red.

Remus forced himself not to groan miserably. "She's a very bright young witch," he said politely and then reached for Hermione's trunk. "Let me get that for you Hermione."

"I'm fine Remus," she said and then paused. "Er… Professor… er… Mister Lupin?"

Remus blanched and shook his head. "I told you, Remus is fine. You shouldn't be lifting anything heavy," he muttered.

"Why not?" Helen asked.

Hermione's face went momentarily pale. "Oh… I umm… I was in a little accident at school."

"Accident?" Richard's eyes widened. "What kind of accident?"

"I fell off my broom," Hermione lied.

Remus stared at her. _Broom? That was the best she could come up with?_

"You said you hated flying," Helen said.

Hermione laughed. "And what do you know? Now I hate it more. It's nothing Mum," she said, trying to assure her parents. "Just a few scrapes. Madam Pomfrey sent me home with a some potions. It's… it's hard to explain," she frowned. "You… you wouldn't understand."

The Grangers turned and looked at Remus as though he could perhaps explain it better, but Remus only offered an apologetic smile in return.

oOoOoOo

**145 Vulpe Drive - Granger Residence**

Remus stepped out of the front door of the Granger home after checking on Minerva's wards and adding about six of his own personal ones, just in case. Hermione's parents offered him tea and biscuits and then even insisted that he stay for dinner, but the reminder that he still had drinks planned with Tonks forced him to decline, which was just as good considering tomorrow was the full moon and Remus wasn't certain he was in full control of himself. Considering how much Hermione had kept about her injuries from her parents, he was fairly certain that she'd never told them that she knew a werewolf, or that they even existed, and Remus wasn't in the mood to answer questions from curious and/or frightened Muggles.

"Thank you for not telling my parents anything," Hermione said as she walked him out.

"You were right," he told her. "They wouldn't understand."

She nodded and folded her arms across her chest, letting out a sigh, the stress playing on her the same way it did him, making her seem years older than she really was. "They'd take me away. Make me leave Hogwarts and the Wizarding world. I can't do that," she shook her head firmly. "Harry needs me."

Remus smiled softly at her. "You are, the most loyal friend I have ever known," he said and when she smiled up at him, a piece inside his soul he thought was dead along with Sirius felt like it was trying to spark itself back to life. "Harry…" Remus cleared his throat. "Harry is so lucky to have you."

"Are you going to be okay, Remus?" She asked.

"Don't you worry about me, love," he said and leaned forward, pressing his lips against her forehead in a chaste kiss. "Enjoy your summer, take care of Harry and… and I'll write when I can," he promised and turned around to Disapparate.

"Remus!" She shouted and he looked back to see her frowning. He sighed, hoping that she didn't ask him for details about what he would be doing or where he would be going. It was going to be a hard enough day followed up by a worse rest of his life. "For after tomorrow," she said with a soft smile and slipped something into the pocket of his overcoat.

Remus looked down and saw the familiar foil wrapping of a Honeydukes chocolate. He smiled in gratitude but kept his eyes closed, unable to look at her as he Disapparated.

oOoOoOo

**London, England**

Tonks was glaring at him, which, with the current color of silver-grey eyes she was sporting left him feeling genuinely frightened of her. "A _Muggle_ bar," she said, looking around. "Very public. Somewhere I'm legally not allowed to hex you without breaking the International Statute of Secrecy," she said.

Remus winced and looked down, reaching for the pint of beer that the bartender had placed in front of him and drinking half of it in one go, clearly not wanting to linger any longer than he needed to.

"A crowd like this," she continued. "I'd have to call in at least twelve people down from the Obliviation Squad. Interesting choice, a crowded Muggle bar… considering you hate crowds to begin with, especially the day before the full moon."

"Dora…"

"I'm not stupid, Remus," she glared at him. "I know what you're doing."

"You are very young… and…"

Her eyes flashed dangerously and he immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing. "I may not be able to hex you, but I'll break your nose if you finish that sentence," she threatened and he believed her.

Remus swallowed hard at the sight of her fury, a voice that sounded a lot like Sirius piped up in the back of his head, '_I told you witches are sexy when they're angry_'. He did his best to silence that voice as well as the wolf in his head who was fighting against him, knowing what he was trying to do.

"You don't get break up with me, Remus Lupin," Tonks shook her head defiantly. "You're grieving, so am I, and you're panicking and just…"

"I'm trying to do the right thing," he insisted.

"I'm your mate!" She snapped at him loudly.

Remus looked around, thankful that no one was paying them much attention. Still, a public display was now something she wasn't worried about and he wasn't going to let her throw her career away by causing a scene and breaking the law. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door, tossing a few Muggle bills on the counter, grateful that Hermione's Dad had been more than happy to exchange some Sickles for him.

Once they were outside, they passed a few buildings until they came to a small alley where Remus immediately threw up a Muggle-Repelling Charm and a Notice-Me-Not for good measure. "You _are_ my mate," he said, agreeing with her. "Which is why your protection and happiness are the most important thing in the world to me. You are not safe with me. You deserve… you deserve…"

"Someone younger? Someone wealthier? Someone not a werewolf?" Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Yes!"

"I don't care! I want _you_," she frowned at him. "I love _you_. Don't do this."

"You deserve a choice."

"I _made_ my choice!"

"No… no… _magic _did. _Fate _did," he insisted. "You just don't know any better because we jumped right into this and I didn't even give you the option to say no."

"Remus, we're meant to be."

"_Sirius, you two are meant to be," a younger Remus had told his friend._

_"I don't want to be meant to be!" Sirius had growled. "I want her to have a fucking choice so she's not forced into a shit life because fate thought it would be hilarious to have her bound to the Black blood-traitor!"_

"I don't want to be meant to be," he said softly, nearly a whisper as he looked down, wincing when she reached for him and placed her hands on either side of his face. "I want you to have a choice and not be forced into a life because fate decided to bind you to a monster."

She pulled away from him and scoffed loudly. "Oh please. You are not the big bad wolf that you like to tell yourself you are. You are freaking out because Sirius died and Hermione and I were injured and you think it's all your fault. You can't save everyone, Remus. It's not your job."

"It _is _my job!" He yelled. "And I… I can't do it. I'm not good at it. Everyone I love dies and the future has changed. I lost James and Lily, and Sirius… and Mia… and now…" he stepped away from her, the pain in his chest tightening, the coldness spreading and his magic was stretching inside of him, trying to reach out for the broken pieces of him that he'd lost forever.

"So you think that everyone's gone and instead of clinging to me you're just tossing me aside to what? Make it easier for us both?" She asked.

"Hoping to," he mumbled.

"You're an idiot."

"I'm aware."

Silenced filled the gap between them as they each leaned on the brick walls of the alley, facing one another. He was waiting for her to yell and cry, call him an arsehole and slap him across the face. Tell him that she'd never really loved him maybe, or curse him for breaking her heart. What he hadn't expected was...

"I refuse."

Remus blinked, confused. "Excuse me?"

"I said I fucking refuse," she spoke slowly. "I'm your mate, so you're stuck with me."

Remus groaned. "Dora… please don't make this any harder…"

"Have you _met_ me?" She laughed. "I make _everything _exceptionally more difficult and, up until two weeks ago, you _loved _that about me. I'm a Black, and just because Sirius is dead doesn't mean you get to toss the whole family away," she growled. "You don't want to date me, fine, you'll get over it. Sirius told me you went through weird relationship shit with Mia too."

Remus winced at the memory. "You can't have a life with me," he argued. "No witch can. Dora, you were injured, you could have died and I couldn't even go to the hospital to see you." She was an Auror and clumsy to boot. She would always end up getting hurt and did she expect to just sit in a hospital each and every time while her boyfriend, lover, husband… whatever he could be to her, sat at home twiddling his thumbs? "I can't offer you anything but danger. The war is getting worse and Dumbledore wants me to…"

Her anger briefly subsided. "Wants you to what?"

He looked down. "I'm going undercover," he said quietly and then added, "again."

"What do you mean _again_?" She asked and then after a moment she inhaled sharply as she put the pieces together. "Wait… the packs?" Her eyes widened. "Remus… is the… is your Pack Bond strong enough?"

"It'll have to be," he answered, unsure of himself.

Tonks shook her head. "Don't go," she pleaded.

"I have to," he said. "_This_ is what I can do for the Order. _This _is how I can help."

She brought her hand up to her mouth and nervously chewed on the edge of her thumbnail, contemplating something in her mind. "Mark me," she said, looking up at him.

His eyes widened at the words, the volume of his voice drowning out the sound of the howling wolf in his mind. "What?! No! Absolutely not!"

She stepped closer to him as though she knew how weak he was at the moment; knew that the full moon was tomorrow and he was weak because of Sirius and Hermione and being kept away from his mate for so long. Weak because she was offering him everything, right there on a silver platter and she had no idea that the simple words made him harden instantly, his body aching, the need to bury himself inside of her stronger than it had ever been before.

"Mark me," she whispered against his lips, not yet kissing him. Remus held his breath to avoid her scent, knowing it would send him over the edge and he'd lose himself entirely. "Bring me into your Pack and it'll help," she pleaded.

He shook his head desperately. "It'll put you in danger. It's practically marriage."

"Then marry me!"

He shut his eyes tightly, even looking at her was painful. "Dora, you don't know… you don't know what you're saying…"

He should have expected it when she'd first said that she refused to let him break up with her, and she was certainly a Black witch, kissing him at his weakest with his eyes closed, unprepared for the assault. Her lips crushed against his and before he had a chance to even think about what he was doing, his fingers were buried in her pink hair as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, tasting the sweetness of her. She tasted like sugar and magic and sunshine and life and when she moaned against his mouth, the sound went straight to his cock which was already painfully throbbing.

He'd always worried about hurting her, about losing control with her, but instead it was _Tonks_ taking charge as she shoved him against the brick wall, jumping into his arms and latching her thighs around his hips, clinging to him. He was drunk on the feel of her touching him, tempting him into submission. Moony didn't appreciate the thought and suddenly his hands were gripped tightly on her arse, pulling her hard against him as he rutted his erection against her like a bloody teenager, trying to take control of the situation.

She broke their kiss and stared deep into his eyes which remained gold, both panting as they tried to catch their breath. Almost as if she'd worried he'd forgotten - which he had - Tonks tilted her head to the side and bared her shoulder to him.

"No!" Remus shouted and practically threw her away from him as they separated. "I'm sorry… I… I have to go," he said in a panic and ran down to the end of the alleyway where he Disapparated.

"Remus!" Tonks called after him as tears came to her eyes. Her hair, vivid pink, began fading from the roots out as though draining away from her, seeping out into the ether, leaving behind a dull mousy brown.

* * *

**A/N**: Poor stupid, stupid Remus.

Totally unrelated but I'm curious so I thought I'd take a little survey of my readers. What House were you Sorted into via Pottermore? Leave your answer (and review) below.


	122. Chapter 122

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I loved all the reviews for the last chapter. Apparently asking a bunch of Potterheads what House they were Sorted into will bring all the quiet lurkers out of the woodwork to get to talking! Love it! I wasn't too surprised by the results, to be honest. So far, we've got 17% Gryffindors (that did shock me a little), 17% Hufflepuffs, 20% Ravenclaws, and my own House 46% Slytherins. I had a few people ask to friend me on Pottermore, and even though I'm never really on there (other than to read new stories and add things from the Shop to my Christmas list) here is my username there (FelicisRain4763), feel free to friend me!

Now while we all come from many (four) different Houses, one thing it appears we can all agree on at this time, is that Remus is a dumbass LOL. Poor dumbass Remus. He'll eventually figure it out. Just not quite yet. Okay, so this chapter has my all-time favorite line in the story. It's stupid but it makes me giggle and I'm not ashamed to say I built this entire chapter because I wanted a reason to use it. I was happy to be able to build up some other scenes, and bring a little POV back to Hermione. I'm clearly changing a few things from Canon in this chapter, but I think most will be pleased.

Reference Chasers read Half-Blood Prince (all of it because I sum the whole book up over the next two chapters) specifically Chapters 14-16.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two: I Miss the Pink

"_...I'm going away for a while_  
_But I'll be back_  
_Don't try to follow me_  
_'Cause I'll return as soon as possible_  
_See, I'm trying to find my place_  
_But it might not be here where I feel safe…"_  
_(Misguided Ghosts - Paramore)_

* * *

**October 1st, 1996**

_Dear Remus,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I sent a few over the summer, but the owl returned them so I can only assume that means you were on a mission somewhere. I hope you're safe. Harry's not handling Sirius' death well. I don't think anyone is really. _

_I've been having nightmares and I wake up feeling cold like there's this empty pit in my chest that'll never be warm again. At first I was worried about Dementors, but this is different. I'm sorry to burden you with my problems, but well… sometimes I feel like we're sitting here behind Hogwarts walls hiding from whatever is happening out there, where you are. Harry made Quidditch Captain and Ron made the team; Keeper. Harry's doing quite well in Advanced Potions, and I am trying to temper my jealousy. Professor Snape took over Defense Against the Dark Arts._

_You are very missed._

_Professor Slughorn has come out of retirement to teach Potions and he's a very interesting character. Harry and I have been invited to his "Slug Club" which apparently is supposed to be quite the honor. Frankly, I'm a little appalled by the elitist attitude he has, and he's not quite taken with Muggle-borns unless we show how amazing we are despite the 'unfortunate circumstances of our birth'. Still, it's something to do. And Slughorn keeps photographs of his favorite students from the past._

_He has a picture of Harry's mum. She was beautiful._

_Harry thinks that Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater. I think he's putting all of his grief into something to do… someone to blame maybe since he can't get to Bellatrix or Voldemort. I talked to Malfoy on the train after a Prefects Meeting. He seemed… less hostile than normal. Didn't even call me a Mudblood, can you believe that? He looked… sad… scared. He even said, 'Excuse me, Granger,' when I got in his way when he left the compartment. Pretty sure that was an accident. Polite Draco Malfoy is weird, but it certainly doesn't scream 'Death Eater'. Of course, I could be wrong. He did break Harry's nose once we'd all gotten off the train. Tonks healed it. She doesn't look very well and she's been having trouble with her Metamorphosing. I think she's taking Sirius' death harder than anyone thought she would. _

_Are you going to the Burrow for Christmas? I plan on stopping by for at least a day or two. I hope to see you there. There will be a large chocolate bar shaped Christmas gift for you when I see you next._

_Please stay safe. I don't know what I'll do if I'm left with no one but Harry and Ron to talk to. I love them both dearly, but if I have to listen to anymore Quidditch talk, I will put myself in front of an oncoming Bludger. _

"_Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."_

_Your friend,_

_Hermione_

oOoOoOo

**November 1st, 1996**

_Dear Hermione,_

_Mark Twain. Muggle._

_I miss you too._

_See you at Christmas_

_Remus_

oOoOoOo

**November 2nd, 1996**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Ronald Weasley was disgusting.

It wasn't that she was jealous exactly, and _certainly_ not of Lavender Brown, but Hermione knew that he'd done it just to upset her. To get back at her for her comments about the Felix Felicis perhaps, but a part of her said that there was something more to Ron's issues. She'd known for weeks now, _years_ really, that he had been feeling jealous and inadequate compared to herself and Harry, and even though he _hated_ Potions and thought that the Slug Club was ridiculous, he was bitter that _he'd_ not been invited. That was why she'd invited him to the Christmas Party, as a friend, of course, though now she was deeply regretting it. She'd wanted to make him feel included, introduce him to people at the party and maybe show him that he _did_ have something to offer.

His temper ruined all of that though. _Lavender Brown? Honestly! _The poor girl had been doting on Ron since the beginning of school and her behavior had been improper long before her redheaded best friend - if he even was anymore - shoved his tongue in her mouth in the middle of the Gryffindor Common Room. It was indecent. Hermione would _never_ be caught dead snogging anyone in public like that. Private matters were left… well… to private.

Not that she'd even had any offers.

Not that she'd accept any should they become available.

Hermione felt that her heart was closed off. A strange coldness had settled deep inside of her after the battle in the Department of Mysteries. She blamed the curse that Dolohov hit her with, whatever it was. But even if her heart was open, it would not be a welcomed place for Ronald Weasley. He was using another girl to try and make her jealous, and if Hermione was jealous of _anything_, it was that Lavender would likely not have to brush her teeth on her own for some time, as it appeared Ronald had willing taken over the job of cleaning her mouth for her.

Still, the fact that he _thought_ he could do something like that, hurt her on purpose, it well… it hurt.

"_Avis_," she whispered, twirling her wand above her, watching as a small flock of canaries appeared overhead, casually wiping the tears from her face. She'd spent years trying to stay friends with Harry and Ron and each year, somehow, she always did something to make them angry with her. The witch remained ever loyal to Harry who at least had the grace to apologize when he was unkind, but Ron, even when he knew he was in the wrong, would blush and grin crookedly at her as though that silently made up for everything.

"Hermione?"

She turned and smiled sadly at the messy-haired wizard. "Oh, hello, Harry," she muttered. "I was just practicing," she said, gesturing to the birds.

Harry sighed and walked over, taking a seat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled when she felt his chin rest on top of her hair. "I really am happy that you guys won the game," she admitted. "I know I don't appreciate Quidditch as much as you do, but… it's important to you and…"

"I know," Harry admitted. "I'm sorry I got you in trouble with Ron because of the Felix Felicis trick I played on him."

"He seems to be enjoying the celebrations," she said bitterly.

"Er… does he?" Harry asked innocently.

Hermione sat up and stared at him incredulously. "Don't pretend you didn't see that."

Harry's face scrunched up as he recalled the scene in the Common Room, "It's a side of him I never ever wanted to see," he chuckled. "And that's saying something since I've shared a dorm room and communal shower with the bloke for going on six years."

"Ew, Harry," Hermione laughed.

"Still," he frowned. "He shouldn't have done that, least of all in front of you."

"He shouldn't do that in front of _anyone_," Hermione said emphatically. "And he's using poor Lavender and she doesn't even know it."

"I don't like when he hurts you," Harry frowned. "I'm supposed to take care of you. I promised…" he began but then looked down and away from her, clearly ashamed.

Hermione stared at him. "Harry… I'm upset that Ron is trying to hurt me on purpose. I'm upset that he yelled at me and accused me of not believing in him. Frankly, I'm still upset at him for abandoning you during the Tri-Wizard Tournament two years ago, and for accusing poor Crookshanks of killing his stupid rat three years ago," she admitted. "I think I'll hex him the next time I see his face," she admitted with a laugh. "I've been upset for a long time and I'm so very tired of burying it inside."

"I know the feeling," Harry sighed and then offered her a sympathetic smile.

"I wish we could have had a normal life here at Hogwarts sometimes," she admitted, looping her arm through his and lacing their fingers together, relishing in their friendship that, unlike hers with Ron, came with ease and comfort. Harry was the closest thing she'd ever had to a sibling and she knew he felt the same way, there was no need to address it.

"Sometimes I think that if you'd never met me…"

"Shut up, Harry," she said warningly.

Harry chuckled at her ire. "I thought you'd be upset about… you know…"

"You thought I was jealous?" She turned and stared at him. "I don't see Ron like that. I might have thought about it a very long time ago, but… well, I haven't always had the most logical taste in men, have I?" She asked.

"Krum wasn't so bad," Harry shrugged.

"He couldn't pronounce my name," she laughed.

"Professor Lockhart could," Harry teased.

Hermione rolled her eyes and did her best not to confess her previous crush on _another_ Defence Professor… or…

She frowned.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Harry said. "I was just teasing."

"I know," she nodded. "It's… it's not that."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm… well… lonely too," he confessed.

"Ginny will come around."

Harry blushed. "Ginny… what? I… I never said…"

"You are the least subtle person I've ever met, Harry Potter," Hermione smirked at him. "I won't tell Ron, though," she promised.

And almost as though mentioning him was a Summoning Spell, Ron appeared, stepping through the door with a giggling Lavender Brown on his arm. His red hair was mussed and his lips were swollen. He looked at Hermione briefly, appearing almost smug when their eyes met and then turned his attention to Harry, purposely ignoring her.

_This_, she thought, _this is why my brain forces me to find men twice my age more attractive than adolescent idiots_.

Ron tried to look embarrassed to have stumbled upon them in the room, and Lavender giggled before she left. "Hey Harry," Ron said, running a hand through his hair, "was wondering where you'd run off to."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't leave Lavender waiting outside," she advised him as she stood to leave the room. She briefly glanced at his face when he tensed as she passed him. The way he showed fear pleased her, but when he sighed in relief as she moved for the door, irritation took over and she turned and glared at her _supposed_ friend. "_Oppugno_!" She hissed and watched with mild amusement as the canaries she'd summoned earlier turned and violently attacked him.

oOoOoOo

**December 20th, 1996**

**Hogsmeade Village**

Hermione was grateful when, after her last early morning class let out, she was given permission to go into Hogsmeade with a few other students to pick up clothing and other last minute items for Christmas as well as for Slughorn's Christmas party. Walking down with the other girls however was positively a nightmare and Hermione did her best to stay as far ahead of the others as possible, though she could still hear Lavender giggling and shrieking with Parvati about her little Won-Won. The curly-haired witch did her best to hold in her breakfast as the blonde behind her described, _in_ _detail_, attributes of Ronald that Hermione would have preferred to remain in the dark about.

The sight of a familiar witch in the village brought a much needed smile to Hermione's face. "Tonks!" She called out.

"Wotcher, 'Mione," Tonks said with a smile.

Hermione winced at the nickname, but considering how terrible the Metamorphmagus looked, she didn't bring up the issue with her. "Harry mentioned that you were stationed in Hogsmeade," she smiled kindly at the young Auror. "How are you?" she asked, recalling Harry's theory over Tonks' sudden lack of shine.

"_I had a thought," Harry had said tentatively. "You don't think she can have been ... you know … in love with Sirius?"_

_Hermione had stared at him. "What on earth makes you say that?" She'd asked him, feeling a strange discomfort trying to crawl its way out of her. _

"_I dunno," Harry had shrugged, "but she was nearly crying when I mentioned his name. And her Patronus is a big four-legged thing now. I wondered whether it hadn't become … you know ... Padfoot."_

"Oh, I'm alright," Tonks had offered a sad little smile to the younger witch. "What're you doing down in the village?"

"Professor McGonagall is allowing some of us that are done with classes for the term to finish up last minute Christmas shopping. Plus there's a Christmas Party tonight and I needed to get a new pair of shoes," she confessed.

"Christmas party?" Tonks smirked. "Hot date?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He likes to _think _so."

Tonks laughed, and the sight made Hermione lighten up inside. A part of her watched carefully to see if Tonks' hair would turn a bright-colored shade, but it sadly remained mousy brown, looking more lifeless than her own honey-brown mess of hair. "I'll walk with you. Tell me all about him."

"Oh, I can barely stand him," Hermione confessed. "His name is Cormac McLaggen, and really I only asked him to go with me to get under Ron's skin," she admitted with a bitter sigh. "He's acquired a new girlfriend for the purpose of making me jealous, and all it's doing is making me nauseous. It's not right that he's just using her," she said bitterly. "Though, I suppose I'm doing no better… what with McLaggen."

"Go easy on yourself," Tonks advised. "Wizards sometimes need their egos taken down a notch."

"Some need a little more reassurance though," Hermione said knowingly, offering a small smile to the Auror who turned and stared at her questioningly.

"Merlin, you really are too smart for your own good, you know that?" Tonks shook her head. "How'd you figure it out?"

"Harry saw your Patronus," Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Said it almost looked like Padfoot," she said. "I remember summer and Christmas at Grimmauld Place, and you and Sirius weren't close, not like _that_."

Tonks nodded. "He's not taking Sirius' death very well," she admitted quietly, not saying out loud who 'he' was, but both witches knew. "Blames himself I suspect. You haven't heard from him lately, have you?"

Hermione flushed slightly. "What makes you think that…"

Tonks raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"He'll be at the Burrow for Christmas," Hermione confessed.

oOoOoOo

**December 24th, 1996**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

Remus had tried to be subtle about his excitement at being at the Burrow for Christmas, but the moment Molly greeted him at the door with a large slice of treacle tart, all subtlety had gone out the window. Normally, he detested the idea of anyone doting upon him; even in his youth it had taken effort to allow Mia, and later her mother, to take care of him; but he was 'much too skinny' as Molly had said and he didn't have the strength to fight the witch as she set a plate down in front of him and piled it nearly six inches high with potatoes and roast beef.

He'd been thrilled to see Harry, but disappointed in finding that Hermione had decided not to come to the Burrow for Christmas. When Remus had asked why Hermione's plans had changed, Ron mumbled under his breath, "She's probably too busy snogging Krum and Cormac to bother with us," and then left the room.

Remus had turned a stern eye on Harry who nodded in understanding, raising his hands in surrender. "I know," the boy said. "Believe me, I'm trying to fix it. They're both stubborn."

The werewolf spent the day catching up with Harry who was very excited to tell Remus about their Quidditch season thus far, his suspicions of Draco Malfoy being a Death Eater - which Remus already knew about thanks to Hermione's letter - and an Advanced Potions textbook he had found to be quite useful. Remus did his best to caution the boy, especially if his suspicions were correct about who the book might have originally belonged to, though the title 'Half-Blood Prince' meant nothing to him.

"You really should turn the book in to Professor Slughorn," Remus had advised, but the look Harry gave him as he nodded his head was far too reminiscent of his father who had rarely accepted words of caution from anyone in his youth, especially when he had his mind set on doing something already.

Later in the evening when Remus passed by Ron's bedroom he overheard Hermione's name and decided to stop and listen at the door while Ron and Harry conversed on the other side. The voices were muffled and Molly's wireless downstairs blaring Celestina Warbeck only made it that much harder to spy on the teenagers.

"Aren't you a little old to be eavesdropping?" A voice spoke from behind him.

Remus jumped, surprised that the witch had been able to startle him at all. He must have been incredibly distracted. Soft green eyes fell on Tonks face and her mousy brown hair made something clench painfully in his chest.

"Tell me, what is it exactly that Harry and Ron are whispering about?" She asked him, leaning her own ear against the door before looking up at him.

He could see grey eyes that looked so much like Sirius' it hurt even more to stare at her. At the top of her head was the small scar from where she'd run into the brick wall in Diagon Alley as a child, and he noticed a small pattern of freckles covering her nose that had never been there before. All these tiny little things that he realized she'd used to use her abilities as a Metamorphmagus to cover up but no longer could. He frowned, knowing that it was his fault her magic wasn't properly obeying her.

"More theories about how Snape's a Death Eater?" She asked him, eager to fill the silence that sat between them. "Or are they plotting against my little blonde cousin again?" She asked.

"Hermione told me that Draco broke Harry's nose," Remus answered.

She nodded. "I don't know what's wrong with that boy," the witch sighed in frustration. "Mum says he's probably just like his father, and that his father was…"

Remus immediately shook his head. "I went to school with Lucius Malfoy. Draco's nothing like him. He tries… but… there's something different about him. Hopefully, the good blood in him will win out in the end."

"_Good_ blood?" Tonks snorted. "He's half Malfoy, half Black, and you know us Blacks. Flip of the Galleon."

"I've only ever met one Black I didn't like," Remus growled at the memory of Bellatrix Lestrange's voice echoing in the Ministry of Magic, screaming of her victory over killing Sirius. "And I'm not counting Walburga's portrait. Though, I did meet her once before she died..."

Tonks frowned in understanding. "Remus have you…"

"Shh..." he said and leaned his ear closer to the door.

"What's going on?" Tonks whispered.

The werewolf sighed. "Well, so far I've learned that Harry's obtained a bottle of Felix Felicis, Draco Malfoy keeps disappearing from the Marauder's Map… Ron appears to have a new girlfriend, and I'm not entirely sure what a McLaggen is…" Remus growled. "But I think I need to kill it."

"The boy 'Mione took to the Christmas party?" Tonks asked.

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline in surprise. "How do you know that?"

She shrugged. "Girls talk."

"You talk to Hermione?"

"I'm stationed in Hogsmeade," she answered. "I like the little witch, I have since before I met her. We happen to have a lot in common," she said clearly and watched as Remus' cheeks flushed. "Or we _will_."

"Don't," he pleaded with her.

"Are you even still planning on it?" Tonks asked, ignoring the way he stepped back from her. "Sending her back?"

The werewolf sighed defeatedly. "I don't know," he answered truthfully and then a sharp burn stung his wrist. "Ow!" He snarled and rubbed at the raw skin.

Tonks chuckled. "That's a yes," she said in mild amusement over his discomfort. "You apparently made a promise."

"Fucking Vow," he said bitterly. "Sorry, I… I'm glad you and Hermione are friends. I worry… about… about the both of you," he admitted.

"You know I'm safe."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. I'm an Auror," Tonks rolled her eyes. "I know you've been coming to Hogsmeade the past few weeks." The witch grinned smugly when Remus looked down, guilt plastered on his face. "You know, the whole stalking thing was a lot more adorable when I got to snog you at the end of the day," she admitted.

"I'm sorry," Remus whispered.

"How'd your mission go?"

He sighed and leaned against the wall behind him, groaning at the memory of his recent descent into the werewolf packs. "Not well," he admitted. "My Pack Bond isn't significant enough to keep me safe among other werewolves," he told her. It had been a thought that occurred to him when Dumbledore had asked him to look into the mission originally. All he had was Harry, Hermione, and Tonks and not a single one of them was properly marked, the Pack Bond unsealed between himself and the witches, and Harry was only involved due to his connection to James. The magic just wasn't strong enough to sustain him properly and keep him safe at the same time.

"Thankfully the only other Alpha currently alive is Greyback and Dumbledore knows better than to send me into _his _group. I'd be dead there no matter what," he said, running a hand through his shaggy hair.

Tonks listened to him explain, shoving her hands into the pockets of her Auror robes that had been left open, showing the Holyhead Harpies t-shirt beneath. "So what's next?" She asked him.

"Dumbledore wants me to go to Ireland for a few months," he explained, frowning when he could see the disappointment on her face. It was obvious she was hoping that with the other mission ended, there would be a chance at reconciliation. Remus knew better. _This was for her own good_, he reminded himself. "There've been reports of rogue wolves grouping together. Safety in numbers."

Tonks rose a brow in concern. "He doesn't want you to take over a Pack does he?"

Remus shook his head firmly. "No. Even if he did, I wouldn't," he insisted. "I have my own Pack. Broken as it is, it's… still mine," he frowned.

"I take it you're not over this whole self-deprecation thing?" She asked.

The werewolf sighed loudly, exhausted from arguing with her over the same thing. "I need… I need you safe… you deserve…"

"Six months," she interrupted him.

"What?"

"I'm giving you six months, Remus," she began to explain. "Six more months to do whatever you need to do to get over your issues."

His jaw tightened. "Are you giving me an ultimatum?" He asked daringly.

She shrugged. "I suppose. Although I _was _trying to threaten you."

"And if I don't comply?"

"I'll force your hand."

He stood there, slightly shocked and a little nervous but tried not to show either. "Meaning?"

"You love me, and I love you," Tonks whispered as she stepped closer, her scent assaulting him. "For some reason you think I need to have time to make a proper judgement on our relationship, which is really just an excuse for distancing yourself from me because you think that being involved with a werewolf will put me in more danger than I already am. It's ridiculous, _you know _it's ridiculous, but considering what happened to Sirius and how Harry's in danger and Hermione's right on his heels all the time, you're feeling helpless… so you've decided to take a stand in our relationship so you can feel like you've got control over something."

_Well_, Remus thought. _She's not wrong._ "And you're saying if I don't get over it, you'll force my hand? By doing what exactly?"

"I don't know, something to rile you up," she smirked. "Run naked through Diagon Alley for everyone to see," she said and grinned when Remus growled involuntarily. "Oh, Moony doesn't like that idea?" She asked, teasing him.

"Six months," Remus agreed. It was painful to be away from her, but she clearly wasn't letting up. Six months would give him time to think of a new plan on getting her to see reason. Six months would give him time to figure out how to keep her safe. Then again, with Sirius dead and the future changed, Remus didn't know if he'd survive the next six months.

"Six months," Tonks agreed.

Just then, a lynx Patronus soared in through a nearby window, landing in front of them. When it's mouth opened, Kingsley's voice spoke. _"Happy Christmas Tonks, Mad-Eye says get back to Hogsmeade. He's in a mood,"_ the lynx said and then promptly vanished.

Tonks rolled her eyes and sighed irritably. "I've got to get back to work," she muttered and waved her wand, conjuring her own Patronus which, instead of the jack rabbit it had been a year earlier, was a massive silvery wolf emerging from the end of her wand, looking uncomfortably familiar to Remus.

"That's…" he muttered in astonishment at the sight of the Patronus that appeared to be a docile looking version of, well… Moony.

"On my way, Kings," Tonks said, relaying the message to the Patronus for delivery. "Happy Christmas." When she was done, the wolf turned on it's paws and leapt out the nearby window, vanishing into the night.

"That was…" Remus tried again.

"It was good to see you, love," Tonks said with a sad smile before leaning up and kissing his cheek, shaking her head in disappointment when she noticed Remus tense at her touch, the telltale signs that he was holding his breath. "Stubborn wolf," she whispered and then turned around to walk away.

"Please stay safe," he called out after her.

Tonks turned around and grinned at him. "You know me," she said and then promptly backed into a small shelf housing several of Arthur's Muggle toys, sending it to the ground. "Oops!" She muttered and then waved her wand to clean up the mess. "Sorry Molly!" She shouted down the stairs.

"Dora?" Remus swallowed hard as she turned her grey eyes to look back at him. "I… I miss the pink the most," he whispered, gesturing to her hair.

Tonks smiled sadly. "Me too."

* * *

**A/N**: See? It's getting slightly better on the Remus/Tonks front. And we all know how it ends there. Oh, several of you asked if we could (or if I'd already written) the Remus/Tonks Marking scene. Yes, it will be available in the approaching chapters. It's been a long time without some smutty action LOL.


	123. Chapter 123

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I laughed so hard over your reviews over the last chapter which consisted of a combination of "Aww I love Tonks and Hermione" + "Ugh... Ron" + "Fucking Remus!" You guys crack me up. Congrats to those who picked up my favorite line of the chapter, "I think I need to kill it," in reference to McLaggen.

Reference Chasers should read Half-Blood Prince Chapter 29, and DoT Chapters 62 and 77.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three: Young and Whole

"_...If you could only see the beast you've made of me_  
_I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free_  
_The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound_  
_I hunt for you with bloody feet across the hallow'd ground…"_  
_(Howl - Florence + The Machine)_

* * *

**June 7th, 1997**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Hospital Wing**

Everyone in the Infirmary was either at the height of a panic attack or coming down from the adrenaline surge post battle. When Dumbledore had called Remus to Scotland a few weeks after he'd returned from Ireland with no success, Remus was actually thrilled for something to do. However, patrolling Hogwarts grounds with several other Order members so that Albus could leave the castle for a few hours was not what he'd had in mind.

Then again, he thought it was going to be a boring night.

"You're okay?" Remus asked, hovering over Tonks as she pulled bits of rubble from her hair, casually tossing the debris on the floor when Madam Pomfrey wasn't looking at her.

"I'm fine, Remus, just a little sore," she promised him.

"You're sure?" He asked, his amber-colored eyes flickering between her and Hermione.

Tonks nodded, patting his hand which was gripping the handle of her chair tight enough to make his fingers turn bone-white. "Go on, love," she said softly. "Check her before Moony completely loses it," she insisted.

Remus nodded, grateful that despite all the pain he had caused the witch, she still somehow understood him in a way that very few ever had; understood the way the wolf inside of him thought and worked; understood his driving need to keep her safe but to also keep Harry and Hermione safe (even though they tried like hell to make it as difficult as possible).

"Hermione?" Remus whispered as he approached the little witch who was perched at the end of a Hospital Bed, staring across the room where Bill Weasley was laying unconscious, being fretted over by Poppy while his youngest brother stood at the foot of his bed looking terrified. "You're okay?" He asked Hermione, drawing her attention away from Bill. "You're not hurt?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'm fine, Remus, are you alright?" She reached up, tenderly touching the side of his face, turning it so that she could see it clearly in the light. "You've got a cut here on your forehead…"

He pulled away from her touch, glancing back at Tonks as he did so, catching the tail end of her rolling her eyes at him. "I'm fine," he promised the girl. "But you're okay?" He asked again to confirm, and when she nodded he asked, "Where's Harry?"

"I've sent young Miss Weasley to bring him here," Minerva answered just as the doors to the Hospital Wing opened, revealing the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted and rushed forward as the young wizard walked into the Infirmary looking pale.

Remus was quick to notice the way Harry clung tightly to the hand of the youngest Weasley girl and for a brief moment his breath caught in his throat as he almost thought he was looking at James and Lily. When he had finally exhaled, Remus cleared his head and watched as Harry released Ginny's grip only to open his arms to Hermione as she flew into them. Remus stood anxiously to make sure that Harry wasn't harmed, sighing in relief when the boy hugged Hermione back tightly.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked him.

"I'm fine, how's Bill?" Harry asked, watching anxiously as Ginny moved to stand beside Ron at the foot of Bill's bed.

Madam Pomfrey was still fussing over the unconscious body of the eldest Weasley boy, waving her wand, applying ointments to his skin, and stacking potion vials on the bedside table. "I've done everything I can do, but there's no cure for werewolf bites, unfortunately," the Mediwitch said.

"But he wasn't bitten," Ron said. "He was scratched. And it's not a full moon. What does that mean?"

All eyes turned to Remus.

The werewolf sighed. "He won't be a full werewolf," he informed everyone. "But that doesn't mean there won't be some contamination," he whispered softly. "Those are cursed wounds. He'll have some wolfish characteristics from now on I suspect, and… and he'll be scarred like that… for life," he frowned and looked away from everyone.

As if Bill's attack, or the Death Eater's infiltration hadn't been enough, suddenly words filled his head and Remus felt the wolf inside of him growl furiously as he fought to control his rage. Dumbledore dead. Snape killed him. Sirius had been right all along; Snape was a traitor. Remus resolved to listen to every word his remaining friends said with great faith. He'd made too many mistakes over the years by not trusting Mia, not trusting Sirius. As far as he was concerned, any word that came out of the witch's mouth from this point forward was golden, if only because his history showed he had a serious lack of results when it came to making decisions on his own.

While the others began exchanging their version of the night's events to put the pieces together, Remus made his way back to Bill's side, somehow feeling responsible for the state the young wizard was in. He'd faced Greyback only twice in his entire life. The first when he was only a child; when he'd been infected. The second as a teenager when he'd formed his Pack. Sirius and Mia had distracted the grey wolf in order to free Remus of the Alpha's power, and James had run him into the ground, spilling his blood in the Forbidden Forest. Remus had done what he needed to do to assert his power over the other wolf, to break free, but he should have killed him. Killed him right then and there because if he had then Bill wouldn't be laying in the bed before him, scarred and irreversibly damaged.

Suddenly Bill stirred and tried to speak.

"Bill?" Remus asked, wide-eyed as he leaned over and looked down at the young man.

"Remus," Bill whispered. "We going to be sharing a cage anytime soon?" The redhead choked out.

Remus laughed. "Afraid not," he said, smiling sadly. "I hope you like your steaks rare though," he added with a bit of humor, feeling a strange weight lift off of his shoulders when Bill smiled at him. "Lay back and rest. You're being taken care of," he assured him as the redhead fell back asleep almost instantly.

Just then, the doors of the Hospital Wing burst open. Arthur and Molly Weasley were striding up the ward, Fleur Delacour just behind them, her beautiful face terrified.

"Molly, Arthur," Minerva stood to greet them. "I am so sorry..."

"Bill," Molly whispered, darting past Minerva as she caught sight of Bill's mangled face. "Oh, Bill!"

Remus stepped aside to allow Molly to be close to her son, frowning as Tonks tried to reach for his hand as a sign of comfort. Reluctantly Remus pulled away from her and she scowled at him. He did his best to avert her glare, but he could feel it burning a hole in the side of his head as he resolutely stared at the floor.

"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks... It's not r-really important... but he was a very handsome little b-boy... always very handsome…" Molly sobbed as she took the jar of salve from Poppy's hands and began to apply it to her son's skin herself.

Remus frowned at her words, subconsciously scratching at the long thin scars across his own face. He hadn't meant to, but he turned his eyes up to find both Tonks and Hermione staring at him, each as though they knew what he was thinking and were silently scolding him for it. Immediately he removed his fingers from his face and cleared his throat.

"And he was g-going to be married!" Molly wailed.

"And what do you mean by zat?" Fleur said suddenly and loudly. "What do you mean, 'e _was_ going to be married?'"

Molly raised her tear-stained face, looking startled. "Well, only that-"

"You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?" Fleur demanded. "You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?"

"No, that's not what I-"

"Because 'e will!" Fleur said, drawing herself up to her full height and throwing back her long mane of silver hair. "It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill from loving me!"

"Well, yes, I'm sure," Molly said, "but I thought perhaps... given how ... how he ..."

"You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per'aps, you hoped?" Fleur glared, her nostrils flaring. "What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And _I_ shall do zat!" She added fiercely, pushing Molly aside and snatching the ointment from her.

Everyone stood utterly shocked. Remus took a brief chance to look at Hermione, who's brown eyes were almost sparkling with awe as she stared at the Veela, and he realized that Mia would have positively adored the French girl. Lost in thought about his long lost best friend, Remus was not prepared when Tonks smacked him on the side of the head.

"Ow!"

"You see?!" She shrieked loudly.

He turned and gaped at the witch who, despite currently lacking her Metamorphmagi abilities, had been able to turn her face a lovely shade of red.

"She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!" She glared at him.

_Well, my six months is up_, was his first thought. He attempted to speak, wanting to talk to her in private, but for some reason, perhaps because he was so used to pushing people away over the years, Remus opened his mouth and the words, "It's different," came out. "Bill's not a full werewolf and he-"

"I don't care!" She shouted and Remus flinched at her rage, never doubting for a second that the woman standing in front of him was a Black. "I've told you a million times…"

Embarrassed and naturally defensive, Remus shouted back at her. "And I've told _you _a million times that I am too old for you, too poor... too dangerous." He chanced a glance at Harry and Hermione who were both staring at him with looks of shock and disappointment. _Great_, he thought. _Just great_.

"I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous stance on this, Remus," Molly said, glaring at him with a look that could have rivaled Dorea Potter, and made him feel just as foolish.

"I am _not_ being ridiculous," he said petulantly. "Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."

"But she wants _you_," Arthur spoke up with a small smile. "And, after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so." He gestured sadly at his son, lying on the bed.

"This is... not the moment to discuss it," Remus insisted, avoiding everybody's eyes as he looked around distractedly. "Dumbledore is dead..."

"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world," Minerva said curtly.

oOoOoOo

**June 7th, 1997**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Astronomy Tower**

He'd been grateful for a reprieve in the conversation, even if it was a change back to the topic of Dumbledore's death and what would need to happen next. Minerva insisted that the students return to their beds, and the members of the Order - save for Molly, Arthur and Fleur - all agreed to assist the Professors in rounding up stray teenagers and escorting them back to their individual Common Rooms since many had left at the sound of the battle in the corridors.

Professor Slughorn went to look after the Slytherins who were grouped together in the dungeons already, most whispering about Snape and Malfoy. Since Filius was still recovering from being knocked unconscious by Snape, Minerva escorted Luna back to the fifth floor to look over the Ravenclaws, who had already formulated an escape plan should their Tower be infiltrated and attacked. Tonks met up with Pomona as they rounded up the large group of scared Hufflepuffs who, despite their fear, had still left their rooms to see if there was anything they could do to help.

Remus had the worst job of all, searching for the recklessly brave wayward Gryffindors that escaped the Tower at the sound of a fight, eager to jump into the fray. He walked Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Hermione back to the Common Room before leaving once again to look for the others. An hour later, when the smallest first year lion was back in its den, Remus found himself walking up the giant staircase toward the scene of destruction from earlier, a part of him wanting to see for himself the last place Albus Dumbledore stood alive.

When he reached the broken Astronomy Tower, the last person he expected to see was Hermione, standing near the rails. "Hermione?" The werewolf called out as he stepped over the broken pieces of rubble that had yet to be cleared properly away from the entrance.

"Remus!" Hermione gasped. "Oh... sorry you startled me."

"Forgive me," he frowned, hands shoved into the pockets of his shabby second-hand robes as he slowly approached her. "I didn't think anyone would be up here. I didn't think anyone would want to be up here, not for a while at least."

"I couldn't sleep," Hermione admitted with a frown.

"Nightmares?" Remus asked, his brow furrowed.

"What? No..." she shook her head of messy curls. "I've just been thinking about Professor Dumbledore, and well, everything I suppose," she admitted sadly. "I just can't believe that Professor Snape... I mean, I know he did it, Harry wouldn't lie about that." She wiped away a stray tear as it fell against her cheek. "It's just hard to imagine."

"I know what you mean." Remus nodded. "I've been doubting myself for years over everything I once believed. For twelve years, I thought Sirius was responsible for James and Lily's deaths, and now a man I trusted because Albus Dumbledore asked me to is a... I don't even know if we can call him a traitor. I have to wonder if he was ever loyal to our cause."

"Was he always this bad?" Hermione asked him. "You went to school with him."

He thought about all the times when Snape had caused problems for them as children. Then again, nothing the Slytherin did to them wasn't well earned. Still, he wondered if he had played a part in Severus becoming a Death Eater, by not telling James and Sirius to back off. Hell, for not telling _Mia_ to back off. "Went to school with a lot of Death Eaters," he said, letting a scowl pass his generally stoic face. "Of course we didn't exactly know it at the time," he frowned in frustration.

"Were you suspicious?" She asked curiously.

He remembered the last time he saw the witch here on this same Tower. Years earlier when they'd still been dating. Remus looked ashamed. "Some of us were," he whispered as he realized that even back then, Mia had been suspicious of the Slytherins, of the future Death Eaters.

"I'm sorry," Hermione sighed. "I know it must be painful to talk about the past. What with losing..."

"Everyone?" Remus tried to joke, but they both frowned in the end.

"What's going to happen now?" Hermione asked.

"There's the funeral I suppose," he shrugged his shoulders. "And then the Order needs to find a new headquarters because Grimmauld Place has been..."

"I'm sorry, Remus," Hermione interrupted him. "I meant... what's going to happen with _you_?" She specified. "I know Profe... _Snape_," she corrected herself. "Was the one who brewed your Wolfsbane Potion. Is there another Potions Master who could help you?" She asked, a worried tone in her voice.

"No, unfortunately not," he answered. "Perhaps you could give it a try."

"Me?!" Hermione gasped. "You put too much faith in me Remus," she shook her head. "I'm not... anywhere near talented enough to brew such an advanced potion. I'd be terrified of hurting you."

"I won't put that pressure on you," he smiled sweetly at her, remembering the first time that Mia had ever given him the potion. She'd seemed confident, but her heart rate had betrayed her. "It's not your responsibility. But for the record, I don't put too much faith in you, I have just enough faith in you and your talents, Hermione," he approached her, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, but stopping himself and instead ran the hand through his greying hair. "I'll be fine though. It won't be the first full moon I've gone without the Potion. Just the first in a... a very long time."

"Will Tonks make it easier?" Hermione asked.

Remus' eyes widened. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Hermione smiled. "I don't mean to pry but after the umm... umm..."

"Spectacle in the Hospital Wing?" He raised an unamused brow.

"Yes," she nodded. "Well, I assume she's your mate?"

"How would you know that?" He asked, surprised. Mia, of course, had known, and Remus figured that one day Hermione would discover it for herself, but he assumed that it would be a long way off.

"Books?" She shrugged her shoulders and laughed softly. "I once wrote a very interesting essay about werewolves, you see, and only in my third year. Two rolls of parchment worth," she grinned smugly.

"Three," Remus smirked, correcting her. "I read every word. I imagine then, in addition to being able to recognize a werewolf, you learned how a werewolf recognizes its mate?"

"You told Tonks that you were too dangerous for her." Her smile faded into a frown.

"Also that I was too old and too poor," he reminded her.

"Excuses, you're not a very good liar, you know."

Remus smirked. "Not many Gryffindors are."

"The safety of a mate is a werewolf's primary instinct," she said. "It goes above and beyond that of the need to hunt, even."

"Rivaled only by the need to protect one's Pack," Remus frowned and turned from her, leaning against the rail to her side as he stared out at the open black sky, watching the approaching waxing moon with interest.

"Do you have a Pack?" Hermione asked curiously.

He closed his eyes thinking of their faces. James, Lily, Sirius… Mia. "I did," Remus nodded. "Once."

"And you lost them," Hermione sighed in understanding. "Is that why you tried to push Tonks away? Because you're afraid of losing someone else?"

His nose twitched. "For someone so against Divination, you have quite the skill for it." He couldn't help but smile at her.

"No, I just have eyes," she teased. "I know my opinion doesn't matter."

He laughed quietly, remembering his promise to himself earlier. Her words meant more than anything. "You'd be surprised Hermione. You... you're a friend," he insisted, "and your opinion matters a great deal to me."

"I... well..." Hermione blushed. "I think you should be with your mate. Professor McGonagall is right; Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think there was a little more love in the world. How long have you known that Tonks is..."

"Longer than I feel appropriate to mention aloud," Remus groaned at the memory of being locked in Sirius and Mia's bedroom while a five-year-old Tonks apparently pilfered his chocolate supply in the kitchen. He turned to look at the witch and his eyes fell on a large wound on her arm. His brows furrowed at the familiar triangular mark. _I've been here_, he thought to himself as he stared at the small wound. "Hermione, are you alright? Let me see your arm." He reached for her.

"It's nothing," Hermione insisted. "Stray hex. Had you not been there I'm sure it would have been worse," she sighed.

_The Pensieve! The memories!_ Remus did his best to hold back his anxiety and excitement. This was a memory she'd shown him. But if she'd known this moment happened, she would have known that Sirius had died, wouldn't she? Had Sirius' death not destroyed the future that Mia had shown him?

"Did this happen in the battle?" He asked, already knowing the answer, letting the words fall out of his mouth as though he were reading them from a pre-written script. The witch nodded. "Why wasn't it treated?"

"I cleaned it myself," she replied. "It'll heal naturally."

"Madam Pomfrey should have some Dittany back in the infirmary," he gestured toward the door.

"No. I ... I need it to scar," she pulled her arm away from him, nervously picking at the healing wound. "I need to remember." Hermione frowned and looked back to the railing. "I need to always be able to look down and remember Professor Dumbledore, and... and Snape. I need to remember to always be on guard. Remember that not everyone can be trusted. Remember that Hogwarts isn't always safe."

"I … " Remus began, a frown on his face as he looked at the young witch, trying to understand what had happened and how things had changed, if they'd truly changed at all. He felt grief as the memory of Sirius' death came to the forefront of his mind, but at the same time an excitement began burning inside of him. When Sirius had died, Remus thought the future was irrevocably broken, which meant that there was little chance of him being able to send Hermione to the past and hopefully bring Mia back to him… but now… "I should head back to the Hospital Wing," he muttered. "I want to check on Bill and make sure he recovers well."

"He's lucky to have you there for him," Hermione smiled. "Who knows, maybe.. maybe you could rebuild your Pack. Tonks and Bill," she suggested with kindness.

"Maybe," Remus nodded slowly, a part of his brain making a mental note to speak to Bill about it later. "In the meantime, there's a war to fight."

"You shouldn't wait," Hermione blurted out. "You should.. you should let Tonks take care of you. And you her," she smiled.

He stared at the curly-haired witch and in the reflection of the light, he could almost see small flecks of amber in her eyes. Remus grinned at the sight. "I'll make you a deal, Hermione," Remus chuckled. "I will think about taking care of Tonks, and even... letting her take care of me, but only if you promise to take care of yourself. And Harry."

"Those two things are often mutually exclusive," Hermione smirked and Remus laughed.

"If anyone can figure out how to balance the two, it would be you Hermione," he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling the little witch tightly against his chest, breathing in the scent of her. It had been a dark night, and one that would surely change the war they were already knee deep in, and yet her touch comforted him and made him feel like he was… home.

oOoOoOo

He didn't know how, but knowing that the conversation he'd just had with Hermione had been something he'd seen in Mia's memories all those years ago gave him hope. Sirius was gone, there was nothing to be done about that, but perhaps not all was lost. Perhaps he could still get Mia back, after all. Perhaps his future with Tonks wasn't as bleak as he'd convinced himself it would be a year ago when Sirius had died and everything fell to shit.

Hope stirred something inside of the wolf.

"Where've you been?" Tonks asked as she spotted him rushing down the marble staircase. "I stopped up at Gryffindor Tower and Harry said you'd left a while ago."

"I went up to the Astronomy Tower to think," he told her, inhaling deep and for the first time in a year allowing her scent to envelope him like the drug it was.

"And?" She asked.

"I ran into Hermione."

Tonks nodded. "Is she okay?"

"She will be," he said with a hint of a smile, something that felt strange considering what had happened earlier that night. He tried to focus on Minerva and Hermione's words. Dumbledore would be happy to know that there was a little love left in the world. "I think… I think everything might be okay," he said, letting the smile overtake him.

Tonks rose a suspicious brow and reached for her wand as though she was worried he'd been Imperiused all of a sudden. "What happened?" She asked cautiously.

"I don't want to talk about it yet," he said and reached for the hand not currently gripping her wand, holding it delicately within both of his. "That's not important right now. _We're _what's important right now. I believe you issued an ultimatum at Christmas?" He reminded her.

Tonks slowly allowed herself to smile at him. "Does that mean… are you… are you done being a dumbass?" She asked crassly.

Remus laughed. "I think so."

She inhaled and Remus could hear every single beat of her heart, including the one that skipped. "I… I need you to be sure, Remus," she said firmly. "I can't handle it if you're not…"

"I am so sorry," he said immediately. "I'm a… a dumbass," he declared, agreeing with her earlier statement. "And I swear I will make it up to you. Are we good to leave?"

"Leave?" Tonks smirked at him. "Planning on sweeping me off my feet, Mister Lupin?" She teased flirtatiously, reaching up and placing her hand on his chest.

He gripped the wrist in his palm and tugged her forward roughly until she crashed into his chest and lost her balance. Instead of tumbling backward as she was prone to do, Remus held her tightly in his arms and kept her standing. He leaned in close, kissing the line of her jaw that led back to her ear. "Planning on putting you on your back, Miss Tonks," he whispered, his voice husky.

Tonks shivered in his arms and breathed out, "Holy shit."

The wolf grinned.

"Umm…" the witch fought to catch her breath. "And… and then what?" She asked.

Remus inhaled as he brushed his nose against her hair, grinning victoriously as he watched it slowly turn from brown to purple. He pulled away from her to look into her eyes which were flashing gold to match his own. His chest rumbled at the sight and he took her face in his hands and leaned forward, brushing his lips lightly against hers, fighting to control himself as he spoke. "Kiss you, lick you, love you, worship you…" he said softly, feeling much like his younger, more poetic self before he added, "mark you... claim you…"

Tonks whimpered at the words and she exclaimed in a breathy voice, "Oooh… fuck me…"

Remus grinned. "That's the plan."

oOoOoOo

**The Den - Formerly Lupin Cottage**

If Remus had better control of himself he would have slowed down to make it romantic for her. As it was, the Metamorphmagus had him already pinned to the ground in front of his fireplace, straddling his lap and clawing at his robes with violence as though the fabric had personally offended her by existing as a barrier between their bodies. He couldn't help but wonder how he'd lost the upper hand in the few minutes it had taken them to Floo from Hogwarts to his home.

"Wait… wait, wait, wait…" Remus insisted, grabbing Tonks' hands and stopping her from very literally ripping his robes off of him.

Her left eye twitched. "Remus, I swear to Merlin and Circe and Helga bloody Hufflepuff if you go back on me now…"

"I'm not," he promised, but staring at the heat in her eyes was unbelievably intimidating, especially when they reflected his own golden hue. "I'm just… you need to be sure. This is final," he told her, trying to hold back the vulnerable way he was feeling as the witch paused to weigh the decision one last time, knowing that he wouldn't want her to just rush into it without at least giving it a moment of proper thought. When she took a moment too long, Remus practically whimpered, "Please be sure."

Instead of answering him with verbal confirmation, Tonks grinned down at the werewolf and crossed her arms in front of her chest, gripping the hem of her shirt and lifting it above her head, revealing the pink and purple polka-dot bra beneath it.

Remus chuckled softly, reaching up and stroking a knuckle against her bared stomach. "You are unlike any creature I've ever met before," he admitted with admiration.

She winked at him flirtatiously as she reached around to unhook the brassiere, and no sooner than the piece of fabric parted from her flesh, the werewolf beneath her thighs finally snapped. He gripped her tightly around the waist with one arm and flipped her body, pinning her beneath him against the floor, his mouth at her breast, growling against her skin when she tangled her fingers in his hair and held him tightly against her.

"Don't tease," Tonks whispered. "We've been doing the foreplay thing for far too long."

Luckily, Remus hadn't planned on waiting long, not that he'd planned any of this really. But it had been far too long and he was desperately trying not to embarrass himself in the process. He sat up on his knees, purposely ignoring the stiffness of his joints as he rushed to rid himself of his robes and trousers. Thankfully, Tonks was doing the same, slipping out of her patched denim jeans and her black and green striped knickers.

It was rushed, panicked, and desperate for the both of them.

The moment he'd parted with his last scrap of fabric she was wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him with vigor, her devotion to him as on the surface as his was to her. She was soft and warm and yet still felt slightly cool compared to the heat coming off of his body in waves and burning against her where they touched, which was almost everywhere as it seemed neither could get close enough to the other.

The desperation between them was incendiary and, in an overpowering need to ease their suffering, Remus reached between them, lined his hardness up against her and sank deep inside the tight warmth of her body. Tonks threw her head back and moaned at the blissfully full feeling. Remus, however, was absolutely silent, overwhelmed, dumbfounded, and engulfed in a flurry of sensations he'd either never experienced before or had long since forgotten. Soundless, save for the slow deep breaths that were shakily exiting through his nostrils, Remus had thought to give over and let the wolf, for once, be in control; however, the beast in the back of Remus' mind was just as buried by the tingling magic, the pulsing blood, and the crushingly pleasurable weight of the bond between them strengthening.

Tonks rotated her hips once, the motion sucking the breath from his lungs and suddenly both man and wolf were revived in the motion and they joined in synchronicity, pushing forward and returning the witch to her back, pulling away and then thrusting into her with all lack of restraint; completely unleashed.

"Remus!" She moaned his name each and every time he moved forward, filling her.

Nails dug into his shoulders. Hands pressed into her hips. Ankles locked behind his back. Teeth grazed against her throat. Fingers threaded through his hair. Sweat and heat and magic rhythmically throbbed between them.

"I'm… I'm so…" she muttered incoherently as her body tightened painfully around him.

Remus looked up at her face, watching as her hair shifted from purple to pink and red and then back again. Running on instinct, he withdrew from her and moved south, replacing his cock with his mouth before she had a chance to even feel the void he left behind. She tasted like heaven, and the little whimpering cries she was making with every lick he gave her provoked the beast within that wanted nothing more than to devour her.

Her body tensed again, pushing itself toward the precipice and Remus grinned smugly at the sight, never feeling more alive than in that moment, that is, until he gave one last long, slow lick sending her over the edge. Her body thrummed and her voice cried out and the werewolf between her thighs eagerly sank his teeth into the crevice of her hip, puncturing through soft skin, drunk on the sound of her moans and instantly addicted to it. His heart beat rapidly against his chest, urging him on until he found his nose brushing against the tender skin of the opposite hip where he bit down there as well, sending an unexpected shiver up the witch's body, prolonging her pleasure.

When he finally pulled away she was gasping for breath, her chest heaving rapidly and her hair a lovely and _familiar_ shade of sky blue that left Remus with a conceited grin on his face. He leaned down between her thighs again and licked her once more, replacing the taste of blood in his mouth with just the taste of her. She shook at the contact and whimpered his name with yearning. Remus yearned for her too.

Crawling back up her body he kissed her and thrust inside of her at the same time, capturing her cries and stilling his own at the feel of tightness that he was threatening to drown in. With the witch sufficiently satisfied - at least according to her hair color - Remus took his own pleasure and pistoned in and out of her, grinning when she wasn't too exhausted to participate again by rocking her pelvis up in time to meet his. _Mine!_ the wolf howled in the back of his mind as he started to come. "Mine!" Remus shouted aloud, snapping his hips one last time and biting into her shoulder, marking her as mate and Pack and everything in between, unable to get his fill of her.

It was an hour later before either could even summon the strength to speak.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked softly, his voice hoarse. He could feel it. The bond, thrumming around them and in them like a vibrating string that had permanently sewn them together. He could smell the sweat and arousal and blood, and still she smelled like cookies, and that drowned everything else in the world out.

Tonks chuckled quietly in reply. "Can we do that again?" She asked.

Remus sighed in contentment and kissed the space between her breasts where his head had rested. Barely able to move, he snuggled further against her and whispered, "Marry me."

"Absolutely," she replied without a moment of hesitation, running her fingers through his hair, both the words and actions drawing a growl of contentment from the werewolf between her thighs. "Fair warning, I'm a shit cook."

"We'll survive," he smiled.

And for the first time in a year, he honestly felt like they would.

* * *

**A/N**: Whew! That lemon there at the end took me weeks to write. I had writer's block over it for so long and by the time I'd finally come back to it I had emails in my Inbox from my Beta telling me that I needed to get a move on. This is one of many reasons why **Fluffpanda** is the very best. For those paying attention to the dates of the chapters, we have FINALLY caught up with Part One: The Life Debt! Tomorrow's chapter will be a summary of missing moments that happened during Part One and I will write in which chapters they come before or after because I know that at least a few of you are going to binge read Part One to catch up to where our characters are in the story.

Oh, and the awesome **Lily Alyss** created a Playlist for this story that everyone should check out! It contains several songs that I included at the top of each chapter: 8tracks miss-lilith/how-firewhiskey-felt


	124. Chapter 124

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I can't believe we're already to this point in the story. I have to admit, even though I've already written another 20 chapters on top of this so far (and I'm not even done yet) I'm starting to see the end and it's panicking me. What the hell am I going to do when DoT is over? Actually, I'm already working on a new project (nothing even close to this magnitude) but still... a little freaked out. LOL!

For those who didn't read the end A/Ns on the last chapter, this chapter takes place all over Part One. Consider it all the missing moments or different POVs of things that happened during that first part of this story. Next to each date, I've included where in the story the moment takes place for those who feel like reading everything in chronological order as they binge read Part One again (which isn't necessary for the record LOL).

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four: Life Debts and Promises

"_...I feel the burn, watch the smoke as I turn rising,_  
_A phoenix from the flames_  
_I have learned, from fighting fights, that weren't mine_  
_Not with fists, but with wings that I will fly…"_  
_(Beautiful Pain - Eminem)_

* * *

**July 23rd, 1997 **_(Between Chapters 3 &amp; 4)_

**The Den - Lupin Residence**

Remus sat at his kitchen table, the cup of poorly brewed tea in his hands that his wife had sweetly made him was getting cold. He smiled down at the liquid which he only took small sips from when she was looking, even though she likely knew he was doing it just to placate her. The same went for her cooking. More than once he'd suggested saving up money and finding a new place to live, somewhere closer to places where take-out was readily available. Between the pair of them they were likely to starve to death or contract food poisoning and Molly insisted that the young couple could not live off of sweets.

Andromeda, his _lovely_ mother-in-law, had given Tonks an old family cookbook for their wedding. A wedding which consisted of himself, Tonks, a Ministry official that Tonks trusted, and her parents. When Tonks unwrapped the book, she'd laughed loudly at her mother who only smirked in reply. Tonks' father Ted patted Remus on the shoulder, called him son - despite the fact that he was barely ten years older than Remus himself - and said, 'Good luck.'

Remus was pleased that Mia's promise long ago that Tonks' family would love him had been right. After marking her and asking her to marry him, Remus had felt terrible that he'd not even properly met her parents save for the few times in his youth when he'd run across Andromeda - sans young Tonks - visiting Sirius. This time, when the young Auror had brought her werewolf boyfriend home to meet the folks, the black-haired witch stared at him sternly.

"How long have you known she was your mate?" She'd asked him.

"December 13th, 1978," Remus nervously answered.

"And you waited _that_ long after she'd left Hogwarts to even speak to her?" Andromeda asked, apparently in approval.

"Yes, ma'am," the werewolf said quietly.

Andromeda rose a brow. "Call me ma'am again, Remus, and I'll hex your tongue right out of your mouth," she threatened. "And I have a feeling that's one of many parts of you that my daughter would sorely miss," she added with a devious smirk.

He'd flushed bright red and looked down, mumbling incoherently about the Black family and how they'd certainly be the death of him.

It wasn't Andromeda's lack of shame, nor Tonks' that had Remus groaning and wincing at his kitchen table that morning though.

"_Merlin, Hermione how did you do it?"_

"_He owed me a life debt."_

Sirius Black was in his house. In his house and very alive. Alive thanks to the little witch who'd taken Remus into the Department of Mysteries, sacrificed an old bloody shirt of Harry's, cut her palm open, performed blood magic and brought Sirius Black back through the Veil that had claimed his life a year ago.

And now the very much alive Sirius Black was masturbating in Remus' shower while loudly singing Queen's 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' as though it were just another morning and he hadn't been dead yesterday.

Sirius walked into the kitchen a few minutes later wearing nothing but a pair of old jeans and the silver chain around his neck, hidden beneath soaked locks of black hair. He reached for Remus' cup of tea and grinned before taking a sip.

Remus smirked when Sirius choked on the liquid and spat it out in the nearby sink. "Don't steal my stuff," the werewolf said pleasantly.

"Godric, how are the two of you surviving?" Sirius grimaced and put the mug of tea back in front of his friend.

"Good morning Sirius," Tonks said brightly as she walked into the kitchen.

Remus immediately gulped down half of the mug of tea while she was watching.

"It _is_ a good morning!" Sirius beamed brightly. "Do you know _why_ it's a good morning?"

Tonks walked behind Remus, wrapping her arms around him from behind and kissing the top of his head. "Would it have anything to do with what you were doing in the shower?" She asked with a chuckle. "If you don't plan on using Silencing Charms while you're staying here, don't expect us to us to them either."

"Agreed," Sirius said with a laugh that only got louder when he saw the way Remus rolled his eyes. "Oh, no you don't," Sirius shook his head. "You don't get to ruin my good mood, Moony. I'm alive and my witch is almost eighteen, _of age_ for almost a year, thank you."

"Still a little creepy," Remus shrugged his shoulders.

"_This_ is still a little creepy," Sirius gestured to Tonks. "You do know he's old enough to be your father right?" He teased with a grin.

"Pot," Remus pointed at Sirius. "Cauldron," he said pointing back to himself.

"When do we go see Hermione?" Sirius asked, bouncing on the balls of his bare feet like a child waiting for presents the night before Christmas.

"Order meeting tonight at the Burrow," Tonks said and moved to perch herself on Remus' leg.

"She's not Mia," Remus reminded him.

"Don't care," Sirius said, still bouncing. "Hermione, Mia, same witch, love them both."

"How are you so… energetic?" The werewolf asked him.

"Well," Sirius said as he finally took a seat at the table. "In my head, two days ago I was living in Grimmauld Place with an elf that refused to bathe, a portrait of my mother, and my witch was barely sixteen years old," he shrugged his shoulders. "Not to mention Harry was being chased by Death Eaters and Bellatrix was killing me."

"Harry's still technically being chased by Death Eaters," Remus pointed out.

"We'll kill them," Sirius said simply.

"And Bellatrix is still out there somewhere," Tonks reminded him.

"I'll kill her the next chance I get," Sirius replied. "Nothing's going to bring me down today. I'm alive, and whatever it was that Hermione did to bring me back," he grinned brightly. "It provoked her end of the Soul Bond," he said. "Knowing, willing, loving. I'm at least one step closer to getting her back."

oOoOoOo

**August 4th, 1997 **_(Directly After Chapter 6)_

**Tonks Home - Residence of Ted and Andromeda Tonks**

Tonks was waiting on the porch for him when he Apparated through the wards. Remus looked worse than he'd ever looked before, and the young purple-haired Auror actually did feel bad for him, regardless of what had happened earlier that morning.

_"I… I don't understand," Remus had stuttered, all color drained from his face._

_"I'm pregnant, would you like me to draw you a diagram?" She'd asked, trying to put a little humor into the sudden situation._

It had been a rough couple of days. Bill and Fleur's wedding had been interrupted by Death Eaters, the Order had scattered, Sirius and the trio were in hiding, and her parents had been Crucio'd. The last thing either she or Remus expected was a pregnancy in the middle of a war. When he'd apologized for ruining her life, sobbed and screamed and then burst out the front door, she had a feeling she knew where he'd go.

By the look of him now, she'd been right.

"I take it you found Sirius?" She asked.

Remus frowned and then gestured to the large bruise on the side of his jaw. "He says congratulations," the werewolf said shamefully. "Harry, Ron, and Hermione send their best wishes as well. I'm to apologize for being the world's biggest idiot, rub your feet, and buy you ice cream. That is… if I'm allowed back inside."

Tonks smiled. "Mum owes me five Galleons," she said. "She thought you'd make it home in a day or two. I told her that if Sirius didn't knock you out cold, Hermione would send you back tonight."

"What can I do to make up for this?" He pleaded.

"Stop hating yourself because of who you are for one," Tonks admitted. "I'll make a list of the rest of the things you'll need to do," she said sweetly and opened her arms to him.

Remus fell into them willingly, wrapping his own around her waist and resting his cheek on her abdomen the way he'd seen James do to Lily all those years ago when she'd been pregnant with Harry as he forced himself to put his fears aside and embrace the still terrifying prospect of fatherhood. "You know why I left though, don't you?"

"You thought the baby would be infected," she nodded.

"I was only four," he said softly. "But I still remember the pain," he admitted. "To do that to…"

"I know, love," Tonks whispered and kissed his head. "You are a good man," she assured him and then added, "and a terrible werewolf."

Remus laughed under his breath, taking her words as the highest of compliments. He sighed against her body. "How are you?" He asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I puked in the bathtub."

Remus frowned.

"I left it for you to clean up," she added.

"I deserve that," he said with a sigh.

oOoOoOo

**September 3rd, 1997 **_(Before Chapter 7)_

**On the Run**

Padfoot slept by her side anytime he wasn't taking watch outside the tent. The Horcrux locket remained around his neck every third shift and would remain so as he was unwilling to let Hermione touch the thing after being splinched. Harry and Ron remained outside, talking about potential ways to destroy the locket while simultaneously watching the Marauder's Map to look for Ginny's name.

The witch in the bed next to him began to stir, and Padfoot turned to look as she sat up only to notice she wasn't quite dressed. He turned around and shifted into his human form in order to properly communicate with her knowing that if she moved too quickly, she could easily re-injure herself.

"Sirius!" She hissed. "Where's my top? Why are you in bed with me? What happened? Where is Harry? And Ron?" She continued letting the questions tumble out of her mouth.

He reached out and placed his palm on her bare back, ignoring the way she flinched away from him, so that he could look over her injury. "Calm down, kitten," Sirius spoke softly. "I'm just checking the wound."

"Wound?" Hermione blanched.

"You don't remember?" He asked, frowning. "You got splinched trying to get away from the Ministry. Tore your back open pretty badly," he sighed. "I tried to heal it as best I could, but I wasn't ever the one to care of Remus post full moon," he admitted. "All we had on us was Dittany. There's going to be a scar," he said softly.

"Is it ugly?" Hermione asked, and he could hear her crying.

"Nothing about you could … " Sirius began with a catch in his throat. He cleared it, brushing the edge of a knuckle down her spine and relaxing slightly when he saw gooseflesh breakout over her skin in reaction to his touch. "It looks alright," he said quickly and then pulled away. "I've seen a similar one before," he admitted, remembering the first time Mia had ever shown him the same scar and the way it had sparked a desire in him knowing that Remus had never seen it, touched it, or kissed it. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed at the memory.

"It'll heal up nicely. You've lost a lot of blood though, so you need to rest as much as possible. We ran out of Blood-Replenishing Potion."

"And umm ... my shirt?" She asked timidly.

"Oh, umm ... " he stared at her bare back for a few seconds longer than he knew he probably should as he tried to come up with any excuse for her to stay undressed. Preferably forever. Unfortunately there was still a sliver of decency left in the man, and he stumbled upon a genuine reason. "You probably shouldn't be lifting your arms much," he said thoughtfully. "But I can keep you covered. Or ... I'll leave and sit outside if you need," he offered nervously, not wanting to be away from her.

"Just umm," Hermione swallowed. "Don't ... don't let Harry or Ron see me like this?" She pleaded.

"Absolutely, kitten," Sirius smiled. "Only _I _get to see you like this," he teased and grinned when she turned and smacked his arm lightly, unable to do proper damage to him and still keep her breasts covered at the same time.

oOoOoOo

**December 25th, 1997 **_(Before Chapter 8)_

**Godric's Hollow Cemetery**

"Harry? Sirius?" Hermione called out to the wizards as they worked their way through the small snow-covered cemetery. "They're here," she told them, frowning. "Right here," she turned and gestured to the large, white marble headstone that read:

_James Potter - Lily Potter  
__ 27 March 1960 * 30 January 1960  
__Died 31 October 1981_

"'_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death'_... Isn't that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?" Harry asked as he stared at the headstone.

"It doesn't mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry," Hermione said, her voice gentle. "It means... you know... living beyond death. Living after death," she reached out and took his hand in her own and laced their fingers together.

She turned back and looked at Sirius who was staring at the gravesite, standing several feet behind them as though he were afraid to get any closer. Hermione slipped her hand out of Harry's grip and reached out for Sirius.

The Animagus looked at her small hand and frowned, refusing to meet her eyes. Still, he reached out and took her hand, allowing her to bring him closer and join them in paying respects to James and Lily.

"I'm glad we came," she whispered to him and he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her knuckles affectionately. "Are you both okay?" She asked.

"Yeah," Harry nodded but Hermione could see he was already crying.

She turned and looked at Sirius who was fighting back the tears.

"Ask me again when this war is over," he replied before reaching out and pulling Harry into his arms, letting the boy openly sob onto his shoulder.

Hermione fidgeted with her hands a bit, not wanting to intrude on the tender family moment, so instead, she turned and looked down at the marble headstone and reached for her wand. She raised it and moved it in a circle through the air, a wreath of Christmas roses blossoming before them. Taking the flowers, she knelt down and set them on the grave.

oOoOoOo

**March 28th, 1998 **_(In the Middle of Chapter 9)_

**Shell Cottage - Residence of Bill and Fleur Weasley**

The large group arrived at Shell Cottage from Malfoy Manor, where Sirius assumed Draco was busy summoning Voldemort in the hopes of deceiving one of the greatest Legilimens of all time. The boy had been a prat growing up according to both Ron and Harry, but Narcissa hadn't stopped crying since they left the Manor, and he'd never seen his cousin cry like this before, so clearly, at least as a son, the boy had value.

Bill and Fleur came out to greet everyone, welcoming them into their home where Fleur began to fuss over Hermione, who Sirius refused to let out of his arms. The witch had held on as long as she could before the side effects of the Cruciatus Curse had set in and the tremors began. He'd been at the end of Bellatrix's wand when he was a teenager and he knew how it felt better than anyone.

Fleur led them into a small guest bedroom where Sirius set Hermione down and immediately transfigured a nearby bookshelf into a large chair that he pulled beside her, taking her hand and gently stroking the skin of her palm until the Sleeping Draught Fleur gave her kicked in and she fell asleep. He brushed the hair from her forehead, muttering, 'my brave, brave witch' repeatedly as her body occasionally shook in her sleep. The wound on her forearm had been wrapped, though not healed, and every few minutes Sirius would lean down and press a kiss to the bandage.

"It really is her, isn't it?" A soft voice said from the doorway of the room.

Sirius looked up to see Narcissa standing there staring at the witch in the bed beside him. He narrowed his eyes at his cousin briefly and stood as though he were ready to defend Hermione should the need arise. Narcissa merely waved off his defensive measures as though he were nothing more than an irritating pest there to disrupt a luncheon.

"I've met the girl before," she spoke, "Diagon Alley at the beginning of last year. I believe I was quite cruel to her," she said, a hint of a frown on her face. "Appearances and all, you understand," she sighed softly as she continued to stare at the girl. "Had I known that…"

"That she wasn't just some Mudblood?" Sirius growled.

"Don't be crass," Narcissa narrowed her eyes at Sirius. "You more than anyone knew the situation I was in."

"The situation I tried to get you out of," he reminded her.

"Yes, my savior, a fifteen-year-old boy who at the time was safe behind the walls of Hogwarts. Tell me again cousin, what did _you_ sacrifice when you disobeyed your parents?" She asked harshly.

Sirius bristled.

"Precisely. I didn't want to suffer, thank you," she exhaled shakily. "Of course… looking back," she nervously tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Did you know she came to see me the night you were attacked?" She asked him. "I was at St. Mungo's as well, dealing with… well… a personal issue," she said and left it at that. "She was a strange comfort, and… and I owe this witch a great debt."

"What debt?" Sirius asked.

"That's none of your concern. Words between witches," she said firmly. "How is she still so young? And why did I not recognize her before?" She asked.

"Magic."

"Don't be juvenile," she rolled her eyes. "Keep your secrets then. I mean the girl no harm. I told you, I owe Mia Potter. Wasn't her mother a Black?" She asked curiously. "The one your mother despised?"

Sirius nodded. "Dorea."

Narcissa had a pleased look cross her face. "You'll fix it all then, won't you?" She asked. "Our family? Our House? You'll save it from being lost forever."

"Busy saving the world first, Cissa," Sirius scoffed.

She smiled. "No one's called me that in a long time."

"Well don't get used to it," he said as he stood, flicking his wand out and summoning his Patronus. "I'm taking you to stay with Andromeda, and something tells me that she'll have a list of things she'll call you before she gets to childhood nicknames."

oOoOoOo

**April 30th, 1998 **_(Before Chapter 10)_

**Tonks Home - Current Residence Andromeda Tonks, Tonks and Remus Lupin**

"Out _you_!" Narcissa hissed at Remus and he growled back at her; she looked unafraid. "I'm aware that your animal instincts are trying to take over, but unless you plan on pulling out the child yourself, you will sit and be still unless called upon!"

Remus looked at Andromeda for support, but his mother-in-law was far too busy holding the hand of her daughter as she fought through another contraction. "Are you sure there's nothing to be done for the pain?" Remus asked again, the wolf inside of his head whimpering at the sound of his mate's cries.

"As I've continually said, this is how it must be done," Narcissa informed him again. "If you'd like, send an owl to the Weasleys. If anyone has perfected the art of childbirth, it would be that woman," she said sarcastically. "Honestly, this is why I was so pleased that Lucius wasn't allowed in the room when Draco was born," she scoffed. "Men have no patience for these things."

"Don't compare my son-in-law to that rotter of a husband of yours," Andromeda snapped.

"Ex-husband," Narcissa replied cooly.

"Oh? Were you divorced when he died?" Andromeda asked, a bite to her tone.

Narcissa stared calmly at her sister and then shrugged her shoulders. "If there is a word that means 'joyful widow' then tell me, until then he's my ex-husband," she said firmly.

Andromeda smirked, which Tonks and Remus would have enjoyed considering she hadn't smiled much since the death of her own husband, unfortunately, both the werewolf and the Metamorphmagus were too preoccupied to notice. "Still," Andromeda said. "Don't put Remus into the same category as Lucius Malfoy," she insisted. "He's a good boy."

Narcissa rolled her eyes and muttered, "Hardly a _boy_," under her breath, her words drowned out by the sound of Tonks screaming one last time.

"Speaking of boys…" Andromeda grinned and pulled a crying infant from her daughter, whose hair had turned turquoise by the end of her labor. She waved her wand in delicate movements to clean the baby up properly before she wrapped him in a soft blanket and placing him in Tonks' arms.

Remus stood frozen at the foot of the bed, gripping the footboard so hard the wood began to splinter beneath his fingers. He inhaled deeply, picking up the scent of new life and not a trace of Lycanthropy. "I have a son," Remus whispered reverently.

"He looks like you," Tonks said with a bright smile.

"Not at all love," Remus said as he leaned closer. "He looks like you."

"What lovely dark hair," Narcissa said with a smile as she admired the infant, dabbing an embroidered handkerchief at the corners of her eyes.

"For now," Andromeda smirked. "If he's anything like his mother it'll change soon enough."

Tonks looked up and grinned. "You should go tell the others," she insisted.

"I will later," he answered, moving to sit on the bed beside her, reaching out and gently brushing the tips of his fingers over the black hair on his son's head. "He looks a lot like Harry did when he was born," he commented thoughtfully.

"Harry should be godfather," Tonks said with a smiled.

Remus grinned. "Sirius is going to be put out."

"I know," Tonks said mischievously. "But it'll tie Harry into the Pack tighter," she said firmly and Remus nodded in agreement. "And Hermione should be godmother."

"Of course," Remus laughed. As though they'd pick anyone else. "I'll tell her when… well… when things are better." Meaning, of course, when she was no longer Hermione.

"Hermione Granger?" Andromeda rose a brow. "The little Muggle-born friend of Harry Potter? The one Bellatrix…" she began to say, but the look on Narcissa's face had her stopping her sentence. "I didn't realize that she was very close to the pair of you."

Narcissa grinned. "You mean you don't know?" The blonde asked and then immediately began to laugh.

oOoOoOo

**May 18th, 1998 **_(After Chapter 14)_

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"We're rebuilding everything," Kingsley said with a grin as he stood in the entryway of Number Twelve, staring at Harry, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, and Draco. "And we could use your help. There's only so much that can be done in the Wizengamot, but I'll be working on that. In the meantime, we've lost too many good Aurors in the war, and well… I'm offering you all a position."

"Absolutely!" Harry said immediately. "When do we start?"

"Wait… you mean I won't have to go back to Hogwarts?" Ron asked, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"No, no, we're opening the Auror training and taking into account your experience, call it retroactive in the field training," the newly elected Minister of Magic said with a laugh.

"I'm in!" Ron said enthusiastically.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts for my N.E.W.T.s," Hermione said softly. "At least… I think I might," she shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I have things I need to take care of before then. Even so, I'd be a terrible Auror. I'd much prefer to help you reformat the Wizengamot if that's at all possible," she said pessimistically.

Kingsley nodded at her, clearly understanding her thinking. "Well, whatever you decide Hermione, I'll find something for you."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione smiled. "Er… Minister."

Kingsley chuckled at the title, clearly not used to it yet. He then turned to Draco and Sirius and smiled widely. "And the two of you?"

"Yeah," Draco scoffed. "People are going to love the idea of a former Death Eater out there keeping the streets safe for them," he said and then rolled his eyes. "Let me know when my property and vaults are restored Shacklebolt, then we'll talk," he grumbled and then walked into the other room.

"He's… a lot nicer than I'd imagined," Kingsley said thoughtfully.

"He's half Black," Sirius shrugged. "We're incredibly charming people."

"So what about it, Sirius? Wear the badge again?"

"Kings," Sirius smiled. "If you can find my old Auror badge, I want you to take it and find Cornelius Fudge and shove that badge right the fuck up his…"

oOoOoOo

**June 17th, 1998 **

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Despite having a home of their own, Remus, Tonks and Teddy spent more time at Number Twelve than they did The Den these days. Only a month after the war, the werewolf had the need to stick as close to his family and Pack as possible and since Harry and Hermione had officially moved in with Sirius, it made it that much easier. It also helped that Sirius was overjoyed to have the Lupin family close by, and had taken to spoiling Teddy in an effort to outshine Harry who was the actual godfather. Of course, it didn't matter. Save for his own mother, Teddy Lupin only had eyes for one person and that was Hermione. Hermione who was supposed to be home by now.

There wasn't a sound of her arrival, at least one that humans could hear, but Remus heard her arrival instantly and rose from his seat in the library to greet her. When the sound of sobbing echoed up the stairs alerting the rest of the house to her arrival, the werewolf quickened his pace until he reached the little witch who was crumpled on the floor of the entryway, crying her heart out. more frizz to her hair than usual and her eyes were red-rimmed and glassy.

Without a word, already knowing what was wrong, Remus pulled her into his arms and let her sob against his chest as he took to the staircase, silently moving toward Hermione's room. Remus placed Hermione on her bed, sitting instinctively back against the wall and pulling her close to him in a hug, a large arm wrapped protectively around her.

"What happened?" He asked. "Were you able to see them?"

"They'll never know me again," Hermione sobbed. "I ... I went all that way. I knew they wouldn't remember me, but seeing them ..." she sobbed. "Remus my parents are ... they might as well be dead," she wept.

He frowned, running a hand down her hair, thinking of the lovely Muggle couple he'd met a few years ago at Kings Cross, though he would always associate Charlus and Dorea Potter as the witches parents, he understood the pain she was going through right now. "In a way you're right." His green eyes looked up as he spotted Sirius, Harry and Ron standing in the doorway. The two younger wizards looked worried and uncomfortable at the sight of the young witch sobbing. Sirius, however, stepped forward quickly, pulling Hermione from Remus' arms and holding her against him, letting her cry into his shoulder.

"It's okay if you need to grieve, kitten," he whispered. He stroked his fingers up and down her back consolingly, kissing the side of her head and ignoring the curious looks he was receiving from Harry and Ron as he did so. "You don't always have to be the strong one," he promised her.

oOoOoOo

**September 17th, 1998 **_(Directly Before Chapter 15)_

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"Just because I invited you to come over any time you want, does not mean that I invited you to drink my entire stash of Firewhisky," Sirius said as he walked into the drawing room where Draco was sitting in his chair, drinking his Firewhisky from a crystal tumbler. He snatched the glass from the blonde's hand and sighed loudly. "Besides it's ten in the bloody morning," he shook his head before draining the rest of the liquor.

"Don't let Granger see you drinking that," Draco said with a smirk. "Where's that good bottle of Scotch?" He asked.

"In the cupboard, and why shouldn't I let Hermione see me drinking?" Sirius asked, narrowing his eyes at his little cousin.

"She'll be in a mood," Draco said as he stacked his feet on the table in front of him, crossing his ankles. "Lupin sent an owl this morning warning everyone that Skeeter's new book will hit the shelves today, and something about the paper that I didn't bother reading."

"Fuck," Sirius sighed.

"Language," Hermione scolded him as she walked into the room. "And I am _not_ in a mood, Malfoy," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Good morning, kitten," Sirius smiled up at her, reaching his hand out and brushing it against her side gently as she passed him.

"Yes," Hermione said, eyeing the glass in Sirius' hands. "It is _morning_."

"I told him it was too early to drink," Draco said, tossing his cousin a smirk. "Honestly, Sirius, you couldn't even wait until lunch?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes at Draco, and Draco's mirrored set of silver-grey orbs flashed in amusement.

"What're your plans for the day?" He asked the witch.

She shrugged. "Probably just go back to bed. Read a book or two," she admitted quietly as she took a lock of her hair and twisted it anxiously in her fingers.

Sirius sighed at the sight. "Absolutely not. You need to get out of this house."

"You want to go out?" She asked him, misunderstanding his words.

"Er… I actually have something to do with Remus," he said, frowning. "I wish I could, I really do, but he needs my help on a… project he's working on. But you should go out. Do something fun."

"I have been wanting to get my own copy of Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration," she said with a sigh that sounded as though she were mentally trying to talk herself out of going.

Before she had the chance to argue, Sirius walked over and kicked Draco's legs off of the table and pulled his cousin up by his robes. "Draco will go with you," Sirius insisted.

"Is this because I drank your Firewhisky?" Draco asked, glaring at Sirius. "Fine," the blonde groaned. "Hurry and get your things, Granger. I want lunch first, and the last time I went to the Leaky past eleven the place was filled with people who were dead certain I was still a Death Eater and the whole bloody place was in an uproar. I'd be grateful if I didn't have to repeat that adventure," he said and then made his way into the other room to search for Sirius' Scotch while he waited.

"Why do you keep making me babysit the Slytherin?" Hermione pouted as she walked toward Sirius. "You know the last time we went to Florean's, he lectured me for ten minutes on the redundancy of putting chocolate fudge on chocolate ice cream. By the time we got around to ordering I didn't want to hear anymore of it so I caved and just ordered strawberry."

Sirius' eyes briefly dilated and he swallowed hard. After a moment or two to gather his composure, the Animagus smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "He needs a friend and you're a good influence on him. If he's left with me for too long he's going to turn into a bloody alcoholic and no one will like him."

"Language," Hermione said quietly as she buried her face in his arms.

Sirius chuckled and kissed her forehead.

Hermione sighed happily. "My birthday is in a few days," she whispered.

"I know," Sirius smiled almost sadly, tucking a curl of her hair behind her ears.

"And… and the day after my birthday…" she mumbled.

"I know," Sirius repeated. "And I promise, I'll… I'll tell you everything then."

* * *

**A/N**: Go ahead and re-read Chapter 15 if you like now folks!


	125. Chapter 125

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** This story hit over 3,000 comments on the last chapter. You guys are amazing and I'm just... really happy. I started writing this fic for fun because it was something I wanted to read, and you've all just pushed me and encouraged me the whole way and it's been an incredible experience. I adore you all. Oh, and today is Remus Lupin's birthday, so as a gift, here's an extra chapter!

Q&amp;As - **Mandie Weasley**, Draco most definitely will stay in the picture during Part Four. **Idonttrustquiet**, Never. Remus has married into the Black family. He willingly put himself at their mercy. LOL.

Reference Chasers should read DoT Chapter 15. There is some overlap but in a different POV.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Three - The Promise_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five: Remus' Gift

"_...I wanted you to know that I love the way you laugh_  
_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away_  
_I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well_  
_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_  
_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_  
_And I don't feel right when you're gone away…"_  
_(Broken - Seether)_

* * *

**September 19th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"I'm not a Potter, Sirius, I can't accept this." Hermione insisted, extending her wrist to her best friend who stood nearby smirking at her as though it was funny that his godfather had just given her a Potter heirloom, an expensive Potter heirloom. "Harry, you should..."

"Nope," Harry shook his head, cutting her off. "I agree with Sirius. You're my sister," Harry insisted. "And that makes you a Potter," he smiled and his bright green eyes seemed to sparkle. "Besides, I like the idea of you having something that connects you to my family. If anyone honors the words of my House, it's you. Courage and Craft? Might as well just say 'Hermione Granger'," Harry laughed.

"See?" Sirius gestured to Harry. "Even Harry says it's okay."

"I still don't feel right about it, but okay." Hermione frowned. "You can take it back anytime you want though, Harry. When you have kids of your own, you can pass it along to them."

"Just take the gift Hermione and stop arguing with everyone," Harry laughed. "You've fought every single person that brought you a birthday present tonight."

"Well I told you not to get me anything in the first place, so it's not my fault," she countered.

"I think we're missing a big moment here," Sirius interrupted their back and forth. "I gave a birthday gift and I haven't gotten my thank you," he pouted.

"Thank you, Sirius," Hermione gently murmured before she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Sirius took the opportunity to breathe her in, gently rubbing one palm against her waist on the side where Harry wouldn't see him. He could hear her take in a sharp breath at his touch and he buried his ache for her beneath the anxiety that had been building in him for weeks. He was more than nervous, he was terrified. Remus had pointed out that the original calculations for the Time-Turner turned Portkey had been done by Mia herself, but it barely calmed his nerves. He and Remus had spent the entire summer fiddling with the damn Time-Turner that the werewolf had stolen from the Department of Mysteries over a year ago, testing the Portkey function with their fingers crossed that they didn't accidentally send themselves back in time in the process. Remus said that everything looked right and they were ready.

But Sirius didn't know if _he_ was ready. Ready to say goodbye to Hermione who was just discovering her feelings for him. Ready to see Mia again, who knew him like no other, loved him like nothing else in the world ever could, and yet what had he done with himself in her absence? Why the hell would she still want _him_?

"Now, if the two of you are done forcing presents on me, I'm excited to go down to the library and read all my new books," Hermione grinned and hugged Harry before turning and walking down the stairs.

"Will you make sure everyone has gotten out okay?" Sirius asked Harry as Remus approached them.

"I was just going to say goodbye to Hermione," Remus said an anxious look on his face as he stared at Sirius. Thankfully, Harry didn't catch it.

"You could just stay here, Remus," Harry offered. "Or leave Teddy behind," he smirked.

"I'll remember that when he's screaming in the middle of the night," Remus chuckled. "We have plans though," he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his robes. "Maybe another night."

"Take care then," Harry smiled and walked back to the drawing room.

"Fuck," Sirius groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "I feel like I'm having a heart attack. Can wizards have heart attacks or is that just a Muggle thing?"

"It'll be fine," Remus assured him.

"What if… what if we just _not_ send her back? _Hermione_ likes me, I… I think I can live with that," Sirius muttered anxiously.

"If she doesn't go back then I break the Unbreakable Vow and I die," Remus said, narrowing his eyes at Sirius. "I'd like that to not happen. I'd be greatly missed. Millions would mourn me."

Sirius scoffed. "You sure do think highly of yourself."

"Stop stalling," the werewolf demanded, turning Sirius around and shoving him toward the staircase. "Go. We're supposed to be with her before she vanishes."

"It'll be fine… it'll be fine…" Sirius mumbled to himself as he and Remus approached the library, smiling at the sight of the witch who was already examining the box that held the Time-Turner.

"What's this?" She narrowed her eyes at Sirius, gesturing to the gift.

"That's actually from me," Remus smiled softly, "Dora and I are heading out. I wanted to come and say goodbye," he slowly approached her looking incredibly anxious as he reached out and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and breathing her in. "I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Hermione. You really deserve something good after everything you've done."

"Oh, let me open your present," she said as she released him, reaching for the box, but before her hand touched it, Remus reached for her wrist.

"No," Remus swallowed. "Wait until I leave. It's... it's private," he winced at the word. "I mean, it's just... you might not like it," he frowned. "The next time I see you, you can tell me if you like it, alright?" He asked, his soft green eyes momentarily flashing gold and amber.

"Is everything alright?" She asked quietly.

"Hope so," Remus gave her a tight smile before letting her go and walking out the door, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder before walking off away from the library.

"Is he okay?" Hermione asked, worriedly.

"He's got a lot on his mind," Sirius explained as he let out a breath he'd been holding. "We've been going through a few stints of nostalgia lately. Brought up some intense memories from the past," he shrugged his shoulders and slowly walked into the room, reaching for her bracelet encircled wrist and tugging her toward him, grinning when she nervously swallowed. "It's almost midnight," Sirius whispered. "The day after your birthday."

Hermione nodded and blushed.

Merlin, he was going to miss that.

"Before we dig into old magics, and awkward adult conversations, will you allow an old dog one last moment of recklessness?" He asked her, his grey eyes dark and deep.

She nodded again, the words apparently stolen from her.

Sirius cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand and leaned in toward her, ever so lightly brushing his lips against hers. His hands were shaking, the need to devour her was too strong and he had to hold his breath to avoid catching the scent of her. He wanted to tell her everything right then and there, but Remus insisted that it wasn't how it happened the first time. He wanted to tell her that everything would be fine and that he loved her more than he could ever say. Loved her just as she was in this moment, as Hermione Granger, Muggle-born witch. He wanted to tell her that he would love her forever as well, no matter how she changed or who she became or what she was called.

"Happy birthday, kitten," was what he ended up saying. "No matter what happens," he swallowed. "Promise me you'll just try to be happy, alright?"

He thought of all the times Mia had been miserable growing up. The nightmares that Hermione was already having that she would carry with her into her life as Mia Potter. The worries about the future war and Death Eaters and James and Lily. He wanted to tell her that he'd already forgiven her.

_"My Boggart would have been the two of you," Mia had once explained. "Telling me how much you hated me."_

_"That's..." Sirius had begun._

_"Impossible," Remus finished. "Mia, you're my best friend. I could never hate you. I actually can't think of a single thing you could do to ever make me hate you."_

_"He's right," Sirius had nodded. "Why the hell would you be afraid of something so... so... stupid?" _

_"Because you're that important to me," she'd admitted. "Because... because I'm terrified to think that in twenty years you'll both be gone, everything will have changed and you'll just... hate me."_

_I could never hate you_, Sirius thought to himself as he stared into her chocolate brown eyes, reaching up one last time and touching her shoulder length bushy brown hair.

"Sirius, I don't under-"

"Nope, no more talking until tomorrow," he insisted. "Now open Remus' gift. He's been fussing about it forever," Sirius smiled and stepped away from her, moving toward the doors of the library and with great hesitation, he slipped out of the room.

Once in the hallway he met Remus who was pacing back and forth. Both men stared at one another, eyes wide as they quietly waited. Remus chewing the inside of his cheek, Sirius nervously bouncing his leg. When a blue light from the Library behind them pierced the hallway, reflecting on the walls for a split second before vanishing again, both wizards exhaled at the same time.

"You look," Sirius said, eyes closed as he gripped his fists tightly.

Remus nodded and walked back into the Library for a moment and then returned. "She's gone."

"Oh fuck," Sirius whispered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…" He leaned forward, hands on his knees and took several deep gulps of air.

"It'll be okay," Tonks said quietly as she approached the pair of them, Teddy sleeping in her arms. "I'm going to take him to Mum's," she said to Remus, gesturing to the sleeping boy. "Do you want me to come back here?"

"I'll send you a Patronus when… when…"

"When you find her," Tonks finished the sentence. "You better go," she smiled and leaned up kissing Remus sweetly. "Good luck. I'm so excited for you both. Sirius, breathe."

The Animagus took a slow deep breath. "Get out Moony," he insisted. "I need to… oh fuck, I need to tell Harry," he groaned.

"It'll be fine," Remus patted him on the shoulder. "I better hurry," he said and then with a final nod to Sirius and Tonks, he kissed the top of Teddy's head and rushed back up the stairs and out the front door, Disapparating away.

"Go on," Tonks encouraged Sirius. "I'm just a Patronus away if you need me," she said with a bright smile before moving toward the Floo in the Library and vanishing in a swirl of green flames.

Sirius stood in the hallway for several minutes, letting the silence of the house wash over him. He reached up and tugged at the silver chain around his neck nervously before finally growling at his own cowardice and turning up the stairs toward the drawing room.

When he found Harry laying on the couch finishing off a plate of birthday cake, Sirius grinned at the sight. A grown man, Auror even, but still just a boy at the same time. _His_ boy. Sirius swallowed hard as he tried to imagine every possible scenario that could come from this kind of confession. There was a strong chance that Harry would be furious. He never was one that took well to information being kept from him, and for good reason, but Sirius was hoping that he'd look at all the facts and decide for himself that the fewer people that knew the better.

It was already bad enough, in Sirius' opinion, that Narcissa and Andromeda had found out. Both Black sisters had been bothering Sirius all summer asking for information regarding Mia's eventual return, as though they were already scheduling luncheon and tea events with their long lost Black cousin.

"Hey Harry, come have a drink with me," Sirius said, gesturing to the other room where he had already set out a bottle of Firewhisky.

Harry smiled up at his godfather and set his empty plate down on the nearby table before standing up and following Sirius into the next room where the two men sat down beside one another and Sirius poured them each a drink.

"Is everything alright, Sirius?" Harry asked, looking worried. "You've been acting… well… a bit strange the past few days."

"How could you tell?" Sirius asked, trying to joke.

Harry quirked his brow and his emerald eyes reflected a sight that Sirius hadn't seen in almost twenty years.

"Merlin, you look like Lily when you do that," Sirius chuckled softly. "Would… would you like to know some things about your family?" He asked.

Harry's bright green eyes lit up at the question. "Absolutely!" He said with enthusiasm.

Sirius stood and walked to a nearby dresser and waved his wand to unlock one of the cupboards at the bottom. Reaching down, he removed a large book and brought it back to the table. He set the copy of _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy _on the table and looked over at Harry.

"I remember this," Harry said thoughtfully. "We found it when we first came to Grimmauld Place after Bill and Fleur's wedding, when we were looking for the Horcrux," the wizard reached for the book. "You said that the Potters weren't in here," Harry said, though it was more of a question as his eyes looked from the book back to his godfather who was tugging on the silver chain around his neck.

"I umm… I lied. Potters were in there, but I vanished the page before you could see it," Sirius explained.

"Why would you do that?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"It'll all make sense soon, I promise," Sirius said and opened the book. "It doesn't matter though because you'll find what we need to on the Black Family Tree," he explained. "What do you know about your Grandmother?" He asked.

"She was a Black," Harry said. "Dorea, right?"

Sirius nodded. "One of the most brilliant witches I've ever known in my entire life," he said with a smile. "Your Grandmother was as Slytherin as they came," he said and watched as Harry's eyes widened. "But back then… at least for Dorea, it was a good thing. Slytherins weren't always synonymous with Death Eaters and prejudice you know. I was a prat about the House when I was a kid, but I knew a few that were actually pretty decent," he smiled. "The wizard that invented the Wolfsbane Potion? He was in Slytherin. Went to school with us actually," he said thoughtfully. "And there were others," he nodded thinking of Regulus who, apparently, hadn't turned out to be all that bad in the end, and of course Snape who the Wizarding world was calling a hero these days, then of course Mia's friend Laurel from the Ministry who had put a great deal of effort into trying to locate the missing witch when she'd first disappeared.

"Dorea was brilliant. Cunning and ambitious, but the most loving and accepting woman I'd ever met," he went on. "She didn't just take me into her home when I ran away," Sirius said. "I'd practically been living with your dad and his parents from the start of Hogwarts. I think I started calling them Mum and Dad when I was fourteen or fifteen. They took in Remus too," he went on. "Remus had a rough go of it with his family as well, but the Potters, Dorea especially… we were hers. When she died, she was surrounded by children, even though she'd only ever given birth to James."

Harry opened the book, flipping through the pages of the Black Family Tree, which was enormous and difficult to browse through considering half of the Wizarding world was interwoven into the family in one way or another. Sirius smirked as he noted that Harry purposely skipped over the page showing the Weasley connection to the Black family, clearly not too keen to find out just how related he and Ginny were.

"There she is," Sirius pointed to the name of Harry's grandmother and just let the boy figure out the rest.

Green eyes looked over the family tree and Harry smiled slightly when he followed the links down to his parents names and then to his own. His fingertips lingered over the date of their deaths for a moment before movement on the page distracted him. He furrowed his brows as he saw a name hovering as though fading in and out beside that of his father.

"Who...is Mia Potter?" Harry asked.

Sirius anxiously chewed on his thumbnail while bouncing his leg beneath the table. Instead of answering Harry's question, he reached for the tumbler of Firewhisky and took a long drink, savoring the flavor which gave him a boost of courage, not from the alcohol but from the memories it contained.

"Mia Potter… was your father's sister."

Harry's eyes widened. "My dad had a sister?!"

Sirius nodded.

"How come I've never met her? Is she still alive? Why didn't anyone tell me about her?" The boy asked the questions quickly, not giving Sirius a chance to answer even one until the raven-haired wizard reached out and put a hand on Harry's arm to draw his attention.

"You've never met her because she went missing in September of 1979," Sirius explained. "She was a part of the Order like the rest of us, and one day she vanished. Dumbledore and Moody told us all that she had been on some sort of secret assignment and had been killed," he winced at the memory.

Harry frowned. "Oh," he said looking down. "So… how come her death date isn't listed?" He asked curiously. "Or her birth date?"

"I asked those same questions when she went missing. Mia she… I…" Sirius' shaking hand reached again for the Firewhisky.

"You loved her," Harry said.

Sirius only nodded. "I… I _still_ love her."

The young wizard sat in silence, contemplating the new information that his godfather had given him, noting the look of unease in Sirius' face and the broken way his voice spoke.

"Tell me about her," Harry insisted and Sirius could tell that the boy was doing it more for his godfather than himself.

Sirius smiled. "She's the reason I met your father... and Remus too," he explained. "We met in Diagon Alley when my mother took me to get all my supplies. She was introducing Regulus to some Wizengamot ponce," he said, rolling his eyes. "So I snuck away. I'd wanted to go look at the brooms, but when I was passing Flourish and Blotts I saw some kid knock over a little girl," he frowned at the memory. "And being the polite and chivalrous young man that I was," he smirked. "I went to rescue the fair maiden."

Harry chuckled at the story.

"She made a few jokes about my name and then introduced me to her brother who'd run off screaming at the kid that pushed her," he said. "Who happened to be… Snape."

Harry's smile faltered. "Snape? Snape pushed my aunt?"

"We were eleven," Sirius shrugged his shoulders knowing that after Harry had seen Snape's memories in Dumbledore's Pensieve, the boy had taken to getting a little riled up and offended on the Slytherin's behalf, especially since the man was no longer around to defend himself. "Remember how I told you before that we didn't get along with him from the beginning? I'm sure this was the trigger incident, even if it may have been an accident," Sirius rolled his eyes. "But he was a prat about it and your dad… no one hurt Mia. James loved his sister almost as much as he loved you and Lily."

Harry nodded. "I get it. I feel the same way about Hermione. I meant what I said tonight when you gave her that bracelet. She's my sister," he said firmly.

Sirius smiled. "I know, son."

"So how did the two of you…" Harry began.

Sirius laughed. "That's a story for another time," he insisted. "Maybe when you're older."

Harry rolled his eyes. "So what was she like?"

"Brilliant," Sirius smiled. "Fierce. Merlin help anyone that crossed her. She was bloody frightening when mad, and I should know because she was mad at me damn often," he laughed. "She was as studious as your mother but had a wild streak like us. She was so smart when it came to magic," he said with a grin. "She played some of the best pranks. One year, just because my brother hit me, she and I snuck down to the Dungeons and she put a modified Notice-Me-Not Charm on the entrance to their Common Room," he laughed loudly.

Harry joined in. "What happened?"

"They slept in the hallway until Slughorn came around to fix everything," Sirius grinned. "She could change charms and alter potions and transfigure anything. When she took her N.E.W.T.s, she beat out McGonagall's old record," he said proudly.

"She sounds like Hermione," Harry grinned. "Except for the pranking part."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, she was… she was _very_ much like Hermione."

"Sirius…" Harry cleared his throat. "I know you said it wasn't your place to say, and I've tried minding my own business, but Hermione is like my sister and if my dad was as protective over _his_ sister as you say, it's only right that I do the same thing," he said and sat up tall in his chair. "I don't know what it is, but I know something's going on with you and Hermione and I want to know what."

Sirius stared at him and didn't make a sound.

"Sirius… if you're trying to replace your old girlfriend with…"

"No!" Sirius said quickly. "Oh, fuck, Harry…" he groaned. "Godric, this is complicated. Look… Hermione and I… I… I can't tell you," he said the words regretfully. "Hermione should be here for this."

"Fine," Harry stood. "I'll go get her."

Sirius' eyes widened dramatically.

oOoOoOo

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Remus Apparated outside of Hogsmeade and made the long walk up to the gates of Hogwarts, staring up at the still broken castle. The new wards and protections hadn't been set up yet, so the gates opened for him without any problems. He stayed relatively quiet as he moved toward the school, knowing that the only people inside would be the few teachers that were preparing for the approaching term, still delayed due to the reconstruction.

Remus and Tonks had talked about helping, but with Teddy so young Minerva had all but completely refused their offer, insisting that the new parents be with their child as much as possible considering the war had separated so many families. He had, however, taken a few days over the summer to come up and help with a few things, mainly constructing new protection spells for the areas that would be set up closer to the start of term. Minerva had kindly offered Remus his old position as a Professor back, ready to fight the Ministry and their anti-werewolf legislations on his behalf, but he had politely declined, insisting that he couldn't bear to be away from Teddy and that both Dora and Hermione were practically forcing him to sit down and write a book. There wasn't enough information about werewolves available, and considering Greyback had basically been let loose at the command of Death Eaters during the past year or so, there were likely to be new werewolves emerging in the world in need of guidance.

Gryffindor Tower had previously been demolished but was now almost entirely reconstructed and Remus smiled at the sight of it. Slipping in through the front door, considering all the other secret passageways had been destroyed during the war or discovered and blocked in the aftermath, Remus pulled out the Marauder's Map that he'd nicked from Harry's room earlier that day and tapped his wand on the top of it.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said quietly and watched as the Map opened before his eyes. He watched as Minerva paced in the Headmistress' office, very likely going over lists of things to do before students began arriving in just over a month. Slughorn was in his chambers in the Dungeons, Pomona in the Greenhouses, Filius in his office, Filch in the kitchens and Poppy was in the Infirmary, very likely stocking up on potions regardless of the incredibly late hour.

The halls and classrooms were empty.

Remus moved swiftly, a part of him wishing that he'd brought the Invisibility Cloak with him as well, but he figured that Harry would notice _that_ missing before the Map considering as an Auror, even in training, he'd be more likely to use it than a visual aid of Hogwarts. He briefly wondered how Sirius was doing with the conversation he'd planned on having with Harry.

The werewolf quickly made his way through the halls and toward the old Defense classroom where he'd charmed the Time-Turner to Portkey Mia to. It was a risk, of course, sending her to Hogwarts, but as Mia informed Remus long ago that the Defense classroom was where she had arrived in 1971, he thought it would be easier to keep the location the same on the Portkey destination for both trips to avoid any potential problems.

Opening the door and closing it shut behind him, Remus moved aside the desks and chairs in the middle of the room, just in case. Then he stepped up to the old desk, _his_ old desk, and sat down on the edge of it, starring with anxiousness into the empty space in the middle of the room, willing it to be filled as quickly as possible. He glanced down at the pocket watch that had belonged to his father, noting the time and swallowing hard as his eyes turned back up toward the center of the room as it was engulfed in a bright blue light.

**End of Part Three**

_Part Four_..._ The Soul Bond_

_"When Hermione brought me back from the Veil, she used blood magic. An old ritual that uses an uncollected life debt. When Hermione called me from the Veil, she provoked a bond."_

_"So… does that make Hermione your…" Harry began._

_"Oh, shit," Sirius mumbled as his grey eyes fell on the book in front of him. His breath quickened at the sight of the movement on the page where Mia's faded name grew darker, no longer hovering but sticking to the page. Then there, below her name was written her date of birth._

_Mia Potter  
__Born 19 September 1979_

_"What?" Harry asked. "Sirius? I don't understand. That's…"_

_"I'm sorry, Harry," Sirius said as he realized what had happened. Mia was alive. Alive and here in this timeline. Whatever Remus did had worked and the book recognized it, recognized that she was finally Mia again and back in the world where she belonged. "Please… I…" Sirius looked up at his godson. "Please remember I would never do anything to hurt you or my family."_

_Harry's green eyes widened at Sirius' panic. "Sirius, what the hell is going on?"_

_Just then, there was the whooshing sound of the Floo in the other room being activated. _

* * *

**A/N**: "It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die, but only retire a little from sight and afterwards return again." ;)


	126. Chapter 126

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Mother of Merlin, reviewers came out in droves last night! You guys are so awesome! Part Four officially begins right now! You might want to re-read DoT Chapter 97 again just as a refresher.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Six: Amber Eyes

"_...The worst is over now and we can breathe again_  
_I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away_  
_There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight_  
_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain…"_  
_(Broken - Seether)_

* * *

**September 19th, 1998**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Remus held his breath.

The figure of a witch appeared before him, kneeling on the ground and holding her stomach. He waited nervously, frozen in fear as his eyes raked over her form.

She coughed several times and took a few deep breaths before looking up. Long, waist length soft honey brown curls fell over her shoulder, loosely braided. She was barefoot and wearing nothing but a pair of green hotpants and a Gryffindor Quidditch jersey. Remus could see the tear tracks on her cheeks and when she turned and looked at him, he had to hold back tears of his own.

_Amber eyes_.

"Remus?" She whispered.

Remus swallowed nervously and moved forward, his steps slow and precise. When she stood up, the Quidditch jersey that was too big for her body slipped off of her shoulder, revealing a crescent-shaped silver scar. His eyes widened and the wolf inside his head howled. He rushed forward and scooped the witch into his arms and held her tightly.

She sobbed loudly into his chest and he could already feel her tears soaking his shirt. He stroked the back of her hair and breathed in her scent, reveling in the fact that she was alive and here and safe and in his arms again. The werewolf repeatedly kissed the top of her head as she cried.

"No, no, no," the witch wept.

Remus pulled away from her, cupping her face in his hands to stare into those amber eyes. "Mia?" he asked.

She cried again. "Send me back," she pleaded.

Remus winced at her request, reaching his hand up and wiping his own eyes before leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I did this to you."

She reached out and gripped him again, burying her face in his chest as she continued to weep.

"I'm so sorry, love," he repeated over and over again.

A short while later, the tears were dried up and the two sat on the floor of the classroom, the witch laying in Remus' lap and sniffling as he ran his fingers through her hair, the braid long since having come undone.

"Am I really back?" She asked quietly.

"Do you hate me?" Remus said. "I know I betrayed you and tricked you into touching the Time-Turner," he muttered.

"I could never hate you," Mia snapped at him and sat up to stare him in the face. "You promised me you would do it, and you kept your promise. I didn't understand at first, but now I do. I understand… Oh, Remus," she whispered and reached up to touch his face, smiling sadly. "Look at you."

"Old and ugly," Remus chuckled.

"You've always been beautiful to me," Mia insisted and leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss to his mouth as she'd done a thousand times before. When she pulled away, her eyes widened. "Oh Godric, you're married!" She practically shrieked.

Remus laughed. "Tonks understands. I told her everything long before we got married. She's actually a little… well, you're a Black so you know how your family is," he rolled his eyes.

"You're married," Mia looked down at his hand to glance over the simple wedding band there. She smiled and then looked up at him and all too quickly smacked him in the arm. "You got married and didn't invite me to your wedding!"

"Ow!" The werewolf moved away from her strikes. "Didn't really have a choice, did I?" He asked. "You weren't _you _and it would have been weird," he insisted.

"I've always been _me_," she glared at him, scooting closer so she could run her fingers through his hair, examining the grey streaks with a suddenly amused expression. She turned her attention to his face, glancing over the scars that hadn't been there minutes earlier… or well… years earlier she supposed.

A thought occurred to her and the smile faded from her face instantly. "Jamie. Lily."

Remus frowned and looked down.

She forced herself to blink back the tears. "I know, nothing changes. Nothing…" she took in a slow breath and let it out through her nose. "What… what did he think happened?" She asked. There would be time to grieve later.

"I left the flat right after you, and I went to tell Dumbledore what happened," Remus said. Mia growled under her breath. "The Order was told that you died on a mission."

Her brows furrowed. "That… that doesn't even make sense."

Remus shrugged. "It's what they were told. Few believed it of course and an investigation was opened, but Dumbledore kept a tight lid on it. I think he even prevented the Prophet from printing anything about you," he explained. "After a while with so many others…" he frowned. "With so many others going missing and dying, people just kind of assumed that you were the first casualty... you know, after Mary," he sighed, refusing to mention the massacre at graduation where her father had been killed, or the attack on St. Mungos' where they'd both lost their mothers. "And then Lily got pregnant and James was… very busy."

Mia forced herself to smile. "Harry."

"James was a good father," Remus told her.

"I knew he would be," she said softly.

"I never wanted to cause you pain," he whispered, reaching up and brushing the hair from her face.

"I know, and it's not your fault," she sniffled, pressing her cheek into the palm of his hand. "What am I going to do?" She looked up at her best friend. "What am I going to do without Jamie?" She asked, her voice breaking again. "I never even got to say…"

"You'll do what we've all had to do," Remus said, interrupting her before she broke down again. "You'll grieve and then move forward."

Mia nodded, choking down another sob. "At least I have you," she swallowed. "You… you were all alone, weren't you?" She frowned, pressing her lips together.

Remus nodded. "It's okay," he assured her. "You vanished, and I was the only one who knew why. The others…" he sighed. "It wasn't pretty. Peter... well, we know _now _why he wasn't around much," he growled and Mia quickly joined him.

"I should have killed him," she uttered.

"He died anyway."

"Not soon enough. Not painful enough," she insisted.

"Neither did a lot of people that probably deserved it," he said, trying to calm her down, petting her hair consolingly.

She turned and narrowed her eyes at him, and if he'd for a second forgot that this was no longer Hermione, he was reminded then. "Don't you talk down to me Remus Lupin. Just because I look nineteen-years-old doesn't mean that my head isn't…" she paused. "Shit ... how old am I?"

Remus blinked. "Twenty-seven? Maybe?"

Mia frowned. "I lost count a few years ago," she said. "Got frustrating to try and keep up, especially since I didn't even celebrate my real birthday. Not that it matters. The De-Aging Potion I took altered me on a hormonal level and I'm sure if I had the ability to look at myself on a cellular level I'd see..."

"I'll help you make the calculations later. Let's get you home," he said, interrupting her tirade and reaching for her arm.

"Where's home?" She frowned. "Potter Manor? Godric's Hollow? Hogwarts?"

"Grimmauld Place."

Mia swallowed and slowly nodded. "Okay."

Remus removed his travelling cloak and draped it over her. "You're going to freeze like that. Honestly, what're you wearing?" He said, trying to joke.

"I was getting ready for…" she paused and then stopped mid-sentence.

He understood and didn't bring up the subject again as he stepped through the classroom to open the door for her so they could get away quickly. He reached for the Marauder's Map, remembering that he'd left it in the pocket of his cloak and as they paused to grab it, a figure appeared standing in front of them.

"Remus," Minerva said, staring at him. "I was under the impression that you had turned down the offer of Defense Professor. I should say that I'm thrilled if you've changed your mind, though it's quite late to be making house calls, don't you think? An owl would have been sufficient."

Remus swallowed as though he'd been caught out after curfew and she was going to give him detention any minute now.

The older witch's eyes turned toward Mia and she took a deep breath. "Right then," Minerva said curtly. "Which one are you?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

Mia stared at the woman in shock at first, but she slowly let a devious smile take over her features as she looked at her former Professor and finally muttered, "Nice to see you… Minnie."

Minerva grimaced at the name and then rolled her eyes. "Well, Miss _Potter_," she said. "I can't say that I'm extremely pleased to see you. It was only last week I was discussing with Hermione Granger about her return to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year."

"Oh," Mia said. "Yeah, go ahead and cancel that. I completed my seventh year already."

"I'm aware."

"Still upset that I beat your record?" Mia smirked.

"Considering you'd gone through Hogwarts twice, I'd hardly consider it fair," Minerva insisted.

"You should be proud. You educated a Muggle-born so well that she one day became better at Transfiguration than you," Mia said and then quickly amended her words. "I mean, you when you were in Hogwarts. I don't think I'm better at you now," she insisted.

"I will miss Hermione Granger," Minerva said. "She was lovely girl, polite and a hard worker. But," the witch paused. "I am very glad to see you standing here… alive, _Mia_," she said her name and reached out, embracing the girl. "Please know that you will very likely have a rough road ahead of you, readjusting, but I am here should you need me for anything."

"Thank you, Minerva," Mia whispered, holding onto the older witch.

"Now, you'll not be Apparating," Minerva insisted. "Not in… _that_," she said looking at Mia's clothes. "Merlin, I'd forgotten the fashions twenty years ago. Never mind, it's freezing outside. You can use the Floo in my office."

Mia stood in place, her face frozen.

"Something wrong?"

"The portraits," Mia whispered. "Is… Dumbledore there?"

Minerva looked at Remus who shook his head at her. "If you'd like… I could go ahead and ask him to… leave for the time being?"

Mia only nodded quickly.

"Right then," the older witch smiled politely. "I'll go ahead then and just come up whenever you're ready. Password is Tabby Cat," she said and then turned and left the hallway.

Remus looked down at Mia. "Love?"

"I won't see him," she insisted. "He needs to be gone before we go up there. He… I didn't change anything and he… he stopped me from…"

"I know you're angry," Remus whispered. "But Dumbledore didn't kill James. Voldemort did."

"Four people killed my brother," Mia said, an angry scowl on her face. "Voldemort held the wand, Peter delivered them to him, and I did nothing to stop it," she said, swallowing down a sob. "Voldemort and Peter are dead and I, unfortunately, will have to look at myself in the mirror every day for the rest of my life knowing what I've done… or what I chose not to do," she frowned. "But I've no one left to take out my anger on, and if I see his portrait I will fucking set it on fire," she growled.

"Mia…"

"No!" She snapped. "He knew I could change things, and I may have not tried in the beginning, but I wanted to… I wanted to try… and he… he…" she rubbed the tears from her eyes. "Even if I could forgive him for letting James and Lily… he let the fucking _Dursleys_ raise Harry! I know what they did, and _that, _I will never forgive!"

"Come on love," Remus leaned over her, kissing the top of her head. "Let's go home."

oOoOoOo

**Headmistress's Office**

When Remus and Mia stepped into the large office that used to belong to Dumbledore, followed by Snape, it looked as though Minerva had completely moved in. Despite her affection for cats, the walls were not plastered with ugly little kittens on plates as Dolores Umbridge used to have, but instead there was an overall level of comfort and organization, as though everything had a welcomed place where it belonged.

Mia smiled at the sight, but then glanced up to where she knew Dumbledore's portrait hung, and felt relief to see the frame empty. She breathed out and took a step toward to fireplace when a voice from the wall called out.

"Very interesting attire, Miss Granger."

Amber eyes turned and stared up at the portrait of Severus Snape. "Holy shit," she mumbled and ignored the loud irritable sigh coming from Minerva. "You have a problem with my clothes?" She asked the painting. "I thought I looked quite nice. I'll thank you not to stare at my arse when I leave."

Severus' eyes narrowed as a realization came over him. "Potter."

"Snape."

"I see you've made it back after tumbling through time. Pick up any fleas along the way?" He asked, his attention briefly turning to Remus who rolled his eyes in reply.

Mia snorted. "You don't bother me anymore, Snape. I think six years of listening to you prattle on about how inept I was at Potions and how I was a know-it-all at everything else was more than compensation for me punching you in the face."

"Twice."

"Twice," Mia agreed. "Which I apologized for if you remembered."

"I remember," he said and then cleared his throat. "Thank you," he added, appearing as though the words were painful to say aloud. "For what you said to me."

"I'm sorry she never forgave you," Mia whispered. "I truly am."

"It was not one moment of my life that ended our friendship," Severus acknowledged. "She was not so petty as to let one word destroy that. But I can admit now that I was not good to her, or for her," he sneered. "Not that your brother was any…"

"Watch it," Mia hissed.

Snape smirked as he fell silent then gave a curt nod in her general direction.

"For the record," Mia took a deep breath and sighed. "You were a better Potions Professor than Slughorn and I am grateful for your instruction. Even though you were a giant arse about it."

Snape merely nodded at her. Saying thank you had been far enough for him for one day.

"Oh," she said as she stepped toward the fireplace. "For the record. It was me who set you on fire during my first year," she grinned up at the painting. "And I also stole from your personal stores my second year to make Polyjuice Potion in order to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room. Oh, and I was the one that…" she tried to continue, but Remus took hold of her hand and tugged her toward the fireplace.

"Lovely seeing you Minerva," the werewolf said as he reached for a fistful of Floo Powder, throwing it into the fireplace. "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!" He shouted and gestured to Mia to step inside the flames.

"Minnie," Mia smiled at her old professor and then turned toward the painting. "Severus, always a pleasure," she said and then stepped into the fireplace.

oOoOoOo

**September 19th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Before the young wizard even made it to the bottom of the stairs, Sirius jumped up and grabbed his arm. "Harry, maybe let's leave Hermione alone for a bit," he suggested, hoping that he didn't appear too suspicious when Harry turned to look at him.

Sirius knew something like this could happen. Harry hated it when people kept secrets from him, and for good reason too. Sirius himself was very similar and he remembered more than one decent argument between himself and Mia that started because of her keeping something from him. Granted, it turned out she had a pretty damn good reason, and Sirius finally understood the position she'd been in for so long.

"Then tell me what's going on," Harry demanded.

"Fine…" Sirius ran a hand nervously through his hair, "fuck… okay… okay. What do you know about magical bonds?" He asked, knowing that he'd have to start somewhere… _honorable_ before he even got to the issues with Hermione.

"Bonds?" Harry shook his head, obviously confused. "I don't… didn't Bill and Fleur have something like that at their wedding?"

The Animagus groaned. "Oh Godric, I've really failed you as a godfather."

Harry's ire retreated a bit at the comment and he shook his head. "What? Don't say that, Sirius you've…"

Interrupting the boy, Sirius sat down immediately back at the table, dragging Harry into the chair beside him. "Right, I'm fixing this starting now before someone shows up and starts hexing my arse," he could already see Mia's flashing amber eyes and hear her screaming, 'You didn't even teach him about bonds? That's the most important foundation a wizard or witch needs to know, Sirius!'

"Alright, so bonds…" he began, "there are several different types. Familial, which you are usually born into unless adopted; Marital, which is self-explanatory; Servitude, meaning the bond between a Wizard and a house-elf; and Soul, meaning… well… soul mates. There's also werewolf bonds."

Harry looked like he was putting effort into trying to keep up. "So Tonks and Remus?"

Sirius nodded. "Are bonded twice, yes. Once, because she's his mate and again because they were bonded at their wedding."

"Were my parents bonded?" Harry asked curiously. "I realized that other than the one picture I have… I've never even really asked about their wedding," he said with a frown.

Sirius smiled. "Yes. It was… it was beautiful," he said softly, thinking of the wonderful day. "When your mum and dad bonded, she was magically sealed into the Potter family. Marriages… divorce is near impossible in the Wizarding world, Harry. Breaking a bond is physically painful because your magic is interwoven with the others who share the bond," he said and then swallowed. "Familial is a little different because it's so natural, but the bonds we choose… breaking them is," he hesitated as he remembered Remus describing to him the cold, painful feeling that he'd felt when James and Lily, and even himself, had died.

"What does a bond do?" Harry asked, breaking Sirius out of his dark thoughts.

The Animagus cleared his throat. "Strengthens your magic," he said clearly. "It ties you to the person and you… you share magic really, but only if they're sealed. Every bond goes through three stages. Preparation, provocation, and sealing. So, for instance, you and I share _two _types of bonds. _Familial _because I'm your godfather. That bond was prepared when I became friends with your parents and shared bonds with them, it was provoked when your father asked me to be your godfather, and sealed the first time he placed you in my arms. Usually bonds are sealed through a ritual, but we don't really have one for godparents," he shrugged his shoulders. "You share a similar bond with Teddy."

Harry's eyes widened suddenly as though he finally understood something that he'd been questioning. "Is that why I'm so protective over him?" He asked. "I didn't want to say anything because it seemed weird but I feel like... like he…"

"Belongs to you?" Sirius asked and Harry slowly nodded. "Yes. That's how I feel about you," Sirius said and ignored the tightness in his chest at the look of sudden elation on Harry's face. "You're not just the son of my friends, you're mine. _My _boy," he said proudly, cupping the back of Harry's head in his palm and smiling.

Harry cleared his throat, searching for the words. "Umm… I…" he mumbled, swallowed hard as he tried to fight through the emotions that were surfacing.

"It's okay, Harry," Sirius said, offering the boy a bit of relief. "There's more to go through. You share another bond with Teddy that connects you and I, through Remus. A Pack Bond."

"A werewolf pack?"

"Yes. When we were teenagers, your father, Mia, and I became a part of Remus' Pack," Sirius said with a nostalgic smile.

"Not Pettigrew?" Harry asked curiously.

Sirius scowled. "Fuck no," he spat. "Cowardly little shit wasn't there when…" he growled. "Sorry… I… Mia wouldn't have had him in the Pack anyway. She couldn't stand Peter."

Harry raised a questioning brow. "She couldn't? Then... "

"Why were the rest of us still friends with him?" Sirius asked and then shrugged. "She had pretty decent reasons at the time, but Mia was really smug when she was right about something and well… your dad," Sirius frowned. "Once you were friends with James, you were family. There were a few times when Peter and I had a falling out, but James would have never let it become permanent."

Sirius closed his eyes and took in slow deep breaths. Harry noticed the change immediately and cleared his throat. "So umm… how does the Pack bond include me?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject back to something Sirius was willing to talk about.

Sirius nodded, knowing what Harry was doing, but appreciating it nonetheless. "It's a very strong bond that extended to your mother and to you because the wolf in Remus saw Lily as my sister and James' mate. You're their well… their pup, or I suppose baby deer," he chuckled at the annoyed look on Harry's face. "Either way, Moony sees you as the son of the Pack. Teddy being Remus' son connects you that way. Pack members kind of… share."

Harry raised a brow. "Share what?"

Sirius forced the image of the Potter Orchards from his mind and cleared his throat since that was not _at all_ the direction he wanted to take this conversation. "Well, children for one I suppose. When you were born you were kind of… all of ours, I guess is the best way to look at it. Werewolves raise children as a Pack, so that's why Remus is protective of you as well, and why _you _feel the same for Teddy. You've got a big heart Harry," Sirius smiled. "But this extends beyond that. I know you've struggled because you've gone without family for so long, but… Harry you have a family. _We're _family. Family is more than blood."

Harry smiled softly. "I… I like that," he said on the end of an exhale as though he'd suddenly been relieved of a heavy burden. "Wait, did you say my mother was your sister?" He asked suddenly.

Sirius barked a laugh. "Yeah. It was never sealed so she wasn't Lily _Black_ or anything, but we kind of provoked a Familial Bond," he said, remembering the day when he'd given Lily the Potter heirloom bracelet; the same one that he and Harry had given Hermione just minutes ago. "I even stepped in as her family when she married your dad."

Harry smiled as though he liked the idea of his mother being connected to Sirius that way. "So, does that make you my uncle then?"

Sirius thought about it for a moment and sighed as he realized that _technically_ Sirius was a great many things to Harry. He was practically brothers with James, bonded brother to Lily, and had planned on marrying Mia at one point in time. Had things turned out properly, he actually would have been Harry's uncle. "That makes me… let's just keep it at godfather for now. Yeah?" He asked. "It sounds more prestigious."

Harry nodded and chuckled, "Okay."

"The bond I had with your mum," Sirius began again. "You have that with Hermione. Me giving her that bracelet tonight, and you telling her that she's your sister? That pretty much magically _made _her your family, Harry. Not your sister exactly, she would need to be adopted into the Potter family for that to happen. But, she's tied to you forever. Do you understand?" He asked.

Harry just silently nodded his head.

"Some bonds are stronger than others and some witches and wizards are magically in tuned with them. Mia could actually see the bonds when she meditated," Sirius told him. "Came in pretty handy once or twice," he added with a short laugh. "I can't see them myself, but I can _feel_ some of them. Like little tiny strings pulling at you."

Harry took a moment and tried to concentrate, closing his eyes to seek out the supposed bonds that Sirius told him he had. "I think I feel it… er… them," Harry said. "Like something right here," he said and pointed to his chest. "Is pulling in different directions. What does that mean?"

Sirius smiled. "Which directions? How many can you feel?"

Harry shrugged. "Not sure. One for sure goes straight to… to you."

"That'll be the Familial bond. It's one of only two you've had sealed. They're stronger that way," Sirius explained.

"So, what does this have to do with…" the boy began and Sirius could tell that he was trying to bring the subject back to Hermione.

"Mia and I shared a Soul Bond," Sirius said quickly, interrupting the young wizard.

"You were soul mates with my aunt?" Harry asked. "Wow."

"Yes." Sirius smiled anxiously. "It's very rare."

"What… what was that like?"

The raven-haired wizard laughed uncomfortably. "Intense," he said first and then added, "awkward, uncomfortable, horrible, wonderful, awful."

Harry frowned. "I don't understand."

"I didn't want the bond at first," he told him. "I thought it meant that magic would force us together and that we wouldn't have a choice and I'd gone my whole life being told what to do. I already had my parents ready to force me into an arranged marriage I knew would be terrible and I didn't want some magical force to do the same thing, and I… I loved Mia too much to let her be treated similarly." He frowned. "I thought she deserved better than me. So it was awful. But bonds kind of make you protect the other. You want them safe and happy more than anything else. So…" he thought of Remus and Mia and _his_ insistence that they give it another go. "It got complicated for a while."

"Did you ever… seal it?" Harry asked.

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "That would have meant marriage and I… I fucked that up pretty bad."

"So, does your Soul Bond with my aunt mean that you and Hermione aren't…"

The raven-haired wizard took a slow deep breath, knowing that despite Harry being calm and collected for the majority of the conversation, this was a turning point. "Okay… so to prepare any bond, there needs to be emotion. Love. I love you, you love Teddy and Hermione, Remus loved all of us, I loved Mia. To provoke a bond, there needs to be action. James asking me to be your godfather, Remus asking you the same for Teddy. Me giving Hermione that bracelet and you accepting it. Sometimes… bonds are provoked by magic."

"What kind of magic?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Not dark, just… grey… ish." He winced. "When Hermione brought me back from the Veil, she used blood magic. An old ritual that uses an uncollected life debt. When Hermione called me from the Veil, she provoked a bond between us." Sirius looked down at the table, worried about making eye contact with Harry and seeing his reaction as all the pieces began to fit together.

"So… does that make Hermione your…" Harry began.

"Oh, shit," Sirius mumbled as his grey eyes fell on the book in front of him. His breath quickened at the sight of the movement on the page where Mia's faded name grew darker, no longer hovering but sticking to the page. Then there, below her name was written her date of birth.

_Mia Potter  
__Born 19 September 1979_

"What?" Harry asked. "Sirius?" His green eyes followed Sirius' line of sight to the book where Harry watched as the date wrote itself into the book. "I don't understand. That's…"

"I'm sorry, Harry," Sirius said as he realized what had happened. Mia was alive. Alive and here in this timeline. Whatever Remus did had worked and the book recognized it; recognized that she was finally Mia again and back in the world where she belonged. "Please… I…" Sirius looked up at his godson. "Please remember I would never do anything to hurt you or my family."

Harry's green eyes widened at Sirius' panic. "Sirius, what the hell is going on?"

Just then, there was the whooshing sound of the Floo in the other room being activated.

"Sirius!" A feminine voice shouted from the other room.

Both Harry and Sirius rushed into the hallway and there at the end she stood.

Sirius' lips parted and his breath hitched in his chest at the sight of her. His eyes raked over her body which was so much more perfect than he had remembered. Bare feet and pink painted toes, long slender legs barely covered in a pair of green hotpants. The Quidditch jersey hung off of her body loosely, but he could still see her curves, see how her long soft curls flowed over her shoulder and breasts. His hands twitched as the need to bury his fingers in those curls became overwhelming. Her shoulder was bared and he could see the scar, the Pack Mark. His inner Animagus shook with need at the sight.

"Sirius…" she whispered at the sight of him.

His grey eyes turned to look at her face where… _amber_. Amber eyes.

_Firewhisky_.

"Hermione?" Harry blinked at the sight of the witch who'd appeared out of the Floo despite the fact that he'd seen her go downstairs to the Library just a short while ago. "How'd you… what're you wearing and…"

She slowly stepped forward, not taking her eyes off of Sirius.

Terrified that it wasn't real despite all of the evidence, Sirius' voice broke as he whispered questioningly, "Hermione?"

He hadn't realized until she was this close that there was no softness in those amber eyes that were currently blazing. Two things happened very quickly, much too quickly for the Animagus to properly respond. First, the witch's eyes narrowed, and second, she hit him across the face hard enough to turn his head, the sound of the loud smack echoing in the hallway.

Sirius winced at the sudden pain, gripping his jaw as he turned back to look at the witch whose hair was sparking wildly as she glared viciously at him.

"Mia," he said, grinning at her.

* * *

**A/N**: She's baaaaack!

Alright, so I know that everyone's going to ask for another chapter uploaded today, but I can't. I have a schedule I need to stick to otherwise eventually I'll stop being able to upload daily as I will have run out of pre-written chapters. 127 will be posted tomorrow morning.


	127. Chapter 127

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I can't tell you how much the reaction to the beginning of Part Four has just made me so excited to keep writing. Knocked out two chapters yesterday just being propelled forward by your amazing reviews! Some questions in the reviews on the last chapter regarding Hermione vs Mia will be answered in this chapter so I won't do much of a Q&amp;A here. Also, I'm really hoping to start responding more to your reviews via PMs. I know I've been pretty terrible at it in this past (and I'm sure that the posting schedule has something to do with it) but I'd like to start being a much more grateful writer.

I love this chapter. I've had the majority of it written since Part One was still being finished.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven: Sirius' Choice

"_...I have died every day waiting for you_  
_Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you_  
_For a thousand years_  
_I'll love you for a thousand more_  
_And all along I believed I would find you_  
_Time has brought your heart to me_  
_I have loved you for a thousand years_  
_I'll love you for a thousand more…"_  
_(A Thousand Years - Christina Perri)_

* * *

**September 19th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"You selfish prick!" The witch screamed loud enough that Walburga Black's portrait downstairs awoke and began screeching incoherently behind the heavy drapes.

Remus rushed in behind Mia with wide eyes, taking in the scene of his best friend screaming at Sirius and suddenly, it was like old times. Not wanting to leave them alone with poor Harry starring shocked in the corner, Remus threw a Silencing Charm at the doorway to block out the screams of Sirius' mother.

"Mia?" Sirius repeated her name, this time stepping closer to her as though she hadn't just hit him in the face and called him a prick. He cupped her cheeks in his hands as he stared into her eyes and grinned wildly.

"Don't you dare 'Mia' me you absolute arse!" The witch growled viciously and hit him in the shoulder as hard as she could which, and considering her small frame, it was surprisingly hard.

"Merlin... Mia?" Sirius said in awe as though she wasn't still yelling at him. He reached up and put a hand through her honey-brown locks.

"Oh, no you don't!" She snapped as she pulled away from his grip, ignoring the pout that crossed his face when he realized he was no longer touching her. "Keep your filthy paws to yourself, Sirius Black! I am furious with you!" She screamed and then, her bottled rage exploded and she smacked him across the face again, this time on the other side.

Unprepared for her assault, Sirius stumbled a bit, wincing at the sharp sting of pain in his cheek "What the fuck!?" He turned and growled at her. "Why're you hitting me!?"

She stormed toward him once again and smacked his chest repeatedly as she continued yelling. "I'm hitting you because you deserve it! You _left _me!" She shouted, but this time a sob came out on the end of her words.

Sirius' grey eyes widened at the accusation. "I didn't leave you, _you _left _me_!" He snapped at her.

"I didn't do it on purpose you prat!" She hissed. "I didn't have a choice! And I was trying to tell you, but you got your knickers in a fucking twist and flew out the bloody fucking door!"

Harry stood staring wide-eyed at his best friend screaming at his godfather, using words he didn't completely understand. All he knew was that Hermione had left them not more than an hour earlier wearing a simple modest Muggle dress, and now she was wearing… Harry's eyes purposely looked away from her legs and… _wait, was her hair longer?_ So many questions were building in his head as he watched, horrified, at the scene in front of him. "Remus?" Harry whispered as the werewolf came to stand by his side.

"It's best to just let it ride out," Remus advised.

"Remus, Hermione just said 'fuck'."

The werewolf nodded. "Yes, she did."

"And a large number of other swears I've never heard her say before," Harry mumbled. "Hermione doesn't swear."

Remus snorted. "She does now."

"Ow!" Sirius shouted as Mia descended upon him again, her fists clenched tightly as she smacked him on any body part that became visible to her. "Bloody woman, stop fucking hitting me!" He yelled back at her, lightly swatting at her flailing fists to defend himself.

"Give me one good reason why I should _ever _stop hitting you!" She hissed at him.

Sirius grinned at the wild look in her eye. "So I can do this," he said and reached forward, grabbing her by the hair and tugging her to him roughly. She growled at the maneuver and he'd surely get smacked again for it later, but he crushed his lips against hers before she had the chance to start yelling again and _Godric, the taste of her_… his fingers relaxed in her hair but he held her still tightly against him with one hand, the other immediately roaming down to her waist where he pulled her hard against his body so she could feel _just_ how much he had missed her.

The witch whimpered for a moment and then opened her mouth to him, pressing her lips hard against his and when he groaned as her tongue swept into his mouth, she smiled against him and practically crawled up his body, wrapping her legs around his waist with little effort. Sirius responded immediately, backing her into the nearest wall where he pinned her there firmly, the paintings beside and above them shaking slightly at the movement, as he continued to devour her, gripping her arse and involuntarily pressing himself against her as though their bodies were magnetically drawn to one another; separated for so long, they yearned to be reunited and to never part again.

This wasn't the sweet, soft goodbye kiss that he'd given Hermione only an hour ago in the Library, nor was it the passionate embrace they'd share mid-battle only months ago; this was Mia. Where Hermione was warmth, Mia was fire; where Hermione was soft, yielding, and pliant, Mia was firm, demanding, and forceful; where Hermione was shy, Mia was currently biting his lower lip. He tasted blood, tears, and the overwhelming flavor that was distinctly her. Merlin help him…

_She tasted how Firewhisky felt_.

Harry stood in complete shock and at a total loss of words as his godfather pressed Hermione against the opposite wall, kissing her like… Merlin, Harry was fairly certain he'd never even kissed Ginny like that before. He wanted desperately to say something, but the words wouldn't come to him. When Sirius did something that made Hermione moan in a way that left no room for imagination, his patience with whatever this was finally snapped.

"What the hell!?" He shouted.

Remus reached out and put a hand on Harry's shoulder, holding him back. "Just... give them a minute. Trust me," the werewolf offered an apologetic smile. "We'll explain soon, but they... they need this."

After another full minute, Mia pulled away from Sirius, breaking their kiss and sobbing. "I hate you," she said as tears streaked down her face.

Sirius pressed his forehead against hers and tried to catch his breath. "I love you. Baby, I love you so much."

Mia cried harder and kissed him again quickly. "I'm so sorry I never told you."

Sirius frowned. "I understand," he whispered. "Remus explained everything after the Shrieking Shack incident."

"Were you angry with me?"

Sirius laughed. "Fuck yes, and I imagine you and I will scream at each other later on for a number of things. But honestly I've had enough years to get over it and right now I don't want to fight with you." He leaned forward and brushed his lips over her cheeks, down across her jaw and finally resting them at the place just below her ear where he buried his face in the mass of honey-brown curls.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius, I love you," she whispered as she threaded her fingers through his long black hair, sending a long awaited shiver down his spine. "I'll never leave you again."

Sirius grinned against her skin, nuzzling the spot below her ear before whispering, "That's cute that you think you have a choice, kitten."

"Ahem!" Remus cleared his throat loudly, chuckling when they both turned to look at him as though they'd forgotten they weren't alone there in the hallway.

Mia smiled at Remus, mildly embarrassed for her wanton behavior, though really it wasn't as though the werewolf hadn't seen it before. Her amber eyes fell on the messy head of black hair standing beside Remus and her mouth fell open, her heart jumping in her chest. She pried herself away from Sirius quickly and rushed toward the dark-haired wizard next to the werewolf, unaware of the worried looks Sirius and Remus were sharing as she moved.

"Jamie!" Hermione yelled as she fell into Harry's open arms. She smiled brightly and kissed his cheeks before she realized that something didn't feel right. _Too skinny,_ she thought as she held him tightly and reality settled heavily on her chest.

"_I'm so sorry I've lied to you all and that I've made Jamie lie…"_

"_Don't apologize for anything Mia. I've never lied. You're my sister and always have been as far as I'm concerned. I could give a shit what your blood status is. You're a Potter."_

"Hermione?" Harry whispered, looking over her shoulder at Remus and Sirius who both looked utterly devastated and helpless.

She pulled away from Harry and stared into his eyes. Those bright, bright… _green _eyes.

"Lily," Mia whispered.

"_I can't accept this, take it back."_

_"Nope."_

"_Mia…"_

"_Nope. I agree with Sirius. You're my sister. And that makes you a Potter, or maybe a Black since Sirius is the one giving it to you. Besides, James will just fall to pieces when he sees you wearing it. And if anyone honors the words of our House it's you. Courage and Craft? Might as well just say 'Lily Evans'."_

Mia reached up and brushed the black hair off of Harry's forehead where her eyes spotted the slightly faded lightning bolt scar rested there upon his skin. She jumped away from him as though she'd been burned, her hands shaking as she wrapped them around herself, staring at him with tears pricking at her eyes.

"Harry," she whispered the name and then swallowed hard.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Harry asked worriedly.

Her bottom lip trembled and she brought her hands to cover her mouth. She closed her eyes and a few stray tears fell down her cheeks a she shook her head. "No... Remus…" she said, immediately reaching out for the werewolf, her rock. "I... I can't…" she sobbed.

"It's okay, love," Remus frowned.

Mia took one last look at Harry before she turned and ran up the stairs.

"Should I?" Remus muttered, gesturing to Mia's retreating form. "Or do you…" he asked, looking down at Sirius who was staring ahead at Harry who had turned his green eyes on his godfather angrily.

"Maybe let her have a moment to herself," Sirius suggested. "Harry's got questions and I think right now he wouldn't appreciate _me_ going after her."

"That would be accurate," Harry growled.

"And I've seen the kid destroy a Dark Lord, frankly I'd rather not be left alone with him, Moony," Sirius said and tugged on Remus' robes to force the werewolf to follow him into the other room where Sirius immediately poured each of them a tumbler of Firewhisky, and a glass of Scotch for himself.

"Come on, Harry," Remus pushed the crystal tumbler toward the young wizard. "Let's have a drink."

"Send a Patronus to your wife first to let her know what's happened, then close the Floo and put up anti-Apparition wards," Sirius instructed Remus who had yet to take the seat opposite Harry, who was now looking at his godfather as though mentally preparing for a duel. "I don't want anyone coming in unannounced. The last thing she needs is to be overwhelmed."

"She's already overwhelmed, Pads."

"Well then, _I_ don't want to be overwhelmed."

Remus nodded and walked into the other room to close the Floo as Sirius requested. When he returned only a minute or two later, both dark-haired wizards were exactly as he'd left them, not a one had even touched their drink yet. Remus sighed at the sight and took a seat at the table, glancing briefly at the open genealogy book in front of him. He smiled at the now permanent sight of Mia's name in the book and closed it, setting it aside as he reached for his glass of Firewhisky.

"One of you going to explain now?" Harry snapped. "I have a lot of bloody questions!"

"Drink first," Sirius gestured.

"Harry, when we were kids Sirius and I had the pleasure of befriending your father," Remus began. "What we've never told you is that we were both introduced to James by his sister."

"Oh, we've been through all of this. Got all the way to teaching him about bonds," Sirius explained.

"And Mia?"

"Not… entirely there yet," Sirius winced. "Harry," he sighed. "I forgot to mention that your dad's sister was adopted. We didn't know it until years later, but she was a Muggle-born witch that lost her family and so Dumbledore brought her to the Potters. Brought her there because she was wearing a Potter heirloom," Sirius said and gestured to his wrist.

Harry's mouth fell open. "No…"

"Harry, Mia was…" Remus began.

"Mia," Harry whispered and looked up at his godfather. "But you called Hermione…"

"During our seventh year at Hogwarts," Remus interrupted, "we saw scars on Mia's arm. Cut into her flesh. A word."

"Mudblood," Harry whispered in shock.

Remus and Sirius both nodded gravely.

"That's not possible." Harry shook his head.

"Mia told me everything," Remus continued. "Said that she was from the year 1998 and she'd been sent back in time and that in order to keep her safe from Death Eaters who might discover her secret, Dumbledore gave her a De-Aging Potion, had her adopted her into a Pure-blood family, changed her name and stuck her in Hogwarts with us. The potion he gave her changed her body, but for some reason as she aged, her old scars reappeared. When the one on her arm showed up, she had to tell me the truth. Mia made me promise that in nineteen years I would take a stolen Time-Turner, charm it into a Portkey and trick Hermione Granger, herself, into going back to 1971."

Harry's eyes flashed. "You? _You_ did this to her? You sent Hermione into the past!?"

"I did."

"How could you do that, Remus!?"

"Because she asked me… no… _begged _me to," the werewolf responded with sad eyes. "Harry, Hermione was with us for _years_. She built a life with us. She was hysterical at the idea that she might not get sent back; might never become James' sister or my friend or Sirius'..." he paused and looked at his friend who was staring into the glass of Scotch, still untouched as though he were fighting with it in some sort of mental battle. The werewolf turned his attention back to Harry. "Could you ever deny Hermione anything, Harry? If she pleaded with you, begged you and made you promise? Is there _anything _in this world that you would ever deny her?"

Harry answered immediately. "No … she's ... she's my ... she's my Hermione."

Remus smiled in understanding. "Well, nineteen years ago she was _my Mia_. And I gave her my word."

The boy leaned forward and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "This is so confusing. So how long has she been gone? I don't understand, we just saw Hermione go downstairs."

"She left tonight," Sirius answered, his voice hoarse. "Remus and I walked her to the Library where the Time-Turner was waiting. She's technically been gone less than an hour. At least to us."

"How long has it been for her?"

"Eight years," Sirius replied.

Harry's eyes widened. "She looks the same. Or well…" he paused remembering her clothing, hair and there'd even been something wrong with her eyes. "She looks the same age."

"That's because of the De-Aging Potion," Sirius answered.

Harry nodded, trying to process everything that they were telling him now, adding it all together with what Sirius had told him before about his father's sister. "She grew up with you? How have I not seen any pictures?"

"_She_ took them all," Remus shrugged. "And the few that she was in disappeared."

"I have them," Sirius whispered.

"_You_ kept them?" Remus turned to him.

Sirius nodded. "They're locked away in my room. The stuff Dumbledore gave you when I went to Azkaban? There was a box in there I kept all our pictures in. When she vanished I… I hid them all."

"The metal box you keep in your room?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded. "I'll take them out and show you later. Then again, _she _might want to show you."

There was a long moment of silence while Harry and Remus each nursed their Firewhisky and Sirius swirled his Scotch in the glass, still not bringing it to his lips.

"Care to explain what happened in the hallway?" Harry asked.

"Does it really need explaining?" Sirius snorted.

Harry glowered at him. "It really does, Sirius."

The Animagus sighed and scrubbed his hand down his face. "I haven't seen that girl, _Mia _mind you... not Hermione, _Mia_... for nineteen years. Kind of got carried away."

"So you and Hermione... were... are... what?"

"Soul Bond," Sirius answered.

"When did this happen?" Harry asked.

"From what I can tell, Hermione provoked the Soul Bond on _her _end when she pulled me from the Veil," he explained. "She carried it with her into the past where she met me when I was eleven. I provoked _my_ end of the Soul Bond when I kissed her there."

"You've kissed Hermione before?" Harry asked.

"_Mia_," Remus corrected him. "He's kissed _Mia_."

"I kissed Hermione too," Sirius confessed.

"Oh, right, just a while ago in the Library," Remus nodded. "I'd forgotten."

"No, I kissed her before that," Sirius said.

"What? When?"

"In the middle of the battle," he answered with a smirk and when both Harry and Remus gaped at him, he rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me like that, I thought we were going to die. Besides, it's not like this was a one-off thing for me. For fuck's sake, I was going to marry the girl."

"Hermione?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Mia," Remus corrected again.

"She's the same witch!" Sirius snapped. "It's just a fucking nickname!"

"Wait, you proposed to Mia?" Remus asked, his soft green eyes widening.

"You and Hermione were engaged?" Harry's mouth fell open.

"How the hell did I not know this?!" Remus shouted. "You proposed to Mia and she didn't tell me? I'm her best friend, she told me everything!" He insisted, looking a little put out by the information.

"She didn't know, dickhead!" Sirius scowled at the werewolf. "I hadn't gotten the guts to do it yet and then she fucking vanished one night before I had the chance to bloody ask her! And you are _not _her best friend, _I'm _her best friend."

Remus rolled his eyes at the ridiculous declaration. "Did James know?" He asked, "James had to have known. You told each other everything. He owled you detailed letters from his damn honeymoon with Lily!"

"Ugh…" Harry grimaced.

"'Ugh' is right," Sirius agreed. "Your Dad was descriptive and not in a good way."

"What the hell is the good way?" Remus asked.

"Don't answer that!" Harry shouted.

Remus and Sirius burst into laughter. A moment later, Remus spoke up. "So you were going to ask Mia to marry you, and James didn't even know?"

"Prongs knew," Sirius smiled sadly. "He helped me find the damn ring."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"You would have told her," Sirius shrugged. "Besides, at the time I thought it was weird, for obvious reasons."

"What reasons?" Harry asked.

Sirius cleared his throat and tossed a look at Remus who had gone pale. "I'll tell you when you're older," Sirius insisted much to Harry's annoyance. "Anyways, I was going to propose but then she goes and fucks it all up by picking a fight with me at the flat, and I left to cool off. By the time I got back, she was missing. Left everything behind except her wand and my damn Quidditch jersey. I loved that jersey," he said with a pout, trying to alleviate some of the tension with humor.

"You loved _her_?" Harry questioned.

Sirius nodded. "Still do. Love like that doesn't go away," he said firmly, his grey eyes looking up at his godson. "It just sits in your chest and waits for you to die."

Harry frowned. "Did she love you?"

"More than anything in the whole world," Remus answered for Sirius.

The Animagus sighed and swallowed, finally pushing the glass of Scotch away from him before speaking. "Harry… I know this is hard to hear but…"

"It's _more _than hard to hear," Harry insisted. "You stole my best friend after kissing her behind my back, shoved her into the past and made her my…" Harry winced. "And your… what if… what if this is too much?" He asked.

Sirius paled. "What do you mean?"

The young wizard took a moment before speaking. "I mean, I assume you're planning on continuing your relationship with her?"

"I…"

"Is she still even Hermione? Is there any bit of my best friend left in there?" Harry asked angrily.

"Harry," Remus frowned. "I've been asking myself the exact same question for the last four years."

Harry nodded in understanding, turning his attention back to his godfather. "What if… what if I'm not okay with this, Sirius?"

The raven-haired wizard swallowed hard and clenched his fists together tightly. "Harry… please don't…"

"Harry!" Remus scolded.

"No, Remus," the boy turned and narrowed his eyes at the wolf before turning back to Sirius who was looking at him with desperate, pleading eyes. "I want to hear it from _him_. What if I said I don't approve of this? What if I asked you to choose? Your… whatever it is with Hermione… or me?"

"Please don't," Sirius begged, closing his eyes and willing Harry to understand.

"Answer the question," Harry demanded.

"It would… it would kill me to lose you," Sirius confessed thinking of the first moment that James placed Harry in his arms. The moment he'd been forced to hand him over to Hagrid when James and Lily were killed. The moment they'd finally been reunited, and again after Sirius had been pulled from the Veil. "Harry, you know about the bonds now. You know what you are to me. You're not just… you're my s-s…" his voice broke.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I know, and you're the only father I can remember," he admitted. "So answer the question."

Sirius clenched his eyes shut tightly. "Her," he whispered, his heart breaking. "It would kill me… but I would choose _her_. Always _her_. Forever _her_."

"Alright then," Harry said and then stood.

"Harry…" Remus looked up at the boy.

"That's all I needed to know," Harry said as he approached his godfather, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Sirius, I love Hermione. She's… she's been _mine _to protect since I was eleven years old. I spent far too long standing by and watching Ron make her cry and Malfoy call her names. Too involved in my own shit to even bother asking about Krum or _do_ anything about McLaggen. And then, I dragged her into a war and she never once left my side. She suffered. She was tortured. She almost died. She lost _everything _for me, Sirius." He stood tall, holding his head high, his eyes hard and dark. "So I'll do _anything _for her, and that means choosing her over you. So…" Harry exhaled slowly. "So if you want my approval or… whatever, you have it. But if you hurt her…"

Sirius' eyes widened. "You approve?"

Harry shrugged, the boyishness in him returning. "Well, you say she's your soul mate. I want you both happy," he admitted. "Don't get me wrong, it's strange, but seven years ago, I didn't know I was a wizard or how to fly on a broom. I didn't have a godfather that could turn into a dog, and about a thousand other things that at some point I would have considered strange. So… I guess I'll adjust like I normally do."

Sirius laughed and stood up, pulling Harry into his arms and patting him on the back. "You are… your dad would have been so proud of you," he told him.

Harry smiled awkwardly when they pulled apart from one another, running his hand through his hair. "So… is she going to be okay?" He asked, worriedly.

Remus nodded. "I think seeing you made it all real. She vanished two years before your parents died. The last time she saw them was at their wedding."

"So… seeing me…" Harry said as he understood. "She thought I was my dad."

Sirius nodded. "And then she realized you weren't."

"Wow."

"I told her as much as I could," Remus offered. "Said that nothing changed. She cried for a while, begged me to send her back a few times."

Sirius winced at the thought.

"Should I…" Harry began nervously. "I mean, should I leave? Go to the Burrow for a while until she…"

"I think you should go to her," Remus suggested.

"What?" Harry's eyebrows shot to his hairline in surprise.

"Harry, she told me about you," Remus smiled. "_Mia_, I mean. She barely mentioned anyone else, sometimes in passing; Ron once, Neville a few times, but she missed you. For eight years."

"Won't it hurt her to look at me?" Harry frowned.

"No more than it does the rest of us," Sirius said honestly. "I won't lie to you Harry, you're a reminder of what we lost, but… you're a reminder of what we still have. You're the best of both of your parents and still somehow you're yourself as well. Mia loved James and Lily. But Mia is still Hermione. It's just a nickname. She's still Hermione and Hermione loves you."

Harry slowly nodded and, without another word, turned from the room and headed for the staircase to look for his best friend.

"Fuck, that was awful." Sirius collapsed back into his chair and leaned forward, resting his head in his arms on the table.

Remus nodded. "That looked painful. He might be a little more Slytherin than we ever gave him credit for," he said with a slight chuckle.

"I think I'd rather be stabbed with an antler again," Sirius confessed.

oOoOoOo

It had taken a few minutes to locate the witch. Harry had first, of course, checked the Library only to find it with no trace of the girl save for the new books she'd received for her birthday hours earlier. He'd gone next to Hermione's room, but she wasn't there either. Harry wondered if she'd even remembered which room had been hers if she'd really been gone for eight years. After checking each and every room, Harry was unsurprised to find his best friend curled up in the center of Sirius' bed. He knocked lightly on the door. "Hermione?"

She sniffled slightly and then whispered. "I haven't been called that in a long time."

Harry stepped inside the room, shutting the door behind him. He thought to light a Lumos but changed his mind figuring that looking at him would hurt her too much. "Are you okay?" He asked as he approached the bed, taking a seat on the end of it.

"A little freaked out," she admitted quietly. "The boys explain everything?"

"Boys?" Harry rose a brow.

"Sorry," she chuckled softly. "Remus and Sirius."

"You were my dad's sister?" Harry replied. "And Sirius'... soul mate?"

Mia widened her eyes as she sat up. "Oh wow… they got out more than I thought they would."

"Are you still Hermione?" He asked, worry in his voice.

Mia turned and smiled at him, reaching out and touching his face affectionately. "Yes," she answered. "I've just… been lost for a very long time." She brushed Harry's hair from his forehead again and then watched as it fell back in his face, covering the scar. She smiled. "Merlin, you look just like Jamie."

"Jamie?" Harry smirked. "I've never heard anyone call my dad that before."

"That's cause I was the only one allowed to." She continued smiling as she looked him over. "I can't believe how much you look like him."

"Except for the eyes?" Harry asked with a crooked grin.

Mia smiled and then nodded, pressing her lips tightly together as she fought back the tears that were trying to resurface. "This is going to be hard. I didn't want to have to do this again."

"Again?"

Mia nodded. "The first year or so being with Jamie was painful because he looked just like you, and I missed you so damn much. It was just ... shit without you," she said and sobbed once before laughing.

"You curse a lot now," Harry pointed out, chuckling.

"Blame Sirius," she said.

"Speaking of Sirius…" Harry began.

"Can it wait?" She asked. "I'm… I don't think I can do this right now."

He nodded. "Do you want me to go?"

She shook her head and pulled him down on the bed with her, wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Please don't," she begged.


	128. Chapter 128

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews! Lots still to get through story wise!

Q&amp;As** \- BlueFrost**, Despite being back, Mia is not the Head of House Potter because, despite the Wizarding world making changes since the 1970's, it's still a patriarchy driven society. Harry is Head of House Potter, especially since he's the only living heir. **TheWeirdestSister** and** multipass22**, It's still up in the air how many chapters there will be total, but it's looking somewhere between 160 and 175. **apriljunemay **and** ChizomenoHime**, Sirius does still have the opal ring in his possession. **Wriggle Grace **and** Duner89**, Mia appears nineteen because she physically is. The Unspeakable that went back in time that Dumbledore and Hermione talk about in Chapter 16 turned out to be a fable that the Ministry used to warn people off of messing with Time Magic, so the issues around that don't apply. Mia is nineteen still and will age normally from this point forward.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight: Indulge Me

"_...When I see your smile_  
_Tears roll down my face I can't replace_  
_And now that I'm strong I have figured out_  
_How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul_  
_And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one…"_  
_(Your Guardian Angel - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)_

* * *

**September 20th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Mia opened her amber eyes early the following morning just as the sun was peeking in through the windows in Sirius' bedroom at Number Twelve. The memories of the last day were fresh in her thoughts as she breathed in the scent on her pillow. Grass, parchment, and leather. It settled her nerves as she fought through the initial emotions that returned rapidly, reminding herself that James and Lily were gone. She took a deep breath and turned to the warm body beside her and smiled sadly.

_Gone… but not forgotten_, she thought as she reached out and affectionately ran her fingers through Harry's hair. She hovered over him, inspecting his features to look for each and every similarity that the boy had to her brother and Lily. She wanted desperately to find old pictures from the years that she missed. Lily's pregnancy, Harry's birth, and any photo of the boy when he was little. He was still Harry, her best friend who she had been missing so badly. But he was also Jamie's son, in all technicalities he was her nephew, family, and she had missed the first eleven years of his life. Years she had been looking forward to seeing before the damn Time-Turner went haywire and started a countdown. Mia sighed disappointedly and leaned forward, kissing Harry's forehead.

"Hermione?" Harry mumbled sleepily.

"Mmm?"

"This is weird."

She chuckled quietly. "Indulge me," she insisted. "I had a rough night. Besides, I was actually really looking forward to watching you grow up."

Harry opened his eyes and Mia had to fight back the emotions again as she stared into the emerald depths. "You _did _watch me grow up. You grew up with me."

"You know what I mean," she frowned, and continued to rake her fingers through his hair.

"You're… a lot more affectionate than you were… yesterday," Harry pointed out.

She shrugged. "Kind of had to be. I was always one for hugs of course, but Jamie had issues with getting into people's personal space, and Sirius was no better."

"I think he really missed you."

Mia smiled. "I really missed him."

Harry raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What? I thought… I mean weren't you just with him? _Younger_ him... yesterday?"

"Yes, but I missed the older Sirius," she tried to explain. "I… Harry, did they tell you what happened when I pulled Sirius from the Veil?"

He nodded. "Provoked your Soul Bond."

Her eyes widened slightly. "So you know… you know how I feel about Sirius?"

"You love him."

"More than anything," she admitted quietly, her bottom lip quivering. "And… yesterday, or at least yesterday to you… I loved him then too." She said, remembering eight years ago when she'd been standing in the Black Family Library and an older Sirius Black kissed her sweetly and pleaded with her to be happy, leaving promises of explanations about their bond for the following morning. Today. Today was the day after her nineteenth birthday, though she hardly needed any explanations about bonds now.

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Mhmm. And then I got sent back in time and had to deal with an eleven-year-old bratty, arrogant, _severely_ needy Sirius who took up all the space on the couch in the Common Room, made me buy him Cauldron Cakes on the train, and picked fights with Slytherins and got us all into trouble," she laughed and Harry grinned. "_Constantly_ in trouble. I very much missed the older Sirius for a long time."

Harry smiled at her but started feeling awkward and soon he sat up and ran a hand through his own hair as though he were attempting to fix it which, of course, did nothing in the end. "We should go down to breakfast. I doubt he slept well after last night."

"Good," Mia said with a bite to her voice. "Miserable son of a bitch left me." She watched as Harry turned and stared at her with wide eyes. "What?" She asked. "I can love him and still be incredibly pissed off, which I am. If we owned a dog house he'd be sleeping in it. In human form."

Harry laughed. "Are you sure you're still Hermione?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Just… now I don't hold much back. I've lived an additional eight years, you know. I look good for my age, don't I?" She smirked.

Harry actually blushed as he looked her over, ultimately grimacing. "Well, if you weren't gross before because you were like my sister, you're definitely gross now because you're my… oh Merlin, Hermione you're my _aunt_."

They both burst into laughter. "To be fair, I did mother you quite a bit at Hogwarts," Mia said while giggling.

"Fair enough," Harry smiled. "I think you should go and see Sirius."

"You're okay with it?" She asked with pleading eyes.

He shrugged. "I'll live."

Mia sighed and reached out to brush the hair from his forehead again. "Boy-Who-Lived," she whispered.

"_Man_-Who-Lived-Despite-His-Godfather-Snogging-His-Best-Mate," Harry corrected her and grinned.

Mia snorted and shook her head, figuring that it was best to leave him thinking 'snogging' for the time being. If she remembered correctly, Harry was never overly comfortable with public displays of affection, something he would certainly need to get over very soon. "I love you Harry Potter," she smiled at him.

"I love you Hermione Gr… wait…" Harry paused. "You're a _Potter_ now, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said and looked down at the duplicate Potter bracelet she wore on her wrist; the original bracelet, of course, had been left to Lily.

"If we were at Hogwarts and I pulled out the Map, what would it say your name is?" Harry asked her.

"Mia Potter," she replied. "That's what it legally is. Mum and Dad… er… your Grandparents, legally adopted me and I became Mia Potter. I might change it at least to _Hermione_ Potter though. Mia always was technically just a nickname, and I don't expect you to call me it," she told him and by the look on his face he was relieved. She knew this process would be difficult for a lot of people, herself included, and she wanted to make it easier on as many as possible. "Really the only people who would are probably Sirius and Remus."

"So you're okay with being a Potter?" Harry asked her. "You don't want to stay a Granger?"

Mia frowned. "Harry, my… my _Muggle _parents were dead to me eight years ago. I know to you I was sobbing in the other room just a few months ago because I couldn't give them back their memories, but I've mourned them," she explained. "I was given a gift. A second chance, a second family and I loved them dearly. Charlus and Dorea Potter were as much my parents as Richard and Helen Granger. But Richard and Helen Granger were Muggles that raised a Muggle-born witch and couldn't understand our world. Charlus and Dorea Potter were my… my _magical _parents. My blood belonged to the Grangers, but my magic, my _bond_, belonged with the Potters. I am a Potter and very proud to be one."

Harry grinned. "Me too."

oOoOoOo

When Harry and Hermione walked into the kitchen to find Remus sitting at the small table reading the Prophet, the witch rushed forward and into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck.

"Good morning, love," the werewolf laughed.

"Remus is that food?" Mia asked, looking down at a bowl that was sitting in front of an empty chair.

He nodded. "Porridge with berries and tea, just the way you like it."

"_You_ made it?" She asked him with a suspicious glance as she sat down in the chair and poked at the food with a spoon as though she were waiting for something to crawl out of it.

Remus briefly scowled. "Had to learn sometime. Andromeda's been teaching me."

Mia nodded and took a bite of her breakfast and let a pleasant smile fall over her face. "This is so good," she said with a grin and then took a long sip of her tea, swallowing it all down. "Oh, you beautiful man, I could kiss you!"

"His wife might have a problem with that," Harry snorted as he stood near an open window, attaching a letter to the leg of Mercury, the shared owl of the house that Sirius bought shortly after their return to Grimmauld Place following the war. The brown owl took flight and Harry turned around to smile awkwardly at the sight of Hermione picking a strip of bacon off of Remus' plate which, for anyone else, would have garnered at the very least a growl from the werewolf. Remus, however, seemed to barely notice the theft as though he'd already expected it.

"Unlikely," Remus smiled. "Dora's been looking forward to meeting Mia for years."

"Really?" Mia looked up at the werewolf anxiously. "I'm nervous," she admitted.. "Is it weird that I'm nervous?"

"It'll be fine, Mia," he reached out and patted her arm.

She nodded, still slightly worried, and finished off the tea in her cup. "When will Tonks come?" She asked and then a thought occurred to her. "And Teddy! Oh Merlin, I get to see Teddy! Where's my little godson?" She asked, her amber eyes bright and sparkling.

"_Your_ godson?" Harry narrowed his eyes, a tiny magical string inside of him that Sirius had taught him to recognize as a bond began to thrum slightly at the mention of the tiny Metamorphmagus. Initially, he'd felt a bit of jealousy at the suggestion of sharing, but a strange thick warmth settled over him and Harry blinked as the envy was forcibly removed from him.

"What on earth makes you think you are my son's godmother?" Remus asked, eying the witch.

Mia laughed and rolled her eyes, standing up to collect the empty plates from the table, carrying them to the sink. "Oh please, I am _so_ that boy's godmother."

Remus cracked a small smile. "We wanted to wait to ask you until you were… well… Mia again."

She held it in as long as she could, but soon the witch was practically jumping in the middle of the kitchen and then rushing into Remus' arms as he stood. "Oh, thank you Remus! I cannot wait to see him!" She gushed excitedly, her smile so wide and infectious that soon Harry and Remus both were grinning.

Then she pulled out of the werewolf's arms and promptly smacked him on his chest.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For every time in the past eight…" she paused, "or I guess _thirty _years that you said you'd _never _have children. Do you know how hard it was for me not to hit you back then?" She hissed at him. "You'd go on a tangent about your Lycanthropy and all I could see was a sweet blue-haired baby and I wanted to just hit you repeatedly. I'm glad Sirius did it for me," she said, reminding Remus of the day he discovered Tonks' pregnancy and made a mad dash to Grimmauld Place where Sirius very quickly put him in his place and Hermione sent him back to his wife.

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for putting up with me for all these years," he smiled sweetly.

Harry watched the pair curiously. He'd been told multiple times since last night that when Hermione was growing up with the Marauders that she and Remus had been best friends, and Harry could certainly see that now. The way they touched one another was friendly and almost intimate, affectionate like she'd always been with Harry, except quite a bit more, as though they comfortably occupied the same space. The young wizard began wondering if he hadn't built such a wall around himself for so long if she would have been more like that with him. Then again, considering he woke up to the witch running her fingers through his hair, he figured that this was more of a Hermione versus Mia thing, rather than having anything to do with him.

Still, it was good to see his best friend so happy and at ease. Even her hair seemed more relaxed. The werewolf as well seemed less tense and even… "Remus you look… different," Harry commented. "Younger? Healthier?"

Mia smiled brightly. "It's the Pack Bond," she told him. "I suppose me being back has strengthened it. The more of us that are around Remus, the stronger the magic is. It's healing."

Harry nodded thoughtfully as he filed the information away. "Sirius was telling me about that last night. How did you become a Pack?"

Remus smiled at the memory, leaning against the counter. "In our fifth year at Hogwarts Fenrir Greyback infiltrated the school in order to kidnap me. He was almost successful but Mia, Sirius, and your dad found out and came to my rescue. They attacked Greyback and I was able to break free of his hold over me."

"Well, Padfoot and I _tried_," Mia said, shrugging her shoulders. "Prongs really did a number on him though." She grinned proudly. "And he wouldn't let anyone forget it for months afterward."

Harry's eyes widened. "Greyback? The one who originally bit you?" He asked Remus. "The werewolf that Malfoy killed in the war?"

"I'd almost forgotten about that," Mia said quietly. "Remind me to send a thank you letter to Draco later."

Harry reacted to her words with shock. "For _killing_ someone?"

"For killing _Fenrir Greyback_," she emphasized, her amber eyes flashing. "I would have skinned that wolf alive if he'd survived to meet me this time around."

Harry stared at her, surprised by the very genuine tone of her voice. Hermione had made threats over the years, and even attacked quite viciously when the need arose, or she had just had enough, but seeing this side of the witch was a bit of a shock.

"Wait… you said Padfoot and Prongs," Harry said curiously. "Do you mean that they were in Animagus form when they fought Greyback?"

"Yes," Mia nodded. "We were."

His green eyes widened and Harry grinned. "You're a… bloody hell, Hermione! You're an Animagus? What are you?"

She chuckled. "I'll show you later," she promised and then turned around, flicking her wand out in front of her where she summoned a quill and parchment. "Right now there are things that need to be taken care of," she leaned on the counter as she began making a list. "I need to get with someone about well… bringing myself back from the dead I suppose. Somehow we need to figure out how to legally merge Hermione Granger and Mia Potter into one person, one life. I'll need to go shopping at some point, and I need someone to go to an Apothecary and buy stewed Aconite sprigs. I'd do it myself, but there's not enough time if I'm going to get your Wolfsbane Potion ready for the next full moo…" she was cut off by the werewolf who had taken her into his arms tightly, kissing her head and spinning her around. "Ack… Moony!"

"You are the best friend I've ever had and I have missed you so much!" He said joyfully as he finally set her back down on her feet.

"Good," she grinned at him. "Then you can go and do the shopping for me. I don't think I'm ready to go outside yet," she admitted, her smile breaking a touch. "If I run into someone I know I… I don't know how I'll react. I know we'll need to tell people… but I don't even know where to start."

"Ron and Ginny would be a good place," Harry suggested.

Mia blinked a few times, almost as though the thought hadn't even occurred to her. "I suppose," she nodded. "I'd thought to get the whole Weasley family out of the way at the same time considering they'll all have about a thousand questions, but Ron would be quite put out if he wasn't told separately, wouldn't he?" She asked, an irritated tone in her voice.

Harry nodded. "You know how he is."

"Yes," Mia said. "And while I tolerated it before…" she frowned. "Maybe after Ron and Ginny, we could just call an Order meeting?" She suggested. "I'd like Andromeda, Narcissa, and Draco to be there as well."

Harry furrowed his brows. "Why? I mean, I get Andromeda, but the Malfoys?"

"They're family," Mia stated firmly. "Harry you know that Narcissa was a Black before she married Lucius."

"But she _did_ marry Lucius, and he was a Death Eater," Harry stated. "You want to invite the _Malfoys_ to an Order meeting? I know technically Malfoy was a spy for the Order, but they weren't entirely on our side… not like…"

"There are no longer sides, Harry," Mia said, cutting him off. "The war is over, the Malfoys are family, and my word is final, is that clear?"

Harry's eyes were wide open and he briefly looked to Remus for help, but the werewolf was only smiling brightly at the witch between them. Harry had been lectured repeatedly over the years by Hermione. While most of the time it was annoying, there were moments where she'd make sense and he'd feel guilty over whatever it was that he'd done. Never before though, had he felt properly reprimanded by her. A part of him felt bitter that she'd somehow been able to make him feel like a child, but a greater part of him felt terrible for somehow disappointing her.

"Is that clear?" Mia repeated.

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry, Hermione," Harry said. "I… old habits."

And then, very unlike Hermione who would continue to drive the point home long after it had clicked, Mia dropped the subject and smiled at him. The witch leaned forward, kissed his cheek and said, "Good. I'm proud of you," and then turned back to her list.

Harry blushed at the affectionate gesture, a warmth settling into his bones similar to the one he'd felt when he thought of Teddy. His green eyes glanced down at the Potter bracelet that she wore and he smiled, wondering if this was the Familial bond between them that Sirius had mentioned. "I sent an owl this morning to Kingsley telling him I'm taking a short leave from work," he told her.

Mia frowned, obviously concerned. "Harry, you don't have to do that. Your training is so important right now."

"I want to," he said firmly. "I know you're still Hermione, but you're… you're my dad's sister now too and I kind of feel like I owe it to him to get to know you for… well… for being Mia Potter."

She smiled brightly and he could see tears glistening in her eyes. She leaned in and hugged him tightly. "You're wonderful, Harry. Just like your dad." The witch pulled away and wiped at her eyes. "You didn't tell Kingsley…"

"I told him I'd tell him the details later," Harry assured her.

"And he was okay with that?" Remus asked.

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I'm The Chosen One, it comes with perks sometimes…" there was a loud crashing sound and both Remus and Harry turned to look at Hermione who was clenching her fists, her back to them both, the tea cups on the counter near her shattered into pieces, the little bits of broken glass were vibrating, obviously broken due to accidental magic. Harry stared at the witch with worried eyes. "Er… Hermione?"

She swallowed. "I'm sorry, Harry. I…" she tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

Remus frowned and leaned forward, kissing the top of Mia's head. "I'll leave you two to talk, I apparently have some shopping to take care of," he said and snatched the list from the counter, giving Harry a look of sympathy before he turned and left the kitchen.

"Hermione?" Harry stepped forward, reaching to put a hand on her shoulder. "What's going on?"

"I'm so sorry," she practically whispered. "You grew up without them and I did nothing to stop that from happening."

Harry frowned. "Can I ask… why?"

She sighed. "A lot of reasons. At first I was terrified of making the future worse if I tried to change something, you know how sensitive Time Magic can be, and I had the fear of it driven into me during our third year," she turned around to face him, but refused to make eye contact. "My mum, er… Dorea Potter, she knew where I came from. She knew about the time travel and she had a feeling about Jamie's future," Mia frowned. "She told me that if I'd tried to change something, stop him from dying… Death would just take someone else, or maybe it would still take Jamie and the next time he'd suffer. I did the calculations, even spoke to a Seer…"

"_You_?" Harry could have laughed had they been talking about any other subject. "_You_ spoke to a Seer?"

She rolled her eyes. "I was desperate. Every calculation of a potential future made things worse. We would lose the war. And Jamie… Jamie was a pure Gryffindor. If I'd done something and things turned out worse and he found out that it was because of him… Merlin… I don't even want to think of what…"

"In the Forbidden Forest," Harry interrupted her. "When I died," he said and watched as she flinched at the memory. "I had the Resurrection Stone with me, and… I saw my parents," he told her.

Mia had of course known this. Harry had told her what had happened in the forest after the war, though then she had only been Hermione Granger, who had no connection to the Potters save for Harry himself.

"They were… they were okay," he said. "I mean, peaceful, you know? All smiles and support for what I was doing. I'm not angry with you for not saving them, Hermione."

She didn't burst into tears like she had done the night before, but when her eyes prickled, she quietly wiped away the signs of sadness with the back of her hand. "I… I couldn't lose you," she said, her eyes finally looking up to meet his worried stare. "I'm not like you, Harry. I didn't do it to save the world," she admitted. "I did it because there wasn't any way to guarantee that you'd survive. And I… Harry, I loved Jamie, but you were…" she nervously bit her bottom lip. "It's because of _you _that he even became my brother to begin with. Because you were there in my heart, first."

Harry moved forward and hugged her close to him. Her interactions with himself and Remus that morning had shown him that she relied on touch, and he wanted to reassure her that he didn't hold her to blame for what had happened. He'd been curious, of course, confused even, but he knew that no matter what, Hermione would have done the right thing.

"It's okay," he promised her. "I wish they'd been around, but… honestly I didn't know them so sometimes when I miss them, I guess I'm just missing what I feel like I should have had," he tried to explain. "But… if there was a chance that something could have gone worse, even the _slightest _chance, I'm glad you did what you did. I don't blame you. What if you'd saved them and then accidentally erased yourself from history? From my life."

"You'd have had your parents," she frowned as she pulled away from him.

"But not you. Hermione, _you _are my family," Harry insisted. "Apparently literally," he added with a grin that only widened when she laughed. "You are my best friend and my sister, and you are the most important person in my life. But please don't tell Ron or Ginny that."

They both laughed at that and Hermione hugged him again.

"I love you, Harry. I feel the same way about you."

"No, you don't," he smirked. "You love Sirius more. He loves you too," he said and watched as she pulled away again and blushed. "I kind of… made him choose between you and me last night," he confessed.

Her smile faded immediately and those amber eyes turned on him. "You did what? Harry James Potter!"

"He chose _you_," he said immediately, hoping to avoid a second scolding that morning. "Which was what he was supposed to do. If he'd have chosen me I would have hexed him and then told him to leave you alone."

Instead of frowning, she smirked and shook her head. "That's cruel. He would have rather you hexed him."

Harry grinned, looking far too pleased with himself over the way he'd handled his godfather the night before. "What did my dad think?" He asked. "About you and Sirius?"

Mia hesitated as the memory of her drunk brother came into her mind, the images of Sirius and Remus bleeding on the opposite side of their dorm room were still very vivid. "In the beginning, he was furious," she told him. "Ask Sirius about the scar he's got on his shoulder."

Harry paled. "What?"

"Jamie was very protective of me and Sirius had a reputation," she shrugged.

"Yeah, I know about Sirius' reputation," Harry said, remembering the talk he'd had with his godfather when he was fifteen. "You were okay with that?"

She shook her head. "No, not entirely, but… Sirius had a rough life back then. And I wasn't going to play Mind Healer to him when I had my own issues in addition to trying to keep your dad out of trouble and handle Remus' werewolf problems," she admitted. "I don't hold Sirius' past against him though. I would never. His experiences have made him into the man he is, good and bad. I love him completely."

Harry nodded, mildly shocked at how at ease she was with Sirius' history considering how she'd reacted to Ron and Lavender's very public relationship. Then again, he remembered she had said her issue was less about jealousy and more about Ron's blatant attempt to hurt her. "So my dad eventually approved?" He asked.

She smiled. "He practically forced us together in the end. Sirius and I… the Soul Bond pretty much means we're fated and Sirius…"

"Yeah, he told me he didn't like that," Harry said.

"He _really_ didn't," she said with wide eyes. "By the beginning of seventh year, James, Lily, and Remus were sick of us and your mum tricked us into confessing our feelings for one another. Once that happened… he was it for me. We joined the Order together, moved into a flat together with Remus."

"Where were my parents?"

"In their own home being disgustingly in love with each other," she laughed.

Harry smiled and then appeared nervous before he asked, "Can you… can you tell me something real about them? All Sirius and Remus tell me is how amazing they both were, and then Snape's memories showed them in… well…" he frowned, "a really bad light. I feel like I don't know who they really were because everyone I've ever met that's known them is exaggerating or… I don't know, biased."

Mia smiled brightly remembering that when she'd first arrived in 1971 and met James and Lily, this was what she was hoping she'd eventually be able to do. A Pensieve could be used later for the important moments she wanted Harry to see, but she was thrilled to be able to tell her best friend the truth about his parents. "Your mother used to collect werewolf romance novels," she admitted with a grin.

Harry's mouth fell open. "You're kidding."

Mia laughed. "I'm really not. I teased her about it mercilessly."

Harry laughed. "What about my dad?"

"He didn't like werewolf romances," she said while holding back a laugh at her own personal inside joke. "He did, however, use to steal Mum's jewelry and send it to Lily over school breaks. Lily would send it back and Mum would take away his broom."

Harry grinned. "Sirius says he has a bunch of pictures locked in his room that we can look at later."

Mia smiled and nodded. "I'd love to. I'd like to find him first."

oOoOoOo

It hadn't taken long for Harry and Mia to track down Sirius. With his bed occupied by the pair of them during the night, the raven-haired wizard had relocated himself to the Library where he'd shifted into Padfoot form and curled up on the rug in front of the fireplace.

Mia smiled affectionately at the still sleeping giant black dog. She looked to a nearby table where her birthday presents were still stacked from the night before and next to them, lay her original wand. She grinned at the sight of it and reached out, placing her second wand beside it, noting the similarities between the two and the slight difference in length.

She turned and winked deviously at Harry before stretching her arms in front of her and shifting down into her Animagus form. The little fox looked up at Harry with bright amber eyes, her ears twitching slightly as she wove in between his feet, her long bushy tail curling around his leg.

Harry's eyes were wide and he grinned at the sight of the little creature, holding back a laugh as the dog on the rug in the corner snored softly. The young wizard watched as the little fox crept over beside the dog, turning once before curling up beside him, resting her narrow muzzle on his large black paws.

oOoOoOo

Hours later Remus and Harry sat at the entrance of the Library staring inside at Sirius and Mia who were cuddled together on the couch; Sirius with his head in her lap, looking up into her face as though she hung the very moon in the sky. Mia was running her fingers through Sirius' hair like it was the finest silk, smiling down at him with complete love and adoration.

"I don't think I've ever seen Sirius so happy," Harry commented thoughtfully to the werewolf as they left the Library and began walking back to the kitchen to put away the items Remus had purchased earlier from the Apothecary for Mia, as well as the few things he'd snagged from the sweet shop. "I don't think Hermione's ever been so relaxed either."

Remus smiled. "This is how they always used to be. He was crawling in her lap like that on our first train ride to Hogwarts," he chuckled at the memory. "How are _you_ doing?"

Harry shrugged. "I think I'm okay. She's still Hermione. I was worried she wouldn't be," he confessed. "Don't get me wrong, she's different. A little scarier, but… she seems happier. I think… I think growing up with you, Sirius, and my parents was good for her," he acknowledged aloud. "Was… was her life good?"

Remus nodded immediately. "It was very good. Of course we had our issues, but it wasn't anything like what you had to go through," he told the boy as he put the stewed Aconite springs in the potions cupboard, locking it with a personal spell just in case. After not having Wolfsbane for over a year now, Remus was not going to risk the chance of not having it again during the next full moon. "Things weren't that bad until the war really began, but even then we had each other and we weren't really at the heart of it like you were forced to be, not until we joined the Order. I'm sorry you had to go through that, Harry."

Harry shook off the sympathy. "It's okay, Remus. I'm okay. I'm actually… actually really glad that she got a second chance. I always felt like being my friend had taken away so much of her life. But look at her now. She's… she's beautiful," he said thoughtfully. "She always was before, but now… I'm kind of happy she's with Sirius or else I might feel the need to lock her up somewhere," he chuckled.

Remus laughed. "She'd hex you for thinking it."

"Thank you."

"What for?" The werewolf rose a brow.

"You did this. You sent her back," Harry smiled and turned to look as Sirius and Mia came walking toward the kitchen. "Look at them Remus. They really are happy. Or… they _were_ happy a few minutes ago?" He said when he noticed a scowl on Hermione's face as she stormed away from Sirius.

"Hey, what's going on?" Remus asked, stepping in front of Sirius.

"Nothing Moony," the raven-haired wizard growled.

"It is _not_ nothing!" Mia snapped.

"It was nineteen years ago!" He yelled.

"It was last night to me!"

"You seriously want to finish an argument we started almost two decades ago?" He asked, his eyes flashing as he waved his hands dramatically in the air. "You're _that _controlling and obsessive?"

Mia growled viciously and pointed to the door that lead out the back into the garden. "Get outside!"

Harry and Remus followed the couple as they stormed out the door, pausing only to decide which one got to go through the door first, which appeared to be a battle in itself before Sirius finally relented and, with a dramatically sarcastic bow, allowed her through. Before either could even get a word out, Remus waved his wand, casting a Muffliato so that neither he nor Harry had to listen to whatever was about to happen.

"Is everything okay?" Harry asked, worriedly.

"They'll be fine," Remus nodded.

The pair stared at the witch and the wizard who faced off against one another as though they were preparing to duel. Sirius pointed at her repeatedly and Hermione yelled back at him, the ends of her hair sparking. Sirius rolled his eyes and turned away from her, folding his arms across his chest which was the wrong thing to do as Hermione stormed toward him, spun him around and then shoved him in the chest. Sirius stumbled, growled and then grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her toward him, kissing her hard on the lips. Hermione reacted immediately, returning the kiss until she clearly realized what he'd done to distract her. She pulled away from him and slapped him across the face, though not nearly as hard as she had done the night before.

"I feel like I've been Confunded," Harry said. "Are you sure they're in love? I mean twenty minutes ago I'd have said yes but…"

"Oh, they're in love," Remus laughed at the sight of his friends arguing. "I've never known two people more so other than maybe your parents."

When curiosity got the better of him, Remus pulled down the Silencing Charm.

"... not _my_ fault you were babbling like a crazy person! I had half a mind to drop you at St. Mungo's!" Sirius yelled at her.

"Half a mind?" Mia scoffed. "Let's not go exaggerating now!"

Remus winced and threw the Silencing Charm back up.

"My Mum and Dad weren't like this, were they?" Harry asked anxiously.

Remus laughed. "Merlin, no," he said. "James worshiped the very ground Lily walked on. If she ever slapped him in the face, he'd thank her and ask for another," which she had and he did on occasion. "James went out of his way to shower Lily with affection while Sirius purposely provoked Mia because he said she was uninhibited when she was angry. Mia fought back because Sirius was the only one of us that didn't treat her like glass," he grinned. "Don't misunderstand what they're doing right now, Harry," Remus told him. "They're both enjoying this."

Just then at the same time, Sirius and Hermione drew their wands on one another.

Harry took a step forward. "Remus should we…"

"No," Remus insisted, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It'll be over quick."

Though they still remained unheard, Harry could easily see Sirius mouth the word, 'Expelliarmus!' and, predictably, Hermione's wand flew into his hand. He felt momentary relief thinking that whatever this was was finally over, until Hermione grinned deviously and drew a second wand from her pocket, aiming it at Sirius' chest. Sirius growled at her and, this time without saying the word, disarmed her again, collecting a second vinewood wand.

He said something that Harry couldn't make out, but the look on Sirius' face told him that he was clearly bragging, which was the wrong thing to do. Hermione held out her palm toward Sirius and then flicked her finger at him, wandlessly casting a hex that knocked Sirius to the ground and then laughing.

"So," Remus turned to Harry. "Have you heard back from Kingsley about taking time off from training?" He asked as though the scene outside were no longer happening.

Harry stuttered for a moment, unaware of what to say. Before he had a chance to speak, Sirius was bursting through the door and in between Remus and Harry, both of Hermione's wands still in his hand.

"Give me back my wands, Sirius Black!" The witch screamed after him, darting through the door, pushing aside Remus and Harry as she moved.

"No!" The Animagus turned and pointed at her. "You've had enough of enjoying two of everything…" he said and grinned when her face turned red and her eyes widened. Behind her, Remus rolled his eyes. "I draw the line at two wands!" Sirius declared and then turned around.

Harry and Remus watched as Hermione chased after the Sirius, both yelling at one another once again until their shouts were silenced by the slam of the front door. Slowly, Remus and Harry followed them, taking their time to allow the couple a chance to cool off.

"How did you and Hermione… er… Mia meet?" Harry asked.

"On the train to Hogwarts," Remus replied. "She recognized me because of my scars and just walked right into my compartment, insisting that we were going to be friends. I was terrified," he laughed. "I wasn't sure what it was going to be like around so many people in my condition. I just wanted her to leave."

Harry grinned. "How'd she change your mind?"

"Bribed me with sweets of course," Remus said with a smirk as he opened the front door of Grimmauld Place to find Sirius and Hermione sitting on the steps, Sirius' arm draped over her shoulders. "See?" He told Harry. "I told you they…"

"Is…" Harry interrupted the werewolf. "Hold on for one damn minute!" He shouted and stormed out the front door and down the steps where he turned to face Hermione and Sirius. "Hermione! You're smoking!?" He said, staring at her.

The witch was leaning against Sirius' chest, two wands sticking out of her pocket and a slender cigarette between her fingers. Sirius, meanwhile, was lighting his own.

"Only when I'm stressed out," she replied sheepishly.

"So... often," Sirius smirked.

"Shut up," she turned and glared at him. "You got me into the habit."

"Merlin," Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Sirius, what other bad habits did you teach her?" He asked.

Sirius grinned slyly and opened his mouth. Before he had a chance to speak, however, Hermione had her hand over his lips. "Don't you dare!" She hissed.

He chuckled and pulled at her wrist until she let him go. He leaned in, grinning and kissed her sweetly. "Merlin, I missed you," he confessed happily.

"So, you two are okay?" Harry asked.

"I told you, this is normal behavior," Remus smiled as he sat down beside the witch.

"Actually," Sirius grinned, "_this_ is more like normal behavior," he said, flicking his cigarette away and then grabbing Hermione's as well, tossing it into the street before he turned and wrapped his arms around the witch, practically pulling her into his lap where he kissed her deeply, not even trying to hide it when he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

Harry grimaced at the sight, thankful that Hermione at least didn't make any noise this time. Remus chuckled and shook his head at the pair.

"What the bloody hell is this?!" Someone shouted from behind Harry.

Sirius and Hermione broke apart and all four turned to look at the sidewalk where Ron and Ginny stood staring wide-eyed at the sight of Hermione perched in Sirius' lap where, naturally, his hands were still tightly gripped on her arse.

* * *

**A/N**: PDA. Sirius approves.


	129. Chapter 129

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Someone requested a sequel to this story. Good Godric... I wouldn't even know where to begin, however, my brain has other ideas and started trying to process things and I'm pretty sure I broke something in my head in the attempt. LOL. Ideas are on a notepad somewhere to look over at a later date. I do have another story in the works, just not in the DoT Universe. I'll talk about it more when I get closer to posting it.

Q&amp;As - **TheWeirdestSister **and corvisdraconis, Ron and Hermione at one point did like one another (when they were much younger) but both got over it long ago. His shock is mostly at seeing his best friend snogging his other best friend's godfather, in public no less. **daytimedrama**, Yes! Mia's amber eyes (her Animagus eyes) are now permanent because of the Pack Bond ritual.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Nine: Photographs and Revelations

"_...We never talk about the future_  
_We never talk about the past anymore_  
_We never ask ourselves the questions to the answers_  
_That nobody even wants to know_  
_I guess the honeymoon is over_  
_So much for the afterglow…"_  
_(Afterglow - Everclear)_

* * *

**September 20th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"What are _you_ doing here?" Harry asked Ron and Ginny, the former staring at Sirius and Mia with his mouth hanging open and his eyebrows furrowed, the latter with a crooked grin on her face and something in her eyes that immediately worried her boyfriend as he walked down the steps to greet her with a kiss.

"What am _I_ doing here?" Ron asked incredulously, still staring at Mia and Sirius. "I thought I _lived_ here," he said. "The twins stopped by the Burrow and we thought we'd play some Quidditch. I tried Floo-ing home to fetch you, but the Network was locked, so Gin and I decided to Apparate to a point around the corner and walk here."

Mia stood staring at the two redheads with a look of shock in her eyes. She briefly glanced down at Sirius, who offered a nod of acceptance, before she turned and rushed forward, attacking the siblings by wrapping her arms around their necks.

"Woah… umm… hello to you too, Hermione," Ginny chuckled.

Ron lightly patted the witch on the back, incredibly confused over her sudden affection, but even more concerned about the daring look that Sirius was giving him; it was far too reminiscent of their altercation in the tent the night Ron abandoned them all on the Horcrux hunt.

"Let's go inside," Remus suggested as he stood up, patting Sirius on the back to get his attention. "Ron, Ginny, you might want to send an owl home. Tell your family that…" he tried to think of a lie. "Well, tell them something and make it believable."

oOoOoOo

They all sat around the large dining room table. Mia and Sirius close together on one side with Remus to her left; Ron and Ginny on the other side, with Harry to Ginny's right, his fingers interlaced with hers. It was an odd feeling for the curly-haired witch who felt like she was on this strange divide between the generations. She felt closer to Remus and Sirius because, as of yesterday, they'd been her flatmates, her friends, and even lovers for years. But a part of her still connected with the other three, though more Harry than the Weasleys, something she attributed to the Familial Bond.

They'd all let Remus do the explaining since he was the one to essentially put the series of events into motion. Ron, like Harry, had initially been upset at the werewolf, but with Harry there to calm him down, the rest of the story was told with a bit more ease.

"So, let me get this straight," Ron said, scratching his head, obviously confused about at least one or two things that he'd been told. "You," he pointed at Remus, "sent Hermione back in time because Hermione _from _back in time told you to?" He asked.

Remus nodded. "Essentially."

The redhead then turned to Mia, who he was having a hard time looking at directly in the eye, possibly because she looked so very different, something he sure as hell wasn't going to comment on with Sirius hovering over her possessively like he was. "And you," he said to the witch, "went back in time where a not-dead-Dumbledore turned you eleven, stuck you back in Hogwarts and made you Harry's aunt?"

Remus and Sirius chuckled.

Mia nodded. "If you're going for the basics, then yes."

"Then you shagged Sirius?" Ginny blurted out.

"Ginny!" Harry turned to his girlfriend and stared at her horrified.

"What?" The ginger witch laughed. "Never mind when we walked up she had her tongue in his mouth," Ginny smirked. "But look at them," she said, gesturing to the couple. "Godric, you can practically feel the sexual tension from over here."

"I don't feel anything, thank you," Harry said firmly.

"Don't be such a prude," Ginny scolded him. "It's perfectly fine. They grew up together, and even if they didn't and Remus hadn't sent her back in time _this _was inevitable," she declared.

"Why do you say that?" Mia asked curiously.

"Because you've been eye-fucking him for years," she stated crassly and then waited an extra long moment. When Mia didn't scold her for her language, Ginny's eyes shone with delight like a Niffler that had struck gold. "Plus, you used to talk in your sleep before you had nightmares," Ginny informed her and then in a mocking tone, murmured, "'Oh, Sirius… the Shrieking Shack? But what if we get caught?'"

Sirius burst into hysterical laughter while Mia had her hand covering her mouth, a genuine blush spread to her cheeks. Remus was quietly chuckling to himself while both Harry and Ron stared at Ginny, completely horrified.

"Well," Mia said, clearing her throat. "I have missed you Ginny Weasley," she said with a grin.

"And I am pleased to _meet_ you, Mia Potter," Ginny said with a wink.

Mia beamed at the girl, feeling a strange mixture of grief and elation as though somehow she'd been given back the gift of Mary and Lily in the form of one little redheaded witch. When her amber eyes looked at Harry, he was suddenly avoiding her gaze. "Oh, come on Harry," she scoffed. "Considering the two of you were shagging the night of the final battle for the whole castle to hear, you have hardly any right to look like a blushing maiden."

Harry's cheeks turned redder. "You… _heard_ us?!"

"Potter men have a poor history with Silencing Charms. Your dad was the same way," Mia smirked.

"It was disgusting," Remus pointed out.

"I'm still not sure what exactly he and Lily were attempting back then, but wands might have been involved and I personally—"

"Stop talking!" Harry pleaded loudly.

"I'm sorry, but…" Ron stuttered. "Hermione, you _actually_ shagged Sirius Black?"

"I'm torn over whether to be proud or incredibly offended," Sirius commented thoughtfully to Remus.

"No offense, mate," Ron said, blue eyes wide. "But I mean… Fred and George weren't exactly secretive about stories you told them from your days at Hogwarts," he said, looking down, the tips of his ears turning bright red. "And you were _okay_ with that, Hermione?"

Mia smirked softly, staring at her childhood friend, giving him the benefit of the doubt that the pieces would click into place without her needing to help him. Unfortunately, Ginny got there first.

"Mother of Merlin!" Ginny said loudly. "He did those things with _you_!"

"Proud," Sirius said with a bright grin, looking to Remus. "I've decided to be proud."

"We weren't always exclusive," Mia said to Ginny. "So I'm not entirely certain what stories Fred and George are aware of," she said, turning her eyes on Sirius. "But there is a chance I wasn't a part of them," she then turned to Ron. "And yes, Ronald, I'm okay with Sirius' past just as he is with mine."

Harry and Ron both nodded.

Ginny did not miss Mia's words.

"I still…" Ron began to say, clearly overwhelmed by the situation.

"Ron, it's okay," Harry jumped in. "They love each other."

Ron looked up at Mia and Sirius as though the thought hadn't even occurred to him. "You're in love?" He asked curiously.

Sirius reached for Mia's hand, bringing it up where he kissed her open palm and then placed it over the tattooed name on his chest. Mia merely grinned at him. "Yes," she said proudly. "Have been for years."

Ginny cooed and leaned her head on Harry's shoulder as she stared at the couple. "Aww, that's so romantic."

"But…" Ron began, still clearly not understanding everything. Mia felt bad for him really. He'd had trouble contemplating all the details of Time-Turners the first time she'd used one during her original third year. It was one of the reasons she was pleased that he'd been too injured to take back with her at the time, leaving herself and Harry to rescue Buckbeak and Sirius. "He's…" Ron said looking between Mia and Sirius. "You're... Sirius, you're _forty_!"

Sirius gasped, clearly offended. "I am _not _forty," he said firmly. "I'm thirty-eight!"

"You're almost thirty-nine," Remus commented.

Sirius glared at him. "I'm _technically_ thirty-seven if we take off the year I was dead," he proclaimed. "Which I do. I'm thirty-seven now, thank you," he pouted.

"Fine," the werewolf shrugged. "I've always thought it was ridiculous that you were older than me anyway. You never acted it."

"You were just jealous because I could use magic legally before you," Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'm only thirty-seven," he whispered to Mia who smirked at him.

"Very good, darling," she said, placating the Animagus. "He wasn't forty when I started dating him," she turned to Ron. "We were the same age. Not that it would have mattered. He could be one-hundred and seven and I'd love him the same."

"Not one-hundred and eight?" Sirius smirked.

"Godric no," Mia chuckled at him. "That's just indecent."

"I didn't mean anything by it," Ron said. "Just… shocking is all."

A strange silence fell over the table and Mia didn't know how to repair it. It had been slightly easier talking to Harry, who she still felt connected to, and Ginny had made herself comfortable with the situation merely by being blunt about it, but Ron was difficult. She recalled the feeling of pulling away from him during the Horcrux hunt when he'd turned bitter and angry and abandoned them. After he'd left, she had spent time thinking about her friendship with Ron and how he'd treated her over the years. Most of the problems she blamed on situations and a lack of maturity, but for being a Gryffindor he was, at times, awfully cowardly, resorting to cruelty and envy as shields used to defend himself with. And now… now he reminded her far too much of another Gryffindor she had known that was envious of his friends and broke under the pressure of fear and change.

"Would…" she cleared her throat. "Would you go and get the photographs, Sirius?" She asked him.

Sirius nodded with a smile and Harry looked up excitedly.

oOoOoOo

"Hermione, you look beautiful," Ginny smiled brightly as she stared at the photograph in her hands. A young Mia, James, and Remus were posing for the camera which Ginny had been told belonged to Mary MacDonald, a friend of theirs who'd died in the war. The two boys were wearing dress robes and Mia was wearing a lovely lilac gown. "Where's Sirius in this?"

"He had detention," Mia laughed.

"I still snuck a dance in, if you remember!" Sirius called over his shoulder at the witches from his seat on the couch where he, Remus, Ron, and Harry were looking over old Quidditch photographs that showed James and Sirius flying during the games. There was one Harry was focused on that showed his parents sweetly embracing at the end of a game while Sirius spun Mia around in his arms in the background.

"You snuck out of detention; why am I not surprised?" Ginny smirked. "What about you, Hermione? Ever sneak out of detention?"

"No," the curly-haired witch laughed. "I did my crimes and served my time."

"You _actually_ got put in detention?" Ginny grinned.

"Don't let her fool you," Remus declared. "She was just as bad as the rest of us. Sometimes worse."

"I find that hard to believe," Ginny snorted.

Mia smirked. "I'll keep that in mind," she said in a soft, innocent tone that Ginny, Harry, and Ron ignored, but Sirius and Remus took immediate notice of.

"Harry, come look at this one!" Ginny called to her boyfriend who turned and jumped over the back of the couch to kneel beside the redhead on the floor where photographs were splayed out.

Mia stood and took Harry's place on the couch beside Sirius, throwing her feet into his lap with a smile. He turned and looked at her, his eyes filled with longing and relief and something that she could easily identify as fear. The corners of her mouth turned down and she moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek sweetly.

"I'm here," she whispered.

Sirius closed his eyes and nodded, swallowing as he digested her words, letting them sink into his skin. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers and tried to pretend that the last nineteen years had never happened. He was young and whole again and she was just as perfect as she was right now. "You're perfect," he told her.

"I'm okay," Mia smirked teasingly at him and kissed him quickly on the lips. She would have deepened it, company be damned, but Ginny's full belly laugh pulled her attention back to the floor where the redhead threw her head back and giggled while Harry grinned widely at her. "You know I used to look at Jamie and Lily and think of those two," Mia confessed to Sirius, gesturing to Harry and Ginny. "It made me miss Harry less."

"Does looking at them now make you miss James and Lily less?" He asked her.

"Does it for _you_?" She asked him.

"Sometimes," he nodded. "Especially in moments like this. When he's happy. Makes it a little easier to forget the shit life he had."

"We're going to fix it, you know," Mia said firmly.

"What are you planning?" Sirius raised a brow at her.

"What's so funny over there?" Mia asked, ignoring Sirius' question.

Ginny held up a photograph. "Why do Harry's father and Sirius have blue hair?" She asked.

Remus immediately started laughing and Mia just smiled brightly.

"Who has blue hair?" A voice called from the door and Mia froze in place, breath stuck in her throat and her amber eyes wide.

"Hello, love," Remus grinned over his shoulder as Tonks entered the room.

Mia stood quickly, nervously facing the Auror she'd been anxious to see again for many, many years. The two witches faced one another, only Remus and Sirius aware of the potential awkwardness of the situation. Harry, Ginny, and Ron looked on innocently, completely in the dark, of course, about the parts of Mia's life that they'd not yet been privy to.

"Tonks," Mia whispered.

The Auror grinned. "Mia Potter," she said and then rushed forward, embracing the younger witch tightly. "I have been waiting years to meet you!"

Mia laughed, relief washing over her to the point that tears fell from her eyes. "You've met me before, Tonks," she said softly.

"Well, yeah, but never before with _both_ of us all grown up and knowing who the other is!" Tonks said as she pulled away from the witch. "Love the hair, by the way," the Metamorphmagus grinned. "Very sexy," she said brightly. "Oh, I've heard so many stories and Remus told me all about —"

"Maybe…" Mia interrupted. "Maybe we could talk privately?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.

Both witches then turned and looked down at Remus, almost as though they were asking for permission, or at the very least his blessing. He gave them each an appraising look then glanced to Sirius who was smiling. The werewolf finally nodded with a smile, a look of pride filling up his face. Before either woman had a chance to leave, however, Remus decided to reassert his feelings on the matter by gripping Tonks' hand and pulling her down into his lap where he kissed her hard and deep.

Ron and Harry each shared a look and looked away from the scene as they clearly felt they were intruding on a moment, but Ginny was smiling with interest at the sight. When the werewolf finally released his mate, his eyes were amber with flecks of gold in them.

"Have you made your point?" Tonks asked with an impish grin.

"You tell me," he replied.

"You worry too much," Tonks rolled her eyes and kissed his forehead before reaching out for Mia's hand, dragging her out of the room.

oOoOoOo

The witches didn't say another word until they had gone up the stairs, passing by Sirius' bedroom and the one that Mia recognized used to be hers. When Tonks led them into the bedroom that Mia knew to be the one Remus and Tonks used when they stayed the night, the curly-haired witch froze at the smells she was picking up, and the sound of the shutting door, putting an emotionless mask across her face.

"Interesting," Tonks said with a grin.

"What's that?" Mia asked.

"They weren't kidding, you really are… wow," the purple-haired witch smiled. "You think I'm going to go on the offensive, so you've taken a defensive stance. I can see your hand twitching by your wand holster," she informed her. "But you're not in a position where you're likely to grab it, which means you're definitely only going to use it to defend yourself," she said thoughtfully as she continued to observe Mia. "Your back isn't to the door, and you haven't left me any room behind you to throw you into the wall, which gives you the advantage of space. Also, your face," Tonks chuckled. "You look like my aunt Cissa."

Mia grimaced.

"Wow, you really are a Black."

"Of course I am," Mia said. "Er… I mean," she looked down. "Tonks I—"

"You're not going to apologize are you?" Tonks asked.

"Don't you think I _should_? Remus… didn't he—"

"Oh, he told me _everything_," Tonks said with a wink. "Room of Requirement, library, Shrieking Shack, Muggle concerts, and Potter Orchards."

Mia stiffened and breathed in sharply. "Damn him," she muttered. "I mean, I knew he would. I didn't want him to keep secrets from you, but… I don't think I like being talked about… like… like that," she frowned.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll tell you all the details about places _I've_ shagged him," Tonks chuckled.

Mia thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Couldn't hurt."

Tonks laughed loudly.

"You're _really_ not upset? I slept with your husband," she confessed.

"He wasn't married to me at the time," Tonks said. "And he told me that he never touched or even looked at another woman the same way once he knew who I was. Besides," her teasing smirk faded into something more genuine. "You and I know more than anyone what he's like, how he thinks of himself. I, for one, am very happy that he didn't have to wait until he found me to know that he was loved. To feel loved."

Mia visibly relaxed and let out a deep sigh and laughed when Tonks hugged her again. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that."

"Plus," Tonks smirked. "Sex keeps the wolf at bay. It would be selfish of me to have preferred him remain all virginal just for me. Moony could have very well hurt him to the point of fatal injury while at Hogwarts. Either that," she chuckled, "or he'd fail his N.E.W.T.s."

Mia laughed loudly. "Godric forbid."

Tonks smiled. "You saved him from Greyback, you saved him from the other wolf pack, and you brought my cousin back to life and risked your own to save them both when Voldemort was torturing them," she said, reminding Mia of the final battle which, for her, had been years ago. "As far as we're concerned Mia, I owe you a great debt."

Mia laughed. "Be careful," she smirked. "I like to collect life debts."

"Well, apparently you've got a stack of them. Aunt Cissa has been asking about you for months now," she informed her.

"Narcissa?" Mia's brows furrowed. "What does she want with _me_? For all she knows, Mia Potter is dead."

Tonks shook her head. "Nope. She recognized you when you were at Bill and Fleur's."

"How is that possible?" Mia asked. "Remus told me that Minerva placed a Notice-Me-Not on me so people wouldn't recognize me as Mia Potter."

Tonks shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if it's the spell I think it is, McGonagall would have had to renew it yearly. Probably whenever you went back to Hogwarts. Last I checked, Hermione Granger skipped her seventh year."

Mia's eyes widened. "Merlin… I'm lucky it was just Narcissa that recognized me then. I saw Lucius, Bellatrix, and Pettigrew that same day." She shook her head, thrilled that things turned out the way they had. Sure she'd been snatched and tortured, her skin carved into, but knowing how she'd threatened Bellatrix, struck Lucius, and terrified Peter, she could have had it much worse at Malfoy Manor had they known who she'd been.

"Mum recognized you as well," Tonks informed her. "Granted, Aunt Cissa had to spell it all out for her. It seems like people only figure it out when it's either really obvious or they're told."

"That would explain why Arthur never caught on then," Mia said thoughtfully. "Or Kingsley," she added. "I want to meet with your mother and Narcissa. I… I told Harry that I really want the family to…" she said and then her eyes widened as she realized something. "Teddy."

Tonks smiled. "Remus told me he asked you to be godmother."

Mia nodded quickly.

"You want me to go fetch him, don't you?" Tonks asked.

Mia only continued nodding, not trusting her voice.

"Alright, let's go back and show the boys that we're both friendly and then I'll dash off to pick up my kid. Teddy loved Hermione," she said as they left the room. "But once the bond settles, he'll be _enamored_ with Mia. Which means you're on permanent babysitting duty."

"Gladly," Mia said with a grin.

oOoOoOo

When the pair of witches walked back into the drawing room, all the photographs had been put away. Remus looked annoyed, Sirius and Ginny looked amused, and Ron and Harry looked horror-struck. Mia walked in, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder before perching herself on his thigh as she sat down. Somehow, the action caused both Ron and Harry to turn red.

"What am I missing?" She asked. "What happened in here? Where are all the photographs?"

Sirius snorted.

"It's _not_ funny," Harry groaned.

"Remus?" Mia turned and looked at her best friend.

"Well, love," Remus cleared his throat. "It seems that when Sirius collected all of your photographs after you went missing, he didn't think to organize them. And… we may have stumbled upon some that are rather… revealing."

Mia's eyes widened and she glared down at Sirius. "Which ones?!"

"You were fully covered at all times, kitten, I promise," Sirius said. "I… on the other hand."

Mia flushed and turned to look at Harry who had his face buried in his hands. She smiled at the sight remembering an equally mortified Jamie who was consistently disgusted at any visual reminders that his best friend was sleeping with his sister. "Oh, Harry," Mia said consolingly though there was obvious mirth to her voice.

Tonks was giggling next to Remus. "Not that I wouldn't love to sit around and talk about my cousin's bare bits," she teased. "I'm going to run by Mum's," she told her husband. "Someone's eager to see Teddy."

Remus smiled proudly as though Mia had never met the boy before and he was finally being given a chance to present his son to his best friend. The werewolf kissed his wife and watched as she walked to the front door where she Disapparated away.

"It couldn't have been _that_ bad," Mia said, looking at Ron and Harry.

"It wasn't," Ginny said lightly.

Harry narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're being dramatic," Ginny insisted. "It was just a picture of the two of you in Sirius' bed at Hogwarts. You were fully covered, Sirius… wasn't," the redhead snickered. "Toujours Pur," Ginny said with a laugh.

Mia rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I thought it was going to be so much worse," she admitted. "Harry, everyone who went to school with Sirius had seen that tattoo," she told him. "He was too proud _not_ to show it off. I'm fairly certain McGonagall has seen it."

Everyone turned to look at Sirius, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I can't believe you were in his _bed_," Ron muttered. "At _Hogwarts_."

"You never had Lavender in _your_ bed?" Ginny stared at her brother incredulously.

Ron's ears turned bright red.

"Sorry," he said. "I just… it's hard to look at you 'Mione and see… a different you. I'll always see you as my bookworm best friend who lectured me about indecency and homework. It's a little weird to find out that the girl who yelled at me about snogging Lavender in the Great Hall turned out to lose her virginity to Sirius Black," he admitted.

Remus cleared his throat anxiously and immediately stood up. "Anyone want tea? I'm going to go make us some tea."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I don't think so, Moony!" The Animagus snapped. "I'm not taking the bloody blame for your broken hymen!"

Mia's eyes widened and she turned and slapped Sirius' chest. "Sirius!" She hissed at him.

"Sorry, kitten, _your _broken hymen," he clarified.

Harry and Ron stared at the werewolf with eyes wide and mouths open.

When silenced filled the room completely, Ginny let out a satisfied sigh. "This is the best night of my life," she said before erupting into a fit of laughter.

* * *

**A/N**: I loved writing this chapter so much. Between Ron's condensed version of Hermione's travel through time, all the way down to Remus nervously trying to walk away from the conversation once virginity was thrown into the mix... it still makes me giggle.


	130. Chapter 130

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** This story reached 3500 reviews yesterday! That's insane! You all are crazy kinds of awesome! I'm literally writing the dialogue for the epilogue of this story and panicking as I go along because OMG what am I going to do after DoT? Kidding, I'm already 4 chapters in on a new story that I hope you'll all like! I'm glad you all seemed to like the last chapter. Sorry that it wasn't the crazy battle between Mia and Ron that some were expecting LOL. Also, I think we broke some sort of record in the reviews by saying "maidenhead" a certain number of times LOL! Posting this chapter early because I'm up WAY too late for my own good, but if I sleep in tomorrow, I don't want you lot to be left waiting forever.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty: Different

"_...How dare you say that my behavior is unacceptable_  
_So condescending unnecessarily critical_  
_I have the tendency of getting very physical_  
_So watch your step 'cause if I do you'll need a miracle…"_  
_(Harder to Breathe - Maroon 5)_

* * *

**September 20th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"You lost your virginity to Remus?!" Harry yelled, though the look on his face said that he hadn't meant to shout the words.

"It was the seventies?" Mia offered.

Sirius chuckled.

"If I blame it on the wolf," Remus suggested, "can we avoid this conversation completely?"

The look on Harry's face said, no, no they couldn't.

Mia thought that eight years ago when she'd been just 'Hermione Granger', she would have thrown a fit had Harry and Ron inserted their opinions into her romantic life, let alone her sexual life, and a brief memory of Viktor Krum and the Yule Ball sparked a bit of irritation in her when she noticed the way Ron was gaping at her like a fish. She did, however, remember that she was no longer 'Hermione Granger'. 'Hermione', perhaps, as she had told Harry she would still be fine being called, but she was Mia Potter, daughter of Dorea Black, and shame was something Blacks did not feel in the face of accusations, if ever.

"You shagged your _professor_!?" Ron finally spat out.

Mia smirked. "He was _hardly_ my professor back then," she stated calmly, half tempted to say, 'though he did teach me a thing or two', but in the end she decided a lack of information would serve her better. Her relaxed demeanor seemed to bother Ron, which she found amusing.

Sirius and Remus looked at her and rolled their eyes. They'd seen that smile on her face many times before though not in many, many years. Her 'daughter of Dorea Black' smile. Her 'Slytherin' smile. Her 'serpent playing with a mouse' smile.

"But you did know that he'd grow up to be your professor, right?" Harry asked. "I mean, you didn't lose your memory did you?"

"No, I did not lose my memory," she rolled her eyes. "I knew exactly how they'd _both_ turn out," she said, gesturing to Sirius and Remus.

Sirius turned and looked at her, eyes slightly narrowed. "What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"It means I knew that Remus would grow up to be a brilliant professor and you'd grow up to be a giant pain in my fucking arse," she snapped at him, her eyes hard but her mouth turned up slightly, not wanting to give away too easily that she was enjoying the moment.

Ginny was still giggling.

Harry and Ron were long overdue for a lesson in minding their business and perhaps a change in the double-standard conservative thoughts they carried when it came to the curly-haired witch. She knew that her past with Remus didn't bother Sirius one bit, but the werewolf in question was standing uncomfortably.

"Oh, sit your arse down," she said to Remus with a smile. "Show the boys how nice you two play," she instructed the werewolf; Sirius laughed as his best friend retook the seat beside him.

A quiet fell over the room again and everyone turned to look at Harry, gauging his reaction. After a while he glanced at Ginny who was staring at him incredulously, and Mia smiled as though she could hear the silent conversation that the young couple were having where Harry was being scolded for his behavior and very likely threatened with abstinence if he didn't get over himself. After a few more seconds, he broke eye contact with the redhead and looked up at Remus and offered an apologetic smile.

"Hermione swears a lot now," Ron commented quietly to break the silence.

"Smokes, swears, shags," Harry laughed awkwardly. "What else should we know?"

"She has a tattoo of my name on her thigh," Sirius offered.

Mia turned and hit him again on the chest.

"What?!" Harry paled.

"Really?" Ron rose a brow.

Ginny said nothing but tilted her head as though she could peek up Mia's skirt and see it.

"Really," Remus rolled his eyes and scrubbed his hands down his face, uncomfortable in regards to the conversation, but clearly he'd given up trying to have any semblance of dignity, so he was leaping into the deep end of impropriety in the hopes that when he drowned, it would be quick and painless. "It's incredibly off-putting."

"Oh, like you complained," Mia teased him, glad that they were at least removing the awkward tension forcibly from the room. Had Harry reacted worse than he did, she might have been sore with Sirius for his constant provocation, but the prideful look on her wizard's face told her that he apparently had the same plan as her, to break the others of their discomfort.

"So wait," Ginny chimed in. "Remus took your virginity... when?"

"Fifth year, Halloween Ball," Remus and Mia said together, though the werewolf had his face in his hands as he spoke.

"Ugh, I hate when they talk in unison," Sirius grimaced.

"You be quiet," Ginny said, pointing at Sirius. "Now when did you sleep with Sirius?"

"The end of fifth year," Mia replied.

"When did you get the tattoo?" Ginny asked.

"My seventeenth birthday," Mia answered clearly, already knowing where this was going.

"Which means that…" Ginny said, staring at the werewolf.

"It's private," Remus answered tersely as he looked up at the ginger witch.

"I dated Remus, we broke up," Mia said casually. "Sirius and I… were… Sirius and I," she said knowing that their first time was, in fact, a mere one night stand before he'd shoved her back into Remus' arms. "Then Remus and I got back together for a while before I settled for Sirius," she said with a smirk and looked down at the Animagus who was just smiling up at her, ignoring her teasing entirely.

All three people in question were silently agreeing not to mention the orchards behind Potter Manor.

"When did you stop being a swotty prude, Hermione?" Ginny asked with a grin.

Mia briefly narrowed her eyes teasingly at the redhead. "I dislike where this conversation has gone."

"Me too," Ron and Harry said at the same time.

"So who's a better shag?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny!" Harry hissed.

She threw her hands up, feigning innocence. "What? I'm curious!"

"You're disgusting," Ron grimaced.

"You're also barking up the wrong tree," Sirius answered. "I've asked her for years and she swears she'll never tell."

"I told Lily."

Sirius' grey eyes widened and he tossed her off of his lap and onto the sofa. "You liar!" He gasped, staring down at her as she laughed.

"Nope," Mia smirked. "Lily knew which of you was better."

"That's so weird," Remus shook his head. "Then again, she did collect a lot of those werewolf romance novels," he said thoughtfully to himself.

"Ooo, which ones?" Ginny asked, curiously. Harry just stared at her.

"Tell me!" Sirius insisted, glaring down at Mia.

"Absolutely not," she smiled and shook her head. "Your ego couldn't take the deflation or stroking."

Remus shrugged. "Mine could always use a little boost," he said with a smirk.

"You don't need _me_ to brag about you Remus," Mia beamed over at him. "I'm sure you get enough of that from your mate."

"That brings up another point," Harry blurted out. "How does Tonks feel about all of this?" He asked.

"How does Tonks feel about what?" The Metamorphmagus in question walked in carrying the little turquoise-haired infant in her arms.

Mia crawled under Sirius and over Remus, kicking one of them - she wasn't sure which - in the ribs before she slipped off the end of the couch in order to get to Tonks and the baby. "Teddy," she beamed at the boy who looked at her with bright blue eyes that shifted amber the moment they looked at her. His hair, as it always did at the sight of her, turned to honey-brown curls and he eagerly reached for her.

"Can I?" Mia asked.

"When have you ever asked before?" Tonks smiled and handed her the baby.

The moment the boy was placed in her arms, Mia felt the Familial Bond seal itself between the pair of them. She grinned down and kissed the top of his head lovingly. "Sweet boy, I think I missed _you_ the most," she whispered and smiled when all four men in the room looked mildly put out by the declaration.

"So, how does Tonks feel about what?" The purple-haired witch asked again as she took a seat on Remus' lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and grinned when he nuzzled against the Pack Mark on her shoulder, his fingers possessively gripping her hips where he knew the scars beneath her denim jeans rested against her pale skin.

"She knows already," Sirius told Harry. "A werewolf can't keep secrets from their mate. Tonks has been helping Remus and I get Mia back for a long while now."

"Oh, are we talking about the two of you?" Tonks asked, gesturing between Mia and Remus. When her husband nodded, she looked at Harry, Ron, and Ginny and smiled. "Why would that bother me? He's mine now, and she's got Sirius."

"You don't care at all that they've had… well… sex?" Ginny asked.

Tonks actually let the question roll over in her mind for a moment before she shrugged and said, "Not really. Unless…" she turned and looked up at Mia who was completely devoted to her godson in her arms. "Did you teach him to do that thing with his tongue where he —"

Remus covered her mouth. "Not everyone in this room is a Black," he said quietly.

Sirius chuckled. "Technically everyone in this room actually _is_ related to the Blacks except for you, Moony," he pointed out.

Mia smirked. "No," she answered Tonks' interrupted question. "That's _all_ him."

Tonks smiled and, with her mouth still covered by the werewolf's hand, turned and winked at him.

"I need to be drinking!" Harry declared and stood up, making his way into the other room, presumably to grab the Firewhisky.

Ginny was smiling at Tonks. "I think that's very mature of you, Tonks," she said with admiration. "I think if Harry had any ex-girlfriends I'd probably Bat-Bogey them until they forgot they'd ever snogged him," she said simply.

"I kind of dated Cho Chang," Harry reminded her as he walked back into the room carrying a bottle of Firewhisky, a tray of glasses levitating behind him.

Ginny snorted. "Cho Chang likes to _think_ that she dated you," she said, rolling her eyes.

"It's nothing about maturity," Tonks told Ginny, smiling. "I know that I'm his mate and nothing will change that and, that despite their past, he and Mia are just best friends."

"Hey, I thought _I_ was your best friend," Sirius pouted, looking at Remus.

"Nope," Remus shook his head. "Always been her," he said, smirking.

"You're my best friend too, Remus," Mia grinned at the werewolf.

"Hey!" Ginny, Ron, and Harry all pouted.

Mia rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh Merlin, I need Firewhisky for this," she said, nodding to Harry to pour her a glass. "I lived two lives, I had different best friends. Harry, you and Ron and Ginny are my best friends. Remus, you are _also _my best friend."

"Where the fuck does that leave me?" Sirius rose a brow, staring up at the witch.

"In her bed?" Ginny suggested, handing Sirius a glass of Firewhisky as Harry continued to pour.

Sirius smirked at the little ginger witch. "_You_ have my blessing to marry my godson," he said proudly.

Ginny grinned. "And _you_ have my blessing to shag my best friend," she declared and the two shared a toast, clinking glasses.

oOoOoOo

They drank and shared memories and stories until the sun set and Tonks declared that it was time for Teddy to go lay down. She and Remus left, taking a moment to pry the infant away from Mia and Harry, who had taken turns learning how to share their godson. Sirius sat on the sofa with an arm wrapped possessively around Mia's waist while he simultaneously played Wizard's Chess with Ginny who was sitting on Harry's lap, staring at the board with concentration, the tip of her tongue tucked against the corner of her mouth as she directed her Knight to attack.

The soft light in the room reflected off of Ginny's wrist where a gold Goblin-made bracelet sat gently on her skin. Mia smiled at the sight.

_"Didn't Sirius give this to you yesterday?" Ginny had asked Mia when the curly-haired witch clasped it around the redhead's wrist. "Er… I mean, eight years ago?"_

_"Yes, he did, and it changed my life forever," Mia smiled. "I eventually gave it to Sirius, who then gave it to Lily, who insisted I take it back. I refused of course and made an identical copy instead. Now," she said. "I'm giving that copy to you."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because you are my friend and I missed you. Because Harry loves you and that makes you family," she said looking down at the engraving. "Courage and Craft, Ginny," she said proudly. "That's what it means to be a Potter. I know you were looking forward to me going back to Hogwarts with you this year, but…"_

_"It's okay, Hermione," Ginny smiled. "I get it. You already went back, and I don't think even you should be in school for that long," she'd laughed._

_Mia grinned. "You're a part of this family now. My sister," she said the words softly. "Harry's mate," she added. "And even when you're away from us, you're a part of us."_

_Ginny had grinned and hugged Mia and when the pair of witches returned to the drawing room, Remus sat up, suddenly aware that something had changed. Mia grinned knowingly and waited until Sirius and Remus saw the bracelet for themselves. When they did, they each eyed Mia and smiled in approval._

Sirius growled as another of his pieces was destroyed in the onslaught and everyone laughed. Mia turned to look at Ron, who should have been more interested than anyone in the game if her memory served well, but he sat on the opposite side of the room, looking down into the empty glass in his hands.

"You alright?" Mia asked.

"What?" Ron looked up. "Yeah, m'fine," he nodded. "I should probably head back to the Burrow though. Told Mum I'd stay for a few days," he said and stood up. "You comin', Gin?" He asked.

"I'll be back when I finish this game," the redhead stated.

"I'll walk you out," Mia said to Ron as she slipped out of Sirius' grip. She turned back and smiled reassuringly at the Animagus who seemed to stress just a bit anytime she left his sight. It would take time to break him of the anxiety issues regarding her.

She and Ron walked silently toward the front door, and once it was shut behind them and they stood on the porch she turned and sighed. "I know things are different."

"It's weird," Ron nodded. "I just saw you last night and you were…"

"Different."

"Different," he agreed. "Not a bad different, you're still _you _just... I'm not sure what's changed," he frowned.

"A lot."

He seemed to hesitate, worrying the toes of his shoes against the steps. "Are… are we still friends?" He asked nervously.

Mia thought about the question for a moment. She remembered stumbling upon the Mirror of Erised where she saw herself standing with her family, and Ron had been there. However, over the years she felt a bit guilty for almost putting him in the back of her mind. It wasn't until she'd been gifted with James, Sirius, and Remus that she had realized just how poor her friendship with Ron had been. There was too much give and not enough take on her end, and she knew that her poor self-esteem had contributed to the lazy way he'd treated their friendship. She felt more like a babysitter than a friend to him at times. Still… she'd known him since she was eleven and they'd fought a war together. He fought a _troll_ for her.

"I'd like to be," she admitted honestly.

"We went through a war together," he said, apparently on a similar train of thought.

Mia nodded. "I went through two wars. The first one broke me I think... the second... changed me."

"Changed you how?"

She inhaled deep and watched as the cold air of autumn turned the breath of her exhale visible against the setting sun. "Can I ask you something and have you promise me that you'll never speak another word of it?" She requested, looking up at him with soft amber eyes. "I would ask Harry, but... it's too personal for him."

Ron nodded, seeming excited about the prospect of sharing something with Mia that Harry wasn't privy to. "Yes, you can ask me anything, Hermione."

She nodded and then stood for a moment in silence before speaking, choosing her words very carefully when she finally did break the silence. "When we were at Malfoy Manor, and Sirius and I were upstairs with Narcissa and Draco, you and Harry said that Peter Pettigrew died."

Ron nodded. "He did."

"That his silver hand choked him to death."

"It did."

"Can I ask…" she paused and then looked up at him, her eyes now hard and cold as they met his gaze. "Did he suffer?"

Ron was taken back by the question and he stumbled for a moment over his words. "I…" he frowned. "It didn't look pleasant, 'Mione," was all he could come up with.

"Was he afraid?" She asked immediately.

Ron took a moment to remember the death of the traitorous rat who began turning blue when his own silver hand began to choke him to death. He and Harry both had tried to save him, the Gryffindors that they were, but it had been no use. No spell or strength would pry the hand from around his throat as he stared at the boys, petrified and twitching. "Yeah," Ron finally uttered, the memory leaving a cold feeling in his gut. "He was bloody terrified."

'_Changed you how?'_ he had asked her. Mia listened to the answer to her question and she closed her eyes, taking another slow, deep breath. When she exhaled it felt like relief, and the look on her face spoke peace and contentment.

Ron's eyes were wide at the sight of her.

"He murdered my friend," she thought of Mary. "Betrayed my brother and sister-in-law," she said softly. "And he took a blade to Harry's arm," she added. "Sirius went to Azkaban because of Peter Pettigrew. I'm fairly positive I had a large hand in pushing him toward the road he chose. But I went to school with _a lot_ of people who I wasn't very pleasant to," she said, thinking of Snape, Regulus, and even Draco. "People who had so much less than Peter. Fewer friends, more pressure, larger threats… and yet…" she paused. "You cannot redeem the irredeemable," she said, quoting Remus' letter.

"I'd seen the beginning…" she said as she remembered meeting Peter for the first time and every moment since then that she watched as he grew into the eventual Death Eater she knew him to be. "I wanted to know the end."

"We tried to save him," Ron told her. "When it happened. Harry and I… we tried to stop it from happening."

"You're both Gryffindors," she said with a tender smile.

"Aren't _you_?" He asked.

Mia thought about it for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders. "I'll tell you if I ever get a chance to ask the Sorting Hat again."

oOoOoOo

An hour or so later the two older couples sat on the long sofa, curled together. Remus at the end with Tonks laying back against his chest and Mia leaning her shoulder against Tonks while Sirius rested with his head in the young witch's lap. Harry sat in the large armchair, looking at old photos once Sirius and Mia had gone through and filtered out some of the more risque pictures.

Everyone was laughing and smiling, and the joy of the moment was slowly picking apart the pieces of grief that had broken her heart upon arriving in 1998, and putting them back together.

"Oh, it was amazing, Harry," Mia grinned. "She just walked right up and slapped him across the face."

"Called him a toerag," Sirius smirked.

"That was always her go-to insult for Jamie."

"Then the whole train ride home he's describing the color of her eyes," Remus chimed in.

Mia chuckled at the memory. "It was ridiculous. Mum and Dad thought he'd been poisoned or Confunded."

"My Mum actually _hit_ him?" Harry asked, laughing softly himself as he stared at the Christmas photograph in his hand where eleven and twelve-year-old James and Sirius stood side by side in front of the large Christmas tree at Potter Manor, the former sporting a lovely bruise on his cheek.

"He told everyone he was going to wear it like a badge of honor," Sirius told his godson.

"Did you know it took me four days to get him to wash his face?" Mia giggled at the memory of her brother. "He was so in love with her." She sighed.

Upstairs there was a loud cry and Tonks jumped up immediately.

"You sure you got it?" Remus asked her, and both Harry and Mia looked like they were each eager to offer to take care of Teddy as well.

Tonks only smiled at them. "I'm fine. Probably just needs to be changed," she said and then quietly left the room.

In Tonks' absence, Mia tilted back and filled the gap on the couch, leaning her head against Remus' chest as though it were the most natural and comfortable thing in the world. Remus reacted automatically, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, nuzzling her hair intimately like a lover might, or maybe an animal. Mia's fingers still carded through Sirius' hair, tugging at the locks lightly, grinning when he made noises of contentment.

Harry couldn't help but grin at the sight of the trio. "This is so weird," he laughed softly as he looked down and pulled out a photograph where the three of them were in nearly the same position on a couch in the Gryffindor common room, only in the background he could see his father sneaking up with a hovering ball of bluebell flame in one hand and a firecracker in the other.

"Hmm?" Mia looked up at Harry.

"You," he smiled at her. "So . . . I don't know, relaxed, and with _them_."

Mia shrugged. "Never even thought about it."

"She's always been like this," Sirius mumbled.

"Collecting strays," Remus said with a grin.

Harry beamed. "It's ... nice," he said with genuine affection. "To see you happy."

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"Still getting used to it, that's for sure. At least you won't be going around snogging them _both _in the house," he laughed awkwardly.

"I don't share," Sirius declared.

When both Remus and Mia snorted, he clarified, "Anymore."

"Behave or I'll bite you," Mia threatened.

Harry made a face. "I said I'm still getting used to it."

Sirius barked a laugh. "She's not flirting with me."

Harry raised a brow.

"Okay, she's flirting a little," he admitted. "But she's serious about the biting," he said as he held up his forearm, showing tiny little scars on his skin.

"Are all Animagi so… violent?" Harry asked.

"Your dad was the worst," Sirius scoffed and Mia flicked his ear. "What? He was. Bloody deranged deer. When he found out Remus and I both were in love with his sister," he said, sparring Harry the thought of picturing Mia shagging either of them again. "He shifted in the middle of the dorm room and charged at us."

Simultaneously Sirius and Remus pulled at their clothes revealing the puncture-shaped scars; one on Sirius' shoulder, the other on Remus' rib-cage. Harry stared at the marks with wide green eyes. "Wow, I guess the talk you and I had about Hermione was tame compared to what my dad did," he said thoughtfully.

"At least you didn't say, 'maidenhead'," Remus mumbled and Mia and Sirius started laughing all over again.

"What in the name of Merlin is _this_?!" A high pitched voice shrieked.

Mia turned and looked up where in the doorway stood and irate looking redheaded woman who was staring at the image of the nineteen-year-old witch pressed between two grown wizards, both adjusting their shirts as though they were either putting them back on or taking them off. Remus and Sirius both froze in place and Mia squeezed herself out from between them to stand.

"Molly?" She said the witch's name with a smile, not having seen the woman since she'd run into her at Sugarplum's Sweet Shop when Bill, Charlie, and Percy were both little boys and the twins sleeping infants in a pram.

Molly seemed to not even look at Mia, her eyes glancing over the young witch's shoulders to the men on the couch. "You!" She hissed at them, her eyes narrowed.

Mia took notice of the look in Molly's eyes being directed at Sirius and Remus and her amber eyes blazed. The little witch had a line that was never to be crossed. Her boys were the line and Molly was edging a little too close to it for comfort.

Just then Ron and Ginny burst into the room looking out of breath and panicked. "We tried to stop her," Ginny said apologetically.

Ron winced. "I was just explaining to Mum —"

Ginny scoffed. "She asked how you enjoyed your birthday," the redhead told Mia, "and he drunkenly blurted out that Sirius and Remus have been shagging you for years."

Ron turned bright red and looked down shamefully. Mia could see the empty Sober-Up Potion still gripped in his hand.

"Molly," Mia spoke calmly, trying to get the witch's attention. "If Ron was doing the explaining then I'm sure you've got the wrong idea about —"

"You filthy _beasts_!" Molly screamed at Sirius and Remus, ignoring Mia entirely. "How dare you put your hands on this poor girl and take advantage of her!"

"Molly," Sirius held his hands up innocently. "I promise you, no one here took advantage of —"

"She's just a _girl_! And this has been going on for _years_?!" She shrieked. "You had no right! Don't you speak to me Sirius Black!" The redhead snapped angrily. "Not after the horrible things you've done! Taking away this poor girls innocence!"

Sirius growled. "Why am I always getting blamed for shit I didn't do!?" He turned and briefly glared at Remus who was standing up slowly.

"Molly," the werewolf said. "I know you're upset, but you don't understand the situation."

The fact that the men weren't denying the accusations only enraged Molly further.

"I understand perfectly well, Remus Lupin! She was your _student_!" She shouted. "And now you both think you can defile her... Remus, you're a married man with a child!" She scolded before turning her ire on Sirius. "And _you_… I always knew you were no good," she said, unaware of the seething witch behind her, honey-brown locks sparking at the ends.

"Molly… you need to back away very slowly," Sirius cautioned her, his grey eyes flickering to Mia. "I say this because you're emotional right now and completely ignorant to what's happening… but you are in actual genuine danger at the moment."

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry stood, his green eyes looking over Molly's shoulder to where Mia's eyes were cold and hard. "I really think you should listen to Sirius."

"The only ones in danger right now," Molly said, ignoring Harry as well. "Are you!" She said, looking at Sirius and Remus. "Hermione, dear, you're coming home with me right this second!" She declared and turned around to face the young witch. "Oh," she said, surprised by the close proximity. "Are you alright, sweet girl? Ronald told me everything," she said consolingly. "We'll get you some place safe. Did they hurt you? Nasty, lecherous wizards!" She turned back on the men. "I expected better from you Remus Lupin!" Her eyes fell on Sirius again. "_You_ on the other hand..."

Mia stared at the woman, shocked by the ignorance and overwhelmed with a building rage. "Molly," Mia said softly, reaching into her pocket. "Do you know how to swim?"

* * *

**A/N**: So some of you got your 'maidenhead' mention LOL! Quick question since I'm winding down the end of this story: What careers do you think Remus, Mia, and Sirius all ended up with in the end? What about Draco, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna? Doing a bit of a poll (and trying to spark some ideas for the epilogue). Can't guarantee I'll use something, but I am interested to see where you think they're headed.

It's been a while since I've done some fic recs so here's a bunch for you to devour! _Unity_ by **sallymact** (for which I'm currently Beta-ing) a fun Marriage Law Dramione. _Kiss Me (Under the Light of a Thousand Stars)_ by **Sophie French**, one of my all time favorite Drarry fics. Sooo good! Also for those missing the smut, check out _No Longer Playing_ by **bluecurls** (Sirius/Hermione/Remus), _A Study of Opposites_ by **SableUnstable** (Sirimione), and _To Have Your Cake_ by **gypsyfurface** (Sirius/Hermione/Remus)

Also check out my updated profile for more fics that I'm currently reading, recommending, and beta-ing.


	131. Chapter 131

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I loved all the reviews for the last chapter! You guys are awesome! I'm updating super early again (like twelve hours early or whatever) because I'm doing on of those "update like crazy because it'll drive you into panic writing mode". Now that the end is approaching (we're looking at about 155 chapters total as of right now depending on the epilogue) so if you're demanding something to happen (that's not obvious) by the end, let me know now!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One: Issues With Propriety

"_...I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation_  
_You're living in the past, it's a new generation_  
_A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do…"_  
_(Reputation - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts)_

* * *

**September 20th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

With Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Molly looking on in utter confusion, Remus and Sirius jumped toward Mia, the former stepping in between the two witches while the latter wrapped his arms around the girl and turned her away from the Weasley matriarch, yanking her hand out of her pocket to find her palm empty.

Sirius glared briefly at Mia and she smirked at him and winked.

"What in Circe's name is happening?!" Molly shouted. "Remus Lupin you better —"

"Molly," the werewolf said, his voice calm but his eyes intense. "I'm saying this because I respect you and I understand you are confused and upset. But right now, it would be astonishingly unwise of you to insult either myself or Sirius at this moment."

"I am not afraid of _you_!" She shot back, thinking that he was threatening her.

"It's not _us_ you should be afraid of!" Sirius barked, struggling to contain the witch in his arms who was now, in a fury, trying to turn around to face the red-haired witch. He recalled envisioning this moment years ago when Molly had a bad habit of getting on his case about things. Now, however, he couldn't very well justify Mia attacking the mother of her friends who had only had good intentions toward protecting the young witch; certainly not in front of Harry and Ron, two Aurors in training.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry jumped in to try and calm the situation down. "Please sit."

"What the hell is everyone shouting about?" Tonks snapped as she walked into the room carrying a teary-eyed Teddy Lupin who was now sporting a lovely shade of black hair. The young Auror looked at her husband who was protectively guarding Sirius, who was tightly gripping Mia, who was growling and struggling against him while Molly Weasley stood at the other end, a wand gripped tightly in her hand.

"Tonks!" Molly cried. "Oh, you poor dear!" She said and rushed toward the Metamorphmagus. "You and Teddy shouldn't have to see this!"

Several things happened very quickly the moment that Molly reached out to touch the baby, her wand still in hand:

Sirius released Mia and, in tandem, Remus took hold of Dora's arm as Mia retrieved Teddy from her hands, shifting him instantly into Harry's arms as the young wizard was shoved behind her. Somehow, Ginny was shifted into the mix as well until Molly stood with Ron alone at her side, facing off against a werewolf and two Animagi, protecting their own.

_Pack._

Remus stood at the front with Sirius and Mia flanking him almost as though ready for battle though, unlike their hard eyes, Remus' were soft and still calculating, ever the peacekeeper. He had one hand held out at either side, a silent plea for Sirius and Mia to reign in their tempers and not act on instinct.

"I'm sorry, Molly," Remus said. "I'm aware that you would not consciously threaten my family," he said, and the ginger witch noted he had meant everyone behind him, her own daughter included. "But you have to admit, you have a bad temper and I need to ask you to lower your wand."

Molly's mouth had fallen open in the bustle, and though she was still irate and confused, the frightening look in Mia's eyes caused her to finally relent and set her wand very slowly down on the table to the side of her. "What's happened?" She finally asked.

Remus sighed in relief and both Sirius and Mia visibly relaxed.

Ron watched in confusion as he was separated from the group, left there beside his mother who was the obvious threat. He looked at everyone across from him and his eyes turned to Mia and sadly asked, "It's because I left, isn't it?" He asked quietly, referencing his greatest mistake, abandoning the group on the Horcrux hunt.

"You are family, Ronald," Mia promised him. "But you are not Pack."

"Pack?" Molly asked, her brows furrowed, her eyes drawn immediately to Remus and Tonks at the word; however, as her eyes scanned over the other two at the forefront, she caught sight of a scar peeking out at the juncture of Mia's neck and shoulder. She gasped loudly and looked like she was about to start screaming again.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Mia said, wand aimed at Molly who immediately froze solid and then tipped backward. With Ron in shock at the entire scene, Mia cast a Cushioning Charm so the Weasley matriarch didn't crack her head on the floor when she fell. "Get her up," she instructed Ron. "Set her on the sofa and no one unfreeze her unless they plan on taking her wand and casting a Langlock. I'm quite done with all the screaming," she said brusquely.

"I don't understand," Harry said as he moved to help Ron carry Mrs. Weasley. "She seemed to be calming down. What happened?"

Mia moved her shirt to reveal the scar on her shoulder. "She saw this and, like every other uninformed idiot in the Wizarding world that doesn't bother learning a damn thing about Lycanthropy, she took it to mean that Remus either claimed me as a mate, which is impossible as he already has one," she said, rolling her eyes. "Or that he'd turned me into a werewolf, which offends me on his behalf."

"But…" Harry stared at the scar. "Hermione, that is a bite wound."

"I never said it wasn't," Mia answered. "I will, however, say that it's no one's business but my own. I'm perfectly fine with answering questions I feel the need to answer," she said, her eyes darting to Ron and Molly who were now sitting side by side, the latter unfrozen but properly silenced. "I do not owe any explanations, especially to people who jump to their own conclusions."

"It's a Pack Mark," Sirius said, showing his own on his shoulder, informing everyone since Mia was now too angry to do so. "It magically binds us to Remus. We were not attacked, we were completely willing, and Mia's right, the details are no one's fucking business."

Molly's eyebrows shot to her hairline.

"What?" Sirius snapped at her.

"You called me, 'Mia'," Mia said. "I'm going to get really tired of telling this story repeatedly," she groaned. "Someone else do it while I get some fresh air," she said and then turned to leave the room. "Oh," she paused. "Have Ron and Molly make an Oath not to say another word about any of this to anyone until I can tell the rest of the Order," she said to Remus. "And then… and then someone call an Order meeting. Let's get this mess over and done with."

oOoOoOo

She sat on the front porch of Grimmauld Place, wishing like hell that it was her old flat in Diagon Alley or the back gardens of Potter Manor. Grimmauld Place wasn't home. She brought the cigarette she'd stolen from the pack in Sirius' leather jacket to her lips and inhaled. As she blew the smoke out through her nose, letting the heat warm her a touch, she frowned knowing that she would certainly need to quit. It was one thing to sneak one or two during stressful times, but she knew she didn't want Harry or Ron picking up the habit, and she detested being a hypocrite.

"I see you really have changed," Molly muttered quietly as she stepped out onto the porch, wandless, which was smart of whoever it was that allowed her to leave the room. Molly eyed the smoke distastefully and Mia rolled her eyes.

"I plan on quitting," she said. "So, are we okay?"

"It's…" Molly swallowed. "Quite the story. I… I have a hard time believing it, but seeing that I never had the pleasure of meeting Mia Potter, it's not as though you can offer me much proof, can you?" She asked, sighing irritably. "And while I understand that… you might have been the same age when you were… in Hogwarts with… with _him_," Molly huffed. "You're still just a young girl now and he's a grown man."

"He is the love of my life and looks at me the way Arthur looks at you," Mia said firmly. "I understand you have a habit of mothering the motherless," she sighed. "But I've had two mothers who taught me to stand on my own two feet and make my own decisions. One of those mothers raised the man inside who you are judging, something I should tell you has earned several witches a trip to the Black Lake."

Molly seemed to be struggling with the obvious threats coming from the girl who, as of yesterday, was just a sweet Muggle-born witch that she thought of as one of her own. "Hermione… he is —"

"Molly, I will only say this once," Mia stared at the woman. "You do not know Sirius Black. Do not pretend that you do. Sirius tries to behave himself in the face of insults because he doesn't want to put Harry in an uncomfortable position. I, however, will not tolerate any defamation of his character."

Molly took the words in slowly, processing the clear threat, trying to consolidate her memories of the sweet Muggle-born witch in front of her with the stories she had heard from her husband all those years ago about his friend from the Ministry. "May I then ask…" Molly began quietly, her eyes lingering on the scar on Mia's shoulder.

"No," Mia replied, her tone polite. "Werewolf magic is misunderstood. Remus has proven himself time and time again and should not have to continually answer questions of his own honor merely because of prejudice and rumors surrounding his condition," she insisted. "Molly," Mia sighed. "Speaking ill of Sirius is one thing… one thing I will not tolerate," she said, repeating her earlier words of caution. "But I have been known to have very little, if any, control over my actions when it comes to those who speak ill of Remus."

Molly didn't look surprised, but she certainly was intrigued. "Why, may I ask out of curiosity, do you defend one man more than the one you're supposedly in love with?" She asked.

"First, there's no _supposedly_," Mia answered immediately, feeling a bit relieved when Molly looked regretful of her word choice. "As for my defense of Remus…" she breathed in slowly to calm herself. "While I don't like anyone speaking ill of Sirius, I know that when push comes to shove, he'll push back," she said clearly. "Remus won't. He'll take everything you say and compartmentalize it to think about later when he's feeling sorry for himself. He will sacrifice his very life to defend others, but he won't fight back against uncivil words to defend himself. So, I do it for him."

Molly only nodded. "I… I am beginning to understand. I still, however, think it's inappropriate that you're living with —"

"I know that you and Arthur were having sex at Hogwarts without the Contraceptive Charm," Mia blurted out.

oOoOoOo

Molly and Mia walked back into the house with sweet smiles on their faces, Molly's a little tenser than the younger witch and a bit redder in hue. Without a single word about their conversation outside, Molly approached Remus and sighed. "I am so very sorry for what I said, Remus. You are a good man and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Remus was staring at the redhead in mild shock. "I… of course, Molly, of course," he said.

The ginger witch then turned to Sirius who raised a challenging eyebrow at her, not at all expecting the same kind of treatment she'd just given the werewolf. Instead, Molly approached the Animagus and kissed his cheek kindly. "And you," she mumbled, swallowing down her pride, which looked to be several mouthfuls. "I am very pleased that you've found a good witch who can keep you in line."

"You're _pleased_?" Sirius asked, incredulously.

"Very."

"Pleased that I'm with Hermione?" Sirius questioned.

Molly bristled, at a loss for words, she just nodded.

Sirius grinned slyly. "Really?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at Mia who was busy checking with Harry and Ginny to make sure that both Ron and Molly had been silenced about everything and that an Order meeting was arranged. "Even though she's only nineteen?" He asked.

Molly's nostrils flared at the obvious attempt at provocation.

"And she's living with me? Playing house? Living in sin? Shacking up? You… Molly Weasley, are _pleased_ with all of this?"

"Pads," Remus cautioned.

"I am… _fine_," Molly said through clenched teeth, knowing that Sirius was purposely aggravating her.

"Did you Imperius her?" Sirius asked, turning around and looking at Mia.

A few people laughed until they realized that neither Remus nor Sirius were even smiling. When all attention was brought back to Mia, she rolled her eyes. "Come now, love," she smiled at him. "You know I've never been very good at Unforgivables. My aim is off."

"You didn't drink anything she gave you, did you, Molly?" Remus asked.

"I did not poison her, Remus Lupin!" Mia snapped.

"_'The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat',_" Remus smirked at her.

Mia glared at him.

"No offense, love," Sirius laughed. "But your reputation precedes you."

Mia narrowed her eyes at the both of them and then turned, pretending to be offended, and walked out of the room. When she was certain to be gone and out of hearing range, Sirius turned back to Molly, his attention like an entertained child. "So, did she use threats or blackmail?" He asked with a grin.

oOoOoOo

After Molly left, taking Ron and Ginny back to the Burrow with her, Sirius insisted that the Lupins stay the night, knowing that Mia would love to see them in the morning. Tonks declined because she had to work early the following morning and, before taking Teddy to her mother's since she needed to stop and speak with Narcissa, the Auror insisted that Remus stay at Grimmauld Place, knowing that he'd be anxious otherwise.

With Remus and Harry sent off to bed, Sirius made his way up the stairs toward his room, nervously stepping through the door to find his witch curled up in the center of his bed, cuddling with the large, orange Kneazle. Crookshanks was rubbing the side of his face against hers and Mia was smiling at the action, just letting him nuzzle her.

"Looks like _someone_ missed you," he said with a smile.

She looked up and grinned at him. "It took Crooks a while to warm up to me again," she said, scratching the cat behind his ears. "What happened to Snuffles?" She asked curiously. "I didn't expect him to live long enough to see me again, he was just a regular cat, after all."

"I gave him to Lily," Sirius said as he closed the door behind him and made his way over to the bed, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans. "That thing never liked me to begin with. I think when…" he paused, leaving a pregnant pause in the air between them. "He probably escaped and became a great menace to the rest of Godric's Hollow. Infamous stray cat that sneaked into people's houses, scratched them and then just left."

Mia smirked at him and watched as Crookshanks jumped off the bed, curling up front of the fireplace in the corner of the room and falling fast asleep. "Is everything set for tomorrow?" She asked.

Sirius nodded. "Order meeting at the Burrow. Molly's making dinner for everyone."

"And the Malfoys?"

"Tonks went back to Dromeda's house to ask them to come."

"How is Narcissa?" Mia questioned curiously. "The last time I saw her, she was… less than thrilled to be in my presence."

"St. Mungo's, right?" Sirius asked. "The night I was attacked?"

Mia nodded, frowning at the memory, both her own recollection of the events, and the one Sirius had unwillingly shared with her during his brief introduction to Occlumency training. "Mum made me leave your room to fetch her some tea. I think she wanted me to get out and walk around a bit. I was… distraught."

Sirius nodded uncomfortably. "Obviously," he said, breaking out a smirk for her. "I was unconscious and therefore you were reliant on Prongs for decent conversation," he chuckled. "As it is, Cissa seems rather excited to see you again, for some fucking reason."

"Does Draco know about me?"

He shook his head. "Not that I'm aware. He knows about us being bonded though, at least partially. Little shit likes to try and tease me about it any chance he gets."

Mia laughed quietly to herself as she moved to stand, walking to the closet where she browsed through Sirius' clothing until she found an old Sex Pistols t-shirt that was too big for her. "He and I have had conversations about it," she said as she began stripping her clothing off, unaware that Sirius had turned his back to her to give her privacy. "It's been years for me, of course," she commented, slipping the t-shirt over her head. "But I remember he said he knew because of the life debt you collected from Narcissa. He put all the pieces together and figured out how I brought you back from the Veil."

"Probably learned about the ritual from his father," Sirius replied, glancing over his shoulder as he watched her crawl back into the bed and cover herself with the blankets. "It seems like something a Death Eater would try to learn; using life debts to bind people to them."

"Comparing me to Death Eaters now?" She eyed him teasingly.

Sirius laughed. "Hardly. You're much smarter than any Death Eater I've ever met."

"It's strange though," she frowned, reaching up to rub at the tension in her shoulders. "I feel like… like I'm still preparing for war. Yesterday it was all just really beginning for us and today… it's all over. I don't think my body realizes it can relax now. I don't even know what to do with myself. I don't have a job or a purpose anymore."

Sirius made his way to her side of the bed, sitting behind her and pushing her long curls to the side so he could rub at her neck and shoulders for her. "You can do anything you want to do now. I'm sure you'll figure it out." She moaned softly at the touch of his hands, and Sirius winced painfully at the sound.

"Why didn't you take Kingsley up on his offer to rejoin the Aurors?" She asked him. "I remember in Hogwarts, you said you wanted to be an Auror, I was shocked because you'd never told us… Harry and myself, I mean. Why is that?"

"I…" he hesitated. "I left the Aurors after you…"

Mia turned around to face him. "Why? You loved your job."

Sirius sighed loudly and rubbed his hands down his face. "Because the Ministry was corrupt and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I tried to investigate your disappearance and they put a stop to me at every juncture. Now I know why," he scoffed, "but back then I was livid. Moody was on my case constantly and one day I snapped and quit," he said and then casually added, "I might have threatened him."

Mia snorted. "How'd he take _that_?"

The raven-haired wizard shrugged. "I was arrested and put in holding for a few weeks. Remus didn't tell you much about what it was like after you left, did he?"

She shook her head. "No, not much. I… I didn't really want to hear about it at first. But I do now if you're willing to share."

He swallowed down his worries. "Ask me anything and I'll tell you."

"Why Peter?" She blurted out.

Sirius recoiled slightly, feeling as though the breath had been knocked clean out of him. "Fuck… you're just… going right for it, aren't you?"

She frowned but then nodded. "I need closure. And I think we both need forgiveness."

Sirius sighed and looked away from her, not willing to meet her eyes. "I didn't trust Remus. Not even after you begged me to, made me promise to," he said shamefully. "We were fighting all the time and Wormtail… you were gone and he showed right up the little shit…" he growled, "he seemed so… well, you remember. Harmless."

"I remember."

"I made a mistake and I'll regret it for the rest of my life," he very nearly whispered.

Mia looked down at his hands which had been fidgeting in his lap as he spoke. She reached out and took them into her own, rubbing her thumb over the knuckles, relearning the contours of his fingers and the texture of his palms. Her fingertips grazed a numbered tattoo that she knew was his prison identity.

"I'm sorry," she said as she touched the mark again.

"Don't," he muttered and pulled his hands away from her.

"I need to say it."

"I… I can't do this, Mia."

"We can't pretend that it didn't happen," she told him as he stood up and moved away from her. "I need to get it out."

"I don't want to get it all out," he argued. "I want to just… just enjoy the fact that you're here and alive and you know who the fuck I am."

"We can't move on until we do this," she insisted. "Sirius you need to —"

"You let me rot in Azkaban for twelve _fucking_ years!" He spun on her, his face contorted into a mixture of rage and grief. "I betrayed Remus, Peter betrayed us all, but you betrayed _me_!" He shouted. "You _knew_! You knew everything and you let it happen!" He turned away from her and ran his fingers through his hair. Breathing hard, he walked to the corner of the room and leaned his forehead against the wall, bracing himself. "Godric… I… please just…" he said, still not looking at her. "Just yell at me. I need you to be angry at me too."

She didn't want to yell at him. He was right. She'd allowed it all to happen and had spent years hating herself for not doing anything to stop it all. Trying to redeem her inaction now felt foolish in itself. There was truly nothing she could do to make up for what she had allowed to transpire, and a simple apology wouldn't fix anything. It would be insulting to even think it would make up for twelve years in hell. Sirius knew it too, which was why he pleaded with her to yell at him.

So she did.

"I _begged_ you to trust Remus," her voice started out as a whisper. "Told you _specifically _not to trust Wormtail, but you did anyways. If you couldn't make Remus the Secret-Keeper, you should have kept it to yourself!" She said, her voice finally rising. "But I'm not even angry about that…" she admitted, and Sirius turned around to look at her, confused. "I knew what was going to happen to Jamie. I knew it had to happen because in any other circumstance Lily wouldn't have had the chance to protect Harry the way she did. But I _am _angry because instead of taking care of Harry like you were supposed to, you let Dumbledore give him to Petunia and Vernon!" She said, finally standing and rushing toward him. "He should have been with you and Remus!" Mia said and shoved him in the chest.

Sirius nodded and reached out, pulling her into his arms, kissing her hair. Slowly they both began to calm down and Sirius leaned forward and whispered, "I'm sorry," in her ear.

"Me too," she mumbled against his chest.

"Are we okay?" He asked.

She pulled away and looked up into his grey eyes, ignoring the age lines around them that signified not laughter, but sorrow. "I'm here," she said, reaching up to touch his handsome face. "I'm not leaving. And I love you."

Sirius sighed with relief at her words.

"Come to bed," she insisted and pulled him to the large four poster where they both crawled beneath the covers, Sirius still in his clothes. He pulled her against his chest and she settled a hand on his sternum, fiddling with a button on his shirt. "Sirius, was it enough?" She whispered. "Did I love you enough to make up for what you had to endure?"

He closed his eyes and breathed out shakily. "No," he said, knowing that she needed the truth and he didn't want to lie to her. Not about this. "But we've got the rest of our lives to fix that," he admitted and leaned down, kissing her forehead.

oOoOoOo

**September 21st, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

When the sun broke over the horizon and flooded the windows of Number Twelve, Sirius stirred awake to find a witch in his arms; his witch. He grinned brightly, savoring the last moments of a night of perfect sleep, something he hadn't had in nineteen years. In the quiet early morning, he could hear the others in the house moving around. Ron had apparently returned, seeking out Harry and food. He could overhear Remus talking about a bakery down the street that made chocolate covered croissants and eclairs. With a plan set in motion, the three other occupants departed Grimmauld Place through the front door, closing it quietly behind them so as not to awaken Walburga Black's portrait.

"Sirius?" Mia mumbled upon waking.

He smiled down at her, his eyes sparkling when she rolled over, her sleep mussed hair looking wild and carefree. "Good morning, kitten," said and ran his fingers through her locks.

"I have a question," she said with a smile.

"I might have an answer," he smirked at her.

"Did you…" she began. "Did you date anyone after I vanished?"

His smile faded, and suddenly he was wishing very much that he had gone to the bakery with Ron, Harry, and Remus.

* * *

**A/N**: Oops!


	132. Chapter 132

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** As promised, here's the extra chapter! This is seriously my favorite part of the story (I say that a lot though). I had a blast writing this chapter! Please check the bottom Author's Notes when you're done reading, as I'm looking for some extra Betas for a project.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Two: Arrogant Slytherins and Promiscuous Ravenclaws

"_...It's not like you to say sorry_  
_I was waiting on a different story_  
_This time I'm mistaken_  
_For handing you a heart worth breaking_  
_And I've been wrong, I've been down,_  
_Been to the bottom of every bottle_  
_These five words in my head_  
_Scream "are we having fun yet?"…"_  
_(This is How You Remind Me - Nickleback)_

* * *

**September 21st, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Remus walked several paces behind Harry and Ron as they returned to Grimmauld Place from the bakery, munching on one of the stolen pastries. A small assortment of baked goods had been selected and wrapped in the boxes that he was carrying, with the exception of the chocolate covered breakfast items that were being safeguarded in Harry's hands. The croissants they'd originally gone for were apparently being reserved for another customer, and the werewolf was burying his disappointment in other sweets. Remus was pulled from his thoughts of stealing the box from Harry when the trio approached the steps of Number Twelve to see Sirius sitting, a glass of amber liquid in hand that he could already identify as Muggle whisky, meaning Sirius was drinking for the intent to actually drink, which was never a good sign so early in the day.

"Morning, Pads," the werewolf said hesitantly.

"Moony, Harry, Ron," Sirius raised his glass in salute.

"Drinking already?" Remus suspiciously eyed the glass as Sirius brought it to his lips. "You know it's only half nine."

Sirius nodded and took another sip. "Nursing a bit of a headache," he said smoothly, giving no further indication as to why Muggle whisky was the new remedy for headaches instead of a Pain Potion. "Mia's redecorating the house a bit," he said thoughtfully.

"Really? She was never very —" Remus began, but a loud crash inside the house had all three standing wizards nearly jumping out of their skin, wands drawn. Looking down at Sirius' relaxed demeanor, they all put their wands away, looking around to make certain no passing Muggle caught sight of them as they stood on the edge of the Muggle Repelling Charm.

When another loud crash was heard followed by an angry scream, Harry drew his attention to his godfather. "Redecorating?" He asked skeptically.

Sirius only nodded. "I'm fairly certain the floor will soon be a lovely mosaic once she's done breaking every priceless glass artifact in the house," he said. "Of course, it all belonged to my mother, so I'm not entirely upset about losing it all. She's been at it for about an hour, I'm honestly surprised there's still stuff left to break."

"What did you do?" Remus glared down at his friend.

Sirius feigned innocence. "Why on earth, Moony, do you think that I've done something?"

"Because there's only a handful of things that get Mia violent, and something tells me that if she's destroying your house while you're sitting on the front porch, you're not in any immediate danger, which is usually her biggest trigger," the werewolf said firmly.

"I beg to differ on the danger issue," Sirius stood and reached into the box of treats Harry was holding, drawing out an eclair with a happy smile. "I was forcibly removed from the house," he told them before taking a large bite of the pastry.

"She hexed you out of your own home?" Harry gaped in shock.

Sirius swallowed. "No," he shook his head, "she threw an ashtray at my head and said she didn't want to look at my ugly, toerag face for a while. By the way, am I still bleeding?" He turned around to show the back of his skull. "I'm shit at healing spells, especially when I have to do them on myself."

"Toerag?" Remus asked as he looked over Sirius' head, pleased to not see any visible wound.

Sirius nodded. "She's in 'angry Lily mode'."

"What's a toerag?" Ron asked.

Sirius barked a laugh. "Twenty-five years mate and I still don't actually know," he admitted. "Sometimes, I'm pretty damn certain that half of the stuff Lily said was shit she made up to make the rest of us look stupid."

"What else is there?" Harry asked.

"What's that?" Sirius looked up at his godson as he retook his seat on the edge of the stairs, scooting aside to let Remus sit to his left.

"Remus said there's only a handful of things that make Hermione violent," Harry noted. "What's the list?"

"Oh, umm... me putting myself in danger is high up there," the raven-haired wizard smirked. "But she usually just screams like a Banshee while I mend my broken bones. Made the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts much less comforting," he snorted.

"Insulting me falls just under," Remus told them. "I have a feeling that was the line that Molly crossed last night," he said with a tone of voice that told them all he wasn't used to being defended like that anymore. "She's very protective of what she thinks belongs to her."

"You belong to her?" Ron asked, raising a brow.

Sirius laughed and nodded. "Don't doubt it for a second. She has a habit of collecting strays. She likes broken things she can dote upon and take care of. Pretty sure you were her first," Sirius said to Harry who blinked back at his godfather. "You're surprised?"

"No," Harry replied thoughtfully. "I just… I thought that was just how Hermione was."

Ron snorted. "No," he said. "That's how Hermione always was with _you_. Sure, she got on my case about my manners and homework, but she didn't… what's the word you used?" He asked Sirius. "Dote. She never doted on me."

"That's because you've not been mistreated. She's a healer," Remus said. "Not in the obvious sense of the word, or well, in my case she was," he smiled at the thought. "Hermione and Mia… she likes to heal wounds. She likes to make things better. Harry, Sirius, and myself," he frowned briefly but then smiled, "she made things better."

Harry and Sirius shared a nod.

"So then why is she mad?" Ron asked, bringing their attention back to the sounds of crashing inside of the house.

Remus sat beside Sirius, thoughtful. "Other than protecting those she loves, the only things that get her _this_ riled up are arrogant Slytherins or promiscuous Ravencl—" he stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at Sirius. "Pads? What did you do?" The werewolf asked, eyes wide.

"Nothing!" Sirius insisted. "Mia and I just had a morning chat over how I spent the few years I had without her before Azkaban."

"You cheated on Hermione?!" Harry snapped angrily at his godfather, emerald eyes flashing as he jumped to conclusions.

Sirius sighed. "My girlfriend up and vanished into thin air one day and I was told multiple times, by Albus Dumbledore that she was dead and _someone_…" he turned to glare at Remus, "refused to say otherwise."

Remus shook his head. "You know I couldn't."

"So I tried to… move on," he said and averted all of their gazes.

Remus scoffed.

Sirius turned and narrowed his eyes at his friend. "What?" He barked.

"If by 'moving on' you mean drinking yourself into a coma that lasts three days, then yes, certainly," Remus rolled his eyes dramatically. "Yes, moving on," he said sarcastically.

"You did what?!" Harry yelled. "Sirius! You could have died!"

"It's possible to drink yourself into a coma?" Ron asked, his face terrified and strained as though he were trying to calculate the number of Butterbeers and Firewhiskies he'd had over the course of his young life.

"He could have drank himself to _death_," Remus said, his voice hard as he stared at Sirius. "Pretty sure that's what he had been going for. Do you realize how much a wizard has to drink in order to get alcohol poisoning?" He said, looking at Harry, thrilled that he no longer had to bear the weight of the disapproval that came from witnessing Sirius' personal rock bottom. "James was furious when he woke up."

Sirius groaned. "I'm not proud of it, thank you very much!" He said harshly to all of them. "If you haven't noticed, I've never been good at coping on my own. But she's not pissed about _that_. The drinking and the girls she understood! She said she figured that I'd go through some sort of grieving period, end up at the bars and blackout only to wake up with… well, company," he said shamefully, briefly looking at Harry and then looking away. "Although she doesn't know about the coma, so I'd appreciate that little bit of knowledge to be kept quiet," he said, looking at Remus. "Just assume you're under an Unbreakable Vow, thanks."

"So, if not the girls then what happened?" Harry asked.

Sirius winced. "She wasn't bothered by the girls but she... she wanted to know their names. See if it was anyone she knew. She claimed that she was glad I had someone to take care of me and she wanted to feel thankful to whoever it was."

Remus scoffed and leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. If he looked at Sirius right now, he'd certainly burst into laughter. "Please tell me that you were smart enough to not fall for that."

Sirius scowled. "Shut up."

The werewolf sat up, holding in the laughter over the position his friend put himself in. "Padfoot, would you care to remind me again what House the Hat tried to put her in?"

"Shut up, Moony," Sirius growled.

"Wait," Ron paused. "What do you mean House and Hat? The _Sorting_ Hat?"

Remus nodded. "She told me that when she was Sorted in with us, the Hat tried to put her in Slytherin."

Harry and Ron stood with their mouths hanging open.

"That's not possible!" Harry asserted. "Hermione's always been a Gryffindor. She's the bravest witch I know!" He said adamantly.

"What could she have done to end up in Slytherin?" Ron asked angrily as though the very thought of his friend ending up in Slytherin House was a personal offense.

Sirius and Remus both chuckled. "Well, first, she's not reckless like the rest of Gryffindor House," Remus said. "She's logical and calculating. Always has been. She's smart, but unlike Ravenclaws who obtain knowledge for knowledge sake, she uses it for her own purposes. She's resourceful and cunning. And those are just the _positive_ Slytherin traits she possesses."

"What negative ones could she have?" Harry asked, offended on Mia's behalf.

"She can be cold and cruel when she wants to be," Sirius answered. "And unforgiving. Does the name Marietta Edgecombe ring any bells?" He asked them. "How about Rita Skeeter in a jar? Or Dolores Umbridge and some centaurs?"

"She just did all of that stuff in defence of her friends," Ron argued.

"Well, even if all of those things wouldn't have put her in with the snakes," Sirius chuckled. "When the Sorting Hat suggested Slytherin, she threatened to set it on fire."

Harry and Ron stood silent, slowly acknowledging that perhaps, over the years, they had let the witch get a little carried away.

"So," Remus turned his attention back to Sirius. "You gave her a list of girls and she called you a man-whore then kicked you out of your house?"

"No, strangely she was genuine about not being upset over the various one night stands. It was the tiny, small, insignificant, _minor_ incident I had after she disappeared that put her in this state," he looked down at the ground, picking at his fingernails.

"Oh, no," Remus said as realization dawned on him.

"Oh, yes," Sirius winced.

The front door to Number Twelve was thrown open and Mia stood before them all, still wearing Sirius' Sex Pistols t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She was barefoot, which was surprising because even at the angle where they stood, Ron and Harry could see broken glass on the floor of the entryway. Her amber eyes were burning and her hair was sparking at the ends.

"Marlene _bloody_ McKinnon!" She snarled. "We had _one _rule each, Sirius Black! I think I kept to mine quite well over the years! I've only ever slept with you and Remus! Just the two of you! At your request!"

Sirius scratched the back of his head where the ashtray had hit earlier. "To be fair, you also forbade me from sleeping with Gryffindors," he mumbled. "And you did briefly date a Bulgarian Quidditch Player —"

"That doesn't count and you damn well know it!" She shrieked and then looked up spotting the other three wizards. Her personality seemed to switch out of nowhere, the wrathful witch turned suddenly sweet and approachable, not that any of them were stupid enough to actually approach her. "Good morning, Remus, Harry, Ron."

"'Mione," Ron nodded, eyes wide.

"Morning, Hermione," Harry said cautiously.

Remus turned his head and smiled up at the witch, the only one of them clearly unafraid. "Hello, love. Bad day?" He asked.

Mia shrugged her shoulders. "Just doing a little redecorating," she said, looking back at the house. "I'm almost done. I'd say let's all sit down to a cup of tea but there's glass all over the floor and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"You could stop breaking things then," Sirius quietly suggested.

Just like that, Mia's eyes flared again and she scowled down at the raven-haired wizard, tunneling her eyes into the back of his head furiously before she turned, stepped back inside the house and slammed the door shut hard.

"I can't believe you told her about Marlene," Remus sighed.

"That name sounds familiar. Wasn't she an Order member?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Sirius replied.

"But Hermione didn't like her?"

"Tele-Portkeyed her into the Black Lake once if I remember," Remus said with a smile.

"McKinnon wasn't too kind in regards to the werewolf population," Sirius told Harry and Ron. "Remember that list we were talking about?"

"She sent a girl into the Black Lake?!" Ron gawked.

"Did she die?" Harry asked nervously.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, but not from _that_," he frowned. "Marlene died months after I last saw her. By then she was dating one of the Prewetts, can't remember which. Not like it matters, she was killed by Death Eaters about a week after Gideon and Fabian died."

Ron frowned, immediately recognizing the names of his uncles.

"That's horrible," Harry muttered.

"That was war," Sirius sighed. "Godric, that was _life_."

"Is Hermione really that pissed off over a girl who died twenty years ago?" Ron asked.

"_This_ girl?" Sirius scoffed. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Marlene was Sirius' first…" Remus winced, "everything."

"Not my first love," Sirius declared firmly.

Remus conceded to the fact and held up his hands in mock surrender. "No, but on your first date with Mia, she walked out of Honeydukes to catch you kissing Marlene," he reminded him.

"_She_ kissed _me_!"

"Which Mia forgave you for, but wasn't that the whole reason she instituted the no Marlene McKinnon rule for you?"

Sirius groaned. "I was drunk and I didn't know," he insisted. "How long do you think she's going to be pissed at me for?" He asked.

Suddenly the front door was thrown open again, and this time, instead of an infuriated witch in the space, a blonde Slytherin stood, rubbing at his nose irritably. Draco sniffed a few times, glancing down at the fresh blood stains on his robes as he stepped down to take a seat next to his cousin opposite Remus.

"Son of Salazar," he scowled down at the gathered Gryffindors on the steps. "Are you aware that the inside of your house looks like someone set a small pack of Nifflers loose?" He asked Sirius.

"Are you aware that your robes are covered in blood, ferret?" Ron asked, a crooked grin on his face.

"And yet they still appear to be cleaner than yours," Draco glared at the redhead, noting smeared chocolate and crumbs on his collar. "Can you not afford napkins on an Auror trainee's salary, or are you simply accustomed to eating out of a trough?"

"Got caught up in her wrath did you?" Sirius asked, interrupting the argument between the two before it got out of hand. He held out his half drank glass of whisky to the blonde who took it enthusiastically, tossing the liquor down his throat in one gulp.

Draco set the glass down between them and then reached for his wand to clean the blood stains from his clothing. "If you've angered a witch to the point of brutality, the least you could do is close the bloody Floo Network so no one else walks into your mess unsuspectingly. It's called manners, Sirius."

Sirius smirked. "Sorry about that. She break your nose?" He asked.

Draco nodded. "Wouldn't be the first time," he said with a bitter tone. "At least she fixed it for me, in third year I had to wait a bloody hour for Madam Pomfrey to make herself available. Not that it gives Granger the right to sucker punch a man just as he steps out of a fireplace," he added.

"Why'd she hit you?" Harry asked.

"Not that she'd need a reason," Ron mumbled.

Draco narrowed his eyes at Ron and then turned his attention to Harry. "She said something about it being too long since she punched a Slytherin. That, and the fact that I look like my father didn't help me when I allegedly sneaked up behind her," he rolled his eyes. "Then she bloody _hugged _me," he spat the word as though it were an indescribable offense, "and told me that I'd done the right thing by killing Lucius. Care to explain what the hell's going on with Granger?"

It took much less time telling the story to Draco, as he cared little for the details and didn't ask any questions as he was able to put many of the pieces together himself. When Remus finished explaining, everyone turned to the Slytherin, waiting for his reaction.

"Do any of you Gryffindors know how to leave well enough alone, or do you all just enjoy fucking about with things you don't understand?" He jeered, his eyes looking at Ron and Harry as though they set the standard for reckless idiocy. "It makes sense that she attacks first and asks questions later at the sight of me," Draco admitted. "Mother's been telling me more of what my fath… what Lucius was like when they were first together."

"Mia was _not _a fan," Sirius shook his head.

"Is that her name now?" Draco inquired.

Remus nodded. "Mia Potter."

"Potter?" Draco raised a pale eyebrow.

"She was adopted by my Grandparents," Harry replied.

"Adopted? Well, that makes a lot more sense," Draco remarked with interest, turning his attention to Sirius. "Not that you need it, cousin, but I wholeheartedly approve of your match. Well done. I actually _like_ the witch."

"What?!" Ron turned beet red.

"Absolutely," the Slytherin nodded, taking note of Ron's anger and smirking. If an exaggerated liking to the witch sparked such outrage in the redhead, Draco was going to enjoy milking the moment for all it was worth. "Bravo to you for being able to pull the broomstick out of her arse," he smiled in an irritatingly smug way. "In fact, if she didn't look exactly like Granger I'd be half tempted to consider a union with her myself," he added, his eyes drifting to Ron to wait for a reaction.

"Well, she's definitely taken," Sirius grinned.

Draco suppressed a laugh. "Strange, I didn't _feel _a ring when I got an up-close feel of her fist. Speaking of which, now that the pair of you are clearly no longer avoiding your embarrassing secretly bonded relationship, could you do a man a favor and request that she stop striking me?"

"She's only done it twice," Sirius smirked. "You're pretty face is perfectly intact."

"Still," the Slytherin scowled. "I'd much prefer her company if she was not _threatening _me." He looked up to see Ron still staring at him, mouth open. "What's wrong with your pet weasel, Scarhead?" Draco asked Harry. "Is he hungry and just waiting for someone to spoon feed him?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. Ron closed his mouth.

"You just said that you'd match yourself to Hermione if she wasn't with Sirius," Ron stated.

"Remarkable attention span, Weasley," Draco rolled his eyes. "She's a powerful witch who finally figured out how to brush her hair," he shrugged his shoulders as though he knew he'd been with far worse before.

"If all it took was a girl punching you in the face, Malfoy, you should have been besotted with her third year," Harry said. "Even then, she's still a Muggle-born; isn't that against your standards?" He asked bitterly.

Draco glowered at the messy-haired wizard. "Don't presume to know anything about me Potter, or about anything in general. Your ignorance for Wizarding customs and traditions is astounding and I'd rather walk back into that house and have my nose broken again than listen to the wheels in your head try to feebly put the pieces together."

Harry glared. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"Put _what_ pieces together?" Ron asked, confused.

The blonde wizard shook his head in astonishment. "Are they actually going to let the two of you be Aurors? Was there even an examination or did Potter have a plus one invitation to the Ministry attached to that shiny Order of Merlin he received?" He rolled his eyes. "She's no longer a Muggle-born you half-wits."

When Harry just stared at him Draco sighed and looked at the man as though he couldn't quite believe how stupid he was. "I know you were raised by Muggles and, apparently even worse, Weasleys, but did no one ever even _try _to explain Wizarding customs to you?"

"I'm confused," Harry muttered.

"I'm not surprised," Draco replied.

"Draco," Sirius said, warningly.

"What?" Draco asked, poorly feigning innocence. "I'm not. It's the godfather's job to instruct a magical child in the traditions and customs of our world and _you've _been otherwise preoccupied," he said. "Granted, I would have assumed that the herd of gingers would have at least attempted to step up and fill in the obvious gap in his proper education," he added, throwing a gesturing hand toward Ron, "but judging from the blank expression on Weaselbee's face, I gather that they haven't even informed their _own _offspring, let alone the Muggle-raised castaways they've accumulated over the years."

"Would you stop prattling on and just explain what you meant about Hermione not being Muggle-born?!" Harry snapped impatiently.

"She was adopted by a Pure-blood family, you simpleton," Draco said, speaking very slowly as if talking to a child; Harry bristled at the tone. "That makes her a Pure-blood."

Ron furrowed his brows. "Adoption doesn't change blood."

"No, but it changes their magical signature," the Slytherin informed them. "If a Familial Bond was created and sealed between her and her proud Potter parents, then she's not just a Potter by _name_, she might as well have been born to them. Her magical signature was altered to adjust to her family. By all Wizarding laws and rights, she's a Pure-blood."

Harry frowned. "That still doesn't make sense. Her blood hasn't changed. What the hell did we just fight a war over? If it's about pure magic and not pure blood, then why even bother talking about blood?!"

Draco shrugged, clearly he'd never bothered to worry about such things before. "I supposed because 'Mudblood' sounds less ridiculous than 'Mudmagic'?" He offered, his tone indifferent. When Harry and Ron bristled at the word, Draco rolled his eyes again. "I wasn't calling _her_ one," he said dramatically. "I was just making a point; no need to get your hand-me-down knickers in a twist," he said, his silver-grey eyes set on Ron.

"And this tradition is just accepted that easily?" Harry asked, ignoring the insults. "Even by Pure-blood families like yours?"

"Yes," Draco nodded. "In fact, my mother told me that when she was having trouble getting pregnant with me, she'd suggested magical adoption just to be able to provide an heir for my father to fulfill her marital vows. But by then Father was too caught up in the Dark Lord's plans."

"Why would that have mattered?" Harry questioned.

"Because the Dark Lord didn't approve of magical adoption," Draco replied.

Ron frowned. "I still don't get it. If magical adoption would turn any Muggle-born or Half-blood into a Pure-blood, then why was he against it?"

Draco raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Because like the rest of the Wizarding world - except for apparently you two dunderheads - the Dark Lord actually _did _see it as a blood status thing and not just magical purity. Neither of which make a difference now, of course."

Harry nodded, finally in understanding. "It makes sense. Tom Riddle was an orphan."

"And would _you _like to be the person to tell a sociopathic tyrant that all his problems would have been solved if some Pure-blood family loved him enough to give him their name?" The Slytherin sneered.

Harry looked to Remus. "Does this mean anything for Hermione? Being a Pure-blood now?"

Remus scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure," he answered. "We knew that Mia was adopted of course, but we never really gave much thought to her Muggle-born status or the state of her magical signature. And Hermione has always been a proud Muggle-born, I imagine she'll be very open about both of her parentages. By all laws she is a Potter, so she'll have access to the vaults and properties."

"Black vaults and properties as well," Sirius chimed in. "Her mother was a Black."

"I didn't even make that connection," Draco grimaced. "I'm related to Hermione Granger. Does she still have the Time-Turner? I'd love to go back to third year and tell my thirteen-year-old self just to see the look on my face."

"It'd probably look just as stupid as it does now," Ron noted aloud.

"Behave, Ronald," a voice said from the door and they all turned up to see Mia walking out, looking much calmer than she had since she last graced them with her presence.

"But Mione he —" Ron whined.

"Is family," she said, cutting Ron off as she walked down the steps.

At the word, Draco turned and sneered up at Ron triumphantly, the delight on his face readable over the way Ron gawked at the sight of his best friend defending the Slytherin. The blonde remained smug until the witch reached out, taking his face in her hands. He tried to pull away at first, but she was persistent, ignoring his wishes so she could observe her spellwork on his nose.

"Hello... _cousin_," the Slytherin said with a smirk on his face as she finally let him go.

Mia nodded thoughtfully. "So you're all caught up then? How's your face?" She asked.

"Still prettier than yours."

She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "That's debatable. I happen to be dating the most eligible bachelor in Wizarding Britain," she said, reaching out and threading her fingers through Sirius' hair without even looking at him. "And you've got Pansy 'Pug Face' Parkinson to attest to _your _good looks."

"Oh, are we dating again?" Sirius asked. "I wasn't sure because you threw an ashtray at my head."

"I am sorry," she said, her tone genuine. "You're still not off the hook."

"What do you want?" He asked.

She thought for a moment. "You're no longer allowed to smoke."

Sirius cringed and then growled. "Fine," he admitted. "Are we okay now?" He asked bitterly.

"Yes," She said and turned to look at the man. "I've calmed down."

"Because everything in the house is broken?" Remus chuckled.

"No, because punching Slytherins is apparently like meditation for me," she said, smirking at Draco who had turned narrowed eyes at her. "Keeps me centered. It's been way too long since I've done it. It's been at least a year since I last punched Snape, and your father was a few years before that."

Draco's eyes widened. "You hit my father?!" He asked, genuinely shocked and amused.

"You punched Snape?!" Ron asked with a grin on his face.

Harry, who had developed a strange new admiration for the fallen Potions Master didn't look so amused. "Why?" He asked.

"Because they threatened Sirius," Mia replied, a hard look in her eyes.

Remus smiled. "Told you," he said. "She doesn't like people touching her things."

* * *

**A/N**: I absolutely love Draco and Mia. **Colubrina** gets a lot of credit for helping me get our favorite Slytherin Prince to come across as his adoringly arrogant self.

Just wanted to put this out there... I'm looking for extra Betas. This story is almost completely and considering it'll be at least 155 chapters by the end, I know there are a lot of inconsistencies throughout it, as well as errors that my Fluffpanda and I have missed along the way. But since it's my epic story (and I'll likely never write anything so insane again) I want it to be perfect. So I'm hoping to get a group of Betas to - one by one - go through it and make sure it's perfect. Looking for an extra pair of eyes to catch mistakes, someone who is obsessed with grammar, and even someone to Brit pick through the chapters to change all my Americanisms. Please PM me if you're interested (and let me know if you've Beta'd before and what you're expertise is).


	133. Chapter 133

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Wow! The amount of Betas that offered to help edit through the entire story is amazing. I am definitely no longer in need! I have a whole team working on it now and they are incredible! I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter and the reappearance of our favorite blonde Slytherin! Because I'm going through the crazy editing process to make this story perfect (and forcing myself to finish it in addition to writing a new story) comments to reviews might be a little behind this week. Just a heads up, I swear I'm not ignoring you all. You're wonderful!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Three: Collected Life Debts

"_...I'm setting fire to the life that I know_  
_Let's start a fire everywhere that we go_  
_We starting fires, we starting fires_  
_'Til our lives are burning gold…"_  
_(Burning Gold - Christina Perri)_

* * *

**September 21st, 1998**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

The residents of Number Twelve arrived at the Burrow in small groups. Harry and Ron took Teddy with them through the Floo, while Tonks met up with Draco, Narcissa, and Andromeda to Side-Along Apparate to Ottery St. Catchpole and wait outside for the wards to be lowered for the Malfoys. Mia took a breath before clutching Sirius's arm with one hand and Remus's with the other as the trio Disapparated away from London, arriving at the Burrow a few moments later.

The sight of the old crooked house nearly brought tears to her eyes, but Mia controlled herself and swallowed down her emotions and the anticipation not only of seeing her old friends from Hogwarts, but Arthur and Kingsley as well, who had been Mia's friends from the Ministry and Order before she'd gone missing. It was those two whom she was most worried about seeing again.

They walked toward the Burrow, noting that a small marquee had been set up outside, surrounded by a large Warming Charm to fight off the biting September chill. As they approached, Mia released her grip on the wizards, the smell of Molly Weasley's cooking pulling her toward the large tent. Inside she could see them all gathered together.

Bill was hovering next to Fleur protectively as she carried trays to the large table alongside her mother-in-law, shooing her husband away with a fierce glare. Charlie, still home from the Dragon Reserve to help with the reconstruction of Hogwarts, was in a corner pouring firewhisky into glasses with Fred and George. Ginny was holding Teddy in her arms with Harry sitting beside her, all smiles, while Ron walked around the tent beside Neville and Luna, the newest members of the Order of the Phoenix, though now without a war to fight, there hardly seemed a reason for it. There were other members of the Order present as well that Mia recognised. Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones who she'd known from the original Order, as well as Sturgis Podmore. There was Arthur, Percy, and Kingsley standing together beside Molly, deep in conversation with one another while the witch tended to the food. In the back of the tent sat Hagrid with a glass of firewhisky in his hand the size of a small barrel, and sitting close beside him was the small house-elf, Dobby, who was wearing six different pair of mismatched socks on his feet, and two different scarves. It seemed the only members of the Order missing were Minerva who was busy at Hogwarts, Elphias Doge, Arrabella Figg, Aberforth Dumbledore, and Mundungus Fletcher, the latter of whom Mia was grateful to not be present.

"I'm panicking," Mia muttered softly.

"You'll be fine, love," Sirius promised. "Besides, you're going to have competition for attention," he insisted, directing her attention to Tonks, Draco, Narcissa, and Andromeda as they approached the trio.

Mia took a sharp breath and held her head high as she faced Narcissa Malfoy.

The blonde woman stared at her for several long moments, appraising the younger witch before she finally allowed the smallest hint of a smile to appear. "Well, well, Potter," Narcissa said, her smile turning into a full smirk that rivaled that of her son. "You've held up quite well over the years. What _ever _is your secret?"

"Time-Turner," Mia said without a pause. "We can't _all _bathe in the blood of baby Nogtails to look as lovely as you do, dear cousin," she said with the hint of an arrogant smile.

Narcissa actually laughed at that and then turned to look at Sirius. "The pair of you will either restore our Ancient and Noble House or run it completely into the ground," she stated simply. "Either way, it will be a good show, and I'm not one to miss out on free entertainment."

"Oh, Cissa," Mia said softly. "It'll hardly be free."

Narcissa smirked and Mia grinned and Draco stared between the two as if he were suddenly concerned about the new obvious friendship brewing. Mia's attention then turned to the elder Black sister and her smile softened. "Dromeda," she sighed with relief.

"Mia Potter," Andromeda grinned and moved to embrace the younger witch. "You are as lovely as ever my dear, and while there were a great many things about Hermione Granger, these two," she said, gesturing to Remus and Sirius. "We're absolutely pathetic in your long absence."

"Hey!" Sirius said, offended. "I think I did pretty well under the circumstances."

Remus scoffed.

"Shall we?" Narcissa asked.

"I'll take the Malfoys in first," Tonks insisted. "Get that over with quickly before you lot come in," she said, gesturing to the witch, the Animagus, and the werewolf.

"No, you two go as well," Mia said, pushing Sirius and Remus forward a bit. "I… I need a moment, I think," she muttered quietly and folded her arms in front of her chest, nervously staring at the tent in front of them all.

Silently they each nodded and turned to join the largely gathered group, Sirius waiting an extra moment longer to lean in and kiss her cheek in support. "We'll get everyone ready," he promised before turning and leaving her to her thoughts.

Mia turned away from the tent and breathed in deeply, her amber eyes looking forward into the distant orchards of the Burrow, a part of her wanting to shift into her Animagus form and disappear into the trees where she could hide away forever. She'd barely heard the sound of footsteps before a voice spoke out.

"Hello, Mia Potter."

Mia turned around to come face to face with Luna Lovegood.

"Luna?" Mia gasped. "I… how did you…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the blonde witch said, her ethereal voice soft and sweet. "Are we not calling you that yet?" She asked simply, her large eyes looking around Mia as though she were examining her aura, or a large gathering of Wrackspurts for all the curly-haired witch knew.

"You know who I am?" Mia asked.

"Oh, yes," Luna smiled sweetly. "I've always known. But then again, you haven't, have you?" She asked and Mia smiled, nearly choking on a sob that was trying to escape her throat. "You were friends with my mother and she told me stories," Luna explained. "One of my favorites was about a special shape-shifter. It was a phoenix that was really a fox who could turn into a witch," she said with the hint of a smile. "But the witch could also turn into a snake or a lion, depending on her mood. Quite fascinating, shape-shifters, don't you agree?"

"Yes," Mia said, pulling Luna into a hug. "Quite fascinating."

"Shall we go in now?" Luna asked, pulling away from Mia with a brighter smile, her eyes twinkling in the soft light of the setting sun.

Mia nodded and followed the blonde into the tent where someone had magicked the floor to be hardwood, more than likely the twins who were planning on dancing like they'd done during Bill and Fleur's wedding, the last time the marquee had been set up. As serene and calm as Luna was, the rest of the large group was the exact opposite. Fred, George, and Charlie were in a debate with Harry, Ginny, and Sirius over the presence of the Malfoys who stood near Tonks and Andromeda looking bored as they waited for their company to be approved.

"This was supposed to be an Order meeting, so I want to know why there are bloody Malfoys here!" Charlie snapped.

"Because I asked them to be," Mia said, inserting herself into the conversation and bringing attention to her presence.

All eyes turned toward her and the room fell silent. The shattering of plates broke through the thick silence, and when Mia looked toward the sound, she saw Bill and Fleur staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths. Fleur was looking her up and down as though searching for something while her husband had turned his attention to Remus as if waiting for directions. Mia simply smiled at them both, figuring that the pair of them, both a little more creature than the others, had scented out the difference in her immediately, and Bill, a part of the Pack, had deferred to their Alpha for assistance.

"Hey, 'Mione," Charlie said, briefly looking at her before turning his attention back to the argument. "I'm just saying —" he said but then stopped and turned to look at the young witch. "'Mione… did you do something with your hair?" He asked. "You're looking… good," he grinned.

Mia rolled her eyes when she noticed Sirius bristle in response to the compliment.

"The Malfoys are here at my request; this isn't my home, but they are my guests and I would expect you all - as grown witches and wizards, the lot of you - to treat them with the respect that I insist upon," she said firmly. "It's not a request," she firmly added.

The majority of the large group nodded their heads shamefully, but the three instigating redheads looked as though they'd been challenged and were now, more than ever, amused by the witch who dared to throw down the gauntlet.

"Is that so?" Fred asked with a grin as he approached her.

"And how are we to be punished when we break your rules?" George said with a smirk. "Charlie's right though," he noted aloud as he got closer. "You look —"

"Lovely," Fred chimed in.

"Gorgeous," George added.

"Fancy a drink?" Fred asked.

"I don't have time for this," Mia sighed in irritation. "Go sit down, I will deal with you later," she instructed. "Alright," she said, her voice a bit louder. "We need to get some security questions out of the way."

"What for?" Charlie asked. "War's over, love."

"I'm serious. Ask me as many questions as you need to," she insisted, noting that her words had put several of the members into a mildly worried state. "Go on."

Arthur was the first to step forward. "Umm… right then," he mumbled. "Hermione, what form does your Patronus take?" He asked.

Mia winced, hoping that no one requested to see the thing. "An otter," she answered. Only Remus and Sirius stared at her when she replied.

"What was the name of my Hippogriff?" Hagrid asked from the back. "The one you tried to save fer me."

Mia smiled. "Buckbeak," she said sweetly. "And I did save him."

"What?" Draco asked loudly, turning to glare at her. "That was you!?"

"Focus," she hissed at him. "Anyone else?" She asked looking back to the group.

Kingsley took the bait. "When you and I helped retrieve Harry from his aunt and uncle's house last year," the Minister of Magic spoke. "How did we fly away?"

Mia grinned. "We rode a Thestral," she replied. "Now… Minister Shacklebolt, at any point during that night or any night that preceded or followed it, did I save your life?" She asked.

Kingsley frowned. "No," he answered, suddenly very curious.

"You do not owe me a life debt?" She asked clearly.

"I know my life debts, Hermione," he grinned. "I keep a running list in my head. Used to be damn helpful when I was an Auror," he insisted with a soft chuckle. "Is there a reason you ask?"

"Could you recite that list from memory, Minister?" She asked him.

Kingsley frowned. "Well…" he paused. "Umm, Alastor Moody," he said and everyone took a brief moment of silence to acknowledge their fallen comrade. "Tonks here," he said, gesturing to the Metamorphmagus. "Frank Longbottom," he said aloud, noting that Neville looked up in proud surprise. "And then there was…" he paused before speaking, his eyes falling over the young witch in front of him. "That's… that's not —"

"Hello, Kings," Mia smiled apprehensively.

He slowly drew his wand. "Who are you?" He asked.

"Am I not Hermione Granger?" She smirked. "I thought we'd just covered that."

"Anyone could have learned enough about Hermione Granger, but what you're saying is…" he began again, his eyes flickering to Remus and Sirius who were slowly gravitating toward the witch. "It's not possible," Kingsley insisted.

"Boys," Mia said, looking to Remus and Sirius. "Back up. I'd greatly prefer it if Harry, Ron, and Tonks didn't have to arrest you for attacking the Minister of Magic," she said with a smile before turning her attention back to Kingsley. "I can prove it."

"How?" He asked.

"Who here owes a life debt to Hermione Granger?" She asked clearly.

Slowly hands rose in the air. The first had been Sirius followed by Harry and Ron. Ginny rose her hand next followed by Fred, much to the surprise of George who eyed his twin with curiosity. Fred only grinned in response, clearly keen on keeping the secret.

"When a life debt is invoked, even without fulfilling it, there is a pressure felt by the debtor depending on the weight of the life debt," she informed everyone. "I am Hermione Granger," she said loudly. "_Invocato Vita Debitum!"_ She called out.

Almost instantly those who owed her a life debt felt the impact. Sirius was leaning on Remus for support while Fred leaned on George. Ginny had fallen back into her seat. Harry and Ron however were taken to their knees, such was the weight of the life debts they owed their best friend.

The little witch turned to Kingsley. "Am I Hermione Granger?" She asked.

"Clearly," he nodded. "But you're not just claiming to be Hermione Granger, are you?" He asked.

"I," she spoke again and breathed in deep, closing her eyes as she spoke, "am Mia Potter," she said the name and several people gasped. "_Invocato Vita Debitum!"_ She called out again.

Almost instantly Kingsley fell to his knees before her, eyes wide as he stared up at the witch. Remus and Sirius had likewise collapsed behind her as Harry and Ron had done previously. At the sight of the Minister of Magic kneeling before a nineteen-year-old witch, most rose to their feet, at the very least to get a good look, though those who knew the name 'Mia Potter' were pushing their way to the front.

"It's not possible," Dedalus whispered. "You… you died. Dumbledore said you had died."

"And Albus Dumbledore always spoke the truth?" She asked with a stern glance to the older wizard who stared at her openly. Mia turned her attention back to Kingsley and smiled. "You can get up now Kings," she said softly. "I'm not calling in your debt," she promised. "Not tonight at least," she added with a grin.

"Mia?" A voice called from the side and the witch turned to see Arthur slowly approach her, his eyes wide and his steps cautious. "You… you're really Mia?"

"Hello Arthur," she smiled. "You owe me five Galleons," she laughed. "I told you it would be a boy."

Arthur laughed loudly and moved forward, wrapping the tiny witch in a hug. She grinned and returned the affection to her old friend and soon there was a line of older Order members coming to see if it was, in fact, the long lost Mia Potter. Hagrid was sobbing hysterically into a tablecloth sized handkerchief and when he hugged her, Mia thought one of her lungs could collapse at any moment.

"Not to interrupt what will surely be an interesting story," Fred chimed in. "But is anyone going to help out those three?" He asked, gesturing to the side of the tent where Harry, Neville, and Draco were on the ground, flat on their chests and struggling against some invisible weight that was pressing them down.

Mia stared, wide-eyed at the sight of the three boys. "Well, that's unexpected," she said thoughtfully. "I… umm… I'm not calling in your debts," she muttered and immediately her words released the three young wizards. "That's strange," she said. "The weight of the debt must have been exponential… I shouldn't have had to verbally release you."

Draco was first to his feet. "What the fuck, Potter!?" He snapped.

Harry was second to follow and he turned and glared at Draco. "I didn't do anything, Malfoy!" He shouted.

"Not _you_, Scarhead," Draco sneered. "_Granger_ Potter," he said, gesturing to Mia. "What the hell was that?!" He snarled at the witch.

"Hermione?" Neville asked as Luna helped him to his feet. "While I wouldn't be as insulting as some," he said, eyeing Draco. "That wasn't exactly pleasant and… well… if I owe you something, I'd like to pay it off quickly so maybe that doesn't have to happen again."

"I don't…" Mia mumbled.

Remus cleared his throat. "Contraceptive Potion," he whispered.

Mia's eyes widened. "Oh Merlin," she said. "I… uh… okay, umm… short version then for those who are clearly still confused. My name is Hermione Granger and I was sent back into the past thanks to a Time-Turner; specifically to 1971 where Dumbledore had me adopted by Charlus and Dorea Potter," she said quickly. "I was raised as the sister of James Potter, Harry's father… who called me Mia," she stopped and then just waved. "Hi, I'm Mia." She turned awkwardly to Sirius and Remus who both now looked amused at the Cliff's Notes version of the tale they'd had to repeat several times over the last day. "I grew up with Sirius and Remus here, as well as Harry's Mum, and…" she turned her attention to Neville. "And Frank and Alice Longbottom," she said softly.

"Did… did you save my parents lives? Is that why I owe you a life debt?" Harry asked while the rest of the Order processed all of the new information.

Mia shook her head. "No," she winced. "Or, well, yes. I did save their lives once or twice," she briefly thought of healing Jamie's open Sectumsempra wound and breathing life back into a recently drowned Lily. "But that's not… not why…"

"You don't owe her a life debt," Narcissa chimed in. "You boys owe that witch your lives."

Draco stared up at his mother. "Excuse me?"

"You owe you very existence to Miss Potter, Draco," Narcissa told her son and then turned her eyes back to Mia. "I remember the last time I saw you. Remembered every single detail. I had to, of course, seeing that you'd given me a potion recipe that required very specific instructions," she said with the hint of an appreciative smile. "Rose thorns and red clover brewed in the spring and drank under a full moon."

Mia smiled. "You took my advice?"

Narcissa turned her eyes on Draco and smiled, this time soft and genuine. "Obviously."

"He was still spoiled," Mia smirked.

Narcissa shrugged her slender shoulders lightly. "Which you knew would happen. I did, however, take your advice and kept him out of the control of his father."

The younger witch nodded. "Something that has benefitted the entire Wizarding world."

"Rose thorns and…" Draco muttered under his breath and turned his grey eyes on Mia for a long moment and then looked back to his mother. "Are you honestly telling me —"

"My health issues are personal and I care not to share them with an entire room of strangers, most of whom hold a great dislike for me," Narcissa said coolly. "But you were always talented at Potions, Draco, surely you can understand."

And he did. The uncomfortable look in his eyes said that he understood completely. There were, however, questions. "So you gave my mother the recipe for a Fertility Potion," he commented aloud, matter of factly. It was clear that, until he'd said it, many in the room were confused because the moment he'd spoken the words there was a loud echo of "Oooh," around the room. "But if that created a life debt, then shouldn't that mean a parent is owed a life debt by a child?" He asked.

"It should," both Narcissa and Molly said aloud at the same time. There was a quiet bout of laughter that filled the room and each witch looked mildly abashed, refusing to make eye contact with the other and acknowledge their shared view.

"I didn't do it to make sure Cissa had any child," Mia said pointedly. "I needed to make sure she had you, specifically you, Draco." Her eyes turned to Neville and Harry, neither of which had completely figured it out. "I dropped a Shrivelfig in the Contraceptive Potion that Lily was brewing for herself and Alice. I couldn't risk the two you not being born."

Neville processed the information faster than Harry and stepped forward slowly to stand beside Draco. "I…" he hesitated but then smiled softly and did his best to hold his head a little higher. "I owe you a life debt, Hermione Gra… er… Mia… Potter?" He said, wincing.

"Call me whatever you'd like, Neville," she smiled at him.

Sirius turned to Harry and patted the boy on the shoulder. Slowly, the messy-haired wizard stepped forward to stand next to Neville and smiled up at his best friend. "Hermione," Harry chuckled. "It's no secret that I owe you plenty of life debts. You've saved me more times than I can even count. But this…" he swallowed. "I owe you a life debt, Mia Potter," he said her name and smiled at her the same way his father would have.

Mia smiled back.

All eyes in the room fell on Draco.

The Slytherin pursed his lips stubbornly and looked back to meet the eyes of his mother once more before turning to face Mia. He narrowed his gaze over the fact that she suddenly looked much less humble to receive him than she'd been for Harry and Neville. Still, he was a proper pureblood and had been raised knowing all the appropriate customs that needed to be observed.

"Mia of House Potter," he said reaching out and taking her right hand in his, a hawthorn wand gripped in his palm; his voice and words formal, just a way to prove that the other wizards hadn't done this correctly. "I, Draco of House Malfoy, owe you a life debt and am, therefore, in your service," he bowed his head ever so slightly to her. When he raised it again and released her hand, he smirked. "And I would be very grateful if you released me of my debt in exchange for the one that he owes me," he said, gesturing toward Harry.

The messy-haired wizard suddenly remembered the life debt he owed Draco and his green eyes widened in a slight panic as he realised that the Slytherin was essentially holding his life debt hostage in exchange for his own. Harry looked up at Mia with pleading eyes.

Mia smirked. "Not a chance."

"If I may," Percy said as he cleared his throat and stepped forward to stand beside Kingsley. "I don't mean to cause a problem," he muttered nervously. "But according to Ministerial Decree Forty-two of 1899, unapproved use of Time-Turners is expressly forbidden."

"I didn't send myself into the past," Mia said innocently.

"Then how did you get there?" Kingsley asked.

"Is this a formal inquisition, Minister?"

"Well, no," Kingsley sighed, scratching his head. "But, Percy's right. This isn't just a personal matter or an Order matter, Time-Turners are supposed to be monitored by the Department of Mysteries. It falls under Ministry law and we'll need to look into it."

"There's no need," Mia said simply. "I can tell you exactly what happened. A Death Eater named Antonin Dolohov stole a Time-Turner from the Department of Mysteries, presumably when we were all attacked there at the end of fifth year. He's the Death Eater that tried to kill me then," she shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose he had a grudge against me for surviving."

All eyes were on her with rapt attention as she told the tale. Those who knew the truth, Remus especially, were staring at her with intensity.

"How did he do it?" Kingsley asked curiously.

"He had the Time-Turner planted among my belongings though I'm not certain how he did it or how long the Time-Turner had been there," she answered simply, showing no emotion on her face. "He left a letter, that's how I know it was him. Unfortunately, the letter was destroyed in 1971 upon my arrival, and the Time-Turner was broken when I returned here to the present," she said smoothly.

"Shame," Kingsley noted. "We could have potentially tracked the magical signatures on it."

"Shame," Mia nodded in agreement.

"Dolohov," Kingsley said thoughtfully. "He's one of the one's that died, isn't that right?"

"I killed him," Sirius spoke up. "Godric's Hollow, last year at Christmas," he said clearly.

"Convenient," Kingsley said with a smirk, his attention turning back to Mia.

Mia smiled politely. "_I _thought so. If there's any question about my testimony, I'd be happy to undergo Legilimency and Veritaserum," she offered.

The Minister was caught off guard by the words. Her story was, of course, false, but he figured she had her reasons for keeping the truth to herself. Offering to take Veritaserum and undergo Legilimency, however, was a bold move. "I seem to remember Albus telling me that you were quite the Occlumens," he commented with a grin.

"Am I?" Mia feigned ignorance. "What a lovely talent. I hope it will one day come in handy."

"And the Veritaserum?" Kingsley asked curiously.

Mia only smiled sweetly.

"Oh," Kingsley let out a deep laugh. "You, Mia Potter, have been missed," he said with a wide grin and looked over her shoulder where Sirius stood gathered together with Narcissa, Draco, Andromeda, Tonks, Remus and Harry. His deep-set eyes turned back to the curly-haired witch and he shook his head in amusement. "Should I be worried that the Black family is regrouping?" He asked her.

"I'll let you know when I decide," Mia answered.

Kingsley laughed again and turned around, shaking his head. He put a hand on Percy's shoulder, directing him away from the witch, muttering something about writing up a report on the 'official inquisition' that just occurred, and filing it away with his approval.

"Hermione?" Harry said as he approached her. "I don't understand. How could you have offered to take Veritaserum?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I've been using Occlumency for years to build up a resistance to Legilimency, truth spells, and Veritaserum," she answered with a smile.

"Since when?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Remus's sixteenth birthday party," her eyes flashed over at the werewolf and the Animagus who both grinned at her.

"How'd you get Veritaserum while still in Hogwarts?" Harry asked curiously, a grin building at the corner of his mouth.

"I brewed it," Mia answered smugly.

"I bought it," Remus chimed in.

"I nicked it," Sirius grinned.

* * *

**A/N**: And THAT's how Mia Potter got away with time travel. LOL. It pays to be owed by people in high places.


	134. Chapter 134

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** So happy that everyone seemed to love the last chapter and the Order meeting. Today continues where we left off with everyone. There's a little bit of everything below.

Q&amp;As - **PrincessRedfern**, I think if any of the boys tried the same life debt invocation, Mia would definitely owe them some life debts as well. I don't see them cancelling each other out unless (like Draco tried to do) you get verbal confirmation of the exchange. **ObsessedWithHP2012**, when I get closer to posting the final chapters of Debt of Time, I'll post the first chapter of my next story and make sure to let you all know about it! **AnnaH514**, several old "favourites" will be making appearances. ;) **LJ Summers**, done with the big reveals? Hardly!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Four: Twin Troubles

"_...Hello again, friend of a friend_  
_I knew you when_  
_Our common goal was waiting for the world to end_  
_Now that the truth is just a rule that you can bend_  
_You crack the whip_  
_Shape-shift and trick_  
_The past again…"_  
_(Black Sheep - Metric)_

* * *

**September 21st, 1998**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

The commotion died down after a while though each and every person felt the need to come and either reacquaint themselves with Mia or meet her for the second first time. Old friends from the original Order excitedly shared their joy over her being alive before eventually departing, and poor Hagrid had to have time travel explained to him several times as he kept repeatedly asking Mia how come Hermione hadn't remembered him from when she went to Hogwarts in the seventies.

The only person that stayed away from her for the most part hadn't exactly been a person at all. Dobby hovered in the corner of the room staring at the witch with big eyes, worrying his floppy ears in his hands anxiously. Eventually, Harry had gone over to see if he was alright, to which Dobby joyfully hugged Harry and then Disapparated away. Mia took no offense, assuming that Dobby's reluctance to approach her had been for the fact that she was sitting with his former Masters, the Malfoys.

Charlie spoke to Mia away from the table as, being Tonks's ex-boyfriend, he'd kept away from the Metamorphmagus since her marriage to Remus a year earlier. Remus had assured everyone that he was perfectly fine and had no problem with the young Dragon Tamer, but Bill, effectively the omega wolf of their strange little Pack, insisted that his brother remain away from his Alpha's mate, as a matter of respect, if not for anything else.

Bill himself approached Mia with Fleur at his side almost nervously. "You… you smell different," he said, wincing at the words, knowing how awkward they sounded.

"What Bill means to say eez 'e can tell there eez something different," Fleur said sweetly, patting her husband on the arm. "I can sense zat too."

"I'm Pack," Mia replied kindly to Bill. "It's likely you're sensing that. Or, because I'm an Animagus," she replied. Several other eyes shot up around the table in surprise. "What? It won't be a secret for long," she said as she took a sip of her Butterbeer. "And no, I'm not going to show you my form," she added as though that were a private matter and how dare they even think about asking.

Sirius chuckled beside her, amused over her self-entertaining plots.

"Can't believe our little Hermione grew up with actual Marauders," Fred said as he took a seat across the table from Mia, grinning up at her. When their eyes met, he winked and she laughed.

"Believe it, boys," Sirius said proudly, throwing an arm around the witch's shoulders. "She was an unofficial one herself."

Mia scoffed.

"So, what's your Marauder name then?" George asked.

"I didn't have one," she insisted and turned to glare at Sirius, just daring him to speak.

"What was that?" Fred grinned.

"I think she's playing coy," George smirked.

Fred leaned forward and whispered, "Tell us your secrets…"

"I called her Vixen," Sirius said smugly.

Mia hissed at him, "Sirius!"

George laughed. "And how did the lovely _Mia Potter_ get _that _nickname?" He asked.

Sirius winked. "She's very foxy."

The curly-haired witch rolled her amber eyes and turned her attention back to the twins. "I was not in their little boys club, thank you very much," she said emphatically, recalling the early days of the Animagi romps on their way to the Shrieking Shack when Sirius had insisted upon giving her a name like the rest of them.

"Too rule-abiding to mix with the mischief-making Marauders, were you?" Fred asked with a playful grin.

Mia laughed. "Hardly. I was _above _them," she said with genuine confidence. Neither Remus nor Sirius corrected her.

Fred and George gasped. "Lies!"

"Blasphemy!"

"Sacrilege!"

"She's not far off, boys," Remus interrupted their rant. "Sirius and James caused the most trouble and destruction, but Mia had a talent for producing mass hysteria at Hogwarts," he said, his tone laced with affection.

"Remember the popcorn incident?" Sirius chuckled.

Remus grinned. "And Peeves with the butter!"

The raven-haired wizard turned and smiled at the twins. "Lads, this little witch would give you both a run for your money."

Fred snorted. "This is Hermione Granger we're talking about?"

"No," Sirius shook his head. "This is _Mia Potter_."

"No offense, love," George said, reaching out and patting Mia's hand consolingly, "but I'll believe that when I see it." Both twins then stood grinning as they made their way back across the room to presumably tell the hilarious tale to Charlie who was discussing mating rituals of the Catalonian Fireball dragon with Bill.

"Ginny?" Mia called to her redheaded friend who had spent the better part of the evening trying to teach Teddy how to say Quaffle while Harry spoon fed the child mashed sweet potatoes.

"Yeah?" Ginny looked up.

"Do Fred and George still keep a running batch of Polyjuice Potion at their shop?" Mia asked curiously, instantly drawing the attention of both Remus and Sirius.

"I think so. Keep it around in case of emergencies," Ginny replied. "Or sometimes George likes to use it so they can be identical twins again."

"Do me a favor?" Mia asked. "Apparate over there and snag me a vial of it."

Despite not knowing what exactly Mia had planned, Ginny grinned and eagerly stood up from the long table, making a subtle yet hasty exit.

"What are you doing?" Remus whispered.

"Making a point," Mia grinned staring across the floor at the twin Marauder wannabes. "My talent was called into question, Remus," she said simply, "and I have to defend myself, don't I?"

Sirius grinned. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"That depends," Mia replied. "Tonks, care to help me have a go at Fred and George?"

The purple-haired witch grinned. "What can I do?"

Mia leaned across both Sirius and Remus. "Just hold still," she said and pulled two hairs from the head of the Metamorphmagus.

oOoOoOo

An hour later the meal was wrapping up and Mia had excused herself only once, dragging Ginny to the bathroom where she prepared the potion and left it in Ginny's more than capable hands for proper distribution. Once back at the table, she was the perfect picture of calm innocence as she discussed the future with old and new friends.

"Do you have plans now that you've returned, Miss Potter?" Narcissa asked.

Mia smiled. "Call me Mia, please Cissa, we are family, after all."

"Mia," the blonde witch smiled sweetly. "I assume you'll not be returning to Hogwarts?"

She shook her head. "No, I plan on merging my two lives into one, and I've requested that Minerva retrieve my previous N.E.W.T. scores. I have no desire to return to Hogwarts," she admitted, much to the shock of several eavesdroppers, including Neville who dropped his fork in surprise at the announcement. "Many good memories, but plenty of bad ones as well," she frowned thinking not only of the war and the final battle, but of her father, Charlus, who had died on the grounds of Hogwarts.

"And you're going to continue staying at Black Manor?" The Malfoy matriarch asked.

"Grimmauld Place?" Mia nodded. "Yes, until something more suitable presents itself," she sighed lightly, making a mental note to find out what happened to Potter Manor after Jamie died. "While I'd like to stay in a family home, I'd rather not have to deal with Walburga's portrait. She was horrible enough in person."

Narcissa smirked. "I understand the feeling. Malfoy Manor has many unpleasant memories, however, it's still Draco's birthright," she insisted, her eyes casting across the room where the Minister of Magic was speaking with Bill and Percy. "I'd like to reacquire it from the Ministry if only to burn it to the ground and rebuild from scratch. The land, after all, can be easily cleansed."

Mia nodded thoughtfully, turning her body so she could speak easier with Narcissa without shouting. "I'd forgotten that Malfoy Manor was seized," she said, ignoring the way that several people at the table stared at her as though they were waiting for her to break down at the mere mention of the place where she'd been tortured. For Mia, of course, that had been eight years ago and confronting Bellatrix Lestrange in the past had helped to rid her of the nightmare. "And your vaults?" She asked the Malfoys.

"We're currently living off of my personal inheritance from the Black vaults," Narcissa replied, turning her attention to Sirius and smiling softly. "Sirius has been very generous."

"I take care of my family," Sirius said firmly, bringing his glass of firewhisky to his mouth as though to end the point right there.

Mia turned and smiled sweetly at him. "You always have. Still," she looked back to the Slytherins, "Narcissa and Draco are Malfoys and regardless of what Lucius did with his money and reputation, they have a right to what's theirs," she shook her head, adding this to the list of things that was wrong with the Ministry. Things she fully intended on bringing up with Kingsley very soon. "Don't worry about a thing, Cissa, Sirius isn't the only one who takes care of his family."

Draco's pride was momentarily wounded by her words that sounded far too much like charity and, unable to reign in his temper for the moment, snapped, "We're just fine Granger!"

"Draco, don't be rude," Narcissa quietly scolded her son. Whether it was out of respect for his mother or perhaps genuine remorse, Draco gave a reluctant silent nod of apology to Mia.

"Don't worry about it, Cissa, it's a habit by now," Mia smirked at them both.

Draco returned her smirk and Narcissa rolled her eyes.

"Do you plan on returning to Hogwarts, Draco?" Mia asked curiously.

Draco scoffed loudly. "What on earth for? Once my vaults are returned to me, I plan on taking the Malfoy family seat in the Wizengamot," he insisted, speaking loud enough that perhaps the Minister could overhear, but not so loud as to drawn unwanted attention from the rest of the group. "Buildings and castles aren't the only things in need of reconstruction," he pointed out bitterly.

Mia nodded immediately. "I agree," she said, ignoring the choking sound that Ron was making at the end of the table. "I wonder if you'd be willing to help me with a few projects before you become too involved in boring politics."

Draco raised a pale eyebrow with mild interest. "Projects? Calling in that life debt already?" He asked.

Mia chuckled. "Hardly. I plan on saving _that _for a special occasion. No, this project would be mutually beneficial, I assure you," she said, her amber eyes briefly glancing toward his left forearm that was currently covered by a well-pressed dress shirt and robes. To drive the point home, she casually scratched at the 'Mudblood' scar on her own left forearm.

Draco's seemingly permanent sneer briefly fell away. "You think you can?" He asked quietly.

"It won't be pleasant," she frowned.

"It wasn't the first time."

She nodded. "Several sessions at least; daily."

Draco let out a controlled breath and nodded his head once. "We can start tomorrow."

"Speaking of scheduling," Narcissa interrupted as she began to notice Draco losing a bit of his composure at the idea of what Mia was suggesting. "We must do lunch sometime soon," the blonde insisted. "Oh, and shopping. I doubt you had a chance to bring your wardrobe with you from the 1970's."

Mia pouted. "Shame too, I'll miss my bell-bottoms."

Draco scowled. "What are bell-bottoms?"

"The greatest Muggle creation since lace knickers," Sirius said with a happy grin on his face. "Trousers that cup a witch's arse almost as good as your own hands," he smiled and then demonstrated by cupping his hands out in mid-air, a joyful expression on his face.

Mia shook her head in exasperation, slightly hiding her smirk. Tonks outright laughed while Andromeda rolled her eyes. All the wizards at the table seemed suddenly very interested in Muggle attire, Draco included.

Narcissa sighed irritably and looked at Mia with great sympathy. "You'll have to make sure he doesn't speak in public much, dear. No interviews, photographs only."

Mia grinned and reached out to touch Sirius's chin affectionately. "He does have a very pretty face," she said with a smile in her voice before turning back to Narcissa. "I will, of course, take you up on your offer of shopping. I need a lot of new things. I have clothes from before I was sent into the past of course, but they're not exactly my style any longer," she frowned at the thought. "That, and I'd like to get several sets of proper robes. Sirius," she turned to her wizard. "I need you to key me into the Gringott's vaults so I can get some things taken care of."

He nodded. "Anything you want, kitten."

Ron, overhearing the conversation, cleared his throat. "Umm... Hermione?"

"Hmm?" She turned and looked at her friend.

"You're going to spend Sirius's money?" He asked, raising a brow. "No offense but... well you always used to say how much you hated when people relied on money like that," he said, eyeing Draco at the opposite end of the table. "Galleons they didn't earn themselves."

Before either Draco, Harry or Sirius - all independently wealthy due to being born into money - had a chance to say a word, Mia spoke up. "I went through puberty twice, I _have _earned this," she said with a laugh and most of the table joined her, though some more than others. "Besides, I'm going to convert my original... or well, _Hermione's _Gringott's vault into a base for charities I plan on starting, and the money I had as Mia Potter was all transferred to Remus upon my 'death'," she said matter of factly.

Remus winced and Sirius scratched the back of his head nervously. "Actually…"

"What?" Mia eyed them both.

"Well, since you were never technically declared dead," Sirius said the word, his jaw twitching, "the Wizengamot put up a fuss when we went to get your estate settled. James wanted to figure everything out before Harry was born. They cut off access to your personal vault to anyone who tried to get in, saying that you could easily be in hiding somewhere," he explained.

Her eyes widened. "That doesn't make a difference, I had Remus added to the vault regardless of whether or not I died. It only would become _all _his upon my death. He still should have been granted access to it," she insisted. When Remus averted her gaze, she glared at him. "Don't even start with me Remus Lupin, it's not bloody charity," she insisted.

"I know, kitten," Sirius reached out and put a hand on her arm to settle her, "but the Ministry pulled the 'werewolf' card on him."

She sucked in a sharp breath of air. "They did what?" She hissed.

Before she had a chance to get into the details on how the Ministry was responsible for Remus's poverty despite the insurance she tried to set up for him, Harry shouted, "What the hell?" pointing across the room where Fred and George were now standing, looking at one another with wide grins.

"Forge, your hair is purple!" George said, pointing a finger at his twin.

Fred laughed. "Your hair is pink, Gred!"

At the same time, they each turned their fancy-coloured heads and eyed Mia.

"Granger!" George called out.

"Potter!" Fred shouted over to her as they approached the table once again.

"You changed our hair colour?" George grinned. "That's hardly impressive. I can do that with a Colovaria Charm."

"So did I," Mia smirked. "Granted, it took me a longer time to achieve it the first time I came up with it, but I've simplified the Potion over the years, casting the Colovaria over the entire brew instead of the individual pieces. All that was left was my secret ingredient," she said, purposely not looking in Tonks's direction.

"Your hair's turning green, Fred!" George said, looking at his brother.

"So's yours, George!"

Mia smiled satisfactorily. "I do love green," she said, her eyes flashing dangerously. "On you it looks positively envious. I've always thought it made me look rather brilliant," she said smugly.

"Much better than red," Draco chimed in, ignoring the way all the Gryffindors at the table rolled their eyes, save for Mia who was busy taunting the twins, and Ron who was glaring at him.

"What's the secret?" George demanded to know.

Mia shrugged her shoulder and stared down at her hands, seemingly to examine her nails. "What do I get for it?"

"You hear that, brother mine?" Fred grinned brightly.

George nodded. "I think she wants to bargain with us."

The witch looked up at them, folding her arms down in front of her. "I own the entire Patent and collect fifty percent of the profits from all sales of Mood Juice," she said, smiling at the name that the boys had given it decades earlier. "_Then_ you can have my recipe."

"Mood Juice?" Fred asked, interested.

"It changes according to us?" George inquired.

Mia nodded.

"She used to slip it in the pumpkin juice at breakfast," Remus chuckled. "The whole school would be affected by it for at least an hour. Slytherins were pissed," he remarked.

"Go have a wank and see what happens," Sirius commented.

"Sirius!" Molly hissed at him from across the room.

It was too late, however, as Fred and George grinned at one another and stood quickly, rushing out of the tent as fast as their long legs could carry them, one going left as they exited, the other going right.

"Ew!" Ginny grimaced. "Well, at least they went in separate directions," she said, looking at the disgusting silver lining.

"That," Narcissa said as she stood. "I believe is a good time to leave," she said smiling down at Mia, holding out her arms as Draco gently slipped her cloak on her, an expectation bred into him. "Owl me this week," the blonde witch said to the younger, kissing her cheeks as Mia rose to bid her farewell.

"Potter," Draco said, nodding to Mia. "I'll stop by tomorrow," he said and then gave a nod of farewell to everyone else, sneering toward Ron at the end of the table before turning and escorting his mother out the opening of the marquis.

When Fred and George rejoined the group first six and then eight minutes later, each with matching sky blue hair, they grinned brightly much to the disgust of several occupants who learned in their brief absence the colour wheel portion of the charmed potion. The twins did a celebratory dance before sidling up to the long table to sit opposite the two remaining Marauders and the witch who now held their complete devotion.

Fred spoke first. "Thirty percent."

"Fifty," Mia countered.

George shot back with, "Thirty-five."

"Forty-five and I'll _consider _giving you my recipe for a _currently legal _alternative to Veritaserum that blemishes the face until the affected speaks the truth," she said with a sparkle to her eyes remembering the satisfactory moment of a large room filled with lying witches covered in red splotches all for attempting to ruin Sirius's reputation.

"Done!" They shouted simultaneously before leaving the table in search of more Butterbeer.

oOoOoOo

As the night drew longer, Mia wanted to return to Grimmauld Place, but any mention of it was quickly brushed aside by Sirius. Equally brushed aside was her hand anytime it came to rest on his thigh. Something that was quickly becoming very irritating to the young witch.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you alive and well, Mia," Arthur said as he approached Mia with a tender smile. In that moment, she could see both her friend from long ago as well as the father she had grown to love over the years. "Of course I feel a bit foolish for not recognising you," he blushed.

"Don't feel too bad Arthur," Sirius insisted. "Not even Snape knew who she was and she punched him in the face twice."

"You did what?" Molly gasped as she moved to sit down beside her husband, staring across the table at Mia who didn't even look ashamed of her past actions against the surly Slytherin.

"He deserved it," she said lightly. "I apologised later. His portrait and I are on decent speaking terms for now."

"But the two of you knew?" Arthur asked, gesturing a hand to Sirius and Remus.

The werewolf nodded, glad to finally be able to talk about the many secrets he'd been forced to keep over the last twenty plus years. "Minerva spelled Hermione at the beginning of each school year so those who knew Mia wouldn't be able to recognise her. That spell didn't affect Sirius or myself. We're… linked."

Arthur nodded, looking at Sirius and Mia. "Well, I'd imagine so. Though, I'm sure how you'd be…" he said, looking at Remus as though trying to put the pieces together. To save him the trouble, Mia pulled her collar down to the side, revealing the Pack Mark. "Oh!" Arthur gasped.

"It's not what you think," Mia assured him quietly.

At the same time, Sirius and Tonks both tugged at their collars, revealing the same scar, though Tonks's was shaped just slightly different, as Remus had bitten her directly, unlike Sirius who earned his through the bond.

"Mate," Tonks said, pointing to herself. "Pack," she said, gesturing to Sirius and Mia.

Arthur slowly nodded. "I see. You really should write a book on werewolves, Remus," he said with furrowed brows, returning his attention to Sirius and Mia. "So the two of you are… are okay then?" He asked. "I mean, twenty years apart..."

Mia smiled softly and reached for Sirius's hand, glad when he didn't brush _that _aside. "We're catching up quite well." She said and sighed in contentment when Sirius brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles.

The Weasley patriarch turned to his wife who looked mildly put out at the sight of the affectionate couple. "Molly, is this what you came home so upset about last night?" He asked her.

Molly sulked. "It's… he's just…" she said, gesturing her hand to Sirius and, catching Mia's eye, looked down briefly ashamed of whatever it had been that she'd wanted to say. "I'd always hoped for something different is all. I always thought that Hermione and Ronald would…"

"Absolutely not," Mia said before the ginger witch had a chance to even finish her thought aloud.

Ron scoffed at his mother. "Where'd you get a dumb idea like that?" He asked.

Molly narrowed her eyes at him. "Excuse me, young man?"

"Er…" he flushed red. "I just mean… I mean maybe a long time ago, I had a thought but… not…"

"Absolutely not!" Mia repeated herself.

Ron scowled. "You don't have to say it so loud, you know!" He snapped.

"Say what so loud?" Fred asked as he rejoined the table sitting on one side of his parents across from the Marauders and Mia.

"Why the red face Ronniekins?" George smirked, looking at his youngest brother as he sat down on the other side of Arthur and Molly.

"Nothing," Ron mumbled. "Mum just thought that Hermione and me would end up together."

"Oh, Mum…" Fred smiled at Molly.

"Sweet Mum…"

"Naive and lovely Mum."

"If Hermione would have _any _Weasley it would be me," George insisted.

"Or me," Fred countered.

George chuckled and then winked at Mia. "But most likely me."

"Or neither!" The witch in question said, laughing. "Ever. I'm quite happy where I am right now, thank you."

"Where's that?" Fred asked.

Sirius grinned and put an arm around his witch, pulling her tight against his side. "With me," he answered.

The twins stared at the couple and slowly grinned, their eyes growing large with amusement before settling entirely on the witch before them.

"Well done, Granger!" George beamed.

"Good on ya, Potter!" Fred applauded her.

Mia rolled her eyes and looked up at Sirius. "I'm slightly disturbed that they seem more enthusiastic of me being with you than you being with me," she said.

"What do you expect?" The raven-haired wizard asked her innocently. "I'm like a god to these two."

"Speaking of which…" Mia grinned as a thought occurred to her. "Boys… I'd love to stop by the shop this next week. Remus and Sirius haven't been there yet."

Fred and George stood tall, putting on their 'businessmen posture' before declaring, "Free merchandise for every Marauder!"

Followed up with, "For the first time. We're still running a business, after all."

"Don't even give discounts to family."

"And speaking of family…" Fred leaned close to the couple and pointed at Mia. "We have a question. So you're James Potter sister?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Right," George nodded and looked at Sirius. "And you're Harry's godfather."

"Yes..." Sirius replied suspiciously.

"And Harry's always thought of you as a sister," Fred said, looking back at Mia.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Technically I _am _his sister as well if you think about it. Harry provoked a Familial Bond with me that carried over to James," she explained clearly.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Do you have a point?" He asked.

The twins shared a look and smiled back at the couple for a long moment before George finally blurted out, "When the two of you start having kids, is Harry going to be their Uncle-Nephew-Brother-Cousin?"

Harry choked on his drink immediately though no one was certain whether it was the shock over Sirius and Mia potentially procreating or the not-so-subtly noted broken family tree. Remus struggled holding back from telling the twins that on a technicality because of Dorea, Sirius and Mia were also second cousins.

"And can we be godfather?" Fred asked on behalf of himself and George once Ginny had sufficiently made sure Harry was able to breathe.

* * *

**A/N**: Originally the end conversation took place during the first night of Mia's return and the twins's lines belonged to Ginny, but I really wanted to give the boys their time to shine. Have a great weekend everyone!


	135. Chapter 135

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Guess what I finished writing this weekend? Yep! It tops out at 151 chapters + 2 Epilogues. Insanity. I'm taking a break from writing for maybe a week before I continue on my next story (which you'll all get a preview of at the end of Debt of Time). For the record, no, I am not going to just mass upload all of the chapters now that I'm done writing. Mostly because they need to still be edited. I do see a daily update coming around from this point forward - depending on the reviews (hint, hint) LOL only slightly kidding.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Five: We All Make Choices

"_...Don't wanna hear your sad songs_  
_I don't wanna feel your pain_  
_When you swear it's all my fault_  
_Cause you know we're not the same_  
_We're not the same, Oh we're not the same_  
_Yeah the friends who stuck together_  
_We wrote our names in blood_  
_But I guess you can't accept that the change is good…"_  
_(Ignorance - Paramore)_

* * *

**October 4th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Mia fell into what Remus was calling her grief stage. She would wake each morning to find Sirius already gone from their shared bed, a disappointing way to rise every day in her opinion. The witch would distract herself from the memories of James and Lily by avoiding Harry first thing in the morning, or at least until she had an hour to remind herself what year she was living in again. Once she felt adjusted, she would spend as much time with the young wizard as possible, often involving short outings with him, Ron, and Ginny, though wherever they went they rarely stayed long; still less than six months since the final battle and Voldemort's destruction, photographers and reporters followed them any chance they got.

When she wasn't at Grimmauld Place or out with her friends, she found herself sitting at Andromeda's home with the Black sisters and Tonks, the remaining female links to the once Ancient and Noble House. They sipped tea and ate biscuits and discussed charities they'd like to be involved with, complained about the Ministry, and bragged about their children or, in Mia's case, Crookshanks.

Usually by the late afternoon she would find herself overwhelmed as though trying to hold everything inside all day was breaking her. She would cry in Sirius's arms only to be passed off to Remus or Harry, who would carry her upstairs and lay down with her until she cried herself to sleep, stroking her long honey-brown curls and whispering words of love and comfort. If Teddy was available, she'd choose the tiny Metamorphmagus as a napping partner over everyone else, something that Tonks took great pleasure in poking fun at her husband over. The werewolf was only slightly put out over being discarded for his own son.

The one bright spot had been when she and Harry escorted Sirius and Remus to Fred and George's shop at number 93 Diagon Alley. Both werewolf and wizard stared at the old familiar building before bursting into laughter. They smiled with silent amusement as the twins walked them through the shop, showing them around, even taking them in the back where they kept their more volatile experiments. Mia took a gander at some of their current brews, making mental notes of suggestions to tell them later while Sirius was busy offering his own advice on their latest line of Charmed cloaking robes. When they stayed around to watch Fred and George close up shop for the night, the twins invited everyone upstairs to their flat for a round of Butterbeers.

"Can I show you something?" Mia asked the redheads once the door to the flat shut behind them.

Fred and George each nodded while Sirius and Remus grinned from behind them.

The witch reached for one of her vinewood wands, lifting it to tap on the wall above the front door. With a sparkle in her eye she said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," and then slowly, much like the Marauder's Map always had, words began to emerge above the doorframe reading:

'_Home of Sirius Black, Mia Potter, and Remus Lupin  
__Let All Who Enter Leave Laughing'_

The twins, for the first time in recorded history, were struck silent. Fred balanced himself against a nearby wall. George dropped his Butterbeer. Sirius patted the boys on the back and said, "I want that copper clawfoot tub back if it's still here."

Despite the momentary jolt of amusement, seeing her old home brought up unwanted memories and by the end of the first week since returning to 1998, with no job at the Ministry to distract her from the pain like she'd had when Charlus and Mary died, nor Hogwarts classes and N.E.W.T. preparation when Dorea had passed, Mia forced herself into as many new projects as possible, the most important of which appeared to be removing the Dark Mark from Draco Malfoy.

"How long did it take to put on?" Mia had asked him the first day that he'd shown up at Grimmauld Place, looking nervous and yet eager to remove the brand from his arm.

"Hours . . . I think," the blonde had replied. "The pain was too much and I blacked out," he admitted bitterly as the witch just took his arm into her hands to examine the Mark up close. "I woke up six days later," he said, catching the nearly stifled gasp that escaped her lips.

Other than that brief moment, she'd offered him no pity or even sympathy, which was good because he didn't want it. It was one thing to appreciate admiration or even envy, but Pansy Parkinson cooing at him over every injury at Hogwarts for seven years was enough to put Draco off, and the mere suggestion of commiseration was enough to rankle the prickly Slytherin. They worked to remove the brand using a combination of spells Mia had learned from Bill as a Curse Breaker mixed with some Permanent Sticking Charms she'd been researching in the hopes of removing Sirius's mother from the wall. It seemed, however, that no matter what was done, pain was involved in trying to erase the Dark Mark from his skin.

"I'm fine, Potter," Draco insisted, glaring at her through the sweat-soaked blonde fringe that had fallen in his face.

Calling her 'Potter' had become his second new favorite thing as it always seemed to alert a confused Harry who was still getting used to not being the only Potter left in the world. Draco's first new favorite thing in the world was rubbing his new friendship and family connection to Mia in Ron's face. The Slytherin had already provoked Ron into drawing a wand on him twice in the past week alone; the last time they'd needed Sirius and Harry to separate them. Mia would storm in usually once the fight was over and lecture everyone involved. Draco, with an eye on Ron the whole time, would offer his sincerest apologies. Not, of course, for fighting, but for causing a disturbance. Ron in turn would snap at the witch for not taking any side, which in his opinion, meant that she'd automatically taken Draco's.

"You're not fine, you need a break," Mia insisted as they sat in the basement of Grimmauld Place, Draco's arm tied down to a large metal table so that he wouldn't move as she worked. The basement turned out to be the best location for what they needed to do, as it was already set up with Silencing Charms and Protective Wards due to it being Remus's transformation room during full moons. Draco could scream — and he did — during the pain, and angrily throw things — and he did — afterward when the Mark was still not completely gone.

Bitter, Draco unstrapped his arm and pulled it to his chest, hissing at the pain. He glared at the witch, despite knowing that she didn't hurt him on purpose, until she handed him the awaiting Pain Potion which he swallowed immediately.

"What was he like?" Draco blurted out when the silence wasn't being immediately filled with shared thoughts on Ministry regulations or arguments over the best way to approach Advanced Arithmancy or rune translations.

Mia looked up at Draco, surprised by the question. If there was any one person she'd reconnected with since her return that never asked about the past, it was Draco. Sirius and Remus loved to talk about the good old days, Harry wanted to know every detail about his parents, and even Ron asked about the past, though it was usually in reference to whether or not she'd ever met Galvin Gudgeon, the current Seeker for the Chudley Cannons, who had attended Hogwarts three years ahead of her in the seventies.

But Draco never asked. Not about the past, and certainly not about Lucius. Not until now.

"He was a bastard," she said without filtering any of the truth. "Originally I thought he was a lot like you'd been the first few years. He picked on the younger years, held his Prefect badge as authority to do what he wanted, which meant being cruel to even those in his own House," she said, noting the sudden look of distaste on Draco's face. If there was any one redeeming quality about the younger Malfoy in the early days of their Hogwarts attendance it was that, while awful to everyone else, Draco was abundantly loyal to Slytherins.

"It wasn't until he and Narcissa were betrothed that things really took a bad turn," she told him. "Sirius suspected it for a while and tried to talk her out of marrying him, but with what happened to Andromeda," Mia shrugged slightly. "He tried to kill her you know, your mother," she told him.

"She told me," Draco nodded angrily, clenching his right fist into a tight ball. "What about . . . what about Snape?" He asked about his late godfather.

Mia smirked. "He was a first-class prat," she said firmly, but with the hint of a smile. "But he wasn't a monster. He wasn't like Lucius. There were some Death Eaters I went to school with back then . . . you could tell they didn't want to be a part of it," she said thinking of Snape and Regulus and the obvious looks of horror they each started to wear during the last year she spent in the castle, when the war really took a turn for the worse.

"Who _would_?" He asked, sneering down at his arm that was now a blistering red surrounding the slightly fading Dark Mark. "I only did it because . . . because Snape said that I could . . ." he grimaced at the brief bubble of emotion that was threatening to surface.

"You're likely the only Death Eater in the history of time that joined the cause in order to take it down. Not even Snape could say that, and he was a spy for twenty years. I didn't like Severus growing up. He was mean to my friends, though, they were mean to him as well," she acknowledged. "But despite being as cold as he was, he was good at his core. We don't get to choose who we are born to," she smiled softly. "I was lucky enough to get two sets of parents, and I loved them both equally. I don't think of Charlus and Dorea Potter any less than I do of Richard and Helen Granger. In a way, I got to choose who my parents were. If you want my opinion," she offered and grinned at the way he rolled his eyes at her. "And I know you rarely do . . . you were raised by a wonderful mother, and a very devoted godfather," she said, leaving it at that. "He set a good example for you, and I happen to think it was very brave, what you did."

He scowled at her.

"Dare I say . . ." she smirked. "Very Gryffin —"

"Watch it," Draco warned.

Mia laughed.

The door at the top of the stairs opened and Ron rushed down the stairs wearing his Auror training robes, a book in his hand. "There you are 'Mione," he said with relief, his blue eyes looking at Draco and glowering. "Oh, you're here," he grumbled.

"What's wrong?" Mia asked as she stood up, moving in front of Draco to obscure Ron's view of his red and blistered forearm. "Is everything okay?"

"What?" Ron asked. "Yeah, I was just —"

"Because I asked to be left alone with Draco for the next hour," she said, using as polite a tone as she could manage. "So if it can wait —"

"Well," Ron frowned. "I was just . . . I've got a Concealment exam with Savage tomorrow morning and just thought that you'd be able to show me how to do a few things. I've got a list here I'm supposed to —" he said, gesturing to the book in his hands, but was cut off by Mia.

"I'd be fine with watching what you've learned and offering any advice, but not until later. I still have a lot to do here with Draco and I promised to meet with Narcissa about getting the paperwork put together to lift the restrictions on the Malfoy vaults," she explained.

Ron's expression turned immediately sour. "So a couple of Malfoys are more important than me now?"

"No," she said clearly though her patience was already being tested. "But since this is your exam for your career and I'm not even an Auror, what I'm doing is currently more important to me. If you need help why don't you ask Harry?"

"They've got us on different schedules, and since he's taken a temporary leave he's already behind," Ron frowned.

"Then Tonks?"

"She's at work."

"Fine, go and ask Sirius, he was an Auror, he can help you, I'm sure," she insisted.

"Sirius was an Auror?" Ron asked. "Okay, but . . . he just left," he whined. "C'mon 'Mione, just mess about with the ferret another time. You see him every bloody day."

"No!" She snapped angrily. "What I'm doing with Draco is more important than playing catch up with your education and work because you're always too lazy to do it on your own the first time!" Pent up memories of her first time through Hogwarts came rushing back to her in a flood.

Ron's eyes widened. "Oi! I'm not lazy! If Sirius used to be an Auror, I bet you bloody helped _him_!"

"No!" She said, her amber eyes flashing. "As a matter of fact, I didn't. Because I didn't have to. I didn't help him with his homework at Hogwarts either. Somehow, despite all the wonderful stories about pranking and troublemaking that Sirius and Remus love to regale you and your brothers with, they actually managed to squeeze in studying, writing essays, Quidditch, and getting to the top of our class all without ever once whining for my help or copying my notes!"

Ron's face turned red.

Draco laughed.

The noise drew the redhead's attention immediately and he snarled. "And you," he said, glaring at Malfoy. "I know what you're down here making her do. If you ask me, I think it's bollocks that she's removing it for you."

Draco glared back at Ron and stood. "For the record, Weasel, I didn't fucking ask her for anything, and my business is none of yours," he hissed.

"Ron, get out," Mia said, her words seemingly final, her tone cold and calm.

"You're really picking the ferret over me?" Ron gaped at her in shock. "After everything he did?! I don't care if he was a bloody spy, or so he says," he growled at the blonde. "He watched you get tortured in his own house and didn't lift a finger to do a thing until it was his own mother who was threatened!"

Draco reached for his wand, but Mia stayed his hand, her cold eyes staring ahead at Ron. "We can't all be Harry Potter and save everyone," she said quietly. "Do you know what it's like to stand back and watch someone else die, knowing you had to make a choice to do nothing?" She asked him, swallowing down the bile that was threatening to escape her throat. "Draco made a choice. We all make choices," she said. Draco had chosen to finally break his cover and kill Lucius in defense of Narcissa. It had taken the threat to his own mother for him to finally snap, and Mia didn't hold it against him that he didn't break for her sake. Just like Draco, Mia knew that she had once made a choice. To stand back and watch, knowing that Jamie and Lily would die if she did nothing to stop it. But Mia had made the choice; she'd chosen Harry.

"He's got a history of making some pretty fucked up choices," Ron sneered at the Slytherin. "I can't believe you're choosing to be friends with the likes of him."

"I'm not choosing to be friends with him, I'm choosing to acknowledge him as family," she argued.

"He's a Slytherin!"

"So was my mother!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Not your _real _mother . . ." he started to say but then he caught up to his words and winced. He expected her to yell like Hermione always had when he'd stuck his foot in his mouth. Yell or storm away from him and cry until he had the opportunity to come and mumbled out an apology.

But she didn't.

She didn't yell or cry or leave. She just looked at him with an expressionless glance as though they were strangers, and Ron felt cold inside.

"I grieved you, you know," she said softly. "When I didn't know if I'd ever make it back here, I grieved for the loss of our friendship," she sighed. "I was so sad. But then Sirius would say something funny and Remus would smile at me and James would wrap me in a great big hug and I was all better," she said with a tender smile. "I mourned the loss of you years ago, Ronald," she explained. "Something tells me that it won't hurt as much this time around."

His face paled. "'Mione, you don't mean —"

"Leave. Grow up. Don't speak to me again until you do," she insisted. "If you don't, I don't believe I'll find it in me to care very much. I've grown to have a strong distaste for prejudice, but more than that, I greatly dislike cowardly Gryffindors who enviously rely on the abilities of their friends and betray and abandon them when it seems fitting."

His blue eyes widened and he swallowed hard. "You don't mean . . . I'm nothing like —"

"Peter Pettigrew?" She asked. "Goodbye, Ron," she said and then turned to retake her seat at the table, reaching for her notes and wand to get back to work on Draco's Dark Mark.

Slowly, in shock and shame, Ron turned and made his way back up the stairs, quietly closing the door behind him.

"I'm not going to thank you for defending me," Draco insisted after several minutes of silence had gone by.

Mia smiled. "I know," she said. "I also appreciate you not interrupting me. I'm sure it took a lot of effort not to be an absolute smartarse to him just now."

Draco shrugged. "It'll be more fun rubbing salt in his wounds later once he thinks he's gotten over it."

Mia almost laughed but shook her head in exasperation.

"You're really not Granger anymore, are you?" He asked curiously, his grey eyes focused on her face as though he could see through the Polyjuice Potion that the witch had taken to look like the famous Muggle-born.

"I used to be," she sighed. "A part of me still is. That life is like . . . like Deja Vu. A dream I once had and now I'm seeing bits and pieces of it in real life."

Draco nodded and with not another word spoken between them, he put his arm back on the table and stiffened as she strapped it down and raised her wand once more.

oOoOoOo

It had taken another hour to make headway with Draco's Dark Mark and she'd been too exhausted afterward to meet with Narcissa that she canceled their appointment. Despite emotionally closing herself off to Ron and essentially cutting him out of her personal life until he decided to make changes for the better, she was tired from their encounter. By the time she and Draco left the basement, all the residents of Grimmauld Place, Ginny, and the Lupins included, knew what had transpired between Mia and Ron.

Sirius looked enraged and Remus concerned. Harry had simply wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight like he used to do when they were younger, like his father used to do as well, and suddenly the world seemed a little brighter.

Still, she'd called it an early day and crawled into bed, bringing a photo album with her so she could look back at old pictures of herself with the younger versions of Remus and Sirius. She watched a particular photograph, taken of Lily and James in the Gryffindor Common Room at the end of their seventh year. James held a Quidditch Cup in his hands proudly, kissing it while Lily feigned jealousy over the massive trophy. Mia smiled at the sight and chuckled softly to herself.

There was motion in the photograph and there, in the back, behind the centered couple she could see herself and Sirius snogging on the staircase that led to the boys dormitory. Mia had her fingers threaded through Sirius's hair, kissing him with utter abandon while his hand skimmed it's way up the front of her shirt. Meanwhile James and Lily smiled on for the camera, completely unaware of the debaucherous act being committed behind them.

She briefly narrowed her eyes at the photograph, wondering why this older version of Sirius Black was suddenly so distant from her. The first night she'd returned he'd been filled with desperate passion, kissing her and rubbing against her, pinning her to the wall with barely a thought of the onlookers behind them. Since then, however, he'd pulled away. They kissed, slept in the same bed, and he was never shy about whispering his love and devotion in her ear, but the moment she truly reached for him, aching to touch him and have him touch her, he withdrew.

None of it made sense. The Sirius she'd lived with nineteen years ago could never get enough of her, he was an addict of many things, and she was at the top of his list of vices, just as he was hers. She even remembered her life as Hermione, and her first kiss with the older Sirius in the middle of a battle where he'd kissed her with a complete lack of restraint, pulling her into his lap and taking control, tasting her mouth and nibbling at her lips while his hands explored her body. So what had changed?

"Hey, kitten," Sirius smiled at her as he walked into their room, practically jumping onto his side of the bed where he wrapped his arms around his pillow and yawned loudly. "What're you looking at?" He asked.

She smiled and showed him the picture. It took several moments before he caught sight of the pair of them in the background and barked a laugh. "You were insatiable," he smirked.

"Still am," she said, testing the waters.

Sirius stared at her for a long second and then smiled, leaning forward and kissing her briefly on the lips before rolling over. "Goodnight, love," he said and closed his eyes to fall asleep.

She glared at his resting form.

oOoOoOo

**October 5th, 1998**

**The Den - Lupin Residence**

The Floo erupted in green flames and an irate Mia Potter stepped into the old Lupin Cottage, her wild mane of long curls flying behind her as she stormed into Remus's kitchen to find the exhausted looking werewolf reading the morning Daily Prophet.

The witch rolled through the room, snatching up Remus's mug of tea and taking a drink, gagging and rushing to the sink to spit it out. "Ugh!" She grimaced.

"Now you know why I eat at your place so often," Remus shrugged.

"Godric, I knew you were bad at Potions, Remus, but it's tea," she winced and grabbed the nearby kettle, dumping out the contents before refilling it with water to start a new batch.

"Tonks actually made that," Remus said with a smirk. "I don't have the heart to tell her it's crap."

Mia smirked. "Happy wife, happy life," she said.

Remus nodded and touched his index finger to the tip of his nose. "So, what's wrong with you this morning?" He asked. "Not that I don't enjoy your company," he smiled. "But I wasn't expecting to see you until later tonight for moon rise."

Mia nodded absentmindedly. "I'm still planning on that," she insisted. "You went too many years spending the moon alone, I'm determined to never let that happen again," she said firmly. "But I needed to talk to someone and Harry wouldn't understand and either Ginny or Tonks would just . . . make things worse I think," she admitted.

"What's going on?" He asked with concern.

"Sirius won't have sex with me."

Remus sighed dramatically and turned his attention back to his paper. "Sometimes I really hate how you and I can talk about anything with each other," he admitted.

Mia fell into the chair beside him. "I'm serious, Remus! I've been back for two weeks and he barely touches me. This is a problem!"

The werewolf groaned and put down his paper, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine, I'll play along. Have you talked about this with him?"

Mia scoffed. "I've been trying to but he either changes the subject, ignores me or shifts into Padfoot and runs out the door."

"That's mature of him," Remus rolled his eyes.

"I don't get it, Remus," she frowned. "Is there something wrong with me? Did he change his opinion of me over the years? Was he more in love with . . . with Hermione than he is with me? Does he want her back? Do you think he sees me and sees the age difference . . . like, like I'm a child or something?" She hissed. "I miss him," she pouted dramatically. "What do I need to do?"

Remus shook his head and sighed, reaching out and patting the top of her head before smirking. "Maybe when he wakes up you should pour him a cup of coffee and say good morning. From what I recall from living with the two of you twenty years ago, that's all it took for the sanctity of a kitchen to be defiled."

* * *

A/N: To answer questions before they are asked, my reason for the Ron issue here is that in Deathly Hallows, Ron got to grow up when he came back in the Forest of Dean and took over the hunt because Hermione and Harry were pretty broken during by that point. This time around, Sirius was there, so Ron returned but ended up kind of lingering in the background and didn't get to have his moment of becoming a man. This is his moment now. It's painful and awkward, but he needs to face some serious issues before he can come to stand on his own feet.

Also, for every one of you that's going to ask what's wrong with Sirius (LOL), that will be answered in tomorrow's chapter!


	136. Chapter 136

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I decided to give you all an extra chapter. Mostly because everyone is chomping at the bit to know what's wrong with Sirius. This will explain everything and it's nothing as dark and dreary as the majority of you have concocted LOL. This was one of my all time favorite chapters to write. Equal parts funny and deep, or at least I thought so. I hope you all enjoy it as well.

Reference Chasers, this chapter is FILLED with stuff from Parts 1, 2, and 3!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Six: Happiest Fucking Loser

"_...And I'm all mixed up, feeling cornered and rushed_  
_They say it's my fault but I want her so much_  
_Wanna fly her away where the sun and rain_  
_Come in over my face, wash away all the shame_  
_When they stop and stare - don't worry me_  
_'Cause I'm feeling for her what she's feeling for me_  
_I can try to pretend, I can try to forget_  
_But it's driving me mad, going out of my head…"_  
_(All the Things She Said - Tatu)_

* * *

**October 6th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Moony spent the full moon in the basement of Number Twelve alongside Padfoot and the little fox, who was now being called Vixen because, despite being able to avoid the nickname for years among the Marauders, Ginny and Tonks thought it was was adorable and they weren't _nearly _as afraid of Mia as Sirius and Remus had been as teenagers.

The large werewolf lay his head between his paws, golden amber eyes flickering back and forth across the basement, while Padfoot and Vixen battled for dominance. For as much dancing around one another that the pair had been doing since her return — and, according to Mia, that included the bedroom — their Animagi sides gave them each a bit of a reprieve from whatever issues Sirius was dealing with. Padfoot, desperate to play, did just that while Vixen, a little more pent up than usual, bit and scratched and quite viciously attacked him in return. Moony pretended to be bored, too mature for their antics, but in reality it was the best full moon he'd had in nineteen years.

When Tonks came to collect her husband the following morning, she found him sitting up in the corner of the room, a blanket wrapped around his body. He looked healthier than ever considering what he'd just gone through the night before, and there wasn't a single scratch or bruise on his body. Sirius and Mia, however, were curled around one another on the floor, exhausted from not sleeping a wink during the night; both were covered in bites, scrapes, and other abrasions.

"You alright, love?" Tonks whispered, stepping slowly over the sleeping couple to hand her husband a Pain Potion.

Remus nodded. "Oh, _I'm_ perfectly fine," he said, rolling his eyes.

"And _them_?" Tonks asked, curiously eyeing the way that Sirius had a possessive arm wrapped around Mia's body, despite that arm covered in a showering of tiny sharp puncture marks. "What the hell did they get up to?"

Remus scoffed. "If we're lucky, last night was foreplay."

oOoOoOo

**October 12th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Sirius and Mia went the next week without mentioning the full moon or what their Animagi alter-egos had gotten up to. The pair went around pretending that they didn't even recall the events, showing only concern for Remus the following day, and then saying not a thing more in regards to the night in question.

Mia spent her days testing Sirius's boundaries and trying to purposely provoke him while he subtly avoided her advances. Shy flirtations had never been something the couple had gone through. Sirius had only been eleven-years-old when the physical affection with the little witch had begun and, despite it being completely innocent, he was only twelve the first time he'd slept in her bed. By the time they'd even acknowledged more than friendly feelings for one another, it was all harsh and rough and heated.

Sirius and Mia had never been calm little bluebell flames in jars; they were Fiendfyre and nothing less. Easily conjured, impossible to control.

Mia would place her palm on his thigh during dinner; Sirius would react by holding her hand within his own. Mia would kiss his neck in the early morning before he woke; Sirius would roll over, kiss her forehead, and then get up for the day. Mia would corner him in any room of the house to get as close as possible; Sirius would find a reason to leave. Subtlety was no longer an option. When she yelled for him from the bathroom to ask if he could bring her the towel she'd purposely left on the bed, Sirius had levitated it into the room instead of walking in himself.

Now it was war.

The young witch made her way down the stairs to the kitchen and the wonderful smells of breakfast. A grin washed over her face as she saw a large platter filled with delicious treats and Harry and Sirius sitting side by side around the small circular table with their plates half empty, sharing the Daily Prophet between them. It was such a peaceful sight; the perfect moment of familial domesticity and she almost hated to break it up. _Almost_.

"Morning," she said as she walked up behind Sirius, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "Harry, did you cook _all _of that?" she asked and walked over to hug him and kiss his cheek in greeting as well. "It looks wonderful! I'm starving," she said and reached for a slice of bacon before turning and walking to the stove, reaching for the kettle.

Harry grinned, basking in the early morning praise. "Help yourself."

"Mia?" Sirius said, raising a suspicious eyebrow at her overly cheerful mood.

She smirked with her back to him as she poured her tea. "Yes, love?" she asked and turned around to face him, the sly grin on her face replaced by one of perfect innocence, something that should have been a large warning sign to the raven-haired Animagus.

His grey eyes were dark as he stared at her, raking his gaze over her body. "Where'd you find those?" he asked, gesturing to the pair of tight fit denim bell bottoms she was wearing.

Mia smiled sweetly. "Do you like them? I know they're not in style anymore, but I really missed my old clothes so I transfigured a pair of of jeans," she said and then turned again, dropping the spoon she was using to stir sugar in her tea and innocently bending over to retrieve it. It was only through her canine hearing that she was able to detect the slight whimper that escaped Sirius's throat.

"Did my mum dress like that?" Harry asked innocently, completely unaware of what was actually happening in the kitchen between his best friend and godfather.

Mia turned and smiled at him, purposely ignoring the way that Sirius's breathing had increased. "Absolutely. Lily and I would go into Muggle London all the time and go shopping," she said brightly. "Sirius, would you like some _coffee_?" she asked him, her amber eyes connecting with his stare for a second longer than would be considered normal.

He tossed her a questioning glance and then narrowed his eyes just slightly. "I'm good, kitten, thank you," he answered her.

"At least have some _tea _then," she insisted, pouring him a cup. "I know it's been years for you since we lived together in Diagon Alley, and many things have changed since then," she acknowledged as she turned and fixed him a cup, "but I remember how much you just _loved _a good, hot, sweet cup of _tea _every morning," she said, a sly smile crossing her lips as she set the cup down in front of him.

With his eyes still on her, Mia reached for a piece of toast already covered in marmalade and took a bite, chewed, swallowed, and then innocently noticed the leftover sticky substance on her finger and, slowly, sucked it off. "Do you like your _tea_?" she asked with a challenging tone.

Sirius stared at his witch knowingly, forcing horrid images into mind mind to ebb his growing erection. He looked down at the cup of tea suspiciously as though she'd slipped something in it, which was very likely considering who was handing the drink to him. Then again, Mia detested the thought of witches putting Love Potions in Sirius's food and drink, so if she was playing at something — and she very clearly was — he had a feeling she'd be more likely to slip him Mood Juice or cyanide than Amortentia.

"Thank you," he said sweetly and she beamed brightly, simpering at him like a besotted idiot, as though his thanks was all she needed to sustain her throughout the day.

Mia took a seat beside Harry and set out to filling a plate with a variety of food, ignoring Sirius completely when he brought the teacup to his mouth and took a sip. She bit into another piece of bacon and reached for the discarded Daily Prophet, not glancing up to see Sirius swallow and then stare across the table at her.

"Is your memory all right, love?" he asked the witch.

"Perfectly, why?" she asked, still not making eye contact.

He stared down into the cup and then looked back up at her. "Because you've always known how I take my tea. _Always_," he insisted suspiciously. "With _sugar_," he pointed out as he raised the cup. "This has _honey _in it."

Mia looked up and smiled. "I thought it would be a nice surprise," she said innocently, smiling across the table at him as an innocent, third-year Hufflepuff might. Her stare, however, was hard and fierce like a determined lion, and when she stuck her tongue out to lick at her bottom lip, he could practically see it forked at the end. "Don't you like _honey_, Sirius?" she asked.

He rose a brow. "It's fine," he said slowly.

"Strange." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Maybe there _is_ something wrong with my memory. I seem to remember you saying, on multiple occasions, how you _loved _the taste of honey and you just couldn't get enough of it." Her gaze connected with his and she felt momentarily victorious when she saw the grey in his irises fade slightly due to the dilation of his pupils.

"_How does she taste, Moony?" Sirius had whispered huskily, in the heat of the moment as the two wizards prepared the little witch for the Pack Marking, each dipping their toes in voyeurism and exhibitionism. _

_Remus had mumbled, "Like honey."_

_Sirius had replied with a dark grin, eyes full of hunger, "I know."_

The Animagus at the breakfast table swallowed hard.

_Oh good_, she thought smugly. _He remembers_. "Thank you for breakfast, Harry." Mia smiled as she stood, finishing off her cup of tea. "It was lovely and just the thing I needed to start my day. I'm going to finish cleaning out my old room and moving stuff into our bedroom," she announced looking at Sirius. "Care to help me?"

Sirius stared at her for a long moment before his eyes defiantly narrowed again. "Actually, I was going to work on my bike today. Remus is coming over to help," he said, grinning as he noticed the tick in her jaw. "Guy things. You understand, don't you, kitten?"

Mia smiled sweetly. "Of course, _love_," she replied, putting extra sweetness on the endearment. "Maybe I'll invite Tonks and Ginny over. Have some girl time. I'm sure they'd both love to hear some stories about what Hogwarts was like in the seventies," she said and, though her words were covered in sugar, from the look on his face, Sirius caught the obvious threat.

oOoOoOo

"Sorry, I'm late!" Ginny said as she rushed out the front door of Number Twelve to find Tonks and Mia sitting on the steps, mugs of warm tea in their hands as they stared out toward the street. The redhead blinked in confusion at her friends and sat down on the other side of the curly-haired witch. "I know you're both older than me, but please tell me you've not reached an age where sitting on the porch has become how we spend the afternoon."

Mia and Tonks both grinned and gestured ahead toward the street where Sirius and Remus were each kneeling on one side of Sirius's motorbike. "They've been at this for almost two hours," Mia said with a grin.

The wizards were covered in sweat and motor grease, wearing Muggle jeans and tight white — but now stained — t-shirts. Sirius's long black hair had been pulled back away from his eyes into a knotted ponytail, though a few strands had sprung loose, clinging to his neck. He wiped his forearm across his brow to remove the sweat that had beaded there.

Mia grinned. Well-hidden by the Muggle-Repelling Charm on the house, she subtly removed her wand and flicked it toward the wizards.

"What did you do?" Ginny asked curiously.

Tonks giggled. "She's been casting a Warming Charm on them every ten minutes, slowly increasing the temperature. They're so preoccupied with fixing that bike, they haven't even noticed."

"What's wrong with the bike?" The redhead asked.

Mia smiled and slipped her wand back into her pocket. "They came out to change the oil, but when Sirius went to take it for a ride, it wouldn't start."

"How much longer do you think they'll be?"

"Two wizards playing Muggle mechanic?" Mia chuckled. "They'll be here all day."

Ginny shook her head and laughed, more than likely recalling her father's attempt at fixing Muggle toys and gadgets in the shed. "You'd think that Sirius would have figured out how to fix that thing considering how often he talks about it."

Mia smiled. "Oh, he knows how to rebuild the entire engine if he'd ever need to," she informed the younger witch. "While Remus, Lily, and I were studying Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, Sirius was reading that bike's manual from front to back. He and Jamie rebuilt the engine at least once every six months." She laughed at the memory. "Unfortunately for my _sweet_ Sirius, he hasn't figured out yet that I cast a Stasis Charm on the engine twenty minutes before they came outside. That bike won't turn on until I aim my wand and say _Finite_," she said with a smug look on her face.

Ginny outright laughed, throwing her head back and briefly drawing the attention of the irritated wizards near the motorbike. At the sudden attention from the men, Mia and Tonks merely smiled and waved.

"Need any help, love?" Mia called out.

Sirius scoffed loudly and ignored her.

She grinned in reply and reached once more for her wand, re-casting the Warming Charm, increasing the temperature by just a degree or two before pocketing the vinewood once again.

"Not that this isn't brilliant, Hermione, but is there a reason the two of you are torturing your wizards?" Ginny asked.

"Mia thinks that Sirius is purposely trying to not have sex with her," Tonks informed the redhead.

"It started off as something genuine, and I'm not sure what," Mia said with annoyance. "But after this morning I can tell he's avoiding me on purpose; trying to get a rise out of me while pretending that I haven't _obviously _gotten one out of him." She smiled triumphantly.

"He'll have a hard time hiding that in _those _jeans." Tonks laughed.

"Merlin bless Muggle fashions," Ginny said thoughtfully.

When Sirius stood up in frustration, Mia grinned. "Oh, here we go," she said as Sirius began cursing under his breath about the "piece of shit bike" and the "Godric damned heat" followed by an annoyed "it's bloody October for fuck's sake!" before reaching for the hem of his shirt and ripping it over his head, wiping the sweat and grease from his face off on the fabric.

Mia smiled victoriously at the sight of her angry, tattooed wizard, shirtless and sweaty. "He doesn't want to touch me? Fine," she said firmly. "I'll get my enjoyment at his expense in other ways."

Ginny, meanwhile, had stood up and rushed back into the house. With the front door cracked open slightly, both Tonks and Mia could hear the younger witch scream, "Harry! Put on your Muggle clothes! Sirius wants to teach you how to fix his bike!"

The two older witches on the porch burst into laughter.

oOoOoOo

**October 13th, 1998**

**The Den - Lupin Residence**

Sirius stepped out of the fireplace at Remus's home to find his best friend sitting in an armchair with a book in hand. The werewolf quirked a curious eyebrow at the seemingly stressed Animagus and set the novel down on the table beside him. "Everything okay, Pads?" he asked.

Sirius sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair before finally blurting out, "Moony, I need your help. Mia wants me to have sex with her."

Remus did his best not to roll his eyes, remembering the conversation he'd had with the witch about this same subject a week ago. "I'm pretty sure I've only been able to help you with that once," the werewolf said while smirking, "and, granted it was amazing, I'm quite happily married now. You, most certainly, can handle this one on your own."

The Animagus narrowed his eyes. "Shut up, Moony," he growled. "I mean, I need your help because I don't know what to do!"

"It's been that long has it?" Remus chuckled. "Should I draw you a diagram? Step-by-step checklist? I seem to remember she really liked it when either of us —"

"How long are you going to be an arsehole before helping me?" Sirius asked, his nose twitching from impatience.

"Just a few more minutes," Remus replied cheerfully, "but I reserve the right to be an arsehole if the situation presents itself again," he insisted, then gestured to the sofa for Sirius to take a seat. "So, why do you not know what to do? You've been waiting for her for twenty years, Padfoot. I thought you'd have jumped at the chance to bring her back to your bed the first night she came home."

"Well," Sirius said irritably. "I couldn't exactly do that with her crying over Prongs right off, now could I?"

The werewolf nodded thoughtfully, having tried to forget the painful cries that the witch had let out upon arriving from 1979 to find that her brother was dead. Tonks had forced her husband to take Dreamless Sleep for the first week as he was having nightmares about the young witch pleading with him to send her back to the past, tears in her eyes. "I suppose not," he said with a frown until something occurred to him. "Wait, didn't the two of you have sex the night you found out _your _brother died?" he asked.

Sirius waved the question off. "I tried to. Can't remember if she actually let me. Besides, it's a completely different situation," he insisted. "I thought Regulus was a little prick at the time, and we were also completely pissed."

"Then why not drink yourselves stupid and have at it?" Remus offered. "I'm not one to normally suggest you drink any more than you already do," he said, knowing that since her return, Sirius had actually started cleaning up his act quite a bit. "But if history has taught me anything, it's that the two of you have a habit of falling into old patterns."

Sirius snorted. "Don't think she hasn't tried."

Remus raised a brow in surprise. "_Mia_ tried getting _you _drunk?" He laughed.

Sirius nodded. "Last night. Firewhisky."

"Is she aware that the task is near impossible?"

"Apparently not," Sirius answered. "My drinking talents —"

"Alcoholism," Remus corrected.

"— weren't fine tuned until after Mia disappeared."

"So, what happened when she figured out that you can't exactly get drunk on firewhisky anymore?" Remus asked.

Sirius had the grace to look slightly ashamed of himself. "She never figured it out," he admitted. "She was drinking with me and passed out." Before Remus had a chance to scold him, Sirius held his hands up in surrender. "I knew what she was doing and I had Sober-Up Potions at the ready just in case," he promised. "After she fell out of her chair, I took her up to her old room and tucked her in bed. She woke up with a hangover and threw a teacup at my head and then called me an arsehole," he said with a smile.

Remus shook his head. "I'll never understand the two of you. When_ I_ dated her, she was nothing but sweet and romantic. How you're able to bring out the violent and angry side of her and still survive, I'll never know."

Sirius grinned mischievously and waggled his brows. "I happen to _like _that side of her."

"If that's the case, then why is the love of your life is trying to _trick you _into having sex with her?" The werewolf asked curiously, watching as Sirius's previous grin fell from his face.

"Well, at first it was because of Prongs, and then letting her get settled back into this life, and then of course I had to deal with Harry and what he might think," he said, then sighed loudly. "Godric forbid I forget a Silencing Charm, right?"

"And after Harry said he was fine with it?"

"Well . . ." the raven-haired wizard shrugged. "Then it became a bit of a game, trying to avoid her advances, see how drastic she gets. Tease her a little and see if she breaks first." He grinned and then sighed in frustration. "But now _she's _winning the game."

Remus stared at his friend, trying hard not to call him an idiot. "I'm pretty sure you're _both _losing right now," he said, rolling his eyes.

Sirius nodded remembering how the day had gone so far. After Mia's angry outburst that morning, the witch had disappeared into her old room for hours. Sirius and Harry had eventually sat down for lunch, talking about old Auror regulations compared to the new system that Kingsley was installing in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Neither had noticed when Mia came down the stairs, making her way to the kitchen.

"What is it with witches wearing their wizard's Quidditch jerseys?" Harry asked with a laugh.

Sirius had drawn his attention to Mia who was standing in the kitchen wearing his old red and gold Quidditch jersey and a pair of shorts. Mia had answered Harry, but Sirius didn't hear any part of their conversation as his attention was drawn to the small carton of strawberry ice cream in the witch's hands.

"Ice cream for lunch?" Harry had asked her. "Aren't you the one always telling me I need to eat real food and not just sugar for meals?"

Mia had laughed. "Yes, but I had a particular . . . craving," she said, her focus falling on Sirius as she began to walk out of the kitchen.

Harry called after her, confused over her strange behavior. "Not going to put it in a bowl?"

"No," Mia called back. "I'll just eat it out of the carton . . . or figure something else out."

Sirius's fingers clenched painfully at the edge of the table as a flood of memories assaulted his mind and along with that the nostalgic taste of strawberries, cream, and the tangy, honey-flavored taste of her. He turned his head to spot the witch standing in the doorway, smiling at him innocently, a carton of ice cream in one hand, her wand in the other. His grey eyes raked over her body, starting at her bare feet and moving up over her legs and the curve of her hips. She was turned slightly so he could see the name 'BLACK' written on the back of the jersey; his name. The feeling of possessiveness was overwhelming and his resolve was beginning to crack; the need to see his name branded on her thigh was becoming almost necessary to his survival. He swallowed hard at the way she was looking at him, ever the picture of innocence, but Sirius knew better. Sirius knew _exactly _what she was doing.

And Sirius Black would not break.

"Have fun, kitten," he said, effectively dismissing her.

Her amber eyes flashed with ire and, very briefly, Sirius thought he'd won the battle. That is, until the witch silently tapped her wand on the edge of her shoulders, changing the red and gold of the jersey to green and silver.

His eyes widened and he growled at the sight, causing her to grin, laugh, and leave the room in triumph.

Remus stared at his friend after hearing the entire tale before finally saying, "You two are absolute idiots."

"She's nineteen, Moony," Sirius frowned.

"She was the same age as us growing up," Remus said. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"She was the same age as us growing up, but now she's still nineteen and I'm —"

"Technically, she's lived for twenty-seven years," the werewolf offered.

Sirius growled. "Fine, but she's still got the body of a nineteen-year-old!"

"I'd have thought you would be pleased with that," Remus said with a teasing smile until a thought occurred to him. "Is _that _what this is? Are you looking at her and thinking of . . . of _Hermione_?" he asked. "I thought you and Hermione were close," he said, remembering that Sirius had told him about their kiss in the middle of the final battle, not to mention the one he'd witnessed in the library the night he'd sent Hermione into the past.

"No," Sirius answered. "I've never thought about her as Hermione, not like _that_. I mean, not when she was only fourteen, and thankfully I was never around her much." He sighed. "Plus, she had really big front teeth and, even though it was kind of adorable, it distracted me a bit cause Mia never had that. She ever explain the teeth thing to you?"

Remus nodded. "Mia had Pomfrey fix her overbite when she took the De-Aging Potion."

Sirius chuckled. "How superficial. I'm going to tease her later for that."

"I'm sure she'll enjoy you making fun of her childhood insecurities while simultaneously rejecting her sexual advances," Remus said sarcastically. "Good plan. Well done, Padfoot."

Sirius frowned again, reminded of why he'd come to Remus for help in the first place. "I'm old. What if she doesn't . . . what if I can't . . ."

Remus sighed, finally seeing the problem. He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked across the room at his insecure best friend. "You're the same age as I am and I'm perfectly capable of shagging a woman senseless," he said, rather smugly in an attempt to get a rise out of Sirius or at least bring humor back to the situation. When Sirius didn't react at all, Remus sighed. "My witch is much younger than myself as well. You and I aren't so different, my friend."

Sirius refused to make eye contact, subconsciously scratching at the raised scar in the center of his chest. "But what Azkaban did to me physically —"

Remus frowned in understanding. "Was just as devastating as thirty plus years of monthly transformations as a werewolf," he insisted.

Sirius nodded but then muttered, "Moony, it's been almost eighteen years since I've had sex."

The werewolf shrugged his shoulders. "My dry spell lasted nineteen years. Do you want to keep playing this game? Because I am more than capable and, unlike whatever it is you and Mia are playing at, I'll win this," he said confidently.

Sirius looked up in surprise. "You went _nineteen years_?" he asked. "Wait, so before you married my cousin, the last woman you were with was . . ."

"The _only_ other woman I've ever been with," Remus replied.

Grey eyes widened. "Holy shite."

"Are you done with your pity party yet?" the werewolf asked.

Sirius thought about it for a second and then shrugged. "Not entirely. Just taking a moment to celebrate _yours _with you."

"_I'm_ not the one pitying myself," Remus insisted. "_I _have a fit wife due home any minute. In fact, I'm not entirely sure why I'm still lounging around with you instead of waiting for her," he chuckled.

Sirius tugged at the silver chain around his neck and Remus sighed at the sight and stopped laughing. "Pads . . ."

"The last time I was with her I was almost twenty. I was in prime condition." Sirius pouted. "Not covered in scars and wrinkles and grey hair."

"You don't have grey hair."

"It's likely on its way," Sirius muttered. "How do you . . . how do you keep the wolf . . ." he tried to speak but the words caught in his throat. "I'm afraid I'm going to hurt her," he admitted shamefully.

Remus frowned at his friend. "You're not a monster, Sirius."

"Neither are you."

"So they say," the werewolf shrugged.

"The last time I was with her, I was a kid. I was an Auror, well-respected," Sirius said and, at Remus's raised eyebrow, he corrected, "_slightly_ respected. I'd only ever killed one person and that was in the middle of a battle. Now . . ." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm tainted and broken and I'm afraid if I touch her I won't be able to stop and I'll . . ."

Remus stood up and walked over to sit down beside his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sirius, Mia loves you. I can see it in her eyes. I saw it in her eyes years ago when she took me down into that damn Pensieve. She watched the memory of you, _this _you," he said, gesturing to Sirius, "with the same look on her face that she had any time you'd walk into the Common Room," he assured him.

Sirius grimaced bitterly, looking away from his friend. "Still . . . if _I _give in first then _she _wins," he pouted.

"Then you still get to have sex with her, you bloody idiot!" Remus shouted. "You'll be the happiest fucking loser in Britain. Get out of my house before Dora comes home! One look at your pitiful face and she's liable to lose an interest in shagging me for a month."

Sirius smirked. "You're a little moody there Moony, has it been a while? Teddy keeping you both up at night instead of keeping each other up?"

The werewolf glared at him. "I'll remind you of this moment when you and Mia have kids."

Sirius barked a laugh at Remus's expense and stepped through the Floo, vanishing in a swirl of green flames.

* * *

**A/N**: There you have it. Too Long Abstinence + Insecurities + Stubborn Pride + Games = No Sex for Sirius! LOL


	137. Chapter 137

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews left on the last chapter! Short author's notes today because I'm exhausted and I have family coming in today from out of town, which is awful because I dislike people. But on the plus side, my eleven-year-old nephew is a Potterhead and I haven't seen him since before Christmas, so I get to show him my new Time-Turner and FINALLY have an intelligent conversation about HP with someone in my house that doesn't look at me like I'm a crazy person LOL

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven: Let Go

"_...You are my sweetest downfall_  
_I loved you first, I loved you first_  
_Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth_  
_I have to go, I have to go_  
_Your hair was long when we first met…"_  
_(Samson - Regina Spektor)_

* * *

**October 13th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Sirius Floo'd back to Number Twelve, leaving Remus to the prospect of a hopefully eventful night with his wife. He noticed immediately upon arrival that the house was quiet. Walking through the drawing room, Sirius caught sight of a note left behind in Harry's scratchy handwriting:

_Sirius,_

_Went to the Burrow for dinner. Weasleys are visiting Shell Cottage. Don't wait up._

_Harry_

The Animagus chuckled at his godson's lack of subtlety but wished him all the luck and the hopes that Molly Weasley didn't think to return home early to catch Harry and Ginny shagging under her roof. Potter men were, of course, notorious for their lack of remembering Silencing Charms.

Determined not to have another conversation like the one he'd just had with Remus, Sirius slowly made his way up the stairs toward his room where he could hear the soft sounds of singing. Smiling at the sweet noise, he quietly stepped into his bedroom and saw light coming from beneath the closed door of the adjoining bathroom.

"_I want you to want me . . . I need you to need me . . ."_ Mia sang from inside, causing Sirius to grin. _"I'd love you to love me . . . I'm begging you to beg me . . ."_

He sighed in frustration as the lyrics hit a little too close to home. He'd been a complete idiot. Remembering the years leading up to Mia's return, Sirius had spent nights agonising over the fact that Hermione was so young and didn't know who he really was to her. He'd drank himself sick on Muggle liquor (though nowhere near what happened during his now infamous incident with Firewhisky the days before Harry was born) all because he longed for her. Nineteen years he'd missed the witch and ever since she'd been back he had kept her at a distance.

When he reached the bed, he looked down at the nightclothes that she'd set out for herself. Not long, cotton robes like Hermione used to wear, but simple silk shorts and an old t-shirt of his that she'd nicked from the dresser. Sirius knew for a fact that she'd been to Muggle London to go shopping with Ginny, not to mention a few private trips to Twilfit and Tatting's with Narcissa and Andromeda, and yet she still slept in _his _shirts. He reached down for the cotton t-shirt with the Pink Floyd band logo on the front, once black, now a dull washed-out grey. Sirius lifted the cloth to his face and inhaled her scent.

"I can hear you, you know," Mia's voice called from beyond the door. "Are you _smelling _my clothes?" she asked with an indignant tone of voice.

Sirius cringed. "No. I'm smelling _my _clothes."

"You want me to stop borrowing your shirts, is that it?"

_No_, Sirius thought petulantly, but wouldn't give her the satisfaction of saying it out loud.

"Fine," she huffed after a moment of silence. "I'll just start sleeping naked."

Sirius grinned. "Careful, kitten," he said without thinking. "I might like that."

She opened the bathroom door and gave him a daring look. "That so?"

Sirius winced painfully at the sight of the obviously annoyed witch wearing nothing but a towel, just to torture him, he assumed. Her skin pink and her damp hair causing water droplets to cascade down over her collarbone into the valley between her breasts that was sadly covered by the terrycloth. When she stepped closer, shutting the bathroom door behind her, Sirius could see a few water droplets clinging to the small indentations of the silvery-pink Pack Mark on her shoulder. He briefly wondered if he could lick them off of her without her noticing. _Unlikely_, he thought, _the bloody witch noticed me smelling her clothes from behind a closed door_.

"Did you have a nice shower?" He asked, trying to fill the silence as she walked to her side of the bed where she placed her vinewood wand down on the side table after casting a quick Drying Charm on her hair that immediately fell down her back in soft curls.

She scoffed. "Small talk? Is _that _what we've resorted to?"

Sirius sighed loudly. "Mia, give me a break here."

She turned, narrowed her eyes at him and, instead of grabbing her stolen t-shirt and shorts, dropped the towel from around her body, letting the cloth pool at her feet. When Sirius let out a desperate whimper and punched the mattress in frustration, she smirked at him.

"Now you're not playing fair," he said aloud.

"Oh, I'm done playing," she said, ignoring his obvious plight as she stepped over the towel and reached for a bottle of lotion that she'd brought in from her previous bedroom when she'd fully moved in with Sirius. With a large clip, she twisted her long hair up, pinning it to her head to allow her easy access to rub the moisturiser into her skin.

Sirius stared at her from behind, swallowing as her slender fingers glided over her neck and shoulders, covering the Pack Mark, the splinching scar, and the tattooed words on her opposite shoulder blade. He glanced at the words she'd permanently etched into her skin. _Remus's words._ He had been briefly annoyed over the fact that each of her shoulders was marked by Remus in one way or another, but considering it was _his _name on her thigh, and _his _mark on her soul, he had little to complain about.

Except right then. Sirius winced as her scent and small glimpses of her body had sent blood rushing to his cock. He reached down to adjust himself, but even that small contact had him groaning in pleasure.

She stood then, ignoring his entire presence as she lifted a leg and rested it on the edge of the mattress while she ran lotion up and down her skin. From the angle where he was standing, he was blind to some of her lovely attributes, but her breasts were on full view. The first time he'd seen them in nineteen years and the sight could have made him cry had all the water in his body not been diverted to his mouth where he had to swallow down his growing desire for the witch.

Her hand reached her thigh and he finally caught a glimpse of his name, there, inked in black upon her skin. He moaned and bent forward, resting his head between his forearms on the bed. "Voldemort had nothing on you," he cried. "Fucking evil, witch."

"Aww," she cooed at him mockingly. "Go take a cold shower. That's what I did."

Sirius glared up at her. "I don't think it worked, sweetheart," he said smugly. "I can smell you from here."

She raised a challenging brow as she stared across the mattress at him. "Is that right?" she asked. "Well I can _see you _from here," she said, eyeing the bulge in his trousers. "But that doesn't matter, does it?" she asked, walking to the end of the bed and reaching for her shorts. "Because it's not like you're doing to do a bloody thing about —"

A hand reached out around her wrist.

"Do you think I'm a _child _now?" she asked him angrily. "Is _that _what you see when you look at me? You see Hermione Granger, poor little Muggle-born virgin?"

Sirius cringed. "No," he insisted. "I loved you when you called yourself Hermione, just as much as I do now."

"But not as much as you did nineteen years ago," she snapped.

"Mia . . ."

"Save it," she said bitterly. "I've always trusted your actions more than your words, Sirius. If you . . ." her anger faded into guilt. "I understand if you haven't forgiven me for . . . for everything and Azkaban . . ."

"I have," he promised. "It's not about that."

"Then what is it? Sirius, you used to be able to tell me everything. The only thing you ever kept from me was what happened to you here at Grimmauld Place, and Moody ended up forcing both of our hands there," she said, reminding him of their horrible first attempt at Occlumency training. "You never kept _anything _from me."

"Yeah well, you kept _everything _from me, so maybe I deserve to have some damn secrets," he snapped bitterly.

Mia sighed. "Fine. You're . . . you're right."

Sirius groaned and scrubbed his hands down his face. "No, I'm not. I'm being an arsehole. An insecure arsehole."

"Insecure?" Mia furrowed her brows. "Is _that _what this . . . this avoiding thing has been about?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm old."

Mia laughed loudly and walked forward, taking his frowning face in her hands. "Are you insane?" she asked him, looking up into his eyes. "You're older, yes," she admitted. "But that hardly makes you old. Have you looked in a bloody mirror? You're still Sirius Black for crying out loud. _Witch Weekly_ sent three owls last week asking for interviews and photographs." She stared at him incredulously.

There was a bit of a sparkle in his eyes at that, but he still sighed. "_Witch Weekly_ doesn't want to have sex with me," he said as if to make a point but Mia snorted and he rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"You think I don't find you attractive?" she asked him. "Sirius, I'm staring at you right now. Not pictures of you when you were younger; You." She smiled and reached for his hands which were both balled into fists at his side. Prying the fingers open, she brought them to her mouth, kissing the center of each palm. "I want _these _rough, calloused hands on me," she whispered to him and then brought his hands to her waist, moving them up her rib cage until his thumbs brushed underneath her breasts.

"Fucking hell," Sirius moaned, the last thread of his resolve snapping. He pulled her toward him, pressing his lips against hers. Gentle but solid, he moved slow and sure despite the desperate need that was vibrating between them. He removed one of his hands from her body and cupped her face as he kissed her. He wasn't rough with her like he'd been in his youth. Nor was he smug and demanding.

This was love. This was control. This was Sirius giving her anything she wanted.

He was patient with his own desires, but smiled against her lips when her tongue darted out to brush against the seam of his mouth, and when he touched it with his own, he moaned at the contact. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her need obvious and palpable as she clung to him, pressing her soft curves against his body with hunger, but Sirius remained in control.

Her fingers tugged at his hair roughly while his hands trailed up and down her sides softly, his fingers relearning the curve of her waist, the slight dip in her lower back, and soft flesh of her breasts. When she broke the kiss with a gasp, Sirius stared into her deep amber eyes and smiled. His hands rested on her hips, palming her bare flesh when a thought occurred to him. "You're naked."

"_Nine_ O.W.L.s?" She questioned with a skeptical tone in her voice. "Really?"

Sirius's chest rumbled and he breathed deep. "What the fuck is wrong with me?" he asked before turning and lifting her into his arms in one fluid motion and practically throwing her onto the mattress.

She landed with a laugh and grinned when she watched him crawl up from the foot of the bed to hover over her body, staring down at it with awe and hunger. He kept control of the desire though and, instead of devouring her like he desperately wanted to, he savored her, placing a kiss between her breasts and moving south where he rested his forehead against her abdomen, circling her navel with his tongue to taste her skin. He hovered over her for several more seconds, seemingly stuck in his own head and Mia misinterpreted his strive to control his primal urges as hesitation.

"Get off," she insisted.

Sirius looked down at her in confusion.

"Roll over," she corrected herself and smiled up at him.

Sirius obeyed her and did as she said, rolling onto his back

The witch sat up and reached for his shirt, lifting it up and over his head, tossing it over her shoulder. She smiled down at the view of his chest, angling forward to brush her lips against a nipple. He shivered and she grinned. She reached down and kissed the tattoo of her name on his chest, there above his heart, smiling when he reached for her hand, kissing the tips of her fingers.

Exploring him, she looked over his body, taking note of each new tattoo and scar that she didn't remember, which accounted for a good portion of his skin. For every new mark, she placed a kiss; for every old one she nipped lightly and then laved over the bite with her tongue, slowly descending his body until she knelt between his legs, reaching for the buckle of his jeans.

He had ceased all movement and noises, and when she looked up she noticed that he'd stopped breathing as well. She quickened her pace in an attempt to make sure he didn't pass out from lack of oxygen, opening the trousers to reveal his iron-hard, swollen length. Her heart beat against her chest hard at the sight and she grinned smugly when she saw him gripping the bedsheets in needy anticipation. She bent her head forward and circled the tip of his cock with her tongue in movements she'd long ago perfected and he'd clearly since forgotten; by the relieving sound of his loud exhale, she could tell that the memories were returning to him.

When she parted her lips and took him completely into her mouth, sliding down his hardness until he reached the back of her throat, Sirius moaned and cried and whimpered in a way that made her realise how she would make it all up to him. The secrets, the lies, and Azkaban. He would never have reason to doubt her again, to doubt that she loved and desired him despite everything they'd been through. When she sucked particularly hard on an upstroke, Sirius let out a long, drawn out, "Fuuuck . . ." followed with blaspheming the name of Merlin, Circe, Godric and every other famous witch and wizard all the way down to Morgana le Fey.

She released him with a wet pop and, when he cursed Salazar Slytherin, she threw her head back and laughed sweetly, the sound echoing off the walls.

"Think that's funny, little witch?" He grinned down at her, his face flush. "Get up here," he ordered, reaching for her arms and pulling her up his body to straddle his waist. He felt her warm arousal against his pelvis and Sirius moaned at the contact as he struggled to kick off his pants to join her in complete nakedness.

_Nineteen years_, he thought to himself as his gaze fell up and down over the gentle slopes of her body. Nineteen years he'd been dreaming of this, of her. Dreaming of the soft caress of her fingers, the plush feel of her breasts and hips, the sound of her mewls, the sight of her nibbling her lower lip, the smell of arousal, the warmth of her mouth and quim and Merlin . . . the taste of honey. Nineteen years gone from his life and now there she was, straddling his waist and looking down at him with mirrored hunger.

Unable to move of his own accord lest he lose himself completely and drive into her without thought, Sirius forced himself to lay still as the witch smiled lovingly down at him, raised her herself to her knees before slowly, achingly, sinking down on him until he was completely seated within her. She hissed at the delicious stretch from within and Sirius moaned at the exquisite heat that threatened to burn him alive. His palms hovered over her thighs, silently pleading her to move before he lost control.

Mia tilted her hips forward and then back and already it was too much. Sirius sat up quickly and pulled her toward him, burying his face against her breasts, taking a pebbled nipple between his lips and tonguing the peak of it until his mouth had the size, texture, and flavor memorised deep in his consciousness. He bucked his hips roughly and growled, nipping at her flesh and Mia whimpered, digging her fingers through his hair. She rose and fell, impaling herself on him repeatedly and moaning with each movement and new angle. His attention was drawn to the neglected mound opposite the one in his mouth. He dragged his lips from one side of her chest to the other, leaving wet, open mouthed kisses in his wake before running the flat of his tongue over the skin of her breast, all the while thinking that it wasn't enough. He would never have enough of her. _An addict_, he thought to himself. He knew what he was, and she was better than any firewhisky, cigarettes, or Muggle liquor combined.

When she thrust down particularly hard, Sirius winced and gripped her hips tight in his hand, clenching his teeth and breathing hot against her sternum.

The witch looked down, feeling his body quaking beneath her. "You're holding back," she whispered thoughtfully.

Sirius swallowed and exhaled slowly. "I . . . I'm not," he lied.

Mia pulled his head away from her chest to look in his eyes, which were so dilated she could see only a thin line of silver around the black pupils. "Don't lie to me, Sirius Black. You're shaking and it sure as hell isn't because of nerves," she said, watching as his eyes flashed and his jaw tightened. "I know what you're doing. Remus used to act the same way, only he was trying to hold back a werewolf. What're you trying to prevent from unleashing?"

He took a moment and then frowned. "Me."

"I _want _you."

Sirius shook his head. "I'm different," he said, his body still shaking. "I'm changed. I'm broken and damaged and dark and I —"

"Sirius," Mia whispered his name lovingly, reverently. "The first time you saw me I was an eleven-year-old girl with a skinned knee in Diagon Alley." She smiled. "I was your best friend's sister who bought you Cauldron Cakes and played with your hair." She threaded her fingers through the thick black locks and he tilted his head into her touch. "The first time_ I_ saw _you . . . _was in the Shrieking Shack when I was fourteen. I knew what you'd been through in Azkaban. I saw your scars and your . . . your sanity."

Sirius scoffed. "Or lack thereof."

Mia didn't correct him, but she did continue speaking, "I watched you break Ron's leg, kick Kreacher, pin Mundungus Fletcher to the ground and argue non-stop with Snape and Molly. You were unstable and violent and reckless and I _still _brought you back from the veil. Then I watched you kill Death Eaters to protect Harry and I. Sirius . . ." She ran the pad of her thumb over his bottom lip and smiled when he caught it between his teeth. "You ripped out the throat of Bellatrix Lestrange for hurting me," she reminded him, noting the growl that escaped his throat, vibrating against the thumb still caught in his mouth. "I saw you in prison robes long before I ever saw you in a Hogwarts tie. I saw you blood-soaked and furious long before I ever saw you innocent and young."

He released her from his teeth and pulled slightly away. "I was better for you when I was innocent and young."

She frowned. "You don't know what's better for me, Sirius. And it doesn't matter because . . . I loved _you _first," she insisted, taking his face in her hands and looking deep into his eyes. "I loved _you_, wanted _you . . . _wanted the _man_, Sirius Black, long before I ever stared into the eyes of an eleven-year-old boy in Diagon Alley. I craved you at this age for years while I waited for your younger self to grow up," she confessed. "While falling in love with you back then, I dreamed of you as you are now. Don't hold back with me," she pleaded as she thrust herself down upon him again, eliciting a dangerous groan. "I love all of you, I _want _all of you. I can take it," she whispered, her lips hovering against his as they shared one last breath before he crushed his mouth against hers and gripped her against him hard and rough.

No longer shaking, Sirius wrapped an arm around her waist and flipped them both until she was pressed into the mattress beneath him, fisting the sheets, their positions completely reversed from minutes earlier. In one fluid movement, Sirius withdrew and then thrust back into her, deep and hard, pulling a sharp, pleasurable cry from the witch that split into the air, separating to feed both his cock and his ego. Rocking in and out of her tight body that felt excruciatingly better than he'd remembered, Sirius focused on anything to keep himself from coming too soon; he was pulled from his thoughts when her nails raked over his chest.

The delicious pain triggered something in him and he pushed forward again, growling against her skin as he fucked her rough and hard, slamming into her body with inhuman strength and desire. Loving would be reserved for later when they would tenderly rub sore muscles, lave scrapes and scratches, and kiss bruises, but nineteen years had been too long and he was too far gone to be entirely human and by the slight tinge of blood that her scratches were bringing to the surface, so was she.

When Sirius adjusted his angle to hit a particularly sweet spot, Mia cried out loudly and arched her back, reaching out for purchase on his shoulders where she dug her nails in deep.

"Ow." Sirius winced but kept thrusting. "Fuck," he hissed and, when he was unable to shake her grip off, leaned down and bit down on the skin between her jaw and ear until she released him. When her hands let go, Sirius caught her wrists and pinned them above her head, holding her there tightly with one hand, slapping his other against her thigh which he hiked over his hip. Both immediately began laughing joyously and Sirius slowed his movements just slightly so he could lean forward and kiss her deep.

Mia groaned at the intrusion of his tongue in her mouth, drinking in the taste of him. No longer hints of tobacco since he'd quit smoking at her request, nor was there leftover touches of firewhisky lingering on his tongue. Instead she was left with the overwhelming scent of parchment, grass, and leather and a taste in her mouth that was distinctly him, both positively sinful and addicting.

"Fuck . . ." Sirius groaned as he continued stroking inside of her, her body clenching down on him like a tightly fit, silk glove. "Have . . . have you always been so . . . fucking . . . tight?".

Mia smirked and squeezed her muscles around him to watch his eyes roll into the back of his head. "Maybe you're just bigger now," she offered.

He knew the unlikelihood of her suggestion, but who was he to call her a liar? Sirius chuckled and picked up his speed. When she pleaded with him not to stop, "Never stop!" as her eyes closed and her head tilted back and her fingers twitched in his grip near the headboard. He deepened his thrusts until she was whimpering and he was grunting and the fire between them was all consuming.

A deep burn built and coiled within her until she was the one who was shaking in his arms, shivering with need and begging her body to just let go because it felt so good that it was starting to hurt. She was absolutely certain she'd stop breathing anytime soon unless she was released from it all.

Sensing the steep cliff that she was pushing against, Sirius leaned forward, brushing his lips against the shell of her ear, and he whispered in a dark, husky voice, "Let go, baby. I've been dreaming about you coming around my cock for nineteen years."

Mia gulped in a deep breath of air as her body lost control, contracting tightly around him, much tighter than he'd clearly remembered as Sirius stilled above her, hissing as his own climax was ripped from him violently.

They rested in the aftermath, gasping for air and slightly shivering, clinging to one another still as their vision refocused and all their other senses slowly came back from the high they'd been taken to. Sirius lifted himself up onto his elbows and, without a word spoken, began placing soft lingering kisses up her body. First dipping between them when he'd pulled himself out of her, to run his tongue along the tattoo against her thigh. Then he moved north, peppering kisses up the purple scar that covered her rib cage, ascending toward the Pack Mark on her shoulder and the splinching scar behind it.

"You're perfect," he whispered.

"All of me?"

Sirius reached for her arm and kissed the skin marred by Bellatrix's dagger. "All of you," he promised.

"You're perfect too," she said with a sweet smile.

Sirius scoffed. "A lot more scars than you, kitten. Ones you've never seen."

Mia reached up and ran a finger down the length of his chest. "I've got the rest of my life to learn them all," she said with a tender smile and a look of love in her deep, amber eyes. "Don't you ever make me wait that long again, Sirius Black."

"I think it was more painful for me than you, love." He chuckled and rested down beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her close against him so that every inch of their skin that could touch, was connected to the other. "Besides, it's been a long time, and I think I held up pretty well," he said smugly.

"I'd say so," she agreed. "But since it _has _been a long time, did you remember to cast the Contraceptive Charm?" She asked him.

"No."

She yawned and moved to reach for her wand. "I'll do it."

Sirius stilled her hand. "Don't."

* * *

**A/N**: Wanted to let you all know about a new fanfic site run by my friend Pagan Ianthe where I am a member and will soon be uploading Debt of Time (and other fics to). I has a place to upload your fics and also a forum where you can chat with other writers, readers, and fans! No, this does not mean I'm going to stop posting at FFnet. But everyone should at least check it out.

Since FFnet doesn't like links and we literally have to spell everything out, the website is: **bewitching-fiction** (followed by the normal way one would end a url). So come say hello!


	138. Chapter 138

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Posting this chapter super early because the family got into town tonight and I have a feeling they're going to start my morning extra early and I might not be able to update then. So on behalf of my Ravenclaw nephew and his sisters, I present to you, chapter 138.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Eight: All Things Are Difficult Before They Are Easy

"_...My broken pieces_  
_You pick them up_  
_Don't leave me hanging, hanging_  
_Come give me some_  
_When I'm without ya_  
_I'm so insecure_  
_You are the one thing, one thing_  
_I'm living for…"_  
_(Sugar - Maroon 5)_

* * *

**October 13th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Sirius stared awkwardly at the witch whose gaze was so intense that he briefly forgot what he'd just finished saying. It wasn't until she cleared her throat and blinked rapidly in mild shock that he remembered. _Contraceptive Charm, right_.

"What do you mean?" Mia asked hesitantly.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair and sighed anxiously. "I mean . . . don't . . . don't . . . cast it."

"Sirius —"

"Look," he said, interrupting her, "I know to you everything was different just a few weeks ago and we were in the middle of a war and everything was insane but . . . but you left and Lily got pregnant and . . ." He frowned remembering the morning the redhead had woken them all up after a night of binge drinking to scold them for their behavior and to tell James that she was pregnant. Sirius had felt torn in that moment of celebration. Thrilled for his friends, his family, but the absence of Mia and the plans that he'd once dreamed of had left him with a missing piece of his soul that made any potential future without her unbearable to even think about.

Mia frowned. "Sirius, look at me," she whispered.

He brought his gaze back to her face and tilted his head into her palm, turning to kiss her fingers. "I thought you were dead and any dream of the future died with you," he admitted.

Mia smiled sweetly. "You dreamed of having a litter of little Potters?" she asked

"Blacks," he corrected.

Mia sat back, more shocked over this admission than she'd been about his sudden distaste in Contraceptive Charms. "We're giving our future children _your _name now? I remember you being fairly _against _that idea," she said, remembering the one time they'd actually ventured into a discussion about a potential future family. He'd been drunk at the time, though Sirius was always awfully truthful when he'd been drinking.

"I made a promise to your Mum," Sirius said, his expression void of any humor, making him almost seem his age. "Cleanse the House; fix the family. Dromeda and Cissa, they want me to take the Black seat on the Wizengamot." He cringed.

Mia laughed. "Well, that's insane," she said and he sighed with relief, obviously thrilled that she didn't take up the same opinion as his deranged cousins. "You'll end up back in Azkaban the first day when someone tells you that you can't speak out of turn."

"I tried telling _them _that!" Sirius shouted in agreement. "I wanted nothing to do with my damn family and the name but then . . ." he sighed. "I had a sit down with Draco a few days ago after the two of you were done working on his Dark Mark. He wants to rebuild the Malfoy name. Damn kid's stubborn and driven. Do you know the words of House Malfoy?"

Mia nodded. "_Sanctimonia Vincet Semper_," she said. "Purity Will Always Conquer."

"_Toujours Pur_," Sirius spoke the words of House Black. "Always Pure," he said with utter contempt. "Always about the damn purity. I told Draco as the Head of his House now, he should strike the words, burn the family crest, and start new."

Mia chuckled. "Knowing Draco, he had something to say about that."

Sirius nodded. "He gave me a long list of synonyms for the word purity. Goodness, honor, integrity . . ." He sighed as he looked down at his hands. "I think . . . I want to rebuild my Ancient and Noble House. Actually make it noble," he confessed.

Mia smiled at him, pride burning in her chest as she could see her mother's image in the back of her mind, glowing with admiration over the last heir of the House of Black. "And you want someone to leave a legacy to?" she asked curiously.

Sirius reached out for her, leaning forward and kissing her collar bone, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her up against him where she could already feel him growing hard again against her thigh. "I want a future with you. Nothing holding us back. I want to selfishly have it all," he admitted before leaning his head down and recapturing the peak of one breast between his lips.

Mia gasped at the sensation, running her fingers through his hair as he tongued her sensitive flesh. "We still have enemies out there," she said softly. "Voldemort was a cancer, there's still an infection."

Sirius growled. "Then we cleanse it all."

The witch grinned at his words, licking her lips as his fingers dipped back down to the apex of her thighs, finding their way to her clit with such ease it seemed to her that no time at all had passed between 1979 and now. "It'll be dramatic," she said on the end of a whimper. "I might have to make a scene."

Sirius chuckled. "When _don't _you?"

"Cast the Contraceptive Charm," she told him.

Sirius stopped his ministrations and sat up to look at her. "But I thought . . ."

"My mother taught me that charm for a reason and, despite the fact that I could honestly care less what people think about me, Molly's scandalised tone of voice grates on my nerves. I am not getting pregnant out of wedlock. So unless you plan on proposing right now, cast the charm."

Sirius smirked, pressing his lips to her throat. "And if I _was _planning on proposing?" he whispered.

"Then pull that ring off of your chain and do it," she said, challenging him.

The raven-haired wizard froze and then jumped away from her as though he'd been burned. He stared into her eyes, colour momentarily drained from his face. "What? How . . ." he said and began anxiously tugging at the silver chain around his neck.

Mia scoffed. "How did I know that you've got a ring hanging off of the silver chain that I gave you? Disillusioned and charmed with a Notice-Me-Not? Sirius, I taught you _both _of those spells. I may not be able to _see _it, but I can sense my own charms," she said, rolling her eyes.

Sirius frowned. "How long have you known?"

"Since you came home with the ring after Jamie and Lily's wedding."

His mouth fell open and he briefly glared at her. "How come you didn't say anything?"

"It was your job to propose," she insisted, leaning forward to kiss at the corners of his mouth that were currently turned down. "You were working yourself into a fit trying to get the nerve to do it and I didn't want to ruin it for you."

"And now?" He scoffed.

"Well . . ." She sat back and smiled sweetly at him. "You've had nineteen years to think up a pretty good proposal and I'm sure you're over any cold feet by this point. Did you ask Jamie's permission?"

He nodded. "Does that piss you off?"

She shrugged. "A little, but I bet it made his day," she said with a bright smile.

"It did," Sirius replied with a chuckle until a sadness fell back over his expression. "I meant to do it that night. The night you left. Cheap chinese take-away in the middle of our living room. Thought it was more us than the grand production and speech that Prongs gave Lily."

Mia smiled up at him and reached to touch his cheek with her small hand. "Definitely more us."

"And much better than what Remus did with Tonks." Sirius grinned and kissed her hand, sitting back to unclasp the silver chain from around his neck and slip the ring off, still Disillusioned, before putting the necklace back on.

"I never found out how he proposed," Mia admitted, her amber eyes glancing at the invisible piece of jewelry in Sirius's palm. "Let me guess, lots of poetry?"

He laughed. "Hardly. From the way my cousin tells me, he blurted it out right after shagging her the night Dumbledore died."

Mia shook her head in exasperation. "He's never been very good at planning things like that."

"So . . ." Sirius held the ring in between two fingers, still not letting her see it just yet. "What do you want to do?" he asked her with a smile on his face, looking at the way her eyes sparkled.

"I think . . ." Mia grinned and bit the corner of her bottom lip. "I'd like some cheap Chinese take-away."

They left Grimmauld Place and walked to a small restaurant a few blocks away where Muggles stared at them as they fed one another lo mein and split egg rolls. Sirius walked to the front counter where he set down a paper bill of Muggle money, unaware of the denomination, and requested a bag full of fortune cookies before returning to the small table in the corner where Mia waited for him.

The pair dug into the cookies, breaking them open to read the silly fortunes. Sirius smiled over _"A thrilling time is in your immediate future'_"and laughed at _"Be mischievous and you will not be lonesome"_. Mia fell into a fit of giggles when she read _"A good time to finish up old tasks"_ and rolled her eyes when she saw _"Focus on your long term goals"_.

She paused for a moment when Sirius reached across the table and took her hand in his. He closed her fingers around something he placed in her palm, and when she opened it she saw a small fortune there that read, _"All things are difficult before they are easy"_, and she immediately started giggling.

Amber eyes met grey and she leaned forward and kissed him sweetly while he slipped her Grandmother Black's opal engagement ring on her finger.

oOoOoOo

**October 14th, 1998**

**Diagon Alley**

There was a time when a family gathering would have meant a large dinner at the Burrow surrounded by Weasleys. As it was, the only Weasley present was on Harry's arm as their large group approached the small restaurant in Diagon Alley. They'd gone in the middle of the day in the middle of the week and had owled ahead for proper reservations, arriving separately to avoid causing a stir of attention. Thankfully they'd managed thus far to avoid any photographers and Mia had hoped that getting inside the restaurant would be a quick event. It would have been, of course, until the hostess caught sight of Draco's face and she gasped as though she was standing in front of Voldemort himself.

"One moment," she said in a nervous voice before darting back behind a door and returning with a portly wizard with greying brown hair who ignored the entire party, save for the blonde at the back. "We don't serve his kind!" he spat. "Bloody Death Eaters!"

"Excuse me?" Ginny asked, eyes narrowed.

"I beg your pardon?" Both Narcissa and Andromeda hissed.

"I'll take care of this," Mia said calmly and turned back to the manager and smiled up at him politely. "I'm so sorry about my companions," she said softly. "I completely understand you have issues; the war was hard on all of us. Can I ask, do you serve _our _kind?" She questioned, gesturing to herself and Harry who were, noticeably, the most famous of the group. "War heroes," she said, ignoring the way Harry's face scrunched up in distaste when she spoke the words.

The man flushed as if he suddenly recognised them both. "Bloody hell . . . Harry Potter," he said the name with awed reverence. "Of course we serve war heroes!"

Behind her Mia could feel the heat coming off of Harry's face in waves and if she turned to look around she knew she'd be likely to spot Draco glaring at him. She was pleased to know that Draco wouldn't do anything embarrassing in front of his mother and, even if he did, Harry was unlikely to say anything back with Remus and Tonks standing between them.

Mia smiled at the manager, and feigned a humbled expression before her stare turned cold. "Then you'll serve _him_," she said, gesturing to Draco, her tone one of finality, "either because he is a war hero, which he _is_," she added, "or because _other _war heroes insist upon it, which I do."

And just like that, the wizard changed his opinion of the famed Hermione Granger. One Death Eater in her social basket and all her war efforts were for nothing. Luckily, the man seemed to know better than turn a glaring eye on Harry Potter, despite how he now felt about the supposedly Muggle-born side-kick.

"I don't know how you can throw in with his lot!" The older wizard said, scowling over her shoulder at Draco. It of course didn't exactly help matters that Draco was scowling back. "He's the son of Lucius Malfoy!" the wizard said, as though none of them knew the parentage of the blond boy in their party.

Without raising her voice as Harry, Tonks, and Sirius were ready to do, Mia smiled politely, very nearly mirroring the looks that were being given from Narcissa and Andromeda behind her. That in itself should have been a warning. "He's also the son of Narcissa Black," she said sweetly, "which makes him family. I don't take kindly to threats made against my family."

It helped a bit that the details regarding Voldemort's destruction and the deaths of many Death Eaters hadn't been made public. It helped that there were far too many rumours and far too much speculation as to how the Dark Lord really died, and what part the people standing in front of the gathered staff of the restaurant played in the end of the war. Hermione Granger was just a Muggle-born witch who helped Harry Potter, wasn't she? Or was she the Brightest Witch of the Age as many had decided to call her, and if so, what _exactly _did that mean?

The manager looked at the ground briefly, seemingly affected by the fact that Mia refused to break eye contact with him. "I ain't threatenin'," he mumbled, "just saying, I heard he killed his own father is all."

"That he did." Mia smiled as though it were the most pleasant news she'd heard that day and she was eager to share it. "Took down Voldemort's right hand man minutes after Bellatrix Lestrange had her throat ripped out by my handsome wizard here," she said, her hand reaching back for Sirius who, instead of taking her palm properly, nuzzled up against her neck, kissing her shoulder and glaring at the man she was speaking to.

"The House of Black." Mia smirked, attempting to ignore Sirius's behavior despite the fact that it amused her to no end. "We're not known for being very stable individuals. Tell me sir, if we're willing to remove our own kin violently from the family tree when they raise a hand or word to those we love, how do you think we'll react to a complete stranger disrespecting members of our House?"

Silence fell.

"A private room, if you please," Mia said politely. "We'd like to not be disturbed by the public, most especially the photographers. I have a habit of getting very angry when my name pops up in the _Daily Prophet_, you see," she said, her words laced with a not very subtle threat.

"Right this way," the waitress said when the manager turned and nodded to her.

"My apologies," the man whispered to Mia.

"Oh, you shouldn't need to apologise," she insisted and when he sighed with relief, she added, "to me." Her attention turned back to Draco who was sneering at the manager with utter disdain.

"I'll offer my forgiveness in exchange for Single Malt Scotch," Draco said, the attitude of arrogance settling back over him.

"Scotch?" the manager asked, confused.

"Muggle liquor," Draco said with a smirk to the shock of the staff as he turned to follow his family into the private room they were being led to.

oOoOoOo

Once seated and properly hydrated with a bottle of firewhisky for the wizards and champagne for the witches — all on the house, of course — the large family sat down to break bread and catch up. Teddy was passed from person to person as everyone smiled as the little boy changed his hair colour to match whoever was holding him until it got stuck on blonde when Draco awkwardly held the child, much to Harry's annoyance as he naturally favoured his godson with black hair. Narcissa on the other hand simpered over the platinum-haired infant, occasionally casting yearning glances at Draco who was doing his very best to avoid all eye contact from the one woman he'd never been able to properly say no to. Ginny, Tonks, and Mia chuckled over the blonde's discomfort until he glared at them, at which point they laughed louder.

Remus offered Ginny study plans for when she returned to Hogwarts, while Tonks discussed Auror business with Harry. Draco and Sirius argued over the different notes of the Muggle Scotch that the manager finally managed to bring around in the middle of their meal, while Mia, Narcissa, and Andromeda discussed Ministry business.

"Oh," Mia said looking over at Draco. "I forgot to mention that you should be receiving an owl this week from the Ministry about your vaults."

The Slytherin sat up a little taller, not wanting to appear excited. "Is that so? And how, exactly, did you go about returning me my money, Potter?" he asked curiously, throwing her name in at the end and a smug grin when Harry looked up as though he'd been called.

"I simply suggested that whatever investigation they had regarding the vaults be expedited before I send a strongly worded letter to the Goblin Horde implicating that Ministry officials were thinking about claiming Goblin forged items that may or may not be resting inside the Malfoy vaults," she said simply, reaching forward and taking a sip from her flute.

"You threatened the Ministry?" Harry asked, his mouth hanging open.

Mia shook her head. "Of course not. That would be rude of me. I merely offered suggestions and advice as to how certain things might like to be handled," she insisted.

"And the Manor?" Narcissa asked, hopeful.

"I'm working on it," Mia promised. "Are you each certain you'd not like to retain a residence there?" she asked. "Because if you're willing to downsize or relocate at all, I have a few ideas about the property that will have the Ministry giving it back faster than if it were infected with Spattergroit."

"That stopped being home . . ." Draco frowned and drew his attention down to his glass of Scotch.

Narcissa nodded. "That place is no longer home. The land, however, belongs to Draco, not the Ministry."

"I agree." Mia nodded. "And it's near the very top of my list."

"What else is on your list?" Ginny asked curiously.

Mia smiled. "Many things. There will be a lot to do in the coming year." She sighed softly, her smile turning wider when Sirius leaned in and kissed her cheek then leaned in close and whispered in her ear. She nodded without looking at him, reaching again for her glass of champagne.

"Speaking of things to do," Sirius said, clearing his throat as he reached inside his leather jacket, withdrawing a formal-looking, cream-coloured envelope with gold lettering on the front and a small, unbroken crimson seal on the back. "Harry, this is for you," he said, passing the envelope to his godson.

More than half the table fell into utter silence. Andromeda and Narcissa each gasped and brought their hands to their mouths in excitement while Draco eyed the letter with interest, an amused smirk growing on his face as both Harry and Ginny stared at it curiously, clearly unaware of the content. Tonks sat quietly, bouncing Teddy on her knee while grinning, and Remus smiled across the table at Sirius and Mia who sat pleasantly watching as Harry broke the seal and read what was inside.

"Lord Harry James, Head of House Potter . . ." he began mumbling as he read along, completely ignorant to the title that preceded his name. "Hermione of House Potter . . . beloved sister . . . intention to . . ." he stopped reading and then glanced immediately down to the end where he found Sirius's name officially signed, all titles, properties, and vault listings included. "Sirius? What is this?" he asked.

"It's called a Letter of Intent," Mia said with a smile. "It's an old pureblood tradition that's fallen out of popularity these days."

"Unfortunately," Narcissa commented, her attention turned to Draco and he nodded, as though confirming to his mother that, yes, when the time came, he was certainly going to follow proper traditions and customs. "When a wizard wanted to court a witch, he would write down his intentions in a letter and give the letter to her Head of House for approval."

Harry's brows furrowed. "I don't understand, Sirius . . . you and Hermione are already together. Did you send one of these to my Grandfather when you first started dating?" he asked curiously.

Sirius shook his head. "No," he answered. "Remus did when he dated Mia."

Tonks turned and stared at her husband with wide grey eyes. "You did what?!" she shouted. _"I_ never got a bloody letter!" she said loudly, though there was a teasing smile on her face.

Remus chuckled. "Would you like one _now_, love?" he asked, smiling when Tonks shrugged, both chuckling as Teddy's hair turned a bright, distracting shade of green, vying for his parents attention. "Andromeda," Remus said as he turned to face his mother-in-law. "Please expect my owl within the week."

Everyone smiled at the scene until Harry re-read the letter in his hands. "So, what does this mean?" he asked again. "I've already said that I'm fine with your relationship."

"A Letter of Intent is very serious, Harry," Mia said. "When a wizard gives one, asking for permission to court a witch, it puts the power in her hands," she informed him. "She decides whether or not to accept or decline. Once declined, she can never accept an offer from the man again. It ends their relationship forever."

"What did she do with _yours_?" Ginny asked Remus.

"Burned it in front of all of our friends," the werewolf replied with a chuckle. "She's very dramatic."

"Harry . . ." Mia smiled. "I accepted Sirius's letter."

Narcissa and Andromeda gasped again and all eyes fell on Harry who still sat looking confused.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Potter." Draco rolled his eyes. "He's asking your permission as Head of your House to _marry _the witch." He turned and stared at Mia. "Did you take his O.W.L.s for him?" he asked, incredulously.

Harry ignored Draco's insult, turning instead to his godfather who was staring at him with a serious expression on his face. "You're engaged?" Harry asked.

"Only if you approve, son," Sirius replied.

Harry scoffed and looked at Mia. "And you're okay with this?" he asked her. "Hermione, you don't need my permission. Isn't this something you would say is archaic and other big words that apparently are demeaning to women?"

Mia chuckled. "Ordinarily, yes," she replied. "But I'm a sucker for traditional things. My mother taught me, and Sirius and I plan on teaching you. Don't get me wrong, if you don't approve it, I'll have Ginny Bat-Bogey you until you cry," she said with a laugh.

Harry held the letter carefully, obviously not knowing what to do now and feeling awkward because of it. Draco, in a surprising move, took pity on the messy-haired wizard and quietly offered, "Shake the man's hand."

Harry nodded a silent thanks to his former rival and stood to face Sirius who followed suit, accepting the outstretched hand of his godson, grinning before taking him into a tight hug.

At that moment Narcissa ended her silence, standing from her place at Draco's side to take Sirius's now unoccupied seat. "Where is it?" she politely demanded with a bright smile on her face that made her look years younger.

Mia extended her left hand and tapped her wand on it, revealing a previously Disillusioned opal ring. Narcissa beamed at the sight of it and even Andromeda leaned across the table to get a better look. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked.

"Violetta Black's opal ring." Mia nodded and then looked to Harry. "This is the one I told you your father tried to steal and send to Lily." She smiled brightly. "But when he proposed, he gave her the Potter family ring."

"I wanted you to have a Black heirloom, but nothing that belonged to my mother," Sirius said looking down at his fiance.

"Which I am forever grateful for, love," Mia said sweetly.

Narcissa examined the ring with great interest while Andromeda chuckled from across the table. Her younger sister looked up. "What's so funny?" she asked.

Andromeda smiled. "That ring has been passed down to every wife of the House Black in a single line," she said clearly. "Violetta Black was a Bulstrode, and before her the ring belonged to Ursula Black who was a Flint," she spoke as though reciting the family tree, which was, in fact, exactly what she was doing.

Narcissa finally joined her sister in quiet laughter.

"Generations and generations of pureblood Slytherins and blood purists, and the ring ends up in the hands of a Muggle-born witch," Andromeda said in amusement. "Given to her by the last heir of the House who has been blasted off the tree."

Sirius grinned proudly.

* * *

**A/N**: Proposal - Check. Black family united - Check. Wonder what's left on Sirius and Mia's list of things to do.

If you missed the last author's notes, check out a new fanfic site run by my friend Pagan Ianthe where I am a member and will soon be uploading Debt of Time (and other fics to). I has a place to upload your fics and also a forum where you can chat with other writers, readers, and fans! Since FFnet doesn't like links and we literally have to spell everything out, the website is: **bewitching-fiction** (followed by the normal way one would end a url). So, come say hello!


	139. Chapter 139

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Sorry there was more than 24 hours between updates LOL, I've been surrounded by tiny people who've required my attention the past few days. I, unlike Sirius, am perfectly content to remain childless for the time being. I don't have the patience and I commend all of you parents out there that can. On the plus side my nephew keeps quizzing me about all things HP and he's eating up the knowledge. On the bad end, he's apparently read ALL the HP books except HBP, which annoys me to no end. So . . . this story is less than 30 reviews away from 4k, and I can't even tell you all how wonderful you are and how honored I am. Really, truly. Thank you so much.

Q&amp;As - **GTH**, while Arthur and Molly would likely recognize the Letter of Intent because they were both raised in pureblood families, they haven't instilled many of the customs in their own children. Ron didn't even know about magical adoption, as we learned, so it's likely that the Weasley kids would only find out about pureblood things once they've left the nest. I imagine the older kids know.** j-jip**, I will not deny you the chance to see Sirius and Mia's wedding. It's been written. **kaida171**, what happened with Mia and Remus's vault will definitely be addressed.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Nine: Don't Get Too Comfortable

"_...Hey, so glad you could make it_  
_Yeah, now you've really made it_  
_Hey, so glad you could make it now_  
_Oh, look at my face_  
_My name is might have been_  
_My name is never was_  
_My name's forgotten…"_  
_(Celebrity Skin - Hole)_

* * *

**October 14th, 1998**

**Diagon Alley**

The group mingled for another twenty minutes or so before Andromeda offered to take Teddy home for the night, allowing Remus and Tonks to stay out and celebrate with their newly engaged friends. As the older witch moved to stand, a waiter opened the door for her and that's when they heard the loud, irritable shriek from on the other side of the restaurant.

"What do you mean the room is unavailable?!" screamed a high pitched witch.

While most in the room shuddered at the sound, Draco went absolutely pale and turned to face his mother. "Broken, right?" he asked her. "You promised."

Narcissa nodded, cringing as the screaming outside continued. "It's broken, darling, I wouldn't _dare_ leave you in that situation," she promised her son, patting him lightly on the arm.

"What's broken?" Ginny asked curiously.

"My betrothal contract," Draco said gravely.

The witch on the other side of the door was shouting again, "Do you have any idea who we are?! I can't imagine who on earth you think is more important than —" The voice grew closer until the door was pushed completely open revealing Pansy Parkinson and a witch whose genetic attributes painted her as the pug-nosed girl's mother instantly.

"Well, well, well," Pansy sneered at the room. "A Mudblood and blood-traitor convention," the younger witch said, her attention falling on Draco with a look of utter disapproval. "Oh, Draco." She sighed loudly. "How the mighty have fallen."

Draco turned his grey eyes toward Sirius. "Can you please pass the Scotch?" he pleaded through clenched teeth.

"Did you hear?" Pansy asked, glancing back at her mother for approval to announce. The older witch was glaring daggers at Narcissa who in turn held herself with abundant grace and poise, ignoring the dark-haired woman. Pansy's mother turned and nodded smugly to her daughter before returning to glower at Narcissa. "I'm marrying Marcus Flint now, Draco," Pansy told the blonde. "He's just been picked up by the Montrose Magpies. We're to be married next summer."

Draco stood, raising his glass to his former paramour. "Congratulations, Pansy, I'm sure you'll both be very . . ." he paused to think of an appropriate word, ultimately landing on, "w_ealthy_ together." Unable to stop himself, he rolled his eyes and threw back his drink.

Another high-pitched voice called from beyond the door. "And you just let them through, disturbing someone else's meal? Is that how you do business here? You just let witches run around, ordering you about?"

"Apparently," the manager's voice could be heard.

A tall blond woman followed by two younger witches that mirrored her image stepped into the doorway of the private room looking just as elegant and graceful as Narcissa, quite the opposite of the smug Parkinson duo who were currently glaring around the table in turns. The blond witch met Pansy's mother's stare with disapproval before she turned her attention to Narcissa, who was at the front of the room standing beside Andromeda.

"Narcissa." The woman smiled sweetly. "So lovely to see you dear," she greeted the witch with a kiss to the cheek. "I was so sad to hear about your troubles. Lucius's passing," she said without even looking at Draco. "And I hear the Ministry's taken control of your belongings? Awful, just awful."

Narcissa smiled politely. "You're a dear for thinking of us, truly."

"I apologise for my sister-in-law, I hope she and my niece didn't interrupt your little . . ." The woman's gaze looked over the table, shocked to see such a variety of faces sitting to dine with the Malfoys. Her blue orbs reached the other side of the table where they fell on a head of black hair. "Harry Potter," she said the name with sweetness. "I've never had the pleasure." Sshe released Narcissa's hand and took a step forward to greet the boy when her attention was drawn by a leather jacket. "Sirius Black?" She gaped, wide-eyed at the sight of the man. "Bloody hell," her sweet aristocratic tone fell an octave or two. "I haven't seen you since . . ." she paused as she looked to the witch on Sirius's arm. "Holy shit," she whispered softly.

"Holy shit," Mia muttered back at the woman, staring at her with wide amber eyes.

A voice called from the door. "Mother?"

"Daphne, take your sister and find a table outside, wait for me there," the blonde ordered her daughter who immediately obeyed, leaving the room at once. "Mia?" she whispered as she stared at the curly-haired witch.

"What's going on here?" Pansy's mother snapped at her sister-in-law.

The blonde turned around with cold, fierce eyes and stormed toward the pair of brunette witches. "Fuck off, Posy," she snapped, shoving her toward the door. "Pansy, take your mother home!" she ordered her niece and then slammed the door behind them both. She spun on her heels and looked back across the room. "How the hell are you alive?!" she shouted.

"Laurel?" Mia grinned and rushed forward to embrace her old friend.

Laurel Greengrass smiled and hugged the smaller witch. "No, but seriously, how are you alive?" she asked again. "You disappeared and I hired investigators and Hyperion threw a damn fit about it and I made him sleep in his office for weeks."

Mia laughed loudly. "Oh Godric, it's so good to see you."

Laurel chuckled. "I can't believe you're alive," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Why do you look twelve? You've always been younger than me, but now I think you're throwing it in my face, you bitch."

"It's a long story," Mia replied, feeling a strange weight lifted from her shoulders. "Oh, but you remember Sirius, of course." Mia turned to her wizard who smiled up at Laurel.

"Of course. You look positively . . ." She grinned at the man, eying his body with approval, something Mia strangely allowed without comment. "Just how I remember you," Laurel said and sighed pleasantly, smirking when Sirius preened under the attention. "Not a murderer then?" Laurel asked him plainly.

"Free of all charges," Sirius replied and kissed her hand in greeting.

"I never believed you murdered Muggles," Laurel insisted. "Rigged a Quidditch game? Perhaps. Robbed Gringotts? Maybe. But murdering Muggles?" The blonde rolled her eyes. "How _boring_ of you, Sirius."

"If it makes you feel any better, I was framed for the Muggles while attempting to kill a traitorous wizard," he offered, his grey eyes flashing.

Laurel grinned. "Oh, see that's much better."

"Forgive me," Draco interrupted. "Missus Greengrass, you recognise this witch?" he asked, gesturing a hand to Mia.

Laurel smiled down at the boy as though he were slow, a look Draco was not used to. "Of course I recognise her dear. I may have not seen her in twenty years, but I would know my best friend when I saw her," she said confidently.

Mia looked over Laurel's shoulder to the confused Draco. "Laurel has never met _Hermione Granger_," she informed him, hoping that it was a simple enough explanation as to why Laurel recognised her as Mia Potter, when the rest of the Wizarding world seemed distracted with their image of the Muggle-born heroine.

Laurel gasped and turned back to face Mia. "You know Hermione Granger?" she asked curiously.

oOoOoOo

Laurel was told the grand story of Mia's trip through time, though the details of who sent her and why were left to the imagination. The fewer people knew of the Time-Turner theft and Remus's involvement, the better, as far as Mia was concerned. Once Posy and Pansy Parkinson were directed out of the restaurant, Laurel brought her daughters in to meet Mia. Daphne and Astoria both had met and gone to school with Hermione of course, but were wonderfully polite and delighted to listen to the story of their mother's long lost friend and the connection they all now shared.

With the witches catching up on gossip and fawning adoration over Mia's engagement ring, Sirius, Remus, Harry and Draco stepped outside to the adjoining balcony to share firewhisky, Scotch and a few cigars that Sirius had brought along for the occasion.

"Didn't Hermione make you quit those?" Harry asked.

"She _requested_ that I stop smoking _cigarettes_," Sirius clarified. "These are _cigars_," he said, wandlessly lighting a bluebell flame in his hand and holding it out for each of them to use.

"So, Laurel hasn't changed much." Remus chuckled lightly.

Sirius joined in on the laughter, shaking his head. "She'll be good company for Mia. Keep her spirits up. She's always needed a Slytherin in her life, and _this_ one," he said, patting Draco on the back, "keeps stealing all my good liquor."

Draco turned his attention back to the women inside all smiling politely at one another. For a brief moment he actually saw his mother laugh, which shocked the young Slytherin. He noted immediately the way they were all sitting, something he was certain none of the other men, save perhaps Sirius if he paid attention to it, would catch. Instead of a circle to keep them all on equal social standing, the witches had formed an obvious hierarchy in their little conversation. His mother and Laurel Greengrass sat side by side with Daphne and Astoria behind their mother. On the opposite side of the room sat Andromeda with Tonks and Ginny sitting together beside her. Then there, in the center of the group was Mia.

Amongst the Black witches, by all rights Andromeda — being the eldest Black witch — should have been the center of the group, followed by Narcissa who claimed standing, not only by her blood but by wealth from marriage. Even Nymphadora — a Half-blood — could have stood above the others due to her position as Andromeda's daughter and an Auror to boot. But it was the adopted Muggle-born that the women seemed to defer to, either because of her status as Dorea Black's daughter or her relationship to Sirius, their official Head of House.

"It's frightening to see my mother politely conversing with Granger over tea and biscuits," Draco said, calling Hermione by her former name.

Sirius smirked at his young cousin. "Don't get too comfortable with the sight."

"Why's that? You think it's a once in a lifetime event?" the blond wizard asked curiously. "Do you think Mother's pretending to be polite to manipulate her or _you_ through her?"

"Godric, no." Sirius laughed loudly. "I say don't get comfortable because the _polite_ conversation you're referring to . . ." He turned and looked at the witches with an amused interest. "I believe, is the subject of an arranged marriage . . . for you."

Draco turned back to look at the women with wide eyes to see Mia stand up and move to sit between Laurel Greengrass and her daughters. Mia grinned, her amber eyes sparkling as she said something quietly to the mother, who looked at each of her daughters. Both girls turned their heads to meet Draco's blinking stare and then looked back to their mother and nodded.

"Fuck," Draco hissed. "If you'll excuse me," he said, setting the cigar and glass of Scotch down, straightening his robes. "I'd better get this over with." He cleared his throat and made his way back into the room where he smiled politely at all of the witches. "Ladies," he said in greeting.

"Draco, darling." Narcissa reached for her son's hand. "Mia and I were just having a lovely chat with Laurel and her delightful daughters. Have you met?"

Her question was unnecessary; _of course_ he'd met both of the Greengrass girls. Daphne was in his year at Hogwarts and both she and Astoria belonged in Slytherin. However, this was a game and Draco knew his part; a part he'd been expected to play since birth. What he'd never expected was that Hermione Granger would turn into a player of the game as well.

"On occasion," Draco replied to his mother and reached for each of the girl's hands in front of him, lowering himself to a bow before placing a chaste kiss to the knuckles.

"Laurel is a very good friend of mine from years ago," Mia told her young cousin with a sweet smile. "She and I had very similar thoughts as to how the Ministry should be run."

"Mia tells me that you have plans as well, is that true Draco?" Laurel Greengrass asked.

"Many." He nodded. "Beginning with the return of my property, a Wizengamot seat, not to mention a list of outdated laws, educational reforms, and Azkaban regulations I'd like changed," he said matter of factly. "I've been discussing my plans with Mia."

Laurel grinned. "Yes, Mia has always had such grand plans when it comes to the Ministry." The blond witch chuckled. "Oh, but she's got a wedding to plan now. You won't be too busy, will you?" Laurel asked Mia.

The young witch shook her head. "I think _anyone_ with a good head on their shoulders should be able to plan a wedding in addition to any ambitious thoughts regarding Ministry reforms and thoughts of a future career," she insisted, bringing a cup of tea to her lips. "Don't you agree, Draco?"

Draco smirked at her, constantly surprised by how well she seemed to know the lines of this pureblood performance. "Absolutely," he said and turned back to Laurel. "One should first look to take care of their family, their lineage, and then next, their community. It shows a lack of character to have the inability to do both flawlessly," he swore.

Sirius, Remus, and Harry quietly made their way back to the room listening in on the conversation. Harry appeared confused while Remus and Sirius watched on with interest. Draco turned to face the men and he cleared his throat. "Ah, Sirius," he said, addressing his cousin. "Have you met Missus Greengrass's daughters?"

Sirius shook his head. "I haven't the pleasure."

Draco turned, looked at both Daphne and Astoria for the briefest of moments before he reached for Astoria's slender hand and helped her to stand up. "May I present Miss Astoria Greengrass," Draco said and then turned for Daphne's hand. "And her sister, Daphne."

Astoria looked positively delighted as she stood to greet Sirius, Daphne a bit less so. Sirius took each girls' hand and kissed their knuckles politely. "Ladies," he said in greeting and smiled at them. "A pleasure to meet you both."

"And you, Lord Black." Astoria nodded her head politely, casting a glance back at Draco once and winking at him. Draco smirked at the sight and looked over his shoulder at Mia and Narcissa who were both smiling in approval.

"I'm so glad our families can be such good friends." Laurel beamed brightly, reaching out for Mia's hand. "You still haven't introduced me to your . . . nephew?" Laurel asked curiously as her focus turned to Harry Potter who was standing beside his godfather, wincing at the term that the older witch used for him.

"Brother," Mia corrected. "It's easier that way. Harry, this is Laurel Greengrass, one of my dearest friends," she said, making the formal introductions. "And her daughters —" Mia began.

Daphne stepped in front of her younger sister to smile brightly at the Saviour of the Wizarding World. "Daphne Greengrass," she said introducing herself. "And you are —"

"Taken!" Ginny interrupted as she stood and made her way to Harry's side, grabbing his hand. "And leaving," the redhead said with a triumphant smirk. She turned her attention back to Mia and smiled. "Hermione, congratulations again," she said sweetly. "And congrats to you, Malfoy," Ginny added before dragging Harry away.

"What were you congratulating Malfoy for?" Harry asked curiously as they made their way through the door. Ginny replied by laughing softly and patting his hand.

"She's delightful." Narcissa smirked at Ginny's exit.

"Shame." Laurel sighed. "Their father will want them _both_ arranged by the time they go back to Hogwarts," the Slytherin witch said thoughtfully.

"Are you going back to Hogwarts as well, Daphne?" Mia asked.

The elder Greengrass sister nodded her head as she rejoined the table, changing seats to allow Draco and Astoria to sit side by side between their mothers. "Last year wasn't . . . actually educational," Daphne said bitterly.

Mia nodded. "I understand. Laurel, what are Hyperion's requirements?"

"Pureblood," the blond witch replied, rolling her eyes. "You know it makes no difference to _me_, but at least he's no longer trying to pick future husbands for the girls based on war affiliations." She sighed dramatically. "Still, you know how his father was. Pureblood or nothing, everything else is a bargaining chip."

Mia smirked. "In that case let me put some ideas together and I'll owl you later this week," she told her friend who smiled conspiratorially at the younger witch.

oOoOoOo

**October 19th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Long gone were the days where Sirius would dream about the past and wake to struggle with a morning erection, desperate for release. Now he dreamed of the past, present and future, and all three had Mia writhing beneath him, always wet and ready for him. Instead of waking up alone and frustrated, Sirius now found himself waking in the dark hours of the early morning, his witch positioned over his lap, descending on his steel-hard cock, throbbing from the pleasant dream he'd just been having which paled in comparison to the sight of Mia ravishing him with that hungry, determined look in her eyes.

"Feel free to wake me up like this _every _morning," he said, swallowing back a groan as she slid down him, her wet warmth engulfing him completely.

He was absolutely certain that Mia was attempting to shag the memories of Azkaban out of him, and he wasn't complaining about her efforts. The prison had been nothing but cold and empty, and she was warmth and comfort. In Azkaban his muscles had fatigued due to lack of use, and Mia was bound and determined to keep him well exercised. His legs, for instance, flexed when he planted his feet against the mattress, using the leverage to thrust up into her, grinning as he watched her struggle to cling to him, bouncing on his cock, desperate not to fall off.

"Oh fuck . . ." she moaned. "Sirius please . . . Godric . . . harder . . ."

He never could deny her what she wanted, especially when she asked so nicely.

When he leaned forward and took her in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist to angle him deeper inside of her, Mia cried out loudly and dug her nails into the skin of his back. Sirius growled at the pain, shivering as her scratches sent chills down his spine. Her muscles squeezed him tight as he pressed a hand between their tightly joined bodies to rub at her swollen clit.

When he felt her reaching her peak, Sirius bit down on her neck, just above the Pack Mark as though to remind her that even though Remus marked her once, Sirius would be claiming her for the rest of their lives, as often as their bodies would allow him to. Mia cried out as she came, tugging on his hair and whimpering at the delicious feel of him pulsing inside of her, groaning out his own released against her throat, his tongue laving over the rising bruise on her skin.

Sirius fell back against the mattress, catching his breath, a satisfied smile etched into his jaw as he ran lazy fingers up and down her bare back.

When he woke again later that morning, every muscle in his body ached in that delicious way that reminded him he was alive and, despite being nineteen years older than the witch, he was still young enough to still shag her into delirious exhaustion. Then again, considering how cold her side of the bed felt against the back of his hand, Mia had been up for hours.

After a quick shower and throwing on a pair of denim trousers, Sirius made his way down the stairs, headed immediately for the kitchen to replenish all the energy he'd lost early that morning. He grinned brightly at the sight of food already on the table and walked up, kissing his godson on the top of the head in greeting as the younger wizard drank coffee while reading the morning paper.

"As much as I appreciate breakfast every morning," Sirius said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "I want to make sure you are completely aware that you don't have to cook for us all, Harry," he said firmly.

Harry waved off his worries. "I actually like it," the boy insisted. "Didn't used to when I was younger because the Dursleys . . . well," he paused and then just decided to say it, "forced me to do it all. But now that it's a choice and I'm cooking for people I actually love, it's . . . it's nice," he said with a thoughtful smile.

Despite the fact that the mere mention of Petunia and Vernon and the years Harry spent in their neglectful care made his blood itch, Sirius was glad that his godson was no longer holding back the details of his childhood as though they were something to be ashamed of.

"Well then I appreciate you cooking all the more," the Animagus said. "Because it benefits you and me." He chuckled as he sat down at the table, reaching for the plate of bacon in the center.

"Care to do me a favour in exchange for food every morning?" Harry asked, green eyes still focused on the paper in his hands.

"What's that, pup?"

"Wear a shirt to breakfast," Harry quietly requested.

Sirius frowned. "Am I so hideous that I'm turning you off your appetite?" he asked, pretending to be offended.

Harry looked up and the tips of his ears turned pink as he looked over his godfather. "I'm perfectly accepting of yours and Hermione's relationship, I know that you love one another and I'm happy you're both happy," he promised. "But you've got scratch marks up and down your back and the thought of how they got there at that particular angle is making me slightly nauseous."

Sirius laughed loudly, but nodded and stood, walking to a nearby closet where he pulled out a hanging robe and slung it over his shoulders. "Better?" he asked as he sat back down.

"It would be better if someone would remind Hermione of how great she is at Glamour Charms," Harry said and smirked. "She left the house this morning with love bites all over her neck."

Sirius chuckled. "Sorry, Harry," he said as he served himself up a plate of eggs. "As delicious as your breakfasts are, she happens to taste better."

Harry grimaced and Sirius smirked and something inside of him felt like everything would be good again from now on. It felt like being back before the war really began, when Mia and Sirius would tease James relentlessly with their affection. He would cringe and Lily would giggle and Remus would roll his eyes. Maybe, just maybe, things could be that happy and wonderful again.

"Where is my lovely witch off to today?" Sirius asked casually.

"Errands." Harry shrugged. "I honestly thought she'd spend the morning crying in her room like she normally would, but I keep forgetting how different she is."

Sirius frowned. "Why would she cry at all?"

Harry passed over the Daily Prophet.

Sirius glanced down at the paper and his nose twitched at the front page. In the bottom corner was a lovely photograph of Draco and Astoria along with their engagement announcement, which was to be expected since Mia, Narcissa, and Laurel had orchestrated the timing to coincide with the Malfoys recent scholarship creation for Muggle-born wizards and witches that couldn't afford to go to Hogwarts on their own. It was perfect timing to announce the engagement considering it had been announced already that the Malfoys had had their vaults returned to them, and the public would eat up the fact that the first thing Draco did with his Galleons was give it away to Muggle-borns of all people. Establishing his story of redemption alongside a fairy-tale wedding was something the society pages were going to live off of until the wedding, and considering Astoria still had another two years left of her Hogwarts education, the engagement was going to be a long one.

It wasn't, however, Draco and Astoria's engagement photograph that was centered in the paper but rather one of Sirius and Mia in Diagon Alley just near an Apparition point. Both were smiling brightly, obviously in love and in the photograph Sirius leaned down and kissed the witch, cupping her face in one hand while the other snaked around her waist. The title of the article made Sirius growl.

"_GOLDEN GIRL TURNS GOLD DIGGER by Rita Skeeter_

_In the face of the wonderful news that Draco Malfoy, a reformed Death Eater and war hero, has found true love in the arms of Astoria Greengrass (daughter of Hyperion and Laurel Greengrass), his former lover, Hermione Granger, Muggle-born witch, is taking out her revenge on the Slytherin by seducing another wealthy Pure-blood heir, Sirius Black. Considered one of the most eligible bachelors in Wizarding Britain, he was spotted in the company of Miss Granger and everyone is asking, 'What Love Potion has the young temptress slipped the infamous Black heir?' _

_Known for being framed and innocently imprisoned over the deaths of twelve Muggles in 1981, Black escaped Azkaban in 1993, only to supposedly die of unknown causes in 1996. Rumours of Sirius Black's return to the land of the living came in the middle of the war, though the details are unknown. Now a declared war hero and godfather of The Chosen One, Harry Potter, Sirius Black is a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class and the last of an Ancient and Noble Pure-blood family._

_Is Miss Granger looking for wealth and fame? Or is the famous Muggle-born witch trying to dilute the Pure-blood Houses with her secret Muggle-born agendas? Or is this a case of simple revenge for Draco Malfoy choosing a pureblood bride over his Muggle-born mistress . . ."_

Sirius groaned. "This shit is getting ridiculous," he said loudly. "I'm suddenly very glad that we're dealing with a rational Mia and not an emotionally vulnerable Hermione," he admitted.

"She wasn't emotional, that's for certain," Harry said. "Pissed off more like it. Keep reading." Harry gestured to the bottom of the article.

Sirius looked down.

". . . _Harry Potter was unavailable for comment on the scandalous relationship between his godfather and ex-girlfriend, but we can only imagine the poor man is heartbroken over the fact that his feelings were not taken into consideration by the witch who has been hurting him for years by her many affairs. Fellow member of The Golden Trio (pick up your copy of 'The Golden Trio: Young Love in War' at local bookstores now) and also ex-lover of the devious Miss Granger, Ronald Weasley was asked his opinion about the relationship between Black and Granger. Though he refused to comment, he did not appear surprised by the news, which leaves us all to wonder how long has Miss Granger been finding herself in the company of Sirius Black? Did Harry Potter's heart break years ago when his own godfather . . ."_

Sirius threw the paper down and snarled. "Shit!" he said and stood up.

"I take it you got to the part where you become the villain?" Harry asked angrily.

"Like I give a fuck what people think about me," Sirius snapped. "We have a bigger problem on our hands. Where did Mia say she was going?"

Harry frowned, appearing confused and worried at Sirius's tone. "Errands, why?"

"Those were her exact words?" Sirius asked. "She didn't say where she was going or what she was doing?"

Harry shook his head. "No, just that she had a few errands to run and a few details to work out before —"

"What?" Sirius paled. "A few details to work out?"

oOoOoOo

**Bard and Beetle Publishing - Office of Rita Skeeter**

Mia stood outside the door with a pleasant smirk on her face, both vinewood wands tucked neatly into their holsters, one on the arm of her robes, the other against her thigh. A copy of that morning's Daily Prophet was in one hand, while a delicately scripted list was in the other. Something she'd written down in haste that morning after reading the paper, with Harry sitting behind her drinking his morning tea more than likely thinking she was putting together a grocery list.

Amber eyes flickered to the list in her hand, something that she'd had running in her head for eight years and only finally had written down. The top nine were noted and then scratched out, but the bottom four lines remained untouched:

_Tom Riddle - HP  
__Peter Pettigrew - TR  
__Bellatrix Lestrange - SB  
__Lucius Malfoy - DM  
__Albus Dumbledore - SS  
__Alastor Moody - TR  
__Fenrir Greyback - DM  
__Antonin Dolohov - SB  
__Bartemius Crouch - BCJ_

_Dolores Umbridge  
__Cornelius Fudge  
__Vernon and Petunia Dursley  
__Rita Skeeter_

"Well, well, well." The door opened and in the frame stood a sneering, heavy-jawed blond witch with tight curls and rhinestone studded spectacles on her face. Her thin red lips smirked at Mia and her tiny eyes narrowed. "If it isn't Little Miss Perfect. I was wondering when I'd be seeing you again."

Mia smiled sweetly at the woman. "Oh, Rita," she said with a soft sigh. "I don't believe you've met _me_."

* * *

**A/N**: So we got to see the return of Laurel, who only appeared in one chapter during Part Two but her return was a HUGE request from all of you.


	140. Chapter 140

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Posting Friday's chapter early on Thursday night! Just a heads up since it wasn't clear from a few chapters ago: Mia and Sirius are not currently trying to get pregnant. They never exactly decided on that because the conversation was sidetracked by the proposal. They're WAY too busy to focus on starting a family at this very moment. Lots to do. *wicked grin*

Q&amp;As - **CobaltAndSage**, the new story I'm currently writing (and will start posting once DoT is finished) is going to be a Family/Romance centered fic and my first ever Dramione! **DramionesLady**, LOL! When I was writing Mia's list, I was actually thinking of GoT's Arya! **Brian1972**, Rita is prideful and spiteful and is likely calling Hermione's bluff over the blackmail. Hermione didn't, after all, do anything when Rita published her Golden Trio book, so she likely now thinks that Hermione is weak and won't go through with any threats. **PrincessRedfern**, in Canon we never find out what happened to Fudge. The last we know is that he attended Dumbledore's funeral. **Duner89**, Moody ended up on Mia's list for constantly going along with everything Dumbledore suggested, like sending Remus into the werewolf packs unprepared. Plus, Moody was still an Auror at the time of Sirius's arrest and could have stepped up to at least request a trial for him. Not everyone on that list would have died at her hands, given the chance, likely only Voldemort and Peter. **hi (Guest)**, the epilogue(s) will jump several years.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty: Comeuppance

"_...Soon she's gonna find_  
_Stealing other people's toys_  
_On the playground won't_  
_Make you many friends_  
_She should keep in mind_  
_She should keep in mind_  
_There is nothing I do better than revenge…"_  
_(Revenge - Taylor Swift)_

* * *

**October 19th, 1998**

**Bard and Beetle Publishing - Office of Rita Skeeter**

One would expect that after years of working in the journalism industry, Rita would have gained some sort of radar or, from her Animagus form, feelers to detect for threatening presences. However, her pride was just too great. Without knowing that she was obviously being threatened, Rita Skeeter invited Mia into her office, of course, under the impression that the witch standing before her was none other than Hermione Granger, the sweet little Muggle-born witch that fought for house-elf rights and stood as the beacon of hope and change next to Harry Potter. Sure, Hermione had kidnapped Rita in her Animagus form and stored her in a glass jar for a few weeks only to blackmail her later, but clearly things had changed. Rita was now a best-selling author, more famous than ever, and she was absolutely not afraid of Hermione Granger.

It was _that_ fatal mistake that Rita would later realise that led to her downfall.

"I'm curious," Mia said, her attention moving around the large office that was made to feel much smaller due to the number of trophies and awards that plastered the walls. Some were real, of course, as no one could deny that Rita had a way with words that enticed readers. Had she decided to sit down and pen fictional novels, she'd be very likely deliriously rich. Unfortunately, the woman relied on deception and lies to gain her wealth and fame. "With the success of your books," Mia said, glancing to the side where several pre-autographed copies of _Golden Trio: Young Love in War _ were stacked on the edge of Rita's desk, "how come you're still even bothering to write for the _Prophet_?"

The blond witch shrugged and took a seat opposite Mia, appearing entirely calm and collected to show her abundant lack of intimidation. "Books are bought and easily discarded, but the _Daily Prophet_, is delivered by owl twice a day. Plus, free advertising for said books," Rita said smugly.

Mia observed several of Rita's awards. "You've done well for yourself."

"I have, thank you," Rita said, her words almost sounding genuine, which they might have been considering the scandals she'd written about Hermione Granger's love life had provided the wretched reporter with attention-grabbing material.

Who cared about important things like Ministry corruption and Death Eater sightings when the _supposed_ girlfriend of Harry Potter went to the Yule Ball with a Quidditch star? Mia couldn't really fault the readers, though she had remembered the cold shoulder that Molly had given her after the articles in _Witch Weekly_ had gone public. After all, with rumours of Voldemort on the rise again, it must have been much easier to distract oneself from the horrors of an approaching war rather than face it head on. Of course, she, Harry, and Ron hadn't had the luxury of distractions like that. Not at the forefront of everything where they'd always seemed to end up.

She wondered who would actually read the truth. Would people care more about the fact that she'd been tortured than the lies about her love life? Would they turn a blind eye to the fact that two Ministers for Magic ignored the threats to their world and instead eagerly eat up the gossip surrounding the men she associated with? Mia sighed at the thought, abundantly grateful that she no longer cared what people thought about her. The ring on her finger reminded her that once news of hers and Sirius's engagement — and her true identity — got out, she might not have to worry about rumours regarding Harry, Ron, and Draco.

"Perhaps you should be thanking all of the victims of war that your lies have profited off of," Mia said calmly, not even making eye contact as she looked over a framed photograph of Rita standing among the Triwizard Champions from several years ago. Fleur looked annoyed, Cedric politely smiled, Harry and Viktor appeared equally uncomfortable, especially the latter who was grimacing as Rita gripped his bicep and winked at him. "You can leave me off of the list if you please, I hardly care what drivel you write about _me_ these days." Mia waved her hand. "Only the completely ignorant would ever think I'd have a grand love affair with Draco Malfoy, then again there were plenty of idiots that believed your lies about me and Harry."

"And Sirius Black?" Rita sneered, pushing a copy of the Diagon Alley photograph to the edge of her desk toward the younger witch, eagerly waiting for the usual reactions accompanying the discovery of an affair to appear: the gasp, the flush, the shifting of eyes; all descriptions to add to her first draft follow-up article about the pair of scandalous lovers that was sitting in the drawer. "Am I lying about _this_?"

Mia smiled down at the photo, watching herself and Sirius embrace and kiss. _Thank Circe for giving me this man, he is beautiful_, she thought to herself. "A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. It's too bad that this picture came with _your _words. And really, you do have a tendency to ramble, dear." She looked up at Rita and pursed her lips together, staring at the witch with something akin to pity. "Any _good _reporter could have said the same thing you did in half as many words."

Rita briefly narrowed her eyes, but Mia's lack of denial over the photograph had sparked intrigue and soon she was reaching for her Quick Quotes Quill that fluttered immediately behind her in the air, scribbling quickly against a pad of parchment. "So you're confirming then?" Rita asked. "You and Sirius Black are lovers?"

Mia rolled her eyes dramatically, her thumb casually playing with the opal ring on her left hand; she was sitting now, though, hands resting in her lap and out of view of Rita's penetrating gaze. "Sirius Black and I are so much more than anything your simple mind could even _begin_ to imagine," she said, her words almost sounding threatening. "For instance, he loves me so much that, at my simple request, he would very _literally_ tear your throat out with his bare teeth." She smiled sweetly. "Which I can attest are quite sharp and I doubt his bite would be as delightful for you as it is for me. As for how _I_ feel about Sirius . . ." She took a deep breath and let it out with a long sigh, watching as the Quick Quotes Quill scratched constantly against the parchment behind the salivating reporter. "I love Sirius Black, so much that while _I _care very little for being labeled a fame-seeking, gold-digging tramp, I do take serious issue with you labeling him a lascivious degenerate." Her smile faded and her stare went cold.

The Quick Quotes Quill stilled for a brief moment and it appeared as though Rita were contemplating something. Mia hoped she was contemplating fear; it would make this a lot easier.

"And how old exactly were you when your… _association _with Mister Black began?" Rita asked.

There it was. The implication was insulting to Sirius and offensive to Mia regardless of the dreams she used to have as a teenager spending holidays at Grimmauld Place with a sleeping Sirius Black only doors away from her. Neither had ever acted on it until she was _definitely_ of age, or when they were _both_ underage.

"Time and age mean nothing to me," Mia said firmly. "Had you been less of a treacherous bitch I might have offered you the story of a lifetime. War, betrayal, murder, sex . . . love that goes beyond the bounds of time and death." She smiled and reached for her wand. "Unfortunately, you have _severely_ pissed me off one too many times and even the overused idea of blackmail hasn't stopped you, so I hardly think we'll be best friends now," she said and stood, aiming her vinewood wand over Rita's shoulder, blasting the Quick Quotes Quill into tiny shards, the parchment burnt to a crisp.

Rita reached for her own wand in defence, her face scrunched up into one of rage, until her eyes widened at the missing ash wand she normally kept in the pocket of her robes. She looked up to see a smirking curly-haired witch, ash wand in one hand, vinewood in the other. Rita growled at the sight of her wand in the hands of another and muttered, "How did you . . ." until Mia used her vinewood wand to summon a glass jar from her purse.

Rita's gasped at the sight of the container and she took a step back, scowling at the witch. "I don't think so, Missy." She shook her head. "You think I'm stupid enough to shift in front of you so you can capture me again?" She laughed loudly, perhaps hoping it would draw attention from a potential rescue party.

"Do you think I'm not smart enough to _force_ you?" Mia asked. "What was it the papers have been calling me lately? In addition to opportunistic hussy, of course," she said. "Brightest Witch of the Age?" Mia rolled her eyes. "I imagine that someone bearing that moniker would know how to force an Animagus into their form. It's N.E.W.T. level Transfiguration of course," she admitted. "But we all know that I've always been a bit of an overachiever."

Rita paled. "What?" she asked softly.

"It's a simple spell really. I'm surprised most Animagi don't learn it. I had it used on me once by a dear friend," she said, thinking of her Defense N.E.W.T. with Remus, "the dirty cheat."

Rita gasped. "You're a —"

"An Animagus?" Mia asked and then nodded. "Yes, for _years_ now," she admitted. "How long did it take _you_ to learn how to do it?" she asked Rita and smirked when the witch appeared bitter. "I hadn't even taken my O.W.L.s yet," Mia said smugly. "Now, back to this amusing little charm. It's very simple see, just a wave of the wand," Mia muttered and waved her wand.

Rita flinched and covered her head to try and protect herself while simultaneously screaming, "You wouldn't dare!"

Mia chuckled at the sight of the terrified and yet still stubborn reporter. "Well not right away, no," she admitted. "If I shift you into your tiny little bug self, then I don't get to see you cry when I do _this_," she said and aimed her wand at the stack of _Golden Trio_ books, setting them on fire.

"You can't do that!" Rita screeched. "I'll call the Aurors!"

Mia sat back down in the chair, crossing her feet at the ankles. "No hurry, dear," she said casually, turning her head only when the door to the office burst open to reveal a wand holding Harry Potter followed by Sirius and Remus. "Oh, look." Mia grinned sweetly at Harry, "the Aurors have arrived."

Harry stared at Mia with wide green eyes filled with worry, despite the fact that she was reclined in the chair opposite Rita Skeeter's desk. The other witch in the room, the one Harry wasn't entirely concerned for, was the one screaming and trying to put out a fire in the corner, without a wand. "Hermione! What're you doing?" Harry asked.

Mia frowned. "I think that's fairly obvious. I'm lodging a complaint about Miss Skeeters article," she said calmly, twirling her vinewood wand in one hand, tossing the ash wand to Sirius who caught it in the air. "Narcissa, Laurel, and I worked very hard to get Draco's engagement the attention it needs and it was pushed aside so easily. Plus, I look awful in that photograph," she said, scowling at the image still in the center of the desk.

Sirius grinned at her. "I think you look lovely."

She smiled up at him. "You're biased."

Harry stared between the two incredulously, turning back to gape at Remus who only shook his head, a silent _I told you so_ hung in the air.

Rita, using the distraction, attempted to make a break for the door, but Mia rose her wand with incredible speed, cutting her off mid-step, tutting her as she turned to glare at the younger witch.

"Love," Remus said calmly, "I know you're upset about the article —"

"Remus, stop talking to me like I'm going to _kill_ the woman," she said, not breaking eye contact with the seething reporter.

"You have a bad temper when it comes to protecting . . ." the werewolf began.

Mia turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll have you know, Remus Lupin, it has been _years_ since I've even _thought _about using an Unforgivable on someone," she said, drawing a gasp from Skeeter and a wide eyed stare from Harry.

"So wait . . . you're not here to kill her, then what _are_ you doing?" Harry asked cautiously.

Mia turned back and looked at Rita coldly. "I'm simply making a point," she said and flicked her wand. "_Avis_!"

"Oh shit," Harry muttered recalling the spell from their sixth year. Ron still bore the tiny pecked scars on his hands and arms from the attack. His green eyes only widened when, instead of tiny yellow birds, large black crows emerged from the end of Mia's wand.

"Those aren't canaries," Remus whispered.

"_Oppugno_!" Mia hissed and the murder of black birds circled over Rita's horrified form and then dove down to attack.

Harry, ever the hero that he was, was the only one to try and help Rita Skeeter, but before he had a chance to act, Mia had banished the birds who'd gotten in a good few pecks. As promised, Skeeter was crying; screaming obscenities and calling Mia a "Mudblood cunt", but crying nonetheless. It wasn't blood and death Mia had been after, but fear and humiliation, the same thing Rita had so often made her feel in the past. The curly-haired witch reached for the glass jar, waved her wand in an intricate pattern that she'd picked up from Remus years ago, and then Accio'd the small beetle into the container.

"Hermione, I'm still an Auror," Harry said, trying to make her understand the problems with what just happened. "I . . . I can't just . . . you just _attacked_ someone!"

"No, Harry, I've captured an illegal Animagus," Mia corrected him, tossing the glass jar through the air, watching as he caught it. "Granted, it took some effort to get her to cooperate, and my methods might have come on a little strong, but there she is. Take her to the Ministry."

The young wizard stared blankly at his best friend. "You're . . . you're not blackmailing her?"

Mia scoffed. "Of course not. I tried that once and she couldn't keep her mouth shut for more than a few years. Fool me once, shame on you . . ."

Harry sighed and rubbed at the scar on his forehead, it didn't hurt and hadn't since he'd killed Voldemort, but in times of stress, rubbing the lightning-shaped mark had become a habit. "Hermione, if I take her to the Ministry to be charged . . . isn't that . . . I don't know, a little hypocritical of you?"

"Why?" Mia asked as she walked over to the group, kissing Sirius's cheek in greeting and taking Rita's ash wand from his grip, slipping it into Harry's pocket. "Sirius and I are legally registered Animagi. Have been for two decades."

"What?" Sirius and Remus both asked, surprised.

She smiled. "I worked at the Ministry. You _seriously_ thought I wouldn't take into account _that _part of our future and create a fail safe? I registered Jamie too, not Peter though, shame," she said, her nose twitching. "Then I filed away the paperwork, put a time-delayed Sticking Charm on it. I imagine our files have been stuck on the inside of the Animagi Registry file cabinet for quite a few years. Should have fallen down by now. Either way, the papers would be easy enough to _Accio_ if someone needed proof."

"Good Godric." Remus stared at the witch. "You're brilliant."

Sirius grinned suggestively, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his hips against hers. "Would you mind terribly much if I just took you home and . . ."

She laughed and pushed against his chest. "Actually, I would. We've one more stop to make before I'm done with Miss Skeeter and these interesting articles she's been writing."

oOoOoOo

**Daily Prophet Offices**

A lean man with greying hair descended a small staircase until he reached a sitting room in the offices of the _Daily Prophet_ to find three wizards and a young witch waiting for him. His small eyes were immediately drawn to the youngest, a head of messy black hair and round spectacles. "Mother of Merlin." He gasped. "Harry Potter in my offices. Good afternoon, Mister Potter," he said, stepping forward to grip Harry's hand in both of his, shaking it wildly, "such an honor, such an honor."

Sirius rolled his eyes and Remus smirked at the way Harry's face flushed at the attention, awkwardly returning the greeting with a quiet, "Yeah . . . er . . . hi."

"And Hermione Granger and Sirius Black . . ." the man said, turning his attention to the couple, gaping at the sight of their joined hands and being thrilled by the confirmation of their relationship. He didn't acknowledge Remus, which the werewolf appeared perfectly content about. "Could I trouble any of you for a photograph?" he asked them. "An interview maybe?"

Sirius scowled. "I think you've been printing enough of our names lately, thanks."

"Now, Sirius." Mia patted his arm gently, "let's not be rude to Mister . . ." She turned her attention back to the man.

"Cuffe," the man said, introducing himself. "Barnabas Cuffe, Miss Granger, Editor and Owner of the _Daily Prophet_," he said smugly, putting his hands in his pockets and standing tall as though waiting for one of them to take his picture.

"Mister Cuffe." Mia smiled. "I'm sure you're just a grateful citizen of Wizarding Britain eager to display your gratitude, aren't you?"

"Absolutely!" He beamed, his attention flickering to Harry every four seconds.

Mia nodded but then frowned. "Unfortunately, we've come to lodge a small complaint with the paper. See, two dear friends of mine were so excited about their engagement and were very saddened to find out that a piece of gossip was plastered all over the front page of the _Daily Prophet_, effectively stealing their thunder."

Barnabas flushed red and scratched at the back of his neck nervously. "Oh yeah . . . er . . . Skeeter's piece."

"Yes, Miss Skeeter and I have a past," Mia said thoughtfully, "as I'm sure you're well aware Mister Cuffe."

Barnabas cleared his throat, suddenly clear that this was not a social visit. "See, Miss Granger, the thing is Rita Skeeter used to bring in a lot of readers," he tried to reason. "The _Daily Prophet_ well . . . lost a bit of a profit during the war. Skeeter's not the kindest person there is," he admitted, "but she's always been a damn good reporter and people pay attention to what she says."

Harry scoffed loudly.

"I'm well aware that people pay attention to what she says," Mia replied. "But let's overlook Rita Skeeter for a moment, sir. You're telling me that your company is having problems because of the war? Losing money?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

He nodded. "Yes, Miss."

"That's terrible!" She gasped, placing her hand against her chest in a move that Narcissa Malfoy would have considered well practiced manipulation. "Isn't that _terrible_, Harry?" Mia turned and asked the young wizard.

Harry looked up, surprised that he was being brought back into the conversation, appearing suddenly nervous as though a murder of crows were going to emerge from Mia's wand and start attacking the man in front of them. "Umm . . . yeah I guess."

Mia turned her attention back to Barnabas. "Tell me, sir, was the _Daily Prophet_ attacked at all during the war? The building, your employees, your family?"

"Not so much, no," Cuffe said, trying to assure her. "No family of my own, just me actually. And as for the employees, there was a few Muggle-borns I had to let go of," he said and then whispered, "for their own protection, you see."

Mia nodded. "Of course. It was so good of you to think of them," she said, surprised when Cuffe reacted as though she wasn't completely being sarcastic.

Sirius leaned to the side and whispered to Harry, "This is about to get _really_ bad."

Harry shook his head. "I don't get it," he whispered back, "she doesn't even look angry."

Remus snorted. "She looks like Dorea."

"Now," Mia said, looping her arm through Cuffe's in a friendly gesture. The man blushed, clearly making plans in his mind to retell the story later about how Harry Potter walked into his office and Hermione Granger, the most famous Muggle-born ever and Brightest Witch of the Age, actually held onto his arm. "I say we put all this mess behind us and start fresh, yes?" Mia asked.

Barnabas nodded immediately. "That's good and kind of you, Miss Granger."

"In fact," she said. "I insist that the _Daily Prophet_ be the very first to have an exclusive interview with myself and Sirius." She smiled, releasing Barnabas and making her way to Sirius's chair where she delicately perched herself on the arm, knowing that instinctively her wizard would place a possessive hand on her back or thigh. "Would you like that, sir? I'm certain it would bring back a great deal of your readership," she said and watched as Cuffe's eyes widened at the intimate display, almost seeing the cover of the next Daily Prophet in his vision. "Perhaps even an interview with Harry?" Mia suggested.

Cuffe couldn't contain the gleeful giggle that escaped his mouth.

Harry frowned. "Hermione . . . what're you —"

"_Exclusive_? Really?" Cuffe asked eagerly.

Mia nodded. "I insist. In fact, I am going to put a great deal of personal effort into the restoration of the _Daily Prophet_," she said as though the thought just occurred to her. "Hands on interest. Investments, improvements . . ." She paused and frowned, "of course, Rita will have to be let go."

Barnabas waved off the suggestion as though Rita Skeeter were the last thing on his mind. "Of course. We won't need her anyways what with you lot helping out."

Mia smiled brightly. "Absolutely. In fact," she said as she stood to face the older wizard, "when I own this place, I'll make it my personal mission to let her go so that you won't have to. I imagine you've built quite a rapport with her over the years."

Cuffe's smile briefly faltered and he looked bewildered. "Wait . . . what? When you . . . when you . . ."

"When I _own_ the _Daily Prophet_," Mia repeated with a sweet smile, pausing to observe his furrowed brows. "Oh, you're confused, that's sweet. You see, not only have you willingly employed an unregistered Animagus who is known for trespassing in order to get her stories," she said, noting the lack of shock on Cuffe's face indicating that he had, in fact, known about Rita's illegal Animagi form, "you've also published slanderous material in regards to several well known war heroes, not to mention the blundering mess that the _Daily Prophet_ was pulled into during the war by publishing anti-Muggle and pro-blood purist propaganda. Mister Cuffe, I plan on taking the _Daily Prophet_ before the Wizengamot, where I will sue you for every last Galleon you've ever earned by printing my name, the names of my family or anyone else I happen to be in association with for defamation of character."

The colour drained from Cuffe's face and he took a step backwards to catch himself on the edge of a desk, staring in shock as Mia stepped closer to him. "You . . . you can't do that," he insisted.

Sirius laughed loudly. "Oh, she _really _can. Would you like me to track down a solicitor for you, kitten?" he asked sweetly.

Mia shook her head. "Thank you, love, but I believe I promised Mister Cuffe here that I would put my _personal_ effort into the restoration of the _Daily Prophet._ Hands on interest. It's been quite some time since I've been inside the Ministry though, and in front of the Wizengamot no less. Harry, do you think it would be considering tacky to wear my Order of Merlin during court proceedings? I don't want to appear prideful, but the shine of it does bring out my eyes, don't you think?"

When they finally left the offices of the _Daily Prophet,_ Barnabas Cuffe was in hysterical tears, begging to keep his job. Mia offered him one in the Owlery Department to which he scrunched up his nose in disgust, mistakenly brought up the fact that he was a pureblood, as though that made it so he was above such things, and Mia smiled and said, "I'll see you at the Ministry," before leaving.

"So what're you going to do with the _Daily Prophet_, Hermione?" Harry had asked, laughing to himself as they walked away from the building.

"I actually hadn't thought about it. The threat kind of came out of nowhere," she admitted with a laugh.

"So you're not really going to sue?"

Mia chuckled. "Oh, I'm _absolutely_ going to sue them. I'd run the whole place into the ground if it didn't have so many employees, and they can't all be bad," she admitted. "Maybe I'll see if Luna and her father want to take it over," she said with a grin.

"Right then," Harry said, shaking his head and laughing. "I'm off to the Ministry to report an unregistered Animagus." He gestured to the glass jar he'd slipped into the pocket of his robes. "See you lot at home?"

Mia reached out and took Sirius's hand. "Actually, I'm stealing him away for a date."

"Is that so?" Sirius grinned. "And where are we off to, kitten?"

"A place not for Harry's ears," she whispered, but loud enough that Harry had actually heard.

The young wizard groaned and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Honestly, Ginny and I have never been as bad as the pair of you," he insisted and then waved to them all, turning and Disapparating away.

"You going to tell me where you're really off to?" Remus asked Mia. "Harry doesn't know you well enough to know when you're purposely hiding something. You've attacked and kidnapped a reporter and made a grown wizard cry and it's not even noon. Who're you off to torment next?"

Mia smiled softly. "Plausible deniability, Remus."

The werewolf sighed. "Noted," he said. "Please . . . just . . . _try_ not to get into too much trouble. I'm married to an Auror and I feel like she'd be cross with me if the two of you got arrested for something."

"I swear to you, Remus," Mia said. "We will not get caught."

He groaned and turned away from them, Disapparating on the spot.

Sirius kissed her cheek. "What dastardly plans do you have, my love?" He grinned, swinging the witch into his arms. "Where are we off to?"

Mia took a deep breath and sighed. "Little Whinging."

* * *

**A/N**: Next stop . . . Number 4 Privet Drive!


	141. Chapter 141

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Extra chapter today to celebrate James Potter's birthday! And what a lovely present he gets!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty-One: Family Matters

"_...Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,_  
_Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away_  
_'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday_  
_Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,_  
_Blown away…"_  
_(Blown Away - Carrie Underwood)_

* * *

**October 19th, 1998**

**Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging - Dursley Residence**

Mia remembered that when she had gone to Australia to say one last goodbye to her Muggle parents at the end of the war, Harry was handling a few family matters of his own. Harry had requested that the Order help to get his aunt, uncle, and cousin back into their home on Privet Drive. He wanted to move them himself but he was unable to even walk past the front gates of Grimmauld Place without being attacked by the press disguised as Muggle paparazzi. Then there was the fact that he just wasn't ready to face the Dursleys himself so soon after everything he'd gone through,

Sirius hadn't gone with the Order to Little Whinging, too worried about what he might say or do to the Muggles, plus, he had his family to take care of immediately after the war. Arthur was one of the few that volunteered to go to Surrey, as he considered himself to have a decent rapport with the Dursleys. Mia figured that he was either happy to ignore — or completely unaware of — the Muggles's disdain for wizards, and Weasleys in particular, considering their past interactions.

The red-haired wizard had returned to Grimmauld Place to inform Harry that his family had been successfully moved back into their home. When Harry had gone off to bed, Arthur confessed to Sirius that the home on Privet Drive had been almost entirely demolished and had to have immense repairs done before the Muggles could be moved back in. It had taken an extra week and the Dursley parents had complained about it to anyone who would hear of it. The very moment that the keys to the newly restored, fully furnished home were handed over, Vernon Dursley angrily demanded that all the "freaks" were to leave "his bloody property" and if they even dared to come back, they'd surely be in for it.

The black-haired Animagus quivered with excitement as he and Mia Apparated outside of a quiet little park in Little Whinging, pausing to transfigure Mia's features, aging her twenty years so that she no longer resembled Harry's friend from school. Sirius waved his wand, shortening her hair a touch and adding a few laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. He'd suggested some grey streaks in her locks, to which she asked if he was going to do the same to himself and he surrendered immediately.

Sirius grinned at her. "You look sexy old."

"So do you," she said and winked at him; he scowled at her in reply and she laughed brightly.

They knocked softly on the door and when it opened to reveal a tall broad-shouldered young Muggle, Mia and Sirius both relaxed somewhat at the sight of Dudley Dursley.

The boy recognised the wizard robes immediately and his eyes widened in fear. "Y-you . . ." he muttered and swallowed hard. "Is . . . is Harry okay?" he asked, appearing genuinely concerned.

The words and expression caught them both entirely off guard and Mia smiled. "You must be Dudley," she said sweetly, trying to remember that she was supposed to appear in her late thirties and he would see her as an authority figure rather than a peer. "Hello dear," she said, using a kind tone. "Harry is quite safe," she assured him.

"Surprised that you'd care," Sirius said questioningly, eyeing the boy.

Dudley looked down nervously. "I just . . . we didn't get to see him when we moved back is all. No one would really tell us much about what happened," he admitted.

"May we come in?" Mia asked politely.

Dudley looked around nervously, eyeing the driveway and the lack of cars on the street before slowly nodding. "My parents are due back soon. Went to lunch with some friends," he informed them as he opened the door, gesturing to the sitting room. "Umm . . . tea?" he awkwardly offered.

"No, thank you," Mia said as she took a seat on the couch, motioning for Sirius to sit beside her. "We'll try to be quick. I imagine your parents wouldn't be too happy to find us here when they return."

Dudley laughed nervously. "You could say that," he said.

"You don't seem to mind us," Sirius said curiously.

Dudley shrugged. "Harry saved my life. From what the folks that moved us out and then back in again said, I guess he did a lot more than rescue me that one time from those umm . . ." he tried to remember. "The uh . . . cloaked things . . ."

"Dementors," Mia provided.

Dudley nodded, his face paling slightly.

Sirius, albeit hesitant, felt some sympathy for the boy. "I was attacked by them too," he said. "Spent twelve years in a . . . a building filled with them," he said, clearing his throat. "I know how you feel."

Dudley's eyes widened as he took in the statement, "Twelve . . . bloody hell," he muttered. "So umm . . . how is Harry?" he asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

Mia smiled. "He's good. Starting a career as an Auror. It's a highly trained position in law enforcement," she explained. "He lives in London. I could give you the address, or at least, a way to contact him if you'd like," she offered.

Dudley thought about it for a moment and then nodded. His attention turned to Sirius, anxiously looking him over. "You're . . . you're his godfather then?" he asked.

Sirius nodded, surprised. "How'd you know that?"

Dudley shrugged lightly. "Remember your face," he admitted. "You were on the telly a lot a few years back. Then Harry comes home from that school of his, saying how you were his godfather and Dad better start . . ." He stopped mid sentence and cleared his throat. "Just that er . . . that you were his godfather and such." He then turned his attention to Mia and asked, "You his godmother then?"

Mia laughed softly. "Something like that," she replied. "My name is Mia Potter."

Dudley's eyes widened. "Potter?" he asked. "But . . . but Mum and Dad said —"

"That Harry didn't have any other family?" she asked.

He nodded. "Said that was why we . . . er . . . _they _had to take him in."

"I was . . . we were," she said taking Sirius's hand in her own. "Unfortunately, unable to take care of Harry when he needed us the most. We're very happy to finally be back in his life. Harry's father James is . . . was . . . my brother," she told the boy. There was an awkward silence that filled the room and Mia searched for anything to distract from it. Her attention fell on a school bag in the corner and she smiled. "You're in Uni?" she asked.

Dudley smiled. "Yeah," he nodded, a happy expression crossing his face. Clearly the subject was something he enjoyed speaking about. "Barely got through to be honest," he admitted, nervously scratching his head. "I wasn't too good at the testing, and Dad thought it had something to do with the uh . . . you know," he said, his gaze falling on Sirius, unable to bring up the Dementors by name again. "Said it wasn't my fault." He chuckled. "I knew better of course, but wasn't gonna tell _him _that," he admitted. "Still got in though."

"Congratulations." Mia smiled. "That's a wonderful achievement."

"It's all right." Dudley nodded. "I like it better there than at my job," he admitted.

"Where are you working?" Sirius asked.

Dudley frowned. "Grunnings. My dad got me the job. He's in sales," he said. "I'm not very good at it, but it pays for my flat. I only stop by here to do my wash."

"Are you attending class full time?" Mia questioned.

Dudley shook his head. "Can't afford to just now. Not unless I move back home," he said with a wince. The idea was clearly not an option. "Maybe in a year or two, once I've saved up some," he added, looking hopeful.

Mia took a breath and smiled. "Dudley, I want you to write your school's information down for me, and mail it to this address," she said, pulling a piece of paper and pen from her purse and noting down the Muggle mailbox that all the residents of Grimmauld Place used when they needed to correspond with the Muggle world. She handed the boy the paper and smiled.

Dudley took it, looking confused. "Umm . . . can I ask, what's this for?"

"You're going to quit that job you hate and attend the University you love full time," she informed him. "We're going to pay for your tuition as well as room and board," Mia insisted.

"We are?" Sirius asked shocked and Mia pinched his thigh. "Ow, fuck! I mean . . . we are. Of course we are."

"Yes," Mia continued. "And since we know what your parents would say about you accepting money from people like us," she barely prevented herself from rolling her eyes. Sirius didn't even try to stop himself. "You're going to tell them that you won a special scholarship. I imagine they'll be so proud of you they won't ask too many questions."

Dudley's eyes were wide. "What? I mean . . . why?"

Mia frowned. "Because . . . because Lily would have offered it to you," she said. Sirius looked down, swallowing back several emotions as they rose to the surface. "Your aunt was the kindest person I've ever met," Mia said with a sweet smile. "And family meant the world to her. I think she would have been very pleased to know that you were furthering your education."

Suddenly there was the sound of a car door shutting outside.

"Shit," Dudley muttered and stood up immediately, securing the mailing address away in the pocket of his jeans. "I umm . . . I don't suppose that you'd take the offer back over whatever my parents might say when they walk in the door?" he asked, his expression one of worry.

Mia shook her head. "The offer stands, I promise," she assured him. "Perhaps . . . perhaps give us a chance to have a chat with your folks?" she requested. "I haven't seen them in twenty years. And I did actually come to try and catch up. Make peace. We're all still family, technically."

Dudley nodded, but looked uneasy at the same time.

When the door opened and Vernon and Petunia stepped inside, the portly Muggle man first set sight of Mia and her robes and his face turned red. "W-w-what are you people doing here?!" he bellowed loudly, slamming the front door behind him. "Get out! I told you lot to stay away!"

Petunia rushed toward Dudley, grabbing his head in her hands and hugging it tightly which created an awkward sight as the large boy — who stood a good foot taller than his mother — was angled down, his cheek against her chest as she stroked his hair. "Oh, Diddums, are you all right? What did they do to you?!" she said, narrowing her eyes at Sirius and Mia.

"Nothing, Mum . . . m'fine," he insisted, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "I just . . . I'm going to be late for class," he said, and breathed a sigh of relief when Petunia released him. "They're . . . they're Harry's family," he said, gesturing to the witch and wizard.

"Family?" Vernon scoffed. "That boy hasn't got any family!" he said firmly. "If he had, then we wouldn't have had to put up with . . ." the man stopped, his eyes blinking a few times as he stared at the couple in front of him, slowly recognising them both.

"It was lovely to meet you, Dudley," Mia said sweetly, offering the boy an out.

Dudley nodded to Mia and Sirius each and then leaned to kiss his mother on the cheek before rushing out the front door, making his grand escape before things got too bad.

The moment the door shut, Mia's amber eyes blazed. "Hello, Vernon," she said, all sweetness gone from her tone. "You and I are going to have a nice, long chat," she insisted, reaching for her wand and with a wave, locked all the doors and windows and shut the drapes. "Don't even _think _about running off, Petunia," Mia hissed as the woman made a dash for the next room only to find herself faced off against a large black dog snarling viciously at her.

"You!" Vernon shouted, his meaty finger shaking in the air as he pointed at Mia. "You . . . you're Potter's sister!"

"Mia," she said, reintroducing herself to the man, adding a little curtsy. "It's been quite a number of years, Vernon, but I believed our last chat would have left an impression. Something about you daring to hurt my family if I recall," she said thoughtfully. "Do you happen to remember what I said would happen to you if you did such a thing?"

_"If you cause any member of my family any amount of pain, I will use my freakish magic to go inside that little brain of yours, and hollow the whole thing out."_

Vernon paled, sweat beading on his forehead.

In the corner of the room Petunia was screeching as Padfoot stepped closer.

"I'd be careful there, Petunia." Mia smirked. "Who knows if he's had all of his shots," she said with a chuckle and Padfoot barked loudly causing Petunia to scream and rush toward Vernon, attempting to hide behind her husband who immediately tried to push her away from him.

"Now," Mia said calmly. "I would like to point out something very interesting. See, there are two couples here in this room that have much in common. We do share a nephew after all," Mia said, looking at Petunia specifically. "And yet . . ." the witch paused. "Despite being the _horrible freak_ that I am," she said, scowling at Vernon who returned the expression. "I do not believe _I_ have it in me to physically, mentally, or emotionally harm a child," she said. "Let alone an orphan."

Padfoot growled. Petunia whimpered.

"Were I a heinous person, I would have done something terrible to your son while you were gone. The two of you certainly would deserve it. Lucky for you, I have a history of being able to forgive people who were bullies as children. It's not _their _fault, after all, that their parents were ignorant arses," she snapped. "You two, however . . ." Mia growled. "You neglected Harry for _years_."

"He wasn't our responsibility!" Vernon shouted. "That old man just left him on our door and expected us to take him in, just like that!"

"Yes." Mia nodded and sighed. "Dumbledore overstepped in ways he clearly shouldn't have. _A lot_ of people in the Wizarding world did things that they shouldn't have when Harry was placed in your care."

"Right then." Vernon nodded as though the matter had been settled. "Then go and deal with _them_!"

Mia smirked deviously. "I already have," she said softly. "They're all _dead_. Murdered," she informed him. It was the truth, of course, though she let the implication that _she'd _been the one to kill them hang in the air while the Dursleys quivered in fear of her. She enjoyed their fear and was half-tempted to track down a boggart and release it upon the Muggles, if only to see herself reflected back in the image of the creature.

Petunia's crying distracted Mia from the pleasant thoughts. "What . . . what do you want from us?"

"Right now?" Mia asked thoughtfully. "Come with me," she said and walked over to the hallway to stand in front of a small open door.

Vernon and Petunia caught her meaning immediately and, with Padfoot snarling behind them, the Muggle couple slowly stepped into the cupboard under the stairs. Mia smiled pleasantly as Sirius transformed back into a human so he could stand at her side as they leaned against the doorway. They watched, smiles on their faces as Petunia was crushed against the wall by her husband while they tried to fit into the tiny space that was unfit for a house-elf let alone a child.

"What . . . what are you going to do?" Vernon asked, now officially frightened.

Mia stared at the man and then turned to look at Sirius. "What do you think, love?" she asked him.

Sirius grinned. "I say we lock them inside."

"For how long?" Mia asked.

"How old was Harry when they finally let him out of it?" Sirius asked, his focus narrowed on the Muggles.

"Eleven-years-old," Mia answered, ignoring the gasp of terror that left Petunia's mouth.

"That ought to be long enough," Sirius said, and then slammed the door shut, locking it from the outside. Vernon and Petunia began screaming immediately.

Sirius and Mia made their way into the kitchen before they began laughing. He rushed up behind her, gripping her hips and pressing himself against her arse. "Would it be twisted to fuck you on their kitchen counters?" he asked before leaning forward and capturing her ear between his teeth.

Mia giggled and pulled away from him. "Yes, it would be _incredibly _twisted," she replied.

Sirius pouted. "So what are we _really _going to do with the Muggles?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "Well, we haven't used magic on them, so other than threats — which they wouldn't even know how to report — we've really done nothing wrong. I suppose we'll let them out in an hour or so. Once we're done pilfering their liquor cabinet."

"And you think that one hour locked in that cupboard is enough for everything they did to Harry?" he asked.

Mia shook her head. "Not even close." She sighed. "They starved him. Literally," she said, clenching her teeth. "One hour today won't lessen my anger over _that_. Which is why I imagine I'll come back in a month or so and do this all over again."

"Lily wouldn't approve," Sirius pointed out, feeling only _slightly _guilty.

Mia nodded. "No," she agreed. "But _Jamie _would have thought it was funny," she said and they both smiled in agreement.

oOoOoOo

**October 31st, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Mia woke up the morning of Halloween, remembering spending the holiday with her Muggle parents so long ago. Helen Granger would dress her as a rabbit or a kitten when she was very young, and ironically, as a witch once. Then Richard Granger would take her hand and lead her door to door to collect sweets before returning home to dig through her treasures and pick out the least offending pieces before taking his turn at the door to hand out toothbrushes to the costumed children that came knocking, officially making them the least popular house in their neighborhood.

When she went to Hogwarts, all Halloween activities were limited to school and even then there wasn't much in the way of dressing up and eating sweets. She was met with a troll during her first Halloween at Hogwarts, and instead of chocolate bars, she walked away with two best friends. The years that followed didn't ever seem to be any better. A petrified cat and an opened Chamber of Secrets, Sirius Black — then escaped murderer — attacking the Fat Lady, Harry's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire . . . Mia was surprised that with a history of bad things happening on Halloween, that she'd chosen that specific date to lose her virginity to Remus. Perhaps, she wondered, it had been an attempt to erase all the bad memories of the holiday that she'd experienced. Or . . . perhaps it was to forget what the future had in store.

_**Flashback**_

**October 31st, 1977**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

James jumped over the end of the long red couch in the Gryffindor Common Room to find his sister curled up on the other end with Sirius's head in her lap. The couple was jostled by James's rough landing and he chuckled when one of Mia's fingernails dug a little too sharply into Sirius's scalp.

Sirius groaned. "Fuck off, Prongs, go find yourself another couch."

"What if I came for the company?" James grinned.

"Then find yourself another witch, this one's taken," Sirius said, sighing happily when Mia started playing with his hair again.

James eyed them both. "Taken? Is that right, Mia?" he asked her.

Mia and Sirius both blushed. "He didn't mean it like _that_," she insisted.

"Right." James rolled his eyes. "So this is _platonic _head petting?" he asked, gesturing to Sirius's head buried in Mia's lap.

"Always has been," Mia insisted. "Jamie, where's Lily?" she asked, trying to distract her brother from the awkward conversation he was trying to start. She'd been broken up with Remus officially for almost two months and, despite the fact that she and Sirius were desperately in love with one another, the two had silently decided to avoid the subject of an actual relationship. It appeared that their mutual decision to ignore the obvious was bothering their friends and family to an extreme level.

"She's getting ready for the Halloween Feast," James said with a grin as he began imagining all the wonderful treats that would be prepared in the kitchens for the grand meal in the Great Hall. "Are you two coming down?

"In a bit," Sirius answered.

"Maybe." Mia shrugged. "I . . . I don't much feel like celebrating Halloween," she admitted.

"Why not? It's the best holiday just after Christmas and our birthday!" James declared.

"I just don't like Halloween," she said, getting irritated.

Sirius snorted. "That's not what Moony says," he muttered.

Mia growled and pinched his ear.

"You two are getting ridiculous," James said, shaking his head and laughing.

_**Flashback Ends**_

Sirius slept soundly in bed next to her, his face tucked into the pillow, one arm hanging off the end of the bed and the other wrapped around her waist. She had gone to sleep early only to wake when he stumbled into the room closer to four in the morning smelling of Muggle Scotch. She'd been worried about him drinking alone, but then she heard a loud bang outside their bedroom door and opened it to find Remus unconscious at the foot of the stairs, smelling worse than Sirius.

She'd levitated the werewolf to his room and sent a Patronus to Tonks letting her know where her husband was, only to receive one back from the Auror indicating that she knew this would happen. Both Sirius and Remus apparently had a habit of spending the night before and night of Halloween drinking in an attempt to forget the past.

Mia's fingers traced over the tattoos on Sirius's back lightly, smiling when the phoenix on his shoulder turned its head to rub against the pad of her index finger. Below it sat two shaded silhouettes, one of a doe and the other of a stag. She ran her fingers over the stag and frowned. Leaning forward, she wiggled her way out of Sirius's grip and reached across his back to place a kiss to the tattoo memorialising her brother.

"I miss him, too," Sirius muttered as he felt her lips press against him, knowing the exact spot she was touching.

Mia swallowed down her grief and then whispered against his spine, "I want to go to Godric's Hollow."

* * *

**A/N**: I struggled with how to punish the Dursleys. I knew that I didn't want Mia to just murder people in cold blood. She's very careful and not at all reckless like she was when she was younger. She knows the laws and works within (or around) them. So I figured fear would be the best for those two. And really, other than maybe Harry, who would object to what she and Sirius did to the Dursleys if they found out?

**Update**: A lovely Guest informed me that during this period of time, the UK had something that allowed students to attend University for free (until 1998) so I've added in that Dudley is using the money from is job at Grunnings to pay for his flat in order to get away from his parents. Thanks Guest!


	142. Chapter 142

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Sorry there was no update yesterday. Had a family emergency that needed to be taken care of. Heads up, (and you probably all know this from the end of the last chapter) grab your tissues. I couldn't even get through reading this during the final edit.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Two: Bad Ideas

"_...I can feel you all around me_  
_Thickening the air I'm breathing_  
_Holding on to what I'm feeling_  
_Savoring this heart that's healing…"_  
_(All Around Me - Flyleaf)_

* * *

**October 31st, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"It's a bad idea," Sirius said to Remus over breakfast while Mia was in the shower getting ready for the day. They'd slept a few more hours after he'd woken to find the witch kissing the stag tattoo on his back which seemed a great deal healthier than what he and Remus usually did to cope with Halloween; the hangovers they were currently nursing while the Sober-Up Potion finished brewing was proof enough of that.

"Maybe she needs this," Remus suggested as he drained his third cup of coffee.

"Mum said to drink water," Sirius reminded the werewolf of Dorea's strict rules for hangovers before changing the subject back. "And yes, she might need this, but I don't think she's ready."

"She's technically already been there," Remus reminded him. "Didn't you say that you, Hermione, and Harry went to Godric's Hollow last year on Christmas?".

Sirius nodded. "And then got ambushed by Death Eaters. Not my best Christmas ever." He scowled. "Then again I _did _kill Dolohov, so it wasn't exactly my worst."

Remus briefly thought to curiously ask which Christmas _had _been Sirius's worst, but assumed that, no matter what, the answer would end somewhere in Azkaban. Remus figured they shared the same worst Christmas which happened to be the first one that followed James and Lily's deaths in 1981. It had only been two months since they'd died after all, and neither were in the mood for celebrations, not that Sirius would have had the option.

"You're probably right," Remus said. "It's only been a little over a month for her. I know she understands that they're gone, but emotionally they might as well be on an extended honeymoon," he added thoughtfully. "Will Harry be okay?"

Sirius nodded. "The first time was a shock to his system I think. He'd never seen their graves before. Then again, neither had I."

"Are _you _going to be okay?" Remus asked him.

"I have to be," Sirius said firmly. "Have to be strong for them both."

"You sure you don't want me to come along?"

Sirius shook his head. "No," he insisted. "You don't like going there. You've told me before. Plus, moon's in a few days and after the amount you drank last night you should get some rest while you can."

Remus chuckled. "After three cups of coffee I don't think I'll be resting much."

"Then take the kid out to collect sweets from Muggles," Sirius suggested.

"Teddy's six months old, Sirius. What's he going to do with a bunch of sweets?"

"Give it to his father, I assume." Sirius smirked.

Remus nodded slowly. "He's a good son; very thoughtful boy."

oOoOoOo

**Godric's Hollow Cemetery **

The ground wasn't covered in snow like the last time they'd been there, but the cold of October had left a sparkling frost on the grass that crunched when they stepped forward, slowly closing in toward the marble headstone. Harry approached the stone with a bouquet of pink lilies in his hand having come prepared this time. He didn't feel the stabbing pain in his chest but instead a dull ache that reminded him not of his own pain, but of the suffering and grief he'd known Remus and Sirius had gone through, and that Hermione was going through now. He would have to be strong. Strong for his family.

Harry reached out and brushed his fingers against the engraved names, hoping that his parents could give him that strength.

_James Potter - Lily Potter  
__27 March 1960 * 30 January 1960  
__Died 31 October 1981_

"'_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death'_," Harry whispered aloud as he set the flowers down at the foot of his parents grave. He stood and turned to tell Hermione and Sirius they could come forward, having assumed they were both giving him a moment to himself. However, he did not see a sad couple waiting for Harry to have time to himself. Instead, he saw Hermione buckled to the ground, struggling against Sirius's grip as she clawed at the grass, tears pouring down her face. He'd only seen grief like that on the day of the final battle when she'd thought that he had died and turned her grief-stricken wrath toward Voldemort in an attempt to kill the Dark Wizard. The expression on her face was frightening; she looked like she was screaming, but no sound was coming out. It was only when he saw Sirius's wand in hand that he realised his godfather had Silenced the witch.

"We don't need any more attention," Sirius said in a broken voice to Harry as the boy rushed over and fell to his knees in front of Hermione while she sobbed, mouth open, silently screaming.

Her eyes were clenched shut and her knuckles white as her fingers dug into the frozen ground beneath them as though she were trying to pull James and Lily back to life through the grass, clinging to anything solid that she could to keep the grief from swallowing her whole. As her body shook, Harry could see that she was gasping for breath, letting each gulp of air she got into her lungs out with a deafening scream, or at least, it would have been were it not for the Silencing Charm.

He was grateful that Sirius had thought ahead for that. Despite Godric's Hollow being a small village, if spotted, Harry would draw the attention of anyone who dared look their way, and today was not about him, it was about his parents and the sacrifice they made. It was also about Hermione and what she felt she needed to do, which right now Harry felt had been a mistake.

She broke free from Sirius's grip and fell into Harry's open arms. He could feel her choking for air and tried to adjust her body so that she could breathe easier. Instead she buckled further, curling in on herself while he stroked her hair and back in a comforting gesture, not knowing what else to do. He'd faced Death Eaters, a basilisk, dragons, Voldemort himself, and had even died once, but Harry suddenly felt unbearably helpless as he tried to comfort his best friend.

He turned his green eyes up in the hopes that Sirius would have a better plan, but it seemed the moment that Hermione had broken free from Sirius's arms, the Animagus had stood and rushed away from them, clenching his fingers in his hair around the back of his head, his elbows bent nearly touching in front of him as he shielded his face while he let out deep heaving sobs; unlike Hermione's they were easily heard.

Eventually, Sirius stood up straight and wiped his face before returning to Harry and Hermione, the latter of which was still sobbing, though instead of screams she seemed to be silently mumbling something. Sirius aimed his wand at her and whispered, "_Finite_," and her voice was returned to her.

Harry leaned his cheek against the top of her head, still stroking his fingers up and down her spine while she repeatedly whimpered, "Jamie . . . Jamie . . . Jamie . . ."

"This was a bad idea," Sirius mumbled. "I'm so sorry, kitten . . . I should have stood my ground and said no," he said, his grey eyes glassy as he avoided Harry's gaze, his attention solely on the sobbing witch in his godson's arms.

"I . . . I . . . want my brother . . ." she cried softly.

Sirius cringed and looked away painfully.

"Hermione," Harry whispered. "I think you should let Sirius take you home," he suggested.

She pulled away from him immediately and moved to stand. "No!" she shouted and looked back at the headstone. "I'm not going back," she said. "I want . . . I want my brother," she said again and then gripped her wand tightly and Disapparated.

"Fuck!" Sirius shouted and moved to grab her before she disappeared but he was too late. "Oh shit . . . she could be anywhere. Oh Merlin, what if she splinched herself? I need to send Remus a Patronus!" he said and reached for his wand.

Harry frowned. "I know where she went."

"What?" Sirius looked up, terrified. "Where? We need to follow her!"

"I . . . I think I should go alone," Harry said quietly. "You heard her," he muttered. "She . . . she needs my dad. I'm the closest she's got. She wants her brother." Harry cleared his throat and stood up. "_I'm_ her brother now, so she's got me." He looked up at met the worried but approving stare of his godfather. "I'll send a Patronus when I find her," he promised and then Disapparated away.

oOoOoOo

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Forbidden Forest**

Harry Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts and stepped through, noting that the magical wards had been set up but allowed him to pass freely. As he closed the gates behind him, Hagrid and McGonagall approached him, both with concerned expressions on their faces.

"I take it she's here?" he asked nervously.

"Is everythin' all right, Harry? She looked right upset when she came through. Tried askin' her to stop in fer tea, but she darted right off inter the forest there," Hagrid said, his eyes swimming with genuine concern. "We was just going to go in after her," he added.

Harry frowned and looked from Hagrid to the Headmistress. "We went to Godric's Hollow," he said, and both the half-giant and witch nodded in immediate understanding. "I'm really sorry about this, Professor . . . er, Headmistress." Harry frowned awkwardly.

Minerva shook her head. "Nothing that could be done about it. She has to grieve sometime and grief is not a pretty thing," she said emphatically. "Still, is there a reason that you believe she's gone into the Forbidden Forest?" the old witch asked.

Harry nodded, but kept tight lipped knowing that he shouldn't have even told the amount of people he _had _about the Resurrection Stone, nor about dropping it in the middle of the forest. "She . . . she's looking for something," he said, and left it at that.

Minerva nodded. "I hope she finds it then."

Harry sighed and turned to walk toward the trees, whispering under his breath, "She won't."

The Boy Who Lived slowly began his walk through the forest where he'd most recently died, and then returned again, green eyes raking over the scenery that was lit by the afternoon sun breaking through the branches of the trees overhead. The Forbidden Forest held so many memories for Harry. He noted briefly to an area where, as first years, he and his friends (and Malfoy) had been brought for detention with Hagrid.

"_The forest?" Malfoy had said in shock. "We can't go in there at night! There's all sorts of things in there . . . werewolves, I heard." _

The memory made Harry chuckle to himself as he thought of the scared look on a smug Draco's face. Draco, who now, according to Hermione, was family. Harry never thought he'd live to see the day when he'd be friends, let alone family, with Draco Malfoy. Then again, Harry hadn't thought he'd live to see much past his seventeenth birthday.

"_You've been so brave," the neither ghost nor flesh vision of his mother had said as she approached him, whispering in his ear as her hands hovered over, not able to actually touch, his cheeks. Her green eyes sparkled like his and her hair was as red as Ginny's. _

_He'd gone into the forest to die. To save everyone. And he knew he didn't have much time because he'd Stunned Sirius in order to get out without a fuss. Harry had known the moment his godfather came to, he'd be in trouble with the whole Order descending upon the forest to stop him from what needed to be done._

_Then he stared into the mirror image of himself that he knew to be his father. Harry had always known his parents had died so very young, but to see them face to face like this only reminded him more of his own impending mortality. He was only seventeen, but soon to die at the hands of the man that killed both of his parents, not much younger than they'd been when they'd died. _

"_You're nearly there, son," James had said with a proud smile on his face. "We are so proud of you."_

"_I'm scared," Harry had admitted. "Does it hurt?"_

"_Dying?" Lily asked. "Not at all, sweetheart. Don't be afraid. We're here with you."_

"_I'm so sorry," Harry said, trying not to cry. "You died and it was all because of me . . ."_

_"It was because we made choices, son," James insisted. "Life isn't about fate. It's about choice. We chose to fight. The only thing we didn't choose was to protect you . . . because that came naturally. As naturally to us as you protecting those you love."_

_Harry nodded, trying to summon back his courage. "Ginny and Sirius and Ron and Hermione."_

_James grinned brightly._

"_You'll stay with me?" Harry asked._

"_Until the very end." James nodded._

"Hermione!" Harry called out for her as he began to wander in the direction of the clearing where the final battle had taken place. Where Voldemort had struck him down with the Killing Curse, destroying the Horcrux inside of him and ultimately sealing everyone's fate. The place where Sirius and Remus were tortured, where Neville killed Nagini, and where Hermione tried sacrificing herself to save his godfather and the werewolf.

"Harry Potter," a voice spoke ahead of him and Harry turned, wand drawn on instinct until he was met with a familiar face and he withdrew it with an apologetic smile.

"Firenze." He smiled at the centaur. "You're looking . . . well," he said, his eyes immediately scanning the centaur's flank where he knew he'd been wounded in battle. "I didn't expect to see you in the forest," Harry admitted.

The palomino centaur stepped forward, his long white-blonde hair was pulled to the side in a long braid. "While the castle is being finished, I have rejoined my colony here, and have yet to decide whether or not to rejoin the school," Firenze admitted.

"Have the planets and stars not told you what's already going to happen?" Harry asked with a smirk and was answered by a silent stare that looked neither upset or amused but left the young wizard feeling guilty all the same. "Sorry. Umm . . . you haven't seen Hermione have you?" he asked.

"The weeping human?" a chestnut-coloured centaur asked as he trotted up behind Firenze, his red tail swishing behind him. "She's foolish to enter this forest alone," he said.

"Ronan," Firenze turned back to look at his brother, "she's much stronger than she appears if you remember."

Ronan rolled his eyes briefly but then nodded in bitter agreement. "Yes, she's the one that delivered the offensive witch to us," he said, scowling as he spoke of Umbridge. "Shame we let her go."

"Agreed," Harry said.

"Where did you see the girl, Ronan?" Firenze asked.

The red-haired centaur gestured to a grouping of trees, his crossbow tight in hand as though it were an extension of his arm. "Just through there," he said. "She should not shout at such a volume. Not all creatures in the forest are as understanding of her reasons for being here as we are," he insisted.

"And what _are _her reasons?" Harry asked curiously.

"Healing," Ronan answered.

Harry frowned and then nodded. "Thank you both so much," he said respectfully.

"Farewell, Harry Potter," Ronan said and walked in the opposite direction, away from the wizard.

Firenze hesitated. "Tell your friend . . ." he began, "she will not find her answers in the past, but in the future."

Harry nodded. "I will. Thank you."

The young wizard made his way through the trees where Ronan directed him and soon everything began looking very familiar. He could also hear Hermione's voice, yelling just up ahead and her words were like a dagger to his heart.

"_Accio_ Resurrection Stone!" she screamed. "_Accio_ Resurrection Stone!"

His green eyes stared ahead at his best friend as she walked around the clearing, aiming her vinewood wand out in random directions, attempting to Summon the Resurrection Stone he knew wouldn't come to her. "Hermione?" he called out softly.

"_Accio_ Resurrection Stone!" She sobbed, turning briefly to look at Harry, her amber eyes wet and swollen. She then looked away from him again and aimed her wand once more into the shadows of the forest. "_Accio . . . Accio_ . . . I can't do this . . ." She wept and collapsed on the ground, burying her face in her hands. "I can't live here. I want to go back. I should have done something."

Harry rushed to her side and drew her quickly into his arms. "Hermione . . . I . . . we've talked about this," he said, pressing his forehead against hers.

"I want him back! I want . . ." She sobbed, taking in small gasps of air as she struggled to breathe. "I want my brother . . ."

Harry frowned. "Aren't _I_ your brother?" he asked.

Hermione broke a small smile and nodded, but then continued to cry.

His wand was in one hand, the other had been clenched into a tight fist and he struggled to move as he whispered, "I don't know how to help you."

"That's not true, son," a voice said from behind Harry.

The young wizard turned and looked up to see the image of his father staring down at him, a look of pain in his hazel eyes as they fell over the crying witch. Harry swallowed hard and looked down in his hand, opening it to reveal the Resurrection Stone that he'd kept secret from everyone.

"You've held onto it this long for a reason," James said to Harry. "You lied about dropping it for a reason. It's okay." He smiled. "She needs this and then you can both let go."

Harry nodded and reached out for Hermione's hand, slipping the Stone into her palm.

She looked up surprised. "Harry?"

He swallowed nervously. "I . . . I kept the Stone. I'm so sorry but I . . . I was weak and I couldn't let it go," he admitted. "But I think I _need _to let it go, Hermione. I _have _a family," he said with a smile. "_You're_ my family. You, Ginny, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Teddy, Ron . . ." He rolled his eyes. "And apparently Malfoy," he said slightly annoyed. "I have a family and I need to let go of the ones I've lost. I think _you _need to let go too," he whispered and turned the Stone in her hand.

Mia's eyes widened as she looked up to see her brother standing behind Harry. Father and son nearly identical with the exception of Harry's green eyes and the scar on his forehead.

"Jamie?"

James smiled crookedly at her and knelt down next to Harry. "Hey, baby sister. Why's your face all wet?" he asked with a grin.

Mia burst into a fresh set of sobs at the sound of his voice. "Jamie, I'm so sorry!"

James reached out as if to wipe away her tears, but his hand never connected with her face. "I know, but you don't have to be," he promised her.

She shook her head. "I let you die. I didn't tell you about Peter . . ."

James rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his messy black hair. "Yes, you did," he admitted. "In your own way and none of us listened. We were all stubborn, just like you're being now."

Mia pouted. "I'm not —"

James laughed at the look on her face and just smiled down at her. "Mia, love, you have to live," he said firmly. "You've been doing so good with Sirius. You've been getting better. Don't let one stupid day of the year ruin all of that."

"But I let you die."

"And you've saved my son," he said, his eyes turning to look at Harry who dropped his gaze to the ground, not used to parental appraisal. "More times than I can count," James continued. "I would gladly die a thousand deaths if it meant that _he _lived."

"I could have saved all of you," Mia argued. "I could have fixed it."

James shook his head. "No. You couldn't," he said.

"You don't know that," she countered.

"Yes, I do." James scoffed. "I'm dead. I'm in the afterlife which means I know more than you," he said rather smugly, looking far too much like Sirius. "I know all the secrets to life," he said, using a fake mystical voice that sounded like Sybil Trelawney after too much cooking sherry.

Mia smiled sadly up at her brother. "Fine," she said, sniffing. "If you're so smart and you know everything, then where did I hide your collection of Playwizard magazines in sixth year?"

"That was _you_?!" James gaped at her. "I thought Sirius stole those!"

Mia smirked.

James bristled and then looked down to see Harry staring at him with wide eyes. James cleared his throat nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I mean . . . because . . ." He turned and looked to Mia for help.

"No, no." She smirked, wiping her eyes. "You're doing great, Jamie. Dig yourself out of _that _hole."

"Son . . ." James looked down at Harry.

Harry shook his head. "Sirius gave me the talk years ago," he admitted. "I really don't want to have another one," he said firmly.

James looked relieved and turned his attention back to Mia who had stopped smiling again. "You made a choice, and you chose right," he said to her. "It's all about choices, isn't it? You and Sirius fought each other for so long because you thought you didn't have a choice but you _did_. And you chose one another. This wasn't fate, Mia. We all made choices in the war. I chose my fate the moment I joined the Order. We all did."

She looked down. "How can you ever —"

"There's nothing to forgive," he said, cutting her off. "You kept your promise Mia. You were there for Harry, and I couldn't have asked for more." He stopped and then added, "Actually, I've got a lot more to ask. I want you to move on. I want Remus to stop feeling sorry for himself." He turned and eyed his son. "Same goes for you," he insisted before looking back at Mia. "I want you and Sirius to be happy. To let go of all that anger. I want you to learn to forgive Dumbledore, Snape . . . and Peter."

Mia scowled at the request.

"Do it," James insisted. "The war is over. Put us all to rest."

"I miss you, Jamie," she said as she stood up, eager to hug him but knowing she couldn't.

"I've missed you too, Mia." He grinned at her. "Don't tell Sirius, but _you _were always my best friend," he said and then glanced down at her hand, noticing the ring. "I see the prat finally gave you Grandmother Black's ring. Did he say that it was _his _idea?" he asked. "Because he's a fucking liar. It took me _hours _to find that damn thing."

Mia laughed. "So I've got your blessing?"

James shrugged. "Well, I personally think you can do much better. You know he's old enough to be your father now, right?" he asked with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

"Was he at least romantic?" James asked. "He couldn't top _my _proposal of course. Christmas lights and a well-rehearsed speech."

"He proposed over Chinese take-out."

James scoffed. "What a tosser."

"I loved it." Mia smiled.

James laughed. "You would."

"Jamie . . . " She frowned. "I don't know how to do this without you and Lily," she admitted, looking down at her ring. "I'm going to get married and continue on with life and you're not here." She sniffled.

"What are you talking about?" James asked incredulously and then smiled at her. "We're right there," he said and gestured to Harry.

oOoOoOo

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Sirius sat at the table in the large dining room, waiting to hear either the sound of the Floo activating or Apparition to let him know that Harry and Mia were all right. Remus and Tonks sat with him, his cousin holding his hand and her husband draining a glass of firewhisky opposite Sirius.

Remus poured another serving of the drink and held it out to Sirius who shook his head, rejecting the offering.

"All clean," Ginny declared as she walked into the room carrying Teddy in her arms, wearing a tiny Halloween costume that looked like a lion that had been constructed from the duel efforts of Luna and Molly. "Any word yet?" the redhead asked.

Sirius shook his head just as a silvery stag leapt through the window and looked directly at Sirius before speaking in Harry's voice, _"Found her. Everything is fine. Going to be home in a few hours. Have some things to take care of."_

Sirius let out a large sigh of relief.

Remus stared as the stag disappeared. "Is it just me, or does Harry's Patronus still kind of —"

"Freak you out?" Sirius asked and then nodded. "A bit."

"So, now that the Potters are all taken care of," Tonks said as she stood up. "We all need to get out of this depressing house and celebrate by apparently pretending to be Muggles and collecting sweets from strangers. No harm in that, right?" She smirked.

Sirius shook his head. "You go. I'm going to stay and wait for Harry and Mia."

Almost as though his words Summoned her, a silvery fox followed in through the window in the same path as the stag and pawed across the table to stare Sirius in the face before speaking in Mia's voice, _"Get out of the house. If I come home and you're drunk again, I'll tell Harry who your first kiss was."_

Sirius immediately stood and grabbed his leather jacket. "You heard the witch, let's get out of here."

oOoOoOo

Across town in Muggle London, Harry sat back in a reclined chair, his face scrunched up as he winced in pain. Mia was sitting beside him, rolling her eyes at his dramatic expression. "Oh, it's not _that _bad," she said, sneaking a peek as the Muggle tattoo artist put the final touches on Harry's shoulder. "That looks great!" she said with a grin. "Almost as nice as mine."

Harry laughed as he stood to look at his new tattoo in the mirror. "I actually think mine looks better. Yours is all . . . girly," he said. "House words should be . . . I dunno . . . manly."

Mia laughed as she examined their matching ink, differing only in font. She leaned her head on Harry's shoulder and smiled at their reflection. "Courage and Craft," she whispered.

Harry nodded, putting an arm around her and leaning in to kiss the top of her head. "Courage and Craft."

* * *

**A/N**: I originally wasn't going to do the Resurrection Stone scene, but honestly I don't see Mia moving on without at least some sort of goodbye. It also really helped me seal the past and the present together by having Harry there with her. I know a lot of you will ask why Lily wasn't there and my reason is that I wanted it to be this moment between Mia and her brother(s).


	143. Chapter 143

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** *bottles up all the tears for her Elixer of Life Potion* Muahaha! Don't worry, my sadness is in here too. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews on the last chapter!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Three: Breaking Walls

"_...Lights will guide you home_  
_And ignite your bones_  
_And I will try to fix you…"_  
_(Fix You - Coldplay)_

* * *

**November 8th, 1998**

**Kings Cross Station **

Mia was smiling as the crowd of them gathered in front of the Hogwarts Express to send off their friends and family for one final year. Plenty of people had taken to staring, but Mia encouraged everyone to ignore them. It wasn't as though Rita Skeeter was buzzing about looking for ways to expose every detail of their private lives. The_ Daily Prophet_ had taken to being completely silent in regards to the Golden Trio, Sirius, and the Malfoys. Mia had then made a point to have a meeting with _Witch Weekly_ with Narcissa and Laurel in tow to befriend the Editor in Chief. All publicity was tightly controlled now which was exactly how Mia had planned it.

As a lanky redhead approached her, carrying a trunk behind him, Mia smiled.

"Hey 'Mione," he said nervously.

"Don't look so sad, Ron." She smiled at him. "You'll get wrinkles."

It had been weeks earlier when Ron finally made his way back to Grimmauld Place, hanging his head in shame as he begged Sirius to speak to Hermione. The Animagus growled protectively, which Mia said was hardly necessary as Ron had been properly afraid of her himself when he thought she was his Muggle-born swotty best friend. When finally left alone, Ron fell into a long winded apology for his behavior, not just during their last encounter, but over the years that preceded it.

"_You were right," he admitted sadly. "I did rely on you and Harry. I just . . . I didn't know how much." He looked down and sighed loudly._

"_What happened?" she asked him._

_Ron shrugged. "I failed my exams," he confessed. "All of them. I . . . Kingsley said because of what I did in the war, he could pull a few more strings but . . . I failed. I'd be a terrible Auror if I let Kingsley just . . . open all the doors for me. I'd end up dead or worse, get someone else killed. I don't know what to do now. Maybe Fred and George will give me a job." He frowned._

_Mia sighed, feeling sympathy for her childhood friend and recalling all the times over the past she had hoped that he'd come to some sort of realisation like this but only ended up halfway. Now it seemed everything was finally clicking in place and he was ready to listen — really listen. "Can I offer you some advice?" she asked._

_He nodded enthusiastically. "Of course." _

_She took a breath and smiled. "I think you should go back to Hogwarts."_

_Ron winced. "But you and Harry said you aren't —"_

"_Exactly," she said, cutting him off. "Ron, you've spent your whole life living in the shadows of your brothers and then you spent seven years being Harry Potter's best friend. You got through classes because I did your homework and helped you study." She smiled sadly. "And you got out of trouble because you were friends with The Chosen One," she added._

_Ron chuckled. "To be fair, I got _into _a lot of trouble for being friends with The Chosen One too."_

_Mia laughed. "We both did." She smiled, pleased to see that there was a hint of true reconciliation between them. "I think you should go back. Make a name for yourself without Harry to steal your thunder and without me to catch you when you fall." _

"_I dunno." Ron frowned. "I'd be stuck there with only Ginny, Neville, and Luna."_

"_Then make new friends. Expand to the other Houses."_

_He rolled his eyes and groaned. "You just want me to be friends with Slytherins."_

_Mia smirked and nodded. "Honestly . . . I think it would be good if you did," she said. "And being civil to at least a handful of them is a requirement of my forgiveness," she added seriously._

_Ron smirked at her in understanding but then added, "Can I at least pick which ones?"_

_Mia laughed loudly._

"Is it always going to be like this?" Harry asked as he frowned, glancing at the few members of the press who were aiming their cameras at their group, some yelling out his name to try and get him to look their way. He took solace in the fact that Hermione had promised him that nothing would be printed without her consent, and after seeing how the witch handled both Rita Skeeter and Barnabas Cuffe, he believed her. "I'm dreading the day I have to bring my kids here," Harry admitted quietly.

"Oi!" Ginny turned and smacked him on the arm. "I'm not even on the train yet! Can you plan our future family when I've at least graduated?" She smirked.

Harry blushed red. "I . . . um . . . I wasn't . . . because . . ."

The little redhead laughed at his mumbling and threw herself into his arms. "I'm gonna miss you, git," she said before kissing him sweetly, grinning against his mouth when he spun her around.

Mia smirked lightly when she noticed camera flashes. She could see the headlines now.

'_CHOSEN ONE SUPPORTS GIRLFRIEND WHILE SHE SEEKS EDUCATION'_'

"You and I apparently agree on something, Potter," Draco drawled as he approached the group, Astoria's small hand wrapped around his arm. His grey eyes flickered to the photographers and staring crowd and he held back a glare. "The photographers really are a bit much," he said, rolling his eyes. "Are they expecting us to fall back into old patterns and start cursing one another?"

Harry scoffed. "For the record, I only ever threw jinxes."

Draco sneered at him. "Scar on my chest says otherwise."

Before Harry had a chance to fall into an embarrassing apology or Draco had a chance to snap at him loudly, Mia stepped between the pair and smiled sweetly at Draco. "Maybe you could tattoo Astoria's name over it," she suggested with a grin.

Draco smirked and looked down at the witch on his arm, reaching forward and placing his index finger under her chin to force her to look up at him with those big eyes. "Would you like that, pet?" he asked and grinned when her cheeks coloured.

"I would . . ." Astoria began and then took a breath and a pause before collecting herself. "I would like for you to put my trunk on the train for me," she said with an equally Malfoyish smirk.

Draco grinned at the witch and leaned forward to kiss her cheek, ignoring the flashing cameras again.

'_MALFOY HEIR DESPERATELY IN LOVE WITH FIANCE'_

"He's already taking orders?" Mia asked the young witch as she watched Draco take hold of Astoria's trunk and move it toward the train. "Well done," she said with approval.

Astoria smiled sweetly and turned to look at Mia. "Thank you, for everything," she said, a genuine appreciation in her eyes.

"He picked you. I didn't," Mia insisted.

Astoria smirked. "Daphne's still a bit jealous," she whispered. "It's the first time I've ever gotten something before her."

"He's a spoiled prat," Daphne declared, only slightly bitter over her younger sister's engagement. She smiled politely to Mia, knowing that her mother would spit venom if either of her daughters were anything but completely sweet to her long lost friend. "And he looks like a girl," Daphne said petulantly as she watched Draco use his wand to levitate Astoria's trunk onto the Hogwarts Express with grace. "I bet he could wear _my _clothes. Seekers are always so slender. I'd like a man with a little more muscle."

"Hey!" Harry said, offended.

"Are you opposed to redheads?" Mia asked with a smirk as her eyes turned to watch Ron say goodbye to his family a few feet away before returning to their group.

Daphne followed Mia's gaze until her gaze landed on Ron. She looked him over curiously and turned her attention back to the curly-haired witch. "You mean . . .? Don't the Weasleys hate Slytherins?" she asked.

"He's promised me that he'll be expanding his social circle this year." Mia smiled. "I'm sad to say that I don't think he's very accustomed to being social with others, girls specifically. Perhaps you could help him navigate the waters, Daphne?"

Daphne chuckled in appreciation. "A Weasley, hmm? That would fit into father's requirements and still piss him off a bit."

"It would also make him and Draco brothers in law," Mia pointed out.

Daphne's blue eyes lit up and a wicked grin crossed her face. "Oh, that's positively evil. I love it," she admitted.

Mia smiled but then reached out to touch the blond witch's arm. "Hey . . . be nice to him. But don't let him get away with a damn thing," she insisted and then turned toward her friend. "Ron! I'd like you to meet Daphne. She's the daughter of my friend Laurel."

Ron stared at the girl he obviously recognised from school. "Er . . . hi."

Daphne smiled brightly at him. "Hello, Ronald, it's a pleasure to _finally _meet you," she said, extending her hand to him and watching with amusement as he turned his eyes to Mia as though asking for permission to shake the hand of a Slytherin. When he finally did, Daphne beamed at him. "Silly how we've attended school for so many years together and only now meet face to face. Of course, I have watched you play Quidditch."

Ron's face turned pink and he gave Daphne a lopsided grin. "You . . . you have?"

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked. "You're brilliant."

"Don't over sell it," Mia muttered.

"Would you be a dear and help me with my trunk?" Daphne asked and then frowned. "It's very heavy."

Ron rraised a confused eyebrow. "Can't you just use your wand to . . . Ow!" He winced as Hermione elbowed him in the ribs, understanding finally reaching his eyes. "Oh . . ." He blushed redder. "Umm . . . yeah, I can get it for you." He nodded and reached for her trunk.

Daphne lightly touched his shoulder and Ron stared at her hand, eyes wide. "Thanks so much," she said sweetly. "Should I . . . can I save you a seat inside?" she asked him.

"Really?" Ron swallowed. "I . . . yeah, that'd be great."

"Bye Mia," Daphne said and smiled as she followed her sister onto the train after Draco spent a good thirty seconds, bent over Astoria's hand, kissing her knuckles for the flashing cameras.

Ron rubbed the back of his neck as he approached Mia after putting Daphne's trunk on the train. "You sure she's a Slytherin?" he asked her.

Mia chuckled. "I've never been more certain."

"Well, maybe they're not _all _rotters," he conceded for a moment but then glared as Draco approached them. "This one however . . ." He glowered.

"Remember my rules," Mia said sternly.

"Weasel," Draco said looking at Ron.

"Ferret."

"Boys," Mia hissed.

Draco sighed dramatically, hands in the pockets of his custom tailored trousers, looking relaxed even as put together as he was. A trait Mia attributed to the Black family genes as Lucius always appeared annoyingly stiff, but looking back at Sirius who was leaning against the wall talking with Harry and trying to hide the cigarette in his hands, she decided that, yes, the relaxed manner was certainly a Black family trait.

"Weasley," Draco said the name as though it was uncomfortable to have it roll over his tongue, "I won't be returning to Hogwarts and, as it is my responsibility to look after the safety of Astoria, I find myself in a position where I could use your . . . assistance," he said, refusing to say the word _help_, "in keeping an eye on her, or more likely, keeping an eye and a well-aimed wand on those who might seek to do her harm for being associated with me," he admitted and then sneered at the redhead. "You can _aim _a wand can't you?"

"Draco," Mia scolded.

Ron was smirking. "You want a _favour_? From _me_?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't call it _that_."

"Ronald," Mia warned her friend.

"Fine." Ron shrugged. "I'll look after your girlfriend."

"Fiance," Draco corrected.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Malfoy."

Mia smiled. "Now shake hands."

"What?" Both boys turned and stared at her.

"It's proper," she insisted. "You've just made a deal with one another; you don't have to be friends, but this is at the very least a truce," she said and then stood back to allow them room.

Begrudgingly, both wizards decided to take the high road and shake hands. Cameras flashed. Mia grinned.

'_HOUSE PREJUDICES PUT ASIDE. WAR HEROES SET EXAMPLE FOR US ALL!'_

"Are you happy?" Draco scowled at Mia.

"I will be once you do the same thing with Harry," she admitted.

Draco rolled his eyes and began walking over toward the Chosen One, doing his best to stifle down his Slytherin pride. "May I ask what you were doing with Astoria's sister and Weasel?" Draco questioned curiously.

"Nothing important." Mia sighed thoughtfully. "Just making sure I don't ever have to tolerate Lavender Brown for Sunday dinners at the Burrow."

oOoOoOo

**December 25th, 1998**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Holidays were all too quickly upon them and it seemed no sooner than they sent their friends and family off to Hogwarts, the students were returning for Christmas. Sirius, as usual, had gone all out bringing home the largest Christmas tree he could find. Though he denied it strongly, Mia couldn't help but be suspicious that he'd stolen one of the massive trees Hagrid used to set up inside the Great Hall.

The entire Weasley clan had stayed the night and everyone opened presents in the early morning hours while Molly took to the kitchen to fix up a feast for everyone. All eyes were on Teddy who was the very center of attention, his black hair matching Harry's as the young Auror helped him tear into each and every new present, including a brand new training broom much to the worry of Mia and Remus, who appeared to be the only adults that thought the gift was inappropriate for a child who hadn't even turned one yet.

Sirius let loose several screaming mistletoe to warn everyone anytime Harry and Ginny were alone together, and by breakfast, Fred and George were making him a business offer. Harry and Ginny were less than pleased with the new item that would be sold in Weasleys Wizard Wheezes next Christmas, and Ginny managed to dismantle every single one of them much to the bitter shock of Remus and Mia who had never been able to do so when they'd been the targets years ago.

When the Slytherins finally made their appearance, Draco presented each of the Black women with a recently engraved family ring to replace the many cursed ones that needed to be disposed of over the years. He also offered a massive emerald encrusted diamond engagement ring to Astoria who squealed with delight and hugged him in front of everyone to the surprise of Narcissa and the amused grin of Laurel.

When Ron nervously approached Daphne with a bracelet he'd saved up for, Mia had to take him aside and make sure he understood that, despite being a pureblood himself, he might not have been completely aware of the customs and traditions that girls like Daphne would have been taught. The red-haired Gryffindor gathered up his courage and presented the bracelet to the Slytherin girl and she eyed him speculatively before opening it. Daphne smiled and Ron blushed and Molly fumed from the other side of the room that her son had entered into an understanding with a girl without even discussing it with his parents.

The attention was pulled away from Ron for the moment when Fleur and Bill announced that she was pregnant and due the first week of May.

"When are we going to have more babies?" Molly casually asked as she sat down in front of Sirius, Mia, Remus, and Tonks.

Remus paled and Mia frowned knowing that despite having a perfectly healthy son, the subject was still a sore spot the werewolf was working through. Tonks ignored her husband and just shrugged. "Whatever happens happens," she said flippantly.

"We're working on the wedding first," Mia said quickly before Sirius could imply something inappropriate just to get a rise out of Molly.

"Are you going to have a traditional ceremony?" Luna asked with a smile, wearing a pair of strawberry-shaped earrings that matched the ones Mia was wearing, a Christmas gift from Sirius, though Mia's ruby jewels paled in comparison to Luna's homemade baubles.

"Some parts," Mia said thoughtfully.

"What exactly is a traditional Muggle wedding?" Arthur eagerly asked.

"Oh." Mia frowned. "I actually . . ." She cleared her throat. "I meant a traditional _Wizarding _wedding," she said quietly.

Molly gasped, the tray of treacle tart that she was hovering slanted dangerously towards the carpet. Narcissa, Laurel, and Andromeda looked amused, but pleased. Draco was holding back a chuckle at the confused look on every young Weasley's face, Harry Potter apparently included. Only Luna seemed completely unaffected.

"I can show you the circle where my parents were bonded," she said pleasantly. "It's not very big though. I don't think many people would fit."

"Thank you, Luna." Mia smiled. "But as I said, we're only doing parts of a traditional ceremony," she emphasised, staring at Molly as she spoke. "For instance instead of a dress, I'll be wearing ritual robes," she added and the Weasley matriarch let out a breath she'd been holding.

"Why's everyone acting so strange?" Ron asked curiously.

"Traditionally, witches married in the nude," Daphne whispered to him and looked slightly worried when he began choking on a mouthful of eggnog.

"Let's talk about something else," Mia said, wide-eyed as she covered Sirius's mouth with her hand while he chuckled beside her. "How is your father, Luna?" she asked her friend. "Are you going to go back home and finish spending Christmas with him?"

"Oh no," Luna said sweetly. "Daddy's tracking down the elusive tempussalito. They're known for sneaking into clocks and setting the time backward and forward when you're not looking. I'm meeting Neville and Hannah at St. Mungo's later. Neville wanted to introduce her to his parents and I agreed to go along for support."

Mia frowned and a deep weight settled in the pit of her stomach. "Oh Godric . . ." she whispered. "Alice and Frank. I didn't even think . . . Merlin, how could I not even think about them?" she asked. "Sirius, I haven't even thought about visiting —"

"Do you want to go, kitten?" he asked her with a frown. "I'm ashamed to say I haven't gone myself."

Mia nodded and swallowed hard as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.

oOoOoOo

**St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries**

**Janus Thickey Ward**

Luna, Harry, Ginny, Mia, and Sirius left everyone at Grimmauld Place and headed to St. Mungo's to see Neville and his parents. Remus remained bitter over the fact that he was still not allowed inside the hospital due to his lycanthropy, and Mia put that at the top of her list of things to set straight once she called in Kingsley's life debt. But before that, she had some debts of her own to pay.

As the group reached the fifth floor and headed toward the Janus Thickey Ward, Mia felt her heart beat in her chest rapidly. When the doors opened and she looked around at all the people stuck in the hospital due to long term spell damage, she frowned.

"Cheer up, kitten," Sirius whispered in her ear. "It's Christmas and you don't want to make Neville feel worse," he said, forcing her to nod and swallow down her guilt and put on a holiday worthy smile.

"Hello there!" A blond wizard said as he jumped out at the group, startling Harry to the point that the young Auror pulled his wand in shock. "Would you like an autograph?" the wizard said.

Mia's mouth fell open. "Holy shit," she mumbled as she stared into the blank, innocent-looking face of Gilderoy Lockhart. "How come we always forget that he's here?" she asked Harry.

"Isn't this the wanker that's on the cover of all those books Molly likes to read?" Sirius asked, staring down the man who was appraising Sirius's outfit with interest. "Oi, back up, pal," the Animagus growled.

"Sirius, he's . . . broken," Mia quietly scolded him. "He was the Defence Professor we had during second year. The one that had the Memory Charm backfire on him."

Sirius stared at his fiance briefly and then raised a brow. "_This_ is the tosser you used to have a crush on?" he asked.

Mia blushed in embarrassment and shame.

"Did you know that I'm the five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award?" Gilderoy said with a flashing grin.

Sirius glared at the man. "Yeah? Well, I'm Witch Weekly's most eligible bachelor," he said smugly as though he were competing. When Mia cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes Sirius amended his statement, "I _was _the most recent eligible bachelor. Now I'm happily engaged to _this _sexy witch," he said, trying to rub it in the man's face.

"Good graces man." Gilderoy chuckled. "Aren't you old enough to be her father?"

Sirius growled and Mia dragged him away from her former professor. "Sirius, honestly," she hissed. "Be an adult for once in your life, please."

"_I _have the most charming smile," he pouted.

"Yes, love." Mia smirked at him. "Very charming."

"Hey guys!" Neville called to his friends and dashed over to hug Luna and Mia before shaking Harry and Sirius's hands. "Glad you could make it. Mum and Dad'll be thrilled," he said brightly.

Mia frowned. "Neville . . . aren't they —"

"Oh, yeah." He nodded. "But I think they get happier around the holidays."He shrugged. "Plus, I just introduced them to Hannah and Mum seems to be humming a bit more. I think she likes her," he said with a blush to his cheeks.

Mia couldn't help but smile and reach out to hug Neville tightly. "You look so much like your father," she whispered.

Neville grinned. "Would you like to see them?" he asked.

Mia nodded her head and quietly allowed herself to be led down the small hallway to the end of the aisle where the Longbottoms were gathered together, sitting on the edge of a bed.

Augusta Longbottom sat in the corner of the room, wearing that hideous stuffed vulture hat and Mia grimaced as she recalled the bird when it had been alive. She gasped at the sight of her friends sitting together, white-haired and sallow skinned. Frank was holding onto Alice's hand tightly while she smiled blankly up at Hannah Abbott who was eagerly telling them both wonderous stories about Neville during their seventh year at Hogwarts when he'd taken charge of the D.A. Lady Longbottom looked abundantly proud as she listened to the tales.

"Gran, do you remember Mia Potter?" Neville asked.

Augusta Longbottom looked Mia over carefully and then as she eyed Sirius at Mia's side the pieces fit together. "Dorea's girl," Augusta commented. "Your parents were lovely people," she said matter of factly. "Yours," she said as she eyed Sirius, "were wretched."

"Agreed," Sirius said with a chuckle.

Lady Longbottom smirked.

"Mum," Neville said, taking Alice's hand. "Someone's come to visit you. Old friends," he spoke quietly, tossing a smile of appreciation to Hannah who beamed back at him with love in her eyes.

Alice turned and looked wide-eyed at Mia who immediately broke under the empty gaze of her friend and fell to the bed next to her, tears in her eyes. "Oh Alice, I'm so sorry . . ." she cried, burying her face in her hands, unable to look at her friends in such a state knowing that she should have done something to stop this from happening. Jamie and Lily were one thing, Harry needed to be protected, but certainly she could have stopped Alice and Frank from being tortured.

"Uh . . . Hermione?" Neville whispered.

Mia looked up, eyes glassy into the smiling face of Alice Longbottom whose eyes were moving back and forth quickly, blinking rapidly as she reached for her bedside table where a large amount of empty sweet wrappers sat. Alice reached for the wrappers, grabbing three and handing them to Neville immediately.

Neville frowned. "Sorry guys . . ." he said. "She does this." He looked down at the wrappers in his hand.

"I remember." Harry nodded. "What does it mean?" he asked.

Neville shrugged. "Her way of giving me a gift?" he said, clearly not sure. "She scratches at the papers though. Healers used to think that she was trying to communicate but the only letters that she'd leave behind were 'i', 'a' and 'm'. We tried asking her, 'I am what?' but nothing ever came out of it."

"Holy fuck . . ." Sirius whispered and ignored the scowl that Lady Longbottom gave him. "She's not spelling out 'i', 'a', 'm'," he said. "Are you, beautiful?" he asked Alice, grinning at his old friend. "You're spelling 'm', 'i', 'a'."

Alice hummed at him and then turned her head toward Mia, widening her eyes further.

"It can't be that simple," Mia whispered.

"What?" Neville was asking, looking terrified. "What's wrong?"

Mia wiped at the tears in her eyes. "Neville I . . . I taught your parents Occlumency and I . . . I knew what was going to happen to them." She frowned. "So I put up barriers around the pain sensory areas of the mind," she said not knowing better words for what she had done. "I'd already been tortured by Bellatrix myself so I knew where those memories were stuck and I didn't want . . ." She sniffled. "I didn't want your parents to suffer more than . . . more than I knew they would," she said, her voice breaking. "Merlin, please let this work," she whispered and reached for her wand, staring into Alice's large eyes. "_Legilimens_."

"_Should have stayed hiding, Longbottom!" Bellatrix yelled, laughing as she aimed her wand at the young couple. "Not that it would have done you any good. The Potters stayed hidden and they're still dead!"_

"_So's your Dark Lord," Frank spat._

"_You watch your mouth you filthy blood-traitor!" Bellatrix screamed. "Crucio!"_

_"Frank!" Alice yelled for her husband as Rodolphus Lestrange held him down. Her own arms, held back by Barty Crouch Jr. were throbbing and she was certain that one of her shoulders had been dislocated._

_When word reached them of the Potters deaths and the destruction of Voldemort, Frank and Alice mistakenly thought it was safe to leave their Fidelius protected home. Leaving Neville behind with Frank's mother, the Longbottoms had planned to go and seek out Albus Dumbledore as to the whereabouts of Harry, having heard rumours that something had happened with Sirius and there was some mix up with an arrest, which hadn't been too surprising, Sirius had a habit of getting himself arrested._

_Unfortunately, they never made it to Dumbledore and the couple had been accosted barely a block from their home, Stunned, and dragged away where they were tortured, not for information but for revenge. Somehow Voldemort was dead and his Death Eaters had scattered to the wind as Aurors rained down upon them. These four decided to give a little back to the Aurors._

"_You bitch!" Alice screamed and spat toward Bellatrix who turned on her, wand raised._

"_You'd like a taste then sweetheart?" Bella smirked. _

"_Hide . . . hide away . . ." Frank mumbled incoherently as Rabastan Lestrange approached him, wand aimed with a Crucio at the ready. "Hide away," Frank said again as Alice prepared herself for the pain to come once more._

_And they hid away. Hid far away behind the barriers that Mia constructed._

"_Reducto_," Mia whispered.

Alice gasped loudly and fell forward into Mia's arms, unsupported, the pair of witches collapsed to the floor and Neville and Sirius both rushed to help them. Mia was wincing and holding her head and Alice was breathing heavily and coughing as she struggled to sit up.

"Mum, are you okay?" Neville asked as he pulled the small witch up in his arms.

Alice's soft eyes looked up and, in a hoarse voice no longer used to speaking, whispered, "Neville."

At the sound of his mother's voice, Neville's lip quivered and he hugged her desperately, ignoring the stares of everyone else in the room. Augusta Longbottom was screaming for Healers, calling them all idiots and incompetent fools who didn't think to even try Legilimency and she would _certainly _be speaking to the hospital board about this!

* * *

**A/N**: I know it was fairly obvious what I was setting up, but I really wanted someone to benefit from Mia's time traveling.


	144. Chapter 144

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I love that I was able to surprise a few of you with the Longbottom reveal! Awesome! In this chapter, we take care of a few things. Oh, so heads up. **Colubrina** is writing a new fic called _The Muddy Princess_ and it's a Pureblood!Hermione trope that is delicious (because it has my obsession, Theo Nott, in it) and everyone should go read. It's filled with awesomeness. Speaking of Pureblood!Hermione trope . . . I wonder what my new story is about . . . Hrm. ;)

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Four: Predecessor

"_...It's in the stars_  
_It's been written in the scars on our hearts_  
_We're not broken just bent_  
_And we can learn to love again…"_  
_(Just Give Me a Reason - Pink)_

* * *

**January 15th, 1999**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

With everyone home for the holidays, Grimmauld Place was completely full, which didn't bother the permanent residents one bit. It did, however, pose a small problem when the full moon came around. Rather than kick everyone to the Burrow — where they'd no doubt be swished into the tight space and unmarried couples separated as per Molly's instruction — Remus, Sirius, and Mia decided to relocate to The Den for the duration of the moon, leaving their family and friends back at Number Twelve where they would be safe.

Safety had always been a big concern for Remus and for good reason. Despite the Wolfsbane and all other precautions taken, the cellar door of The Den broke open during the night, allowing the werewolf to escape into the woods behind the cottage; the call of the wild was too strong to ignore. Padfoot and Vixen kept a close watch on Moony to make sure he didn't venture out of the boundaries of the cottage, the idea of herding him back into the cellar was unrealistic at best and utterly insane at worst. When Remus woke up the following morning beneath the shade of a tree instead of cement walls, he panicked.

Rather than fix the door — and about one thousand other things that were wrong with the old Lupin Cottage — Mia and Sirius convinced Remus it was time to bury the past. Once their things were removed from inside the small home, the Pack gathered together to knock the old building to the ground.

"You'll move into Grimmauld Place," Sirius insisted joyfully.

"And we'll have a new home built for you," Mia added.

Remus argued and fought with them over their "charity" as he called it; Mia called him adorable, much to his annoyance. In the end, the werewolf caved when Mia insisted that if he didn't take her money — the same money she'd set up for him prior to her disappearance in 1979 — then she would open a Gringott's account in Teddy's name, give the infant _all _of her Galleons and build the new home just for him; Remus and Tonks could be allowed in at Teddy's leisure. Remus agreed to accept the money and new house and considered it all retroactive payment for having to babysit Sirius in Mia's absence during the past few years.

Despite Harry being a bit sad with Ginny returned to Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place had never been happier with a nearly complete Pack under one roof. Tonks and Harry had been paired as partners in the D.M.L.E. which made everyone feel much safer knowing that they each had someone at work they could rely on. Remus set to work on the werewolf book that Sirius and Mia had been bothering him to write for years, and Sirius even turned his father's old study into a private office for his friend to be able to write in peace and quiet.

When they had free time (and Remus was too busy to feel bitter about not being included) Sirius, Mia, and Harry would go and visit Alice and Frank at St. Mungo's. The couple was making slow strides toward a full recovery and had even been moved from the Janus Thickey Ward to the temporary rehabilitation area of the Spell Damage Floor. Frank still struggled to speak and walk without assistance but was making large improvements in other areas; Alice had regained full use of her speech though sometimes she had momentary memory lapses. Neville didn't care one bit about anything they lacked, he saw his parents as perfect in his eyes. To show his gratitude, Neville had gifted Mia with enough new plants to fill the garden out back completely with magical herbs.

Draco still stopped by Grimmauld Place whenever he felt like it to pilfer through Sirius's alcohol, but he quickly learned that owling ahead was a smart thing to do when he first stumbled upon Sirius and Mia christening the staircase one afternoon.

Draco had shouted, "Why are your House words tattooed on your arse?!" at his cousin as he covered his eyes.

"Because it seemed offensive to tattoo them on my —" Sirius began and laughed when Mia covered his mouth.

"Do I even want to know why you're wearing a Hogwarts uniform?" Draco asked Sirius, eyes still closed.

Sirius had responded by throwing a giggling Mia over his shoulder and carrying her off to their room. When Draco finally opened his eyes at the sound of silence, all he saw left behind on the staircase was a set of Professors robes and a Gryffindor tie. He cringed at the sight and made his way straight for the liquor cabinet.

Many could sympathize with the young Slytherin — who begged for Obliviation to the dramatic eye rolls of Remus — and Harry had sat the engaged couple down later that week to insist that the kitchen, dining room, and all other places where food was to be eaten was a sex-free zone. Sirius pouted, Mia laughed, and they both moved to their bedroom and didn't come out for two days.

"Sirius!" Mia called up the stairs. "Come down here, I need your help with something!"

Sirius took the stairs two at a time, jumping down on the landing with the energy of a teenager and a grin on his face as he kissed his witch good morning. "Where've you been?" he asked her. "I woke up and you were gone. Lousy way to wake up, I'd like to never do it again," he insisted, burying his nose in her hair.

"_Filthy, rotten stain on my House . . . laying with blood-traitors and Mudbloods!"_

Sirius sighed. "Who opened her curtains and pissed on her frame this morning?" He growled looking up to see the portrait of his mother glaring at him in severe disapproval.

"I did," Mia said and then blinked. "The curtains thing, not the . . . anyway." She cleared her throat. "I was bored and thought I'd show my engagement ring to cousin Walburga." She smirked at the painting of the nasty witch who glowered at her.

"How'd mother dearest like it?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

Mia chuckled. "She had some very colourful things to say about my ancestry. Then she told me my skirt was too short and I looked like a trollop."

"And how did you reply to _that_, my love?" Sirius said, his fingers reaching for the hem of her skirt and grinning as he traced his way around her thigh.

"I set her painting on fire," Mia replied sweetly. "Repeatedly. Apparently the Sticking Charm that keeps her up there prevents her from being permanently damaged as well. Still, just because the fire doesn't completely destroy her doesn't mean she can't scream." She grinned deviously.

"You set my mother on fire?" Sirius gave her a heated stare before grabbing her thigh and hitching it against his hip, rubbing his instant hardness against her. "Keep talking like that and you'll need to put out another fire." He grinned at her.

Mia smirked and then threw her head back laughing. "That's a terrible line," she said. "But hold that thought. I made a trip to the Apothecary this morning," she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small bottle of bright red, oval eggs.

Sirius took the bottle from her and examined it.

"Care to take a guess?" she asked.

Sirius scoffed, offended. "I was in Advanced Potions right next to you and Lily, thank you very much," he huffed. "Ashwinder Eggs," he said, stating the ingredient. "You planning on brewing Amortentia?" he asked with a smirk. "I have to tell you, kitten, it's _very _unnecessary. Give me a Love Potion and I'm liable to lose my mind and break this _sweet _little body of yours," he said in a husky voice as he leaned in to brush his lips against her jaw, his hands on her waist. "Though," he paused, "I am curious as to what _yours _smells like."

She smirked at him. "Fresh cut grass, parchment, and leather."

Sirius grinned. "That sounds familiar. I like leather. I'd like to take leather straps and tie you up against this wall," he said and picked her up, pressing her against the wall and pushing her wrists above her head as he ran his tongue along the side of her neck, repeating the action until she broke and let out a whimper. He chuckled against her skin and pressed himself against her center with a groan.

"What . . ." She moaned. "What does _yours _smell like?" she asked him.

Sirius chuckled. "Firewhisky," he whispered in her ear, "honey," he grinned, "and strawberries."

Mia smirked. "You're a liar."

He laughed and nipped her earlobe. "It smells like the orchards behind Potter Manor." He shrugged his shoulders. "What else?" Sirius smiled. "That, and old books. I wasn't lying about the firewhisky though," he said as he licked his way up her throat, ignoring the prejudiced slurs his mother was throwing at them from her portrait.

"As much as I'd love to continue this . . ." Mia gasped when his hand palmed her breast and the pad of his thumb stroked over a nipple. "I'm not having sex with you in front of your mother. I draw a line there and let's be honest, that line has been pretty thin up until now." She laughed.

Sirius lowered her. "To the bedroom then?" he asked.

Mia smirked and snatched the Ashwinder Eggs back from him. "I'd prefer right here, actually." She turned and approached Walburga's portrait, stepping up and throwing the frozen eggs at the top of the painting, layering them against the frame. "Sirius," she turned back to her fiance, "are you ready to say goodbye to your mother?"

Sirius stared at her, not entirely sure _how _she was planning on doing what her eyes and words were promising, but he still looked like a kid attending the Quidditch World Cup for the first time with light in his eyes and hope in his heart. "No need for goodbyes." Sirius grinned. "Old bitch can fuck off for all I care."

"Good to know," Mia said and aimed her wand at the painting. "_Incendio_!"

The bottom edge of the frame caught fire first and Walburga Black screamed obscenities at Mia from beyond the flames and smoke that Mia siphoned off with a Filtering Charm. When the fire reached the top of the frame, the bottom began to repair itself as it had been spelled to do. However, the heat thawed the Ashwinder Eggs which immediately crackled and set fire to the seam where the painting met the wall. It wasn't Fiendfyre _exactly_, but strong enough to detach the portrait from where it hung.

The painting fell to the floor with a loud bang and Mia raised her wand, shouting, "_Evanesco_!" to vanish the sizzling eggs and the flames they had ignited. The wall was blackened from the fire but could easily be painted over.

Sirius stared at the fallen portrait and the blank space on the wall and then slowly turned, mouth open toward the witch. "Marry me," he said.

Mia laughed. "We're already engaged."

"It's not enough," he insisted and pulled her into his arms. "You need more. Do you want a bigger ring? I'll get you a bigger ring. I'll get you ten rings!" he shouted and swung her around in a circle, moving a few steps forward so he could stomp his dragonhide boots all over his mother's fuming face. "Godric, you're brilliant," he muttered before kissing her deeply, plunging his tongue into her mouth and stroking hers with hungry, needy movements. Eventually, he pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers. "Do you want diamonds? Rubies?"

"Emeralds?" She suggested with a sly grin.

Sirius growled and then nodded. "Fine," he said and crushed his lips against her hard. Mia chuckled against him and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling a rumble from his chest.

The raven-haired wizard stepped off of the painting and kicked it over so Walburga faced the ground and neither had to look at her as she screeched from beneath them. Sirius questioned Mia with a buck of his hips and she answered with a whimpering moan. "Oh kitten," he groaned. "I'm desperate to reward you for what you've just done, you have no idea how bad," he said, rutting his denim-clad erection against her.

Mia pulled away from him and frowned. "Reward?" she asked innocently, watching the way Sirius stared at her pouting bottom lip like he wanted to bite it, history had taught her that he eventually would if she got her way, and she always got her way when it came to him. "I'm not entirely sure I should be rewarded," she said.

Sirius blinked. "Why's that, love?"

"I almost set the house on fire," she said, gesturing to the blackened wall behind him. "Very dangerous. I should . . . I should definitely be taught a lesson." She nodded her head, her neck and chest flushed and heated.

Sirius groaned. "Now I'm torn," he admitted.

"Why's that?" Mia asked as she rolled her hips against him, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist as she did so, gripping the railing above her to hold herself upright.

"Because," he said, closing his eyes and biting his bottom lip as she rocked herself against him. "I should punish you for nearly setting the house on fire," he admitted and then groaned when she scratched the nails of one hand down his chest. "But I want to reward you for getting my mother off of the wall . . . _and _for nearly setting this piece of shit house on fire."

Mia laughed.

Sirius grinned and slipped a hand between their bodies, inching her skirt up her thighs until he could dip his fingers between her legs. When he reached their apex and felt a bare warmth, his grey eyes widened. "Kitten?" he asked teasingly. "You seem to be missing something."

She smirked, her amber eyes flashing.

"Did you at least wear knickers to the Apothecary?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "Of course I did," she insisted. "You haven't corrupted me _that _much, Sirius Black," she said with a chuckle that was immediately interrupted when he slipped two fingers inside of her and stroked her slowly.

Sirius watched her face with amused concentration as he touched her, grinning madly when she gasped as he ran his thumb over her clit. "You like that, don't you, kitten?" he whispered in her ear, his breath hot and heavy against her skin. "So wet for me. How long have you been planning this very specific seduction?"

"Years." Mia groaned and leaned back against the wall, thrusting her chest out toward him when he hit a sensitive spot inside of her. "Oh fuck . . . Sirius . . . years . . . there!" she yelped as pleasure shot through her body. "Right there!"

When he felt her begin to tense around his fingers, Sirius smirked deviously and removed them, leaving her empty and wanting. Her eyes drew to his face, a look of confusion replacing the recent expression of wanton desire.

"What . . .?" she said in a breathy pleading voice.

"You wanted to be punished." He smiled innocently. "I think denying you the right to come should teach a proper lesson on playing with fire, don't you?"

Mia narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, pressing her own hand down between them until it slipped into his faded jeans and her small hand firmly gripped his aching cock. He swallowed hard and tried to hold his resolve but it broke when she squeezed and soon he was pushing her hard against the wall behind her, using one hand to hold her to him and the other to undo his buckle, releasing himself.

As he fought with his trousers, Mia tugged on the shirt from his back, ripping it over his head and smirking when his long black locks got mussed as she pulled the shirt off of him. While Sirius lined his cock up to the entrance of her quim, Mia left interchangeable kisses and bites along his jaw and down his neck, stopping only when he surged up into her causing both of them to freeze in the moment.

Mia clenched her fingers around the locks of hair in her hand, savouring the feel of him inside of her, stretching her deliciously. She desperately wanted him to move, yearning for friction, aching to fall over the peak that his fingers had taken her to but denied her the final push over the edge. At the same time, Mia prayed he'd never withdraw from her, knowing that the moment he did she would melt in his arms and he'd be abundantly smug about it.

When Sirius finally pulled out of her only to thrust back in hard and deep, Mia moaned loudly. Sirius clenched his teeth and hissed. The witch chuckled, "You . . . sound like a snake," she said, teasing him.

Sirius growled loudly and withdrew again, plunging back into her and biting the side of her neck at the same time to make a point. Mia whimpered pleasantly at the feel of him all over her and then pulled his head up to kiss him deeply, stroking his tongue with her own and then lightly biting his bottom lip before whispering, "Bad dog."

"Mine," he said in a gasping breath as he sped up, wrapping his large hands around her hips and gripping tightly as though he'd lose himself and her in the process if he dared to let go.

"All yours," Mia agreed, concentrating on the tight heat growing in her lower belly. And Sirius said _she _shouldn't play with fire. He couldn't possibly know the things that he did to her. "I love you," she moaned, placing a kiss to the side of his head as he buried his face in the crevice of her neck. She could feel him panting against her skin, growling and nipping at her shoulder anytime he felt her walls clench down around his cock as it surged in and out of her, the pleasure building back up to a wild burn in her veins.

"Fuck . . . baby . . ." Sirius grunted. "So good . . . I love you so much. Please . . . Mia, please . . ." He kissed her neck and up her jaw until their mouths met, licking her bottom lip before sucking it between his own, biting gently when he felt her start to shake in his arms.

Mia cried out, her arms and legs gripping him tightly as she came hard around him, pulsing wildly in time with his heartbeat. The synchronicity of their movements, the shared heat, the constantly vibrating bond between them pushed Sirius to his own end and he spilled himself inside her, focusing as hard as possible to not let his legs give out and have them both collapse on the ground.

When his voice finally came back to him, Sirius chuckled. "You, my love," he whispered as he kissed her temple, honey-brown curls stuck to the skin of her neck, bathed in sweat, "are going to be the next Lady Black," he said with a proud grin.

Mia smirked. "I guess it's fitting that I just officially removed my predecessor then, isn't it?" she said, looking down at the overturned painting of Sirius's mother.

"Don't remind me." He laughed. "My mother is off of the damn wall and the very thought makes me want to fuck you until neither of us can see straight," he admitted. "But my refractory period is not what it was twenty years ago."

Mia smiled sweetly at him. "I don't want twenty years ago Sirius, I want you," she promised and then reached for the wand in her pocket, aiming it at her stomach.

Sirius snarled lightly at the piece of wood and grabbed it out of her grip, tossing it down the hallway.

Mia rolled her eyes. Sirius knew she could cast the charm wandlessly, but the point was obviously made. She sighed looking deep into his beautiful grey eyes and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss to his mouth. "Soon," she promised. "Marry me first."

oOoOoOo

Celebrating the removal of Walburga's portrait would have to wait as more alterations to Grimmauld Place were needed. The entire house went into a massive panic, especially Remus, when an unnaturally fast crawling Teddy ended up in the fireplace of the library in an attempt to follow Tonks through on her way to work. Remus caught the boy just in time, but it put the werewolf on edge the rest of the day to the point where he wouldn't even allow Harry or Mia to hold the baby. Eventually, Sirius convinced Remus to place Teddy in his crib to sleep, allowing the stressed father a chance to take a Calming Draught and owl his wife to let her know that everything was all right, though he was already aware that Mia had alerted Tonks to the new development.

Harry and Sirius left the house for baby proofing supplies, allowed to go shopping on their own with the promise that they stuck to Mia's list and did not venture outside of the specified stores while she stayed home and watched Teddy so Remus could rest in the other room.

The werewolf shouted in his sleep and, after placing Security Charms around Teddy's crib, Mia rushed into her friend's bedroom to find him in the middle of a nightmare. She frowned immediately and rushed to his side, placing a hand on his forehead. "Remus, Remus, love, wake up," she said, trying to gently jostle him.

His soft green eyes shot open and he gasped for air, shocked to find himself shaking. "Teddy?" he asked her.

"Perfectly safe," she promised him. "Come on," she insisted, taking his hand and slowly helping him to rise. She walked down the hall, shoving him toward her and Sirius's room, directing Remus to the bed where he collapsed on Sirius's side with an exhausted groan.

Mia departed for a brief moment only to return just as quickly with a yawning Teddy in her arms. She delivered him to his father who sat up against the headboard, cradling his son gently and smiling when the curious boy fell fast asleep, his turquoise hair shifting to sandy blond as he relaxed. Mia, meanwhile, set up gentle Security Charms around the room preventing Teddy from crawling out the door or near the fireplace in the corner before she placed her wand on her bedside table and crawled in next to Remus, resting her head on his shoulder and smiling when he lazily draped an arm over her.

Sirius and Harry found them like that an hour later when they returned home, Harry appearing uneasy at the sight, his gaze flickering to Sirius to gauge his reaction. When the Animagus only smiled in what seemed like relief at the sight of his fiance and best friend in bed together, Harry rose a confused brow.

"C'mon." Sirius motioned to the bed, setting the bags of items down on a large armchair in the corner before he crawled diagonally across the mattress, draping his legs over Remus's until his head fell in Mia's lap. The witch opened her eyes briefly and yawned as her fingers slid through Sirius's hair, smiling when she looked up and saw Harry in the doorway. She gestured to him with her head, noting the empty space beside her, feeling a strange weight lifted from her heart when he came to lay to her right.

Hours later Mia woke in the middle of the night as the light from the moon poured in through the window. She looked to her left and smiled when she saw Tonks, home from work, curled up next to Remus, her legs thrown over Sirius's calves, Teddy cradled between his parents. Her fingers gently stroked through Sirius's hair and she grinned when she felt him make a contented noise against her thighs, catching sight of Crookshanks nestled against his chest.

Despite knowing it wasn't Jamie beside her, Mia couldn't help but feel comfortable and whole when she turned her head to see Harry laying there, one arm tossed over his face, his glasses crooked on his nose. She smirked and reached for the spectacles, pulling them away and levitating them to the table wandlessly so he didn't accidentally stab himself in the eye as he slept. She brushed aside the hair from his forehead, frowning at the lightning bolt scar that still made her feel wrathful at the sight of it.

Voldemort was dead and Harry had killed him, but Godric, Mia wished she had done it herself. Her amber eyes flickered to Harry's forearm where the scar from Wormtail's blade remained, a reminder of the Triwizard Tournament and the resurrection of the Dark Lord. Peter was dead too, and Mia hadn't even the chance to witness his demise for herself.

She sighed softly, looking up at the window and following the path of light from the moon as it cast itself across her arms, Sirius's head and Teddy's tiny toes. A small reflected light caught her attention and she looked down at Harry's hand, a glimmer of light showing a smooth texture across the back where there, in soft silvery-pink letters read, _I must not tell lies_.

That familiar bubble of rage built up inside of her and Mia slowly extracted herself from the dog-piled Pack, making her way quietly out the bedroom and down the stairs where she found Mercury resting in his cage. "Need you to go on a little trip, boy," she said as she pulled out a quill and parchment, making a quick note.

_Kingsley,_

_Calling in your debt._

_MP_

* * *

**A/N**: I can already see the "No! Post another chapter!" filled reviews coming. I'll just say this much: it's worth the wait.


	145. Chapter 145

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I decided to give in and post a chapter early! One of the reasons is because I have posted the first chapter of my new story, and I really wanted to let you all know about it! Click on my stories to find "Presque Toujours Pur" and check it out!

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Five: The Wizengamot

"_...They tortured every inch of me_  
_Then expect me to forget it_  
_They thought that they would finish me_  
_But I pull through every time…"_  
_(Vengeance is Mine - Alice Cooper)_

* * *

**January 16th, 1999**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

She'd sent the boys to visit Fred and George knowing that the twins were keen on having the Marauders advise them on current and future projects they had in the works. Insisting on staying home, Mia informed everyone that Kingsley was stopping by to answer a few questions she had in regards to her potential future within the Ministry, something that she'd voice a curiosity about over the months since her return to 1998. Now that her grieving period was over and she felt somewhat readjusted to the decade, Mia was determined not to sit around the house and hope for projects to fall into her lap.

When the Minister for Magic stepped through the fireplace with a nervous smile, Mia grinned at him noting aloud that he very likely had every reason to be at least a little anxious.

"How did she do it, Kings?" Mia asked as she refilled his mug of tea, pushing a bottle of firewhisky across the table to him should he like a splash.

Kingsley shook his head at the bottle, instead dumping lump after lump of sugar in the beverage before stirring it only once and then drinking. Mia tried not to cringe at the sight. "Claimed _Imperius_, how else?" he answered her with a frown.

"Rubbish," Mia hissed. "You know that's bullshite!"

He nodded. "Of course I do but, unfortunately, there's no proof that she wasn't," he explained. "Dolores Umbridge claims she doesn't know who cursed her, so there's no way to trace anything. No wand to investigate. Besides that, she's a member of the Wizengamot. Granted, not a seat of the Sacred Twenty-Eight," he noted aloud, "but she was voted in and what's worse is that she still has friends there. Do you know the kind of hoops you have to jump through to even _begin _an investigation against a member of the Wizengamot?" Kingsley laughed bitterly. "Lucius Malfoy had to be caught red-handed in the middle of the Department of Mysteries, overheard by _three _Aurors and several other witnesses shooting curses and threatening Harry's life before we could actually arrest the man; never mind the hurdles we encountered actually getting the bastard into Azkaban."

She glared across the table. "Funny, Sirius got thrown in just fine."

Kingsley frowned. "Yes, and that was because Crouch and Fudge combined the efforts of _both _of their Departments and skipped over every bloody lawful step."

"Including a trial," she reminded him.

Kingsley nodded. "Including a trial. It was corruption at it's worst."

"Fudge and Umbridge are still on the Wizengamot, Kings." Mia folded her arms. "They're also on a very long list of mine that's getting shorter by the day. In fact, only two names remain. Theirs."

"You want to have them arrested, I understand —"

"I want them buried alive!" She growled. "I want _everything _taken from them."

"Can you do it _legally_?" he asked her. "My platform as Minister is to correct the problems my predecessors left me. To _eliminate _the corruption. Since Fudge did everything during his time as Minister with the Wizengamot's approval, there's nothing I can do about him. As for Umbridge . . ." He sighed. "If she were a branded Death Eater, that would be different, but as it is, Dolores Umbridge doesn't have the Dark Mark.

Mia's eyes flashed. "Did you check the bitch's soul?"

Kingsley grinned at her. "You're much more entertaining than Hermione, did you know that?"

She glared at the Minister. "I'm still the same witch, Kings, insulting Hermione is still insulting me. I'm very well aware that I was —"

"An uptight swot."

She growled under her breath. "Yes. When I was younger. Don't change the subject," she insisted. "Dolores Umbridge sent Muggle-borns to Azkaban over the trumped up charges of stealing magic. I was a witness to it myself. Harry and Ron saw it as well."

"Yes," Kingsley agreed with her, "when the three of you broke into the Ministry of Magic, mugged three people, two of which are members of the Wizengamot, impersonated them with Polyjuice and caused a riot in the building."

She stared at the man. "Are we being _officially _charged?"

He let out a full belly laugh. "Godric, no! The three of you are Order of Merlin, First Class recipients. If I even _attempted _to arrest you, the public would start another war on your behalf. I'm Minister for Magic, not King of Wizarding Britain." He sighed and ran a hand over his head. "You know I have limitations too, Mia."

"I know."

"You're still calling in the debt, aren't you?" he asked, preparing himself to cringe at her answer.

"Absolutely," she said and watched the man sigh in frustration. "You know what Voldemort's problem was?" she asked him after a long bout of tense silence.

The Minister blinked at her and chuckled as they shared the thought: _Just _one _problem?_ before he answered, "A long-term plan for genocide?"

Mia shook her head. "A short-term obsession with Harry."

Kingsley raised a brow. "Your point?"

"Dolores Umbridge is a tiny thread in a large tapestry that needs to be unraveled and restitched from scratch," she said matter of factly, reaching forward and taking a sip from her own mug of tea. "You told me when the war ended that you would find a place for me in the Ministry."

He nodded. "The offer still stands."

"I know what place I want."

The man smiled at her, desperately curious what the witch had in mind. "And you need my life debt for . . .?" he probed.

"A session with the Wizengamot," she answered and he frowned at her reply, clearly not understanding where she was going. "I'm aware that a new Chief Warlock has not been elected, therefore the position falls to the Minister."

"All right, as the Minister for Magic I do have the ability to organise that," he agreed.

"You also have the ability to _keep _it in session for as long as needed."

Suddenly her vision was becoming a tad clearer. "And how long do you need it?"

Mia smiled innocently. "As long as it takes."

oOoOoOo

**January 18th, 1999**

**Ministry of Magic**

**Level Ten - Wizengamot Courtrooms**

The walls of the large courtroom were made of dark stone and the torches that gave light to the room made it feel as though the government of Wizarding Britain was set back centuries, which, according to many of their practices and laws, they were. The members of the Wizengamot had long since abandoned the official dress code for more casual — though still proper — dress robes. Those who clearly stuck to the old ways wore the official uniform and sat bunched together to show the animosity between the groups.

Dressed in plum robes with a silver embroidered W on the front were Cornelius Fudge, Dolores Umbridge and a scattering of pureblood elitist Wizengamot members, most of which held the family seats of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. William Burke sat between Damocles Belby and Marcus Flint Sr., all behind Peneus Parkinson and Horace Slughorn, who very like wore the official robes because he thought the colour plum brought out his eyes. Sitting among the elitist families, out of uniform, were Theodore Nott, Tiberius Ogden, Elora Zabini, and Cygnus Bulstrode.

The opposite seating of the Wizengamot appeared much more colourful, which seemed to be something that the other side had a severe problem with. Elphias Doge sat conversing with Amos Diggory and Adrian Abbot as though they were all old friends. Aubrey Fawley was catching up with Augusta Longbottom and Ernest Macmillan Sr., while Bill Weasley — who had accepted the Weasley seat on behalf of his father — was shaking hands with Garrick Ollivander and helping the elder wizard into his own family seat.

A small group of citizens were allowed in to view the open session as was protocol, and this was how Mia, Harry, Sirius and Remus found themselves facing the Wizengamot that early morning. When the large doors to the left opened and Kingsley walked in, Mia smiled at him. Followed behind the Minister for Magic was Arthur who winked at his friends, followed by a tall blond man who somewhat resembled Lucius Malfoy but without the permanent sneer, looking much more relaxed as well, and Percy Weasley bringing up the rear.

As the doors closed, locking the session, Kingsley took to the podium. "I call to order this session of the Wizengamot on the 18th of January, 1999. Presiding Minister for Magic and interim Chief Warlock, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Advisor to the Minister Hyperion Greengrass," he said, gesturing to the tall, blond wizard, "Undersecretary Arthur Weasley, and Junior Assistant Percival Weasley present. First order of business is what was voted upon during our last session." Almost immediately, half of the Wizengamot began muttering bitterly under their breath. "Harry James Potter please step forward," Kingsley said.

"We've rehearsed this," Mia whispered to Harry. "Do _not _divert from the script. I know the legislation better than you do. I spent my entire time working at the Ministry researching every ancient law that still applies and if we plan to hold them accountable to those laws, then they'll do the same with us. No matter what, control your temper," she pleaded with him.

Harry nodded and stepped to the center of the room.

Kingsley smiled. "The Wizengamot has petitioned and voted and, in an overwhelming favour, has decided to grant to the House of Potter it's ancient family seat on the Wizengamot effectively immediately."

Half of the Wizengamot applauded, the audience followed suit.

Harry smiled politely. "Thank you, Minister. As the Head of House Potter, I accept the seat on behalf of my House."

"And will you, Lord Potter join us now?" Kingsley asked, gesturing to an empty seat beside Bill Weasley.

Harry cleared his throat. "No. I am formally denying the offered position."

Many began whispering and mumbling in shock.

Hyperion Greengrass spoke up, "You deny to sit in the seat you've just accepted on behalf of your House?" he asked, obviously curious though not nearly as offended looking as many who were sitting to his right. Peneus Parkinson was glaring at Harry; Fudge and Umbridge were sharing a particular colour of plum for their faces that matched their robes.

"Yes," Harry said simply. "As I am not the _only _Potter, I feel it's my duty to my House to have my family name best represented in the Wizengamot. I'm an Auror and, as such, I did quite well in Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts but I was pants at History of Magic. I elect to pass my family seat on."

Cornelius couldn't stand to remain silent any longer. Either that or Umbridge was elbowing him in the ribs, indicating that he should do something. "What do you mean you're not the only Potter?" he asked, using a tone of voice that he'd taken to reserving just for Harry, usually when accusing him of lying. It wasn't something that sat well with the Pack who remained sitting behind the Boy Who Lived, taking note of every word that came out of Fudge's mouth. "It is well known that Harry Potter is the last scion of his House!" Fudge insisted.

Mia smiled and stood to make her way to Harry's side. Many glared at her, but the only set of eyes she took immediate notice of were Umbridge's. She smiled sweetly at the toady old witch and watched in amusement as the woman bristled in reply.

"The Wizengamot recognizes Hermione Granger," Kingsley said.

"Potter, actually," Mia corrected him. "I've just come from the Wizengamot Department of Administrations to have my name officially changed."

Dolores stood, her face turning a shade of purple that made Mia think of Vernon Dursley. She smiled as the image of Vernon trying to force his way out of the cupboard under the stairs came into her mind. "This is an outrage!" Dolores screamed, not even trying to use her generally honeyed-poison tone of voice. "Do you mean to tell me that Harry Potter has married a Mudblood and intends to pass to her a noble family seat in the Wizengamot?!" She held her hand against her heart as though the very idea would cause her to faint. "Lords and Ladies, _this _is why I voted _against _bestowing such a seat of honour to the House of Potter. They have defiled their name in the past and continue to do so!"

Many nodded in agreement. Others rolled their eyes dramatically. Every Weasley present — Percy included — stood at the mention of the slur in an outrage.

"Dolores, you will hold your tongue and refrain from using such language. We will not have this conversation again," Kingsley ordered.

Mia cleared her throat and smiled. "I'm _hardly _Harry's wife," she insisted, watching with a chuckle as Harry recoiled at the very suggestion of such a thing. "My name is Hermione Potter, many of you might recognise me as Mia."

Something was dropped in the back and the bang of whatever it was echoed around the room.

Damocles Belby gasped. "Son of Salazar . . . Mia Potter?"

Adrian Abbot stared down at the little witch, eyes wide. "Mia?"

"Good Merlin . . ." Elora Zabini said, focusing her attention on her old school rival. "That's her all right," she said, glaring at the witch.

"Adrian, Damocles, it's so good to see you again," Mia smiled at the wizards and then turned her amber eyes on the witch. "Zabini."

Elora sneered. "Potter."

"I demand an explanation!" Umbridge cried.

"Gladly, Dolores," Kingsley said, taking charge of the room and silencing all the whispers in the crowd. "Several months ago Hermione Granger came upon a trap set by a Death Eater known as Antonin Dolohov. He'd triggered a Time-Turner and placed it among Miss Granger's belongings. Hermione Granger was sent back to 1971 where she was adopted by Charlus and Dorea Potter, thus known as Mia Potter. She recently returned from 1979 and informed me of the situation."

"And you just believed her?" Dolores scoffed loudly. "This girl is a well-known manipulator!"

"Madam Umbridge, Miss Potter went through an official interrogation by the Minister himself," Percy said, the air of self-righteousness surrounding him as he spoke, offended on the Ministry's behalf that they wouldn't have taken such a claim seriously.

Umbridge frowned at the declaration, turning her attention to the Minister and calming herself into a sickeningly sweet smile. "With all due respect, Minister, it's known that you're acquainted with Miss Granger and some might consider any interrogation by you biased. I would hate to see a man such as yourself belittled and badmouthed over what could be considered a scandal," she insisted.

From the audience, Mia could hear Sirius scoff loudly. All things considered, he could have been much worse and she'd actually thought about leaving him at home, but he was necessary to her plans, and she did so enjoy showing him off in public.

"I'll allow for Veritaserum questioning if that would please the Wizengamot," Mia said with a smile, turning her attention to Umbridge. "Perhaps slip some in my tea, Dolores." She smirked. "If not, I'm open to Legilimency. Madam Fawley, I've been told you're quite the accomplished Legilimens," she said to the witch near Neville's grandmother who preened under the compliment.

"And also a Gryffindor," Dolores argued. "No, I think perhaps someone without House similarities would do better. Lord Parkinson? Lord Bulstrode?"

Peneus Parkinson smirked at the offer and sat tall. How a man that looked so utterly plain was related to Laurel, Mia would never know. She smiled at the prejudiced wizard all the same, even as she could see the word _Mudblood _running through his mind as he stared at her.

"I'd be delighted," he said politely and then raised his wand, made eye contact and whispered, "_Legilimens_." It didn't take long to find what the man was looking for and when he broke eye contact, Mia smiled as he frowned bitterly, turning his attention to Dolores. "Apologies, Madam Umbridge, the witch is speaking the truth. She is Mia Potter, daughter of Charlus and Dorea, who was tricked back in time by the Death Eater known as Antonin Dolohov."

Umbridge pouted but tried to remain collected. "Still, she's a Muggle-born and cannot accept a family seat on the Wizengamot. There are laws," she insisted. "There are rules that must be followed."

"I completely agree, Dolores," Mia said, a delightful shiver going up her spine when Umbridge grimaced at Mia's use of her given name. "However, as it stands I was properly bonded in the adoption to my parents and therefore under the laws of magic, am considered pureblood and able to accept the seat of my House."

Dolores screeched. "Preposterous!"

Mia frowned at Dolores as though she pitied her, and then spoke slowly. "Are you unfamiliar with pureblood laws, _Dolores_? Do you _not_ know how magical adoption works? It was my understanding that _all _pureblood Houses instructed their children in the old customs and traditions. Did your _pureblood _parents not properly instruct you?" she asked with a sly smile, noting immediately the way Umbridge flinched at the inflection Mia used on the word pureblood in reference to Umbridge's parents.

"I . . ." Dolores hesitated. "I still object to this insanity. She's a common Mudblood!"

"Dolores! I won't say it again!" Kingsley shouted.

Before the Wizengamot descended into chaos once more, Mia cleared her throat. "If the seat to the House of Potter will be denied me, I shall simply take up another, _Dolores_," she said, smiling again when Umbridge grimaced again.

The toad-faced witch hissed, "You have no respect, little girl! You know _nothing _of Wizengamot proceedings and protocols and you should address your betters by their proper titles, _Miss Granger_!"

Mia's brows rose and she smiled and nodded her head. "As you wish _Madam _Umbridge, but if you insist on proper titles then you should recognise me as Lady Black."

The collective Wizengamot, save for the members of the Order, gasped loudly.

"I beg your pardon?" Umbridge choked on the words.

"My mother was Dorea Black before she was a Potter and, as Walburga Black, the last Lady Black passed on a number of years ago, I claim her title either by my mother's blood — as I am yet unmarried — or through marriage later this summer," she said and flashed them all her large opal engagement ring.

"Marriage?" Cornelius Fudge gaped at the ring and his eyes widened dramatically when Sirius rose from his seat to stand at Mia's side.

"Yes, Miss Potter, or Lady Black," he grinned at the words, "is my fiance. And the House of Black offers her its rightful Wizengamot seat." Members of the assembly all began shouting and Sirius stood with a pleased smile on his face. Mia shook her head at his delight, always happiest when causing trouble.

"You cannot allow this, Minister!" Umbridge shouted.

"I am merely following protocol, Dolores," Kingsley insisted calmly. "The Heads of two Houses have passed on their familial seats to Miss Hermione Potter. Nothing can be done about it."

"That's not true," Cornelius stood. "According to procedure, the seat must be offered to any living descendants of a House that comes after their Head of House. Nothing can be done about the House of Potter . . . _apparently_," he frowned bitterly, "but the House of Black . . . it's too important to hand over to a . . . a . . ." he seemed to struggle as he avoided calling Mia a Mudblood, but corrected himself in time, "a nineteen-year-old girl."

"Very well," Sirius accepted. "The next Black heir would be Harry Potter."

Harry grinned. "I decline and offer the seat to Hermione Potter."

Yelling continued.

The noise was eventually silenced when the doors to the right opened and Draco Malfoy, dressed to the nines in proper robes looking the very near image of his late father, stepped through.

"Excuse me," Kingsley said. "This is a Wizengamot session already in progress. You can't just burst in without —"

"Apologies Minister," Draco said with a polite bow of the head as he moved to stand in the center of the room, but purposely distancing himself from Harry, Mia, and Sirius. "Esteemed Lords and Ladies," he added, making eye contact with Dolores first and smiling at her, looking ever the part of a perfect pureblood prince. "I've only just now received word that a session had been opened and I thought it an appropriate time to officially accept the seat of House Malfoy."

"Thank goodness." Umbridge breathed a sigh of relief. "_Someone_ with a proper head on their shoulders."

Kingsley nodded his head. "The Wizengamot recognises the claim that Draco Malfoy —"

"_Lord_," Draco said, correcting the Minister for Magic with an arrogance that made half of the Wizengamot chuckle under their breath.

Mia rolled her eyes at the theatrics.

Kingsley cleared his throat, trying to not appear annoyed. "Apologies. _Lord _Draco Malfoy has made for his familial House seat. All in favour?" he asked. All hands were raised save for the Weasleys and Lady Longbottom, but even then their eyes were focused on Mia who merely smiled at them. "Welcome to the Wizengamot Lord Malfoy," Kingsley said, nodding to the young Slytherin. "Perhaps you would have a say in our current conversation."

"And what is that?" Draco asked.

"Lord Malfoy is _also _a descendant and heir to the House of Black," Cornelius spoke up. "If Sirius Black and Harry Potter each deny their ancestral seat, it is then offered to Lord Malfoy."

Draco appeared surprised. "You want _me _to take up the seat of House Black as well?" he asked and grinned as though the thought was greatly appealing.

"Very much so." Umbridge smiled gratefully, as though Draco Malfoy — not Harry Potter — was the Savior of the Wizarding world.

"Interesting," Draco said with a devious grin before he cleared his throat, stopped smiling and stood tall, his posture reflecting his formal upbringing. "I formally decline and offer the seat to Hermione Potter," Draco said loud and clear, causing the Wizengamot to fall instantly silent. Those who opposed Mia's claim sat looking positively shocked at Draco's statement. Taking advantage of the lack of yelling, Draco continued to speak. "And before anyone else objects, I have letters from both my mother Narcissa Malfoy née Black and Andromeda Tonks née Black, declining the family seat as well."

Mia smiled at Draco and he bowed his head toward her. "For the record," she said politely, "if Madam Umbridge and Mister Fudge continue to deny me the Black family seat, I believe next in line would be the Weasleys, would they not?" She grinned. "Followed by the Longbottoms."

Fudge never looked more defeated save for the day he had to hand the reins over to Rufus Scrimgeour. Umbridge looked positively apoplectic.

"Hermione Potter." Kingsley smiled. "Lady Black," he said, addressing her formally, "has made for her familial House seats, denied by the Heads of each House and those who might be considered in line ahead of her. All in favour?" he asked the assembly. Mia knew many would oppose her claim and wasn't surprised to see Umbridge and Fudge sitting with their hands firmly in their laps. Likewise, Peneus Parkinson, Marcus Flint Sr., and William Burke sat still. Shockingly, Mia noted that Theodore Nott, Cygnus Bulstrode, and Elora Zabini raised their hands in favour along with the rest of the Wizengamot.

Kingsley grinned. "Welcome to the Wizengamot, Lady Black."

Mia smiled and walked forward as Sirius and Harry each stepped back and retook their seats.

Draco smiled at her, holding out his arm and she politely took it. "Mia."

"Cousin." she grinned at him as he led her up the stairs to join the gathered assembly. Arthur, Percy, and Bill greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, also shaking Draco's hand in congratulations. She then said hello, one by one, to all the members who voted for her, Lady Longbottom first and foremost, before Draco led her to the opposite side of the seating where she smiled brightly as she was wrapped in a gentle hug by an old friend.

"Mia," Damocles chuckled, "you're as beautiful as you ever were."

"Damocles, I can't tell you how good it is to see you." She beamed at him. "I read your recent article in _Potions Monthly_ and I have about a thousand questions for you."

He laughed. "I imagine you would."

"Mia . . . er . . ." A tall, lanky wizard stood to greet her. "Do you prefer Miss Potter or Lady Black?"

"Adrian, you may call me Mia as you always did," she insisted, shaking his hand in greeting. "Keep your eyes up here though," she said, pointing to her face when she caught her former classmate looking over her twenty years too young body.

"Sorry," he said, flushing red.

"Potter." Elora stood, staring Mia in the face.

"Zabini." Mia smiled politely at her. "Didn't think I'd have your vote."

The Slytherin shrugged. "You were a self-righteous little cunt in school, but I'm not stupid enough to deny how smart you are," she admitted. "It'll be an enjoyable experience not to be the only witch on the Wizengamot willing to stand up to the ridiculous patriarchy. Lady Longbottom aside, of course."

"Does Madam Umbridge not speak up for her fellow witches?" Mia asked sweetly.

Elora rolled her eyes. "If it _pleases _her."

"Did you know . . ." Mia leaned in and whispered. "I hear she's a half-blood," she said, echoing gossip that Laurel had given her twenty years ago and watching as Elora's eyes widened and then narrowed in Umbridge's direction. She knew from the occasional run in with Elora's son Blaise in school that the Zabini family didn't care much about blood status so long as you were Slytherin and/or good looking and wealthy, but by the look on Elora's face, Mia deduced that Slytherins greatly disliked being deceived.

"Oh and Zabini?" Mia said quietly as Draco began leading her away from Elora.

"Hmm?" The pureblood Slytherin looked back to Mia.

"We'll get along famously as long as you keep your eyes off my fiance." Mia smirked and looked across the room to Sirius who winked at her.

Elora grinned and then muttered, "I've learned to swim."

Mia chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Theo, may I introduce my cousin," Draco said approaching the tall dark-haired Slytherin. "Hermione Potter."

Theo stood and took Mia's hand, bending his head slightly to brush his lips across her knuckles before smiling at her. "I assume this will all come with a proper lengthy explanation," he said, his crystal blue eyes questioning Draco who merely gave a quick nod in reply. "I feel like some bits and pieces were left out of your delectable drift through time," the young wizard said to Mia. "Speaking of delectable, your hair is tamer than I remember from school, I can't imagine it still matches the witch." He grinned at her.

Mia smirked. "Flirting with me, Theo? That's dangerous."

Nott looked over her shoulder at Sirius Black who was eyeing the exchange with amusement. "Because of Black?" he asked with a smirk. "Any proper son of a noble House should be prepared for decent competition."

The witch laughed. "You are dangerous, Theo," she said, shaking her head incredulously, "and perhaps in another world you would be considered severe competition but, as it stands, I'm delightfully taken." She grinned and looked back at Sirius who beamed up at her proudly, obviously having overheard the conversation, the eavesdropping canine.

When Draco led her toward the center of the seating nearest her actual seat, which had the name 'BLACK' engraved on it in silver, they stood suddenly before Hyperion Greengrass who took her hand politely, briefly kissed her knuckles before releasing it. "Lady Black," he greeted her.

"Lord Greengrass."

"Sir," Draco addressed his future father-in-law with a respectful bow of the head.

The elder wizard sighed dramatically. "I'm to understand _you're _responsible for the arranged marriage between my youngest daughter and this wizard before me," he said, gesturing to Draco as a form of acknowledgment. "I'm in your debt for such a boon to my House." He offered a polite smile to the witch and Draco stood a little taller at his words, accepting the obvious compliment but saying nothing.

"It was my pleasure," Mia said kindly.

Hyperion frowned. "You have, however, _also _made introductions between my eldest daughter and a certain young wizard of a different kind."

"Oh, I'd almost forgotten that Daphne and Ronald have become friends," she said innocently.

"Yes, we had the boy over for dinner over the holidays." He sighed. "Has he always eaten like that?"

"Unfortunately." Mia smirked. "I rarely had the time to instruct him properly what with O.W.L.s and —"

"Destroying a Dark Lord?" Hyperion offered.

Mia chuckled. "Something like that. I'm sure Daphne will be quite the influence on him."

"I should be bitter about this," Hyperion said, clearly knowing when a witch was being manipulative. "But as it is, my wife has always been taken with you, and since your return she's been in . . . well . . ." He grinned. "She's been much more _pleasant _than usual."

Mia mirrored his grin. "Is Laurel ever _anything _but pleasant?" she asked.

He scoffed. "If she weren't, I'd be hard pressed to inform her best friend," he said, gesturing to Mia, "lest I end up sleeping on the couch."

"Your home doesn't have spare rooms?" she asked curiously.

"Not when Laurel's in a mood it doesn't," he replied.

Kingsley cleared his throat, requesting everyone to take their seats. Draco dropped Mia off in the Black Family Seat before taking his place right behind her in the chair marked 'MALFOY'. "All right, now that the family seat situation has been settled," Kingsley smiled, "is there any further business?"

Mia stood. "Yes, Minister, I have several things I'd like to take care of, actually."

Kingsley didn't even pretend to be surprised by this. "We recognise Hermione Potter, and offer her the floor."

"I won't need the whole floor, Minister." She smiled as she walked down to turn and face the Wizengamot. "Not unless things get out of hand," she added, her focus on Dolores. "Lords, Ladies, and fellow members of the Wizengamot. I would like to take my first action as a member of this esteemed assembly," she smiled sweetly, a smile that made her look so much like Dorea Potter that she might as well have worn green, "by accusing Madam Dolores Umbridge of fraud, legislation forgery, and the use of an Unforgivable on a high ranking Ministry official. I formally request that she be immediately dismissed from the Wizengamot."

* * *

**A/N**: Sneak peak of Presque Toujour Pur . . .

_"Where's Ron?" she asked._

_Harry winced. "He . . . he's a little freaked out about . . ." he made a vague gesture to her face, "Well, you know he's not the most tactful person. We thought it would be a little better if he stayed at Shell Cottage with Bill and Fleur until he figured out how to talk to you."_

_Hermione frowned. "Because I'm different."_

_"Because you look different," Harry corrected her._

_Hermione sighed loudly. "No, I'm . . . oh gods," she muttered. "I'm a pureblood." She swallowed the word down like sand. "From a family that . . . that . . ." She looked down at her arm. "And she . . ." She reached out and touched the bandage on her arm. "Well," she frowned, "I'm not a Mudblood anymore," she said bitterly._

_"You never were," Harry said, glaring at her use of the word. "You're just Hermione."_


	146. Chapter 146

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I find it very fitting that Dolores Umbridge and Mia face one another today, the birthday of Fred and George who were some of the first thorns in Umbridge's side. Happy Birthday, you lovely purveyors of aids to magical mischief makers.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Six: Mercy

_"...Now the past I've tried forgetting  
__And my foes I could forgive  
__Trouble is, I know it's petty  
__But I hate to let them live…"  
__(My Lullaby - Suzanne Pleshette)_

* * *

**January 18th, 1999**

**Ministry of Magic  
****Level Ten - Wizengamot Courtrooms**

"Everyone quiet!" Kingsley was shouting and had taken to using a Sonorus Charm on his wand to make his voice louder in order to get the attention of the newly chaotic Wizengamot.

Most of the blood purists were in an outrage on behalf of Umbridge, though the Order members were just as loud on the other side, defending Mia's words. It was the members in the middle who remained silent. When an actual fight broke out between two lower opposing members, Theo Nott, with an annoyed look on his face, stood from his own family seat and made his way to sit beside Draco rather than get trampled on by dueling half-bloods.

"She's likely to destroy the place without lifting a finger of her own. Was that in whatever dastardly plan the two of you had when you so _conveniently _arrived in the middle of a session?" he asked the blond Slytherin.

Draco smirked, watching his new cousin with amused interest as her gaze remained focused on a seething Dolores Umbridge while anarchy erupted around them. "Remember how smart Granger was?" Draco asked his friend.

Theo nodded. "Enough to frustrate you into some delightful common room hissy fits for besting your scores."

Draco ignored the insult. "She's had an additional eight years of education, plus this time," he grinned, "she was raised by a pureblood Slytherin mother."

"Merlin, help us." Theo chuckled. "Look at her face. She's enjoying this quite a bit."

"Taking on Umbridge?" Draco questioned. "I don't think I've seen her this excited since she broke my nose third year."

"_That_ made _everyone _who saw it a little happy." Theo smirked. "_'If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.'_," he said with an entertained smile, continuously watching Mia and Umbridge instead of the pandemonium around them.

"What do you think Umbridge did to incur this kind of wrath?" Draco asked curiously.

"Other than exist?" Theo shrugged. "By my count she's called her a Mudblood twice already."

"Minister!" Dolores finally broke, turning to Kingsley with a shout. "I request that Lady Black be removed from the Wizengamot immediately!"

Finally, the crowd began to calm as Dolores spoke up for herself, everyone waiting to see how Kingsley would side. Those who knew the man waited to see how the blood purists would react when he made his choice known.

Before the Minister could say anything aloud, Mia spoke up, her voice calm and rational, "If Madam Umbridge has justification for having me removed, I willingly give her the floor. If not, my accusations stand."

"Miss Potter, you're aware of the seriousness of your accusations?" Kingsley asked her as though he hadn't been informed of Mia's plans prior to this meeting, though she hadn't told him all the specific details, of course. "You are accusing a member of the Wizengamot of using an Unforgivable."

"Yes." Mia nodded. "Against the former Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum." She watched as Dolores briefly flinched at the specified accusation. "And lest we forget, I also accused her of forging his signature on legislation she wanted to pass."

Umbridge huffed. "This is incredibly offensive! As a _victim _of the Imperius Curse myself," she said, placing a delicate hand above her heart to further show how emotionally distraught she was by the accusations being thrown at her, "I am more than aware of how difficult it would be to even _begin _to investigate such a horrendous claim."

Mia smiled at the woman, an act that apparently continued to irritate. "Yes, it would take wand monitoring after a suspicion has been aroused, signed by an Auror and registered with the Improper Use of Magic Offices. And considering more than likely the person being monitored is _aware _of being monitored, they're unlikely to perform said Unforgivable magic."

Dolores hissed, "Precisely, you foolish girl! Not only that, but as I am a member of the Wizengamot, to even begin such a ridiculous investigation you would need to file an application to the court for an investigation."

"Yes, and those applications take roughly 180 days to process," Mia agreed.

"Precisely!"

"I suppose then," Mia said, removing a rolled and sealed parchment from her bag, "it's a good thing that I filed one in 1979, isn't it?"

Dolores's face paled and a single bead of sweat fell down the side of her head. "What?"

"Oh yes, see, I used to work for the Ministry, Madam Umbridge." She smirked. "I was a simple little file girl that had suspicions about several of the legislations that you were passing at the time. A friend of Minister Minchum brought to my attention that he was behaving strangely following his meetings with Madam Umbridge," she said, turning her attention to Kingsley and the rest of the Wizengamot, "and, worried for the Ministry, I filed an application for investigation to the courts, which was surprisingly approved by the Minister himself, shocking, almost as though he were willing to sign _anything _that crossed his desk with the name 'Umbridge' on it. Then, I simply had an Auror file the proper paperwork to have Madam Umbridge's wand monitored," she said, purposely not looking in Sirius's direction as he had been the Auror in question. She pulled out a small stack of papers and passed them over to Kingsley. "Here are the findings. As I said when I arrived, I previously stopped by the Administration Offices this morning. I'm sure there are copies of the reports if anyone believes I've tampered with these ones."

"You . . ." Dolores gaped at the younger witch, "you . . . you still have to launch a proper investigation and . . . and . . . I object!" she stammered, her face turning red.

"Dolores . . ." Kingsley fixed her with a stern glare, "you may step down voluntarily, or be forcibly removed," he said as he looked over the papers in his hands, passing them immediately to Hyperion Greengrass who sneered at the parchments and their findings.

Dolores stomped her foot in outrage. "I will not let a filthy little Mudblood accuse me of —"

"If I may, Minister?" Mia asked, cutting off Umbridge's rant.

"Miss Potter?"

"I understand this must be incredibly embarrassing to Madam Umbridge," she offered a fake sympathetic smile, "and it is my understanding that the Wizengamot still follows and adheres to the rules of ancient magic?"

"Of course," Kingsley answered and even the blood purists began nodding their head in agreement, as though suggesting anything else was offensive to the entire Wizarding culture as a whole.

"If she sees fit," Mia offered. "Madam Umbridge may challenge my accusations per ancient law."

"Yes, I challenge the accusations!" Dolores quickly spat.

"Very well, then, by the similar ancient laws I have the right to challenge Madam Umbridge in turn for the slander against my Houses," Mia said, setting her bag down and unbuttoning her cloak, throwing it gently into her seat and smiling when Draco leaned forward and folded it properly for her.

Dolores stared at the younger witch, clearly confused. "I never said one word against —"

"Would the collective assembly agree that they've heard Madam Umbridge refer to me as a 'Mudblood' no less than three times in this session?" Mia asked.

Theo looked to Draco and smirked.

"They would," Kingsley said angrily, his eyes turned to Dolores who briefly whimpered under his stare.

"I'm sure it was an accident," Mia said sweetly, "and that Madam Umbridge is unaware that it is _illegal _by ancient laws to slander a pureblood and their House by referring to or implying that any member of an Ancient and Noble House is impure. As I am the adopted daughter of Dorea Black and Charlus Potter, I am considered by those same ancient laws a pureblood. Madam Umbridge referred to me as a 'Mudblood', and I offer her the chance to either step down from the Wizengamot willingly to save herself some dignity and accept a formal investigation or accept my challenge to rightfully defend the honour of my Houses."

"She is _not _a pureblood!" Dolores insisted, pointing her stubby finger at Mia. "She is not! Adoption only —"

"Stop talking Dolores!" Cornelius Fudge stood and hissed at the woman. "You know _exactly _what pureblood adoption means!"

Dolores briefly looked confused.

Mia frowned. "Perhaps she _doesn't, _Mister Fudge. Perhaps Madam Umbridge, as a _half-blood_, wasn't taught our customs and traditions."

The Wizengamot made a collective gasp.

"What?" Umbridge swallowed. "I . . . how dare . . . I'm a —"

"It's true," Elora Zabini said, looking down at her hands to examine her nails. "I heard she was only a half-blood."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Mia said with a sweet smile. "Some of my best friends are half-bloods," she said, looking over her shoulder and winking at Harry and Remus who both rolled their eyes at her.

"I . . . I . . . I accept your challenge!" Dolores said to Mia in an attempt to save face and change the subject of her own parentage.

"Oh good," Mia grinned brightly. "I will be sad to kill you of course."

Umbridge blinked. "What?"

"A challenge to defend the honour of one's House is a duel to the death, Dolores." She shook her head and sighed dramatically. "Do you understand _nothing _of our laws? Surely a simple Mudblood like me couldn't _possibly _know more about magic than you."

Umbridge panicked and looked at Kingsley. "Minister . . ."

"Lady Black is correct, Madam Umbridge. These are our ways," Kingsley said firmly.

"But she —"

"Oh, for the love of Salazar, Dolores!" Peneus Parkinson snapped. "Duel the little chit and put an end to this nonsense or we'll be here for days!"

Dolores began to remove her plum cloak and hat, reaching into the pocket of her robe for her wand. Mia turned and stepped down the stairs stretching her arms and neck as she removed her robe entirely, revealing Muggle clothing beneath, causing the blood purists to look at her with distaste, Dolores included.

"Madam Umbridge should be aware that I did quite well in my Defence N.E.W.T.," Mia said with a proud smile as she approached Sirius, Harry, and Remus, handing the werewolf her robe. "Beaten out only by one other person, and he was a dirty rotten cheat," she said with a smirk as she eyed him. "Then again, you _do _have a number of years on me," the younger witch said and turned to face Dolores as the woman descended the stairs to meet Mia in the center of the floor. "Much more knowledge and experience I gather. It's not as though I _personally _defeated the Dark Lord. I was only taught how to defend myself by Harry Potter." She smirked and a wave of quiet chuckles echoed in the chamber. "And then again by the wizard who taught Harry Potter how to defend himself. I'm sorry, I ramble when I'm nervous."

"Very well." Dolores narrowed her beady eyes. "Who stands as my second?"

"I'll stand," Peneus Parkinson said.

"And _your _second, Miss Potter?" Kingsley asked.

Mia grinned when no less than twelve wizards stood at the question, a silent offering, as well as Lady Longbottom who looked like she'd be in the mood for a good execution before afternoon tea.

"Remus Lupin." Mia smiled, winking at her best friend who grinned at her in reply.

"A werewolf?!" Dolores shrieked.

"Yes," Mia answered, turning back to the witch. "I imagine that, should you be so lucky as to kill me, he'd be quite entertained with the idea of dueling you. If you should get injured, however," Mia's amused smile faded, "I wouldn't expect him to carry you to St. Mungo's. He's not allowed inside, you see." Her words were calm but ever so threatening as her personal issues with Dolores Umbridge were laid out bare for the entire Wizengamot. "If you have a problem with dueling a werewolf, I can always refuse to have a second. But you must do so first."

Dolores refused to even look in Remus's direction before she announced, "I refuse a second!"

Peneus Parkinson sat down looking annoyed.

Mia grinned. "I'd watch that temper of yours, Dolores. Very Gryffindor of you to behave so recklessly." She then turned around to empty her pockets and decide which of her vinewood wands she wanted to use. Harry was the only one who looked nervous.

"Provoking her with me?" Remus asked, raising a brow.

Mia smirked. "Angry?"

He laughed. "Hardly. Did you see her face?"

"If you let that bitch kill you," Sirius said, taking Mia's face into his hands. "I will be very cross with you."

"Hermione . . . are you sure you . . ." Harry began, nervously fidgeting with the sleeve of his robe. "I mean, we've never exactly seen her fight properly, have we? What if she cheats?"

"Oh, I know she'll cheat." Mia chuckled. "But she underestimates me on at least two levels. First, I'm aware she _might _be properly decent in a duel whereas she doesn't know the half of what I'm capable of."

"And second?" he asked.

Mia smiled innocently, something Harry had learned very quickly to be afraid of. "Second, is that Dolores Umbridge will hope to kill me in this duel to rid the world of one extra Mudblood who's trying desperately to besmirch her good name. I, on the other hand, don't want to _kill _the witch."

"What do you want to do to her then?"

"Make her bleed, and weep, and suffer, and beg me for mercy," she admitted and turned to Sirius.

"Kiss me for luck, kitten," he said and pressed his lips against hers, delving his tongue into her mouth, grinning when she gripped the front of his shirt tightly. He then brought her into his arms and hugged her as though they were saying goodbye, just in case. In reality, he leaned in and brushed his lips against the shell of her ear and whispered, "After this is done and everyone leaves, would you like me to fuck you on the Black family seat?"

Mia chuckled and pulled away from him.

Remus handed her wand over. "Don't play with her. Just finish it quickly."

"No promises," she smiled at him, "I'm going to enjoy this. Keep _them _in line," she added, gesturing to Sirius and Harry.

Remus nodded.

When Mia stepped back to the floor, wand in hand, Kingsley stood. "Ladies. As Interim Chief Warlock and Minister for Magic, I decree that this duel is valid by the ancient laws of magic, and the victor will _not _be held accountable for the death of the other. That being said, the use of Unforgivables is, as always, denied," he said, his tone incredibly serious.

Before Kingsley even had a chance to tell the witches "Begin!" Dolores flicked her wand out and sent an Entrail-Expelling Curse at Mia that the younger witch easily blocked with an invisible Protego she'd had at the ready. Dolores hissed as she missed her target and Mia grinned at her. "Sneaky witch."

The brunette allowed Dolores to attack her repeatedly with wild motions and harsh hexes and curses. Each time she threw up a well-placed shield, grinning calmly as Umbridge descended further and further down an unending pit of anger and bitterness.

"_Titillando!_" Mia called out and, as the Tickling Hex hit Dolores square in the chest, the body of the Wizengamot began murmuring to one another in confusion. Most of the blood purists believed that Mia was out of her element, relying on defences taught to fourth years Hogwarts students. Her friends and family knew better.

Remus was rolling his eyes. "I told Mia not to play with her," he said with a sigh.

"Fight me!" Dolores screamed in frustration as Mia deflected yet another curse.

"I'm sorry, Dolores," Mia said calmly. "Are you having trouble getting through my shield?" she taunted.

"She's provoking her," Harry whispered to Sirius. "There are only a few curses strong enough on their own to get through a . . ."

Sirius quietly nodded.

"_Stupefy!_" Umbridge screamed, her temper rising as each and every hex, jinx, and curse bounced off of Mia's well-placed shields, completely unaware that she was being lured into a trap. "_Stupefy! Deprimo! Reducto!_" Dolores shouted, gasping for breath at the end and then hissing in frustration when nothing seemed to stick.

Mia let out a taunting laugh, spinning her wand between her fingers.

Umbridge narrowed her eyes and sneered before growling out, "_Expelliarmus!_"

Mia's wand flew into Dolores's hand and the toad-faced woman gave a shout of triumph. Harry stood and made to move but, sensing him behind her, Mia shouted, "Remus!" and depended on the werewolf who took Harry by the shoulders and shoved him back into his seat.

Dolores aimed her own wand at the unarmed Mia and grinned. "I have waited a long time to do this," she said, her eyes manic, the grin on her face a little too smug for her own good.

"Not as long as I have," Mia said sweetly, not looking even slightly intimidated. She reached her small hand out toward Dolores, empty palm up.

"A hand of mercy is it?" Dolores laughed. "Or is it one of friendship?" she asked, mockingly.

"Neither," Mia whispered. "_Incarcerous_," she said softly. Ropes, conjured out of the floor, flew up toward Dolores, wrapping around her arms, legs, waist, and throat. Dolores looked at Mia with wide eyes as the younger witch closed her fist tightly and the ropes in turn tightened, pulling the short woman to the ground with a sickening thud, binding her.

"What?! How?!" Dolores screamed against the tightening rope around her neck.

"Apologies Dolores," Mia smiled, the click of her heels on the floor echoing in the chamber as she walked toward Umbridge gracefully, "are you not skilled at wandless magic? Perhaps you should have studied harder in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Theory isn't everything, you know." She smirked. "Then again, perhaps when _you _were in Hogwarts you learned defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way. Perhaps, when _you _were in Hogwarts you weren't exposed to irresponsible wizards, not to mention . . . extremely dangerous half-breeds. Then again, I suppose if one studies theory hard enough . . ."

Umbridge made a loud choking noise and Mia turned her attention down, regarding her opponent. "Speak up, dear. Would you still like me to fight you?" Mia asked her as she approached the woman, bound to the chamber floor. When Dolores said nothing and instead growled at Mia, eyes narrowed, the little witch nodded and picked her own wand out of Umbridge's hand. "_Avis_," she said, her tone full of sweetness as crows burst from the tip of her wand flapping their wings in the air and circling around Umbridge, waiting for a command.

Harry, Sirius, Remus, and Draco all grinned at the sight of the birds, having seen this particular spell prior, and prepared for the crows to attack the bound woman. The Wizengamot, expecting the same, all sat forward on their chairs, suddenly enthralled with the path the duel had taken.

What no one expected was for Mia's amber eyes to flash as she whispered, "_Draconifors_," and each of the flying black crows gave a sudden caw as their feathers transfigured into scales, each bird transfiguring into a small, black dragon.

"Did you know she could do that?" Harry asked Remus quietly, eyes wide.

The werewolf shook his head.

Sirius was smiling a gentle, sweet smile. "I miss Dorea," he said softly as he watched his fiance stare at her beautiful small flight of dragons.

Umbridge screamed as Mia said, "_Oppugno_!" and the circling dragons overhead rapidly flew down, screeching loudly as fire ignited in their throat, spewing forth from their mouth onto the thrashing witch below. Mia turned away from the sight to clean Umbridge's hand sweat off of her wand. She looked to the audience where a shocked Harry watched the tiny dragons attack while an unsurprised Remus observed, his hand still carefully placed on Harry's shoulder.

Sirius on the other hand was staring at Mia with a devious grin, and she could only imagine the things he was planning in that depraved mind of his.

"Let me go!" Dolores screamed as the fire burned away the rope around her neck. "Let me go!"

Mia turned around. "Are you giving up, Dolores? Do you not know how duels work? Are you begging me for mercy?" she asked, banishing away the dragons and watching as one by one they vanished into thin air. "Sirius, my love, am I known for being merciful?"

He barked a laugh. "You've never shown _me _an ounce of it."

She smiled at him. "Perhaps I should learn to show mercy." Mia turned her attention back to Dolores Umbridge, stepping close and kneeling down beside the witch, reaching out and touching Umbridge's face gently with her bare hand.

"Dolores . . ." Mia whispered softly so that only the other witch could hear her. "I'm not going to kill you. I am going to destroy you," she said with a tender smile, though her eyes betrayed her, looking positively murderous. "When I am done with you, you'll wish that the Centaurs I trapped you with when I was fifteen years old had trampled you to death . . . you prejudiced, toad-faced cunt. I will strip you of every ounce of dignity and watch your soul bleed into the ether until I have the chance to bury you . . . alive if I'm in the mood for it. _Finite_!"

The ropes released Dolores and Mia stood, turning her back on the woman.

Umbridge stood, her purple robes burned away showing the singed pink cardigan beneath. Her hair was burned in several places, and there was flame induced blisters on her left arm where a Dark Mark _should _have been. The witch, ignoring the mercy that Mia had offered, bitterly raised her wand and began to say, "_Cruci —_"

"_Sectumsempra_!" Mia yelled, spinning on her heel, her long honey-brown locks flowing in a beautiful circled wave behind her as she turned, vinewood wand slashing through the air like a fencing sword. The curse came at Dolores, cutting through the skin of her right arm down to the bone, spewing blood onto the floor, and then down slicing straight through the witch's wand, breaking it in two.

Umbridge gave a loud cry of anguish and she fell to her knees, grasping at her bleeding arm.

"I offer mercy," Mia said loud and clear as she sheathed her wand in the holster at her thigh.

"Dolores Umbridge," Kingsley stood, trying to keep his composure which seemed a great deal easier for him being a former Auror than the Wizengamot members who luckily had never seen battle, most of whom were staring at Dolores in horror and Mia in feared awe. "You are hereby stripped of your Wizengamot seat pending a formal investigation into the accusations of fraud, forgery, and the use of an Unforgivable on former Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum," Kingsley said and then gestured for the guards to open the doors. "I strongly suggest you have someone escort you to the Floo and get to St. Mungo's," he added.

"Minister, if I may?" Mia spoke up.

"Go ahead."

"Before Dolores is escorted out, I'd like to formally file charges against her person on behalf of the House of Potter."

"This is excessive, Shacklebolt!" Cornelius stood, eyes wide as he stared at the bleeding woman that had once been his right hand when he himself had been Minister. "She's already defended her Houses against Dolores for what she called her!"

"Yes, that matter has been settled," Mia agreed. "However, this one is much graver. Dolores Umbridge forcibly spilled the blood of the scion of my House, permanently scarring him when he was but a child. Isn't that right, Dolores?" Mia hissed.

Harry's eyes widened and he subconsciously ran his fingers over the raised scar on his hand, watching as his best friend did what he never could do years ago when the witch in question had forced him to scar himself. Hermione had insisted that he tell someone, tell Dumbledore or even McGonagall, but Harry's pride refused to let him. Years had passed, and Harry had learned a lot about pride since then.

And more importantly, he'd learned a lot about Hermione and the levels she was willing to go to defend him; to defend her family.

"I said," Mia hissed. "Isn't that right, Dolores? You willingly, illegally, forced the sole heir and scion of a Noble House to spill their own blood, leaving him scarred."

"I did no such thing!" Dolores shouted angrily.

Mia grinned.

"_Coccinus Mendax_," she whispered.

Very slowly, a crimson stain escaped from Umbridge's mouth and moved along the skin of her face until it settled in the center of the woman's forehead, moving until it eventually spelled out: _I must not tell lies_.

* * *

**A/N**: Wanted to thank you all SO MUCH for coming over and reading Presque Toujours Pur! The response to my new story is overwhelming and I love you all! Chapter 2 will actually go up later today, because I want everyone to get a feel of how the story will progress. Then back to weekly updates, I swear it!


	147. Chapter 147

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I'm kind of freaking out that the story is almost over, and I'm so honoured by all of your reviews and PMs this week. You're all so very awesome and I adore you all.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Seven: Interest

"_...Now it's happened once or twice_  
_Someone couldn't pay the price_  
_And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals_  
_Yes I've had the odd complaint_  
_But on the whole I've been a saint_  
_To those poor unfortunate souls…"_  
_(Poor Unfortunate Souls - Pat Carroll)_

* * *

**January 18th, 1999**

**Ministry of Magic**

**Level Ten - Wizengamot Courtrooms**

It had taken a short time to explain to the Wizengamot what had happened to Dolores's face and, despite having suffered through the Crimson Liar Curse herself, Elora Zabini remained perfectly silent when everyone began asking if there happened to be a cure. Mia talked to Kingsley, Arthur, and Hyperion about the potion that she'd created at Hogwarts, and two of the three men laughed at the story about a Great Hall filled with screaming teenage girls covered in the red stain. Hyperion, needing to be unbiased, asked Damocles to investigate the potion that Mia had created and drank herself, touching Dolores to activate it. Once the famous Potioneer gave his clear on the brew — and accompanying curse — members began whispering to one another about implementing the Crimson Liar instead of Veritaserum in court proceedings.

Umbridge was led away by Aurors to await a proper investigation to all accusations against her, but Mia knew the Pensieve memories alone would have her rotting in Azkaban for decades.

When the chamber floor had been cleaned of blood and scorch marks, the Wizengamot members retook their seats, some moving either further away from Mia in mild fear or closer in awe and respect. Kingsley sat back, allowing Hyperion and Arthur each to take turns discussing laws and legislation up for review, most of which were ridiculous and had to do with cauldron thickness, broom exports, and whether or not flying carpets should be legalised in Britain.

When Arthur cleared his throat and looked mildly embarrassed as he glanced down at a piece of parchment, Mia took notice. "Er . . . well, this is awkward," he said. "Dolores Umbridge has written a piece of legislation requesting that the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures create registries for all half — er . . . magical . . . beings," he said, nervously glancing into the audience and smiling apologetically at Remus who was listening with rapt attention.

"Well, as Madam Umbridge is no longer a standing member of the Wizengamot, I believe it is in the best interest for us to deny her request," Kingsley said firmly.

"Minister?" Mia spoke up. "If I may . . . I know it'll still pend on a proper investigation, but if Dolores Umbridge is convicted, shouldn't we look into each and every piece of legislation that she has put to the Wizengamot since . . . well . . . since she started working at the Ministry?" she suggested.

"Do you have any idea how long that would take?" Flint Sr. shouted. "To even begin to look for all the pieces of legislation…" he said, noting that, as he spoke, the young witch was reaching into her small bag again and removing a large stack of papers. "Am I'm to assume that you've already done it?" he asked, exasperated.

"I've been known to be quite organized, Mister Flint." Mia smiled politely at him. "I have here, organized by date and category, each piece of legislation ever written by Dolores Umbridge. The majority of which seems to be in relation to the control of the werewolf population, making me wonder if Madam Umbridge had a personal grudge against the magical beings, or perhaps a long unfulfilled fetish," she said with a grin.

There was a wave of amused chuckles that washed over the Wizengamot and she turned to send a wink at a gobsmacked Remus whose cheeks had turned red.

"Still, there are propositions in here relating to centaurs, merpeople, giants, and house-elves," she continued, "and there's no way to note which of these laws have been signed under an Imperius. Regardless, they are outdated, archaic, and discriminatory. I propose they all be rescinded immediately," she said firmly and dropped the large stack in front of Kingsley with a loud thud.

As predicted, there were arguments against her suggestion which she naturally had counter-arguments for.

"Because we shouldn't own the lakes where merpeople are living. They've _always _lived there and are not _renting _from wizards," she said, rolling her eyes when someone brought up the potential loss of underwater potion ingredients if left to the procurement of merfolk. "We should treaty with them and treat them with respect."

Ten minutes later she was shaking her head. "Hogwarts has a friendly giant living in the Forbidden Forest. With the exception of the war, there is no reason to believe that as long as we leave them alone, they won't just 'come in and gobble us all up'. Honestly!"

Fifteen minutes after that, she narrowed her gaze. "It's S.P.E.W.!" she snapped at Draco who grinned at her in reply before suggesting that perhaps a division be created in the D.R.C.M.C. for the benefit and welfare of house-elves, including legislation that would make it illegal for a wizard to abuse one.

"And will this new law have some sort of asinine acronym as well?" Peneus Parkinson asked, arms folded across his chest.

Draco sneered. "I hadn't thought what to call it."

"Dobby's Law," Harry suggested loudly from the audience, his stare meeting Draco's; the blond Slytherin gave a nod of understanding and agreement.

Finally, it came down to the werewolves. Even the most anti-blood purist Wizengamot members were afraid to even broach the subject of loosening their control on the "creatures" by a fraction of an inch. Mia, however, was resolute that she would not allow Kingsley's life debt to be fulfilled without this subject being addressed and put in the process of being resolved.

"They're not even allowed medical treatment!" Mia pointed out when someone — she didn't even bother noting names anymore — began arguing with her.

"For good reason! What if they infected others?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "Please . . . _please_," she begged, "tell me that the governing body of the world that I so very much love and respect, is not as stupid as to misunderstand something as utterly _simple _as the lycanthropic process. _Please, _tell me that you grown witches and wizards don't fall for the ridiculous myths and scary stories that first year Hogwarts students tell one another. I figured this out when I was a _third year_ for Circe's sake!"

Calling their intelligence into question had shut the majority of them up and she was given a chance to explain the details of how lycanthropy was spread, how it affected the body, and the brilliance of the Wolfsbane Potion.

"I should give you half the credit for that, by the way," Damocles said with a smirk.

"I'd settle for you insisting that the cost be lowered," Mia suggested.

"They're too bloody dangerous." Zabini shook her head. "I apologise, Potter, I know your bleeding Gryffindor heart is in the right place here," she said though the look on her face was less than sympathetic. "But they shouldn't be allowed in public buildings, hospitals, or schools. Could you imagine?"

"Yes," Mia nodded. "In fact, I went to school with a werewolf. As did many of you." She gestured to Elora herself, Damocles, and Adrian specifically. "Some of your children were then taught by one. And the lessons _he _gave them saved their lives in the middle of a war," she pointed out. "And no one knew who he was because he was safe every day of the month save for one."

Some looked shamed, others shocked.

"But what about that one day?" someone asked. "They need to be controlled. You can't just hope that it all works out and people won't die."

"Isn't that why the Werewolf Support Services was created?" Arthur asked curiously. "It's a department within the D.R.C.M.C. that's supposed to help werewolves find proper shelter for the full moon."

Mia nodded. "Yes, it's supposed to also help them locate decent employment, medical treatment, and support. But because of laws that Dolores Umbridge and _several others_," she said, eyeing Fudge, "put into place, it negated the entire purpose. Now, werewolves aren't allowed medical treatment. Now, werewolves aren't allowed to work. How are they supposed to shelter themselves from the full moon and protect the rest of you, if they have no money to buy a home or pay for the Wolfsbane Potion that would help them keep you safe? How are they supposed to trust a service to aid them, when they're not even allowed to seek medical treatment for self-inflicted wounds?"

"You can't trust them," Parkinson insisted. "Just look at the damage that they did in the last war. Many killed, mostly children." He sneered. "And _you _would have us release them into the population without even blinking."

"I would not," Mia hissed. "I would have the stigma of lycanthropy removed from our system. It's as antiquated as the idiocy of anti-Muggle-born theories. The Ministry serves Wizarding Britain, so _serve _them! Don't cast them out! Get rid of the Werewolf Capture Unit, remove laws that prevent witches and wizards infected with an illness from seeking treatment. If the stigma did not exist, then I believe werewolves would eagerly sign the Registry. Help them."

Many were swayed, but others still clearly torn by their fears or prejudices.

"There needs to be some regulation," Flint was saying, "some control and security. Even if it is an illness, as you say," he said, rolling his eyes, "we wouldn't just let a student infected with Dragon Pox or Spattergroit walk right into Hogwarts where they could pass it on to others."

"Then meet with the werewolves. Let them organise themselves. It used to be in the original Werewolf Code of Conduct that the Lycanthropes had a representative in the Wizengamot," Mia spoke up.

Fudge scoffed loudly. "You seem to have forgotten, Miss Potter —"

Mia scowled. "_Lady Black_ to you, Mister Fudge."

Fudge bristled and then cleared his throat. "The last werewolf that had any sway over their group was an unofficial Death Eater named Fenrir Greyback! A monster! And he is dead."

"Yes, he is," Mia said with a grateful smile that was tossed in Draco's direction. "But he was _not _the last werewolf that could lead."

"Oh, shite," Remus muttered from the audience. "I knew I should have stayed home today."

"Remus Lupin is not only an established Alpha wolf, but he spent two wars fighting for the side of Light," Mia insisted. "Put his life at risk countless times to work as a spy within the werewolf community at the request of wizards who didn't even think twice about his safety." She growled viciously, still quite bitter about Dumbledore and Moody putting Remus in such a situation. "But he did it while obeying every ridiculous law that came under the hand of Dolores Umbridge. He taught Harry Potter how to duel," she told them all. "Should we all be reminded _why _it was incredibly beneficial to us all that Harry Potter was well equipt to duel another wizard?" she asked with a defiant smirk on her face.

Parkinson, Flint, and Fudge all glared at her.

"For the record, he taught _me _how to duel as well," she said threateningly. "So, keep that in mind before anyone even _thinks _about saying anything insulting that I might know is illegal and against the ancient laws of magic. I've already set one witch on fire today and I didn't even break a sweat."

No one insulted Remus and, though they all agreed that Dolores's work at the Ministry needed to go under a severe investigation, by the end of the hour werewolves, at least, could go to St. Mungo's for medical treatment and to visit family members that were ill or injured. There was too much that needed to be done and a tolerant and accepting Wizarding Britain — like Rome — wasn't built in a day, but Remus was pulled up to the front of the floor and offered a job as Lycanthrope Liaison within the D.R.C.M.C.

oOoOoOo

The session broke for lunch and Mia soon found herself requesting a table for nine at a Muggle restaurant down the street from the Ministry. She was surrounded by a number of wizards that included her Pack, two Weasleys (Percy naturally elected to stay behind and help Kingsley with his growing to-do list), Damocles Belby, who was very eager to speak with Remus about the effects of Wolfsbane Potion, and Draco and Theodore Nott, who wanted to hear more about the witch's ideas regarding Azkaban regulations and property reinstatement for Pure-bloods related to Death Eaters.

"Draco's situation will be different since Voldemort had set up camp in his home for a time," Mia explained. "While it's offensive," she frowned, "there is a way to reinstate confiscated properties. Are you opposed to marriage, Theo?"

He smirked at her. "Are you asking?"

Draco scowled. "What's wrong with you?"

Theo chuckled. "Apologies," he said to them both, grinning at Sirius who was busy securing his arm around Mia's waist to assert himself. "I spent the summer in Italy with Blaise. His personality is a bit contagious," he offered. "I am not opposed to marriage," he answered the witch. "Are you suggesting an arrangement?"

Mia nodded. "Depending on the bonding ceremony used — which the Ministry has no control over — a witch bonded into a House is given the same rights as her husband, including that of his accumulated wealth. If you married the daughter of someone who _wasn't _a Death Eater, the Ministry would then be subjecting her and her family to the punishments bestowed upon you and yours." Mia smiled and took a sip from her water glass before continuing. "It would be a public relations disaster. The media would have a field day."

Sirius smirked. "And it just so happens, we have an in when it comes to the media."

"That's it?" Theo asked, shocked. "All I have to do is marry a non-Death Eater daughter and I can stop sleeping on the sofas of friends?"

Draco raised a brow. "Are you _really_? Which of your remaining friends, myself excluded, doesn't own a manor as large or larger than the one you're trying to reacquire?"

Theo waved Draco off. "Metaphorical sofa."

Mia laughed. "Do you have any witches in mind, Theo?"

He shook his head. "Looking to secure one for me?"

She grinned. "I'll ask around and see about making introductions for you. Tell me though, do you know what nargles are, Theo?"

oOoOoOo

When the Wizengamot session resumed, those who previously had doubts that it was being led by Mia, had those them put to rest when she put forth another stack of papers in front of Kingsley, Arthur, and Hyperion Greengrass with the Gringotts seal on them.

"When I went missing in 1979, I was presumed dead. Prior to my disappearance, I added Remus Lupin to my vaults and left him everything. I was recently informed that when my brother James went to settle my estate prior to the birth of his son, the Goblins had been told that werewolves were no longer allowed vault access that wasn't strictly their own," she smiled dangerously, "a small little note at the end of a vault regulation and taxation bill, written by —"

"Umbridge," Kingsley groaned. "Have the goblins returned the money?" he asked.

"Yes, but I request interest. That money was supposed to keep my beneficiary in a comfortable life in my long absence. Nineteen years to be exact. The lack of that money, in addition to difficulty finding employment thanks to Dolores's anti-werewolf legislation caused some long term problems that I worked very hard with the goblins to try and avoid. They, for the record, are not very happy to know that they were manipulated by a witch to be used against another group of beings," she added knowing that the threat of the goblin horde was not something to be taken lightly. "Luckily, I have a friend who works with them and was able to speak on behalf of wizards and werewolves in order to prevent . . . you know . . . another war," she said, smiling softly at Bill Weasley.

Hyperion sighed. "And the goblins aren't willing to pay interest, I assume?"

"No, why should they?" Mia shook her head. "Nor are they willing to cover reparations that I'm . . . _demanding_," she said, speaking carefully. "However, as Dolores Umbridge is on her way to Azkaban, I can't imagine what the Wizengamot plans on doing with her vaults."

"You want us to just seize the woman's vaults?" Fudge shouted in shock.

"Why not?" Mia asked. "It's for reparations. Isn't that what the Ministry has seized Death Eater vaults and properties for? To make amends for wrongs done to victims across Wizarding Britain. I am not asking for everything in Dolores's vault go to Remus, that would be ridiculous. But the interest should be paid off," she insisted. "And perhaps the rest should be donated to the Werewolf Support Services to help fund actual aid that will be provided to lycanthropes who can't afford the Wolfsbane Potion."

"That won't be necessary," Damocles spoke up. "I've decided to release the patent to several local Potion Masters in order to keep the price as low as possible. Though, I'd like to create a program that offers it for free to those who can't afford to pay at all," he said. "And that money could instead be put to good use by purchasing the ingredients."

Mia smiled at her old friend with genuine gratitude.

"Put it in the notes," Kingsley said to Percy.

"Speaking of reparations and Death Eater properties," Draco said, standing up. "As many of you know, I've been waiting for quite some time for Malfoy Manor to be returned to me and there appears to have been a bit of a holdup."

Parkinson glared at Draco, clearly holding a personal grudge against the young wizard who had somehow worked his way out of a betrothal contract to his daughter, Pansy. "Malfoy Manor is being set aside to cover the costs of reparations for the victims of Lucius Malfoy, known Death Eater."

"_Dead_ Death Eater," Draco corrected. "And the reparations to his personal victims will be covered from _my _personal vaults. I believe there was a statement about it in the _Daily Prophet_ next to my betrothal announcement to Astoria Greengrass," he threw in with a grin as he stared down Pansy's father. "Then again, if I remember there _was _a bit of a media problem that day." His focus turned to Mia who laughed at him. "The Ministry has no right to hold my home hostage."

Parkinson rolled his eyes and whispered something to Flint.

"Minister," Draco spoke. "My mother and I have worked tirelessly over the past several months and have decided that when Malfoy Manor is returned to us, it will be demolished to make room for several new constructions. A smaller home for my family, of course, but considering the property is so large, we thought to build an orphanage to help the children who've been affected by the war," he said, pushing forward the detailed plans. "There will be an announcement in tomorrow's _Daily Prophet,_ actually, and I've procured two early copies." He handed over two front page copies of the following morning's paper with two very different headlines.

The first read:

_'MINISTRY APPROVES MALFOY FAMILY'S DESIGNS FOR ORPHANAGE'_

The second, however, read:

'_ORPHANS OF WAR STARVING. WHAT IS THE MINISTRY DOING?'_

Kingsley's eyes widened and he turned to look at Mia who smiled up innocently at him.

"This is ridiculous, Shacklebolt!" Fudge stood up. "The little Mudb —" he stopped himself as his eyes widened at Mia's grin, surely appearing eager to have another round on the floor with a new opponent. "She's trying to manipulate the entire Wizengamot! She's behind it all! Next she'll be asking for money for herself!"

Mia smiled. "Now that you mention it," she said. "I _was _personally tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. I'm curious as to what's happening with _those _vaults."

Kingsley sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I _could _file a claim," Mia offered.

The Minister for Magic groaned. "Mia . . . Miss Potter . . . you have you own vaults and inheritance from the Potter family, which I know for a fact was one of the wealthiest families in Britain, third if I remember correctly," he said, looking at Draco who clearly stood as the Head of House for the _first _wealthiest. "And you're soon to marry into the second wealthiest family." Kingsley turned his attention to Sirius who sat in the audience, smiling politely at the Minister, his dragonhide boots kicked up on the pew in front of him. "Mia, what would you even do with the money from the Lestrange vaults?" he asked her.

"That's really no one's business but mine. I was assaulted, the victim of war," she said clearly. "Did the Ministry have plans for the Lestrange vaults? Perhaps raises for the employees?" she asked. "Or a Wizengamot bonus?"

Some members suddenly averted her gaze. _Thought so_, she silently told herself.

"If we're all chatting up about paybacks for unfair treatment in a time of war, I have some suggestions," a voice called from the audience and all eyes turned to see a glaring Sirius Black.

Kingsley sighed loudly and turned to look at Mia and Draco, noting immediately their lack of shock over Sirius's outburst._ This was planned_. He was being played by a Slytherin barely out of Hogwarts, and a bunch of snakes dressed up in lion skins. Had Mia not called in his bloody life debt, the Minister for Magic would have ended the sessions immediately, perhaps to scold the lot of them. As it was, he was bound to serve until the debt repaid.

"How much, exactly, would twelve years worth of room and board in Azkaban cost?" Sirius asked pointedly.

Parkinson sneered. "And who would pay the reparations, Mister Black?"

"_Lord_ Black," Sirius corrected.

Draco and Theo snickered from their Wizengamot seats like a couple of third years who giggled during Quidditch practice any time their Captain said _balls_.

"As for who would pay me what's owed," Sirius began and then narrowed his eyes. "And it _is_ owed, and expected to be paid," he said, his attention turning to Kingsley to make his point. "The arresting Head of the D.M.L.E. would be responsible, wouldn't he?" he asked.

"Everyone knows that Bartemius Crouch is dead; killed by his son," Parkinson said, rolling his eyes before casting a brief look at Draco as if to make a point about patricide. The blond Slytherin didn't even blink at the silent accusation and attached insult.

"What was done with the Crouch family vaults?" Mia asked curiously.

"They were put into Ministry funds," Percy answered after looking over some of his notes.

"So the Ministry should then pay," the witch suggested, ignoring the gasps around her. "Unless of course the Wizengamot would prefer to put the blame of sending an innocent man to prison for twelve years on someone else?" she asked. "Wasn't there a _second _Department Head involved in the fact that my fiance never received a fair trial?" she questioned innocently.

Cornelius Fudge turned purple, but that, and all other colour drained from his face when it appeared his fellow Wizengamot members were eager to turn on him because of money. _A lot_ of money. "I . . . I . . ." he struggled to find words. "This is madness!" he finally shouted. "Shacklebolt, the rest of Britain will hear about this! Hear that the new Minister for Magic is being manipulated by money-grubbing greedy children!" he snapped. "Perhaps we need another election!" he suggested loudly.

Some agreed.

Mia put a quick stop to it.

"If that's how you feel, Mister Fudge." She nodded her head. "It sounds to me like _I'm _not very welcome here."

Fudge nodded his head firmly. "I would say so!"

She sighed softly. "Sirius, Harry, how would you feel about moving to France?" she asked them. "It's clear we're not wanted here in Britain. Perhaps we should close out our Gringotts vaults as well," she added thoughtfully. A few members of the Wizengamot began to stir. "Draco, would you care to accompany us since you're apparently nothing but a dirty Death Eater to half of these people and a tool for manipulation for the others?" she asked with a tender smile that widened when Draco stood, nodded, and reached for his cloak as though ready to leave.

"I wonder what the goblin horde will do once the vaults of the Black, Potters, and Malfoys have left them," Mia thought aloud. "Don't they make up the majority of Gringotts? Hmm . . . what do you think that would do to the economy of Wizarding Britain?" Mia's amber eyes turned on Cornelius Fudge who was instantly faced with the wrath of the _entire _Wizengamot.

Voldemort had taken their dignity, their lives, their rights and their freedoms.

Mia threatened to take their money.

"'_Profit is sweet, even if it comes from deception'_," she later told Remus as they Floo'd home from the Ministry, each with a stack of papers to go through in regards to the many laws and pieces of legislation that they'd proposed themselves and others they'd requested to be rewritten or banished entirely.

The werewolf had laughed, not so loudly as Sirius had done in the middle of the Wizengamot chamber when Peneus Parkinson outright asked Mia if she were holding the Wizengamot hostage, and she had replied, "Of course not. I'm purchasing it in exchange for your own money, with interest."

It made her a target, of course, but with Death Eaters all dead or in Azkaban these days, there didn't appear to be anyone with actual power willing to go up against a woman who held family connections within the three most wealthy families in Wizarding Britain. Never mind that she was marrying a supposed madman, was the sister of the Chosen One, and somehow had the Death Eater Malfoy heir in the palm of her hand.

When Kingsley confronted her after the session ended — after she _allowed _it to end — he'd asked what the hell she had been thinking.

Mia smiled at the man, shook his hand in thanks for all he'd done for her that day, and simply said, "I'm going to help you rebuild the Ministry. Kings. Rebuild our entire community. I'm the bad guy that they're all afraid of now. You're the good guy who will let them keep their Galleons by placating me from time to time by passing laws granting rights to magical creatures, banishing stigmas, and granting fair trials to everyone. Oh, don't pout, Kings." She grinned. "You'll get wrinkles."

* * *

**A/N**: Mia's list is officially crossed off!


	148. Chapter 148

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** For those who've been reading for a long time, you'll know that there's one question I've refused to answer. I think I just wanted to have at least one thing be a happy surprise. That question is answered in this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Eight: Mistress and Masters

"_...For one so small,_  
_You seem so strong_  
_My arms will hold you,_  
_Keep you safe and warm_  
_This bond between us_  
_Can't be broken_  
_I will be here_  
_Don't you cry…"_  
_(You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins)_

* * *

**January 30th, 1999**

**Number 12 Grimmauld Place - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"Over my dead body!" Mia snapped.

Remus walked into the drawing room to find his two best friends yelling at one another, wincing at the level of noise as his headache had been taken to a new level. He dropped himself on the sofa, his eyes heavy and red-rimmed. "What are you two arguing about now?"

Mia looked down and frowned at Remus. "I'm sorry, love." She sighed. "I know the moon's tomorrow. We didn't mean to yell. Do you need a Pain Potion?" she asked and Remus replied by holding up an empty vial that he'd yet to toss. "We're arguing about where to have the wedding ceremony."

Sirius shrugged. "Molly and Arthur put together a nice spread is all I'm saying."

"I don't want to get married at the Burrow," Mia insisted firmly. "I love Molly dearly, but I am not going to let her control my wedding. I was there when she put together Bill and Fleur's. It was a nightmare and that was on top of dealing with a war, bringing you back from the dead, and making plans to hunt down Horcruxes. I imagine with free reign and no impending Dark Lord, Molly Weasley would lose complete control and drive me to St. Mungo's."

Sirius chuckled at her melodramatic attitude. "Minerva's offered Hogwarts grounds as long as we can wait until July."

"Absolutely not." The witch shook her head. "I want to get married on the Summer Solstice. Plus, it'll fall a week before the full moon which gives us enough time to have a short honeymoon and be back in time to be with Remus."

The werewolf frowned. "Please don't schedule your honeymoon around my needs. I can be alone."

Sirius scoffed. "Over my dead body."

Mia nodded her head in agreement. They still argued constantly about their relationship, their living arrangements, future careers, money, and who did the dishes last, but the one thing they never argued about was taking care of family. It was a silent agreement that after leaving Remus alone for so many years, the pair of them would never abandon him on the full moon again as long as they lived.

"We'll _both _be dead if we can't find a place to get married." She groaned and took a seat on the couch beside Remus, scooting closer and closer until he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she cuddled into his chest, pouting. Sirius rolled his eyes at her and chuckled softly. "I wish the Manor still…" Mia began and then sat up straight, "wait . . . I've been meaning to ask for months. What happened to the Manor? I don't know why but I always just assumed it was destroyed in the war."

Sirius shook his head. "No way. James put up blood wards. Only Potters could get in and out of that thing once he moved to Godric's Hollow permanently."

Her amber eyes widened with delight. "We could get married at the Manor! Like Jamie and Lily did!" She said loudly, throwing an apologetic smile to Remus when he cringed at her volume and grasped his forehead, waiting for the Pain Potion to kick in.

"What's going on?" Harry asked as he walked into the room, summoned by the shouting and shrieking.

"We're getting married at Potter Manor!" Mia declared with a bright grin. "I can't wait to show it to you Harry." She beamed at him. "It's the most beautiful place in the world, and there are gorgeous orchards out back and a river that cuts through the land —"

"We have a Manor?" Harry asked, confused.

Mia's smile faded and she stood up, walking across the room to smack Sirius on the arm. "Sirius! What the hell have you spent the last few years telling Harry about regarding his family?"

Sirius recoiled from her smack, laughing as he said, "Mostly embarrassing stuff about Prongs."

"You're impossible." She rolled her eyes and tugged on the sleeve of his shirt. "Come on, I want to go and see it. It's been twenty years and I'm sure it'll be in serious need of a good cleaning."

"Could just hire some house-elves to do it," Sirius said and when Mia turned around to stare at him with a wide horrified stare he sighed. "What? I said _hire_, as in _pay _them."

Remus frowned. "What's wrong love?"

"I didn't . . ." Mia shook her head and then whispered, "Tilly. Another casualty I couldn't protect and haven't even thought about . . ." She frowned and forced herself not to cry. "Where . . . where is she buried?" she asked aloud.

Sirius scratched at the stubble on his face. "Umm . . . I don't know."

Mia looked over to the werewolf on the sofa. "Remus?"

"No idea."

"What do you mean?" She gaped. "Where is my house-elf buried?"

"I . . ." Remus shrugged and looked to the Animagus for help. "Sirius?"

"I didn't . . ." Sirius shook his head as he thought back to the night that James and Lily died. He cringed briefly at the memory that was thankfully fading over time. "I didn't see her body at Godric's Hollow," he said quietly. "She wasn't . . . she wasn't staying with Prongs and Lily."

"Where the hell was she?" Mia snapped.

"Potter Manor," Sirius replied. "Prongs had her staying there."

"What?!" Mia gasped. "You mean to tell me that when my brother died and blood wards activated, no one thought to maybe use Harry to check on Tilly?!" she screamed.

Remus winced.

"Well, I was a little preoccupied, kitten. Azkaban. Remember?" Sirius said.

All attention turned to Remus.

"Don't look at me," he said, hands up in surrender. "I didn't even have a say in the funerals. Dumbledore did everything."

"Shite," Sirius said under his breath. "If she's . . ." he mumbled. "Okay, all we need is Harry and we'll Apparate outside the Manor and get through the wards. Kitten, I swear if I'd have known there was a chance that she was . . . I would have broken into the Manor long before this. But . . . I'm not a Potter and can't get inside."

Mia stared at Sirius and shook her head. "Everyone up," she insisted, reaching for Remus's hand and then tugging Harry forward once the werewolf stood close by. She turned and looked at Sirius. "You are an idiot."

"You're terrible at flirting," he answered.

"Sirius . . . ugh!" Mia growled at him and reached up, taking hold of the silver chain around his neck and staring at him incredulously.

"Oh," Sirius said, cringing as understanding hit him. "Yeah, idiot," he nodded in agreement.

"Everyone hold on tight," Mia instructed, placing Remus and Harry's hands on the silver chain as she reached for her wand. "_Portus_!"

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor**

The emergency Portkey dumped them all into the center of the drawing room right in front of the fireplace as it had done with Sirius many years ago when he'd escaped Grimmauld Place for the first time. Despite the short travel making her slightly nauseated, Mia was the first to her feet followed by Harry who stood and looked around the room with bright green eyes in awe.

"Holy shite," he mumbled as he stared at the circular room. "It looks just like Gryffindor Tower," he commented noting that the large windows were draped in crimson and gold crushed velvet curtains. All of the furniture was made of a dark wood, and the sofas and chairs were covered in pillows. "And it's huge! We . . . er . . . Hermione, this place is yours?"

"Yours, technically." She shrugged. "Jamie left everything to you."

"I . . ." Harry mumbled. "I don't . . . this is too big," he said, suddenly feeling very, very small. A Manor was much different than a cupboard under the stairs.

"Get used to it," Sirius said as he stood up, helping Remus in the process. "If this place is habitable, we're out of Grimmauld Place. I say we burn it to the ground, but the connecting Muggle homes might take issue with that.

"Tilly!" Mia shouted down the hallway. "Tilly!" She turned back, tears in her eyes. "I swear to Merlin if something happened to her I'll —"

There was a soft pop in the corner and they all turned to spot a small, spritely looking house-elf wearing a clean tea towel for clothing. Her bright blue eyes stared up at Mia's face with awe and wonder before a large smile overtook her. "Mistress?"

"Oh, Godric . . ." Mia gasped and fell to her knees in front of the little elf. "Tilly?" she asked and then reached out, pulling the small creature into a tight hug that Tilly reciprocated immediately; large tears blinked away from her tennis-ball-sized eyes.

"Tilly has waited a very long time to see her Mistress again," the little elf whispered softly, stroking the back of Mia's hair like she used to do when she was little.

Mia pulled away and laughed, wiping the tears from her own face. "Tilly, I'm so sorry," she said. "If I'd have known that you'd . . . that you were here I would have come as soon as possible. I didn't even think," she said and then finally took a good look around the house. "Mother of . . . Tilly, the Manor looks just like it did twenty years ago."

The elf shrugged. "Tilly keeps busy."

Mia frowned as she looked Tilly over, noting that the elf had aged, but not very much. Unlike Kreacher, who had been left to his own devices for years, Tilly was clean and looked quite sane. "You've been here all this time alone? Tilly, you should have left."

Tilly shook her head. "Master told Tilly to stay," she said firmly, emphasizing her statement by pointing at the ground.

"Dammit, Jamie," Mia hissed.

Tilly narrowed her gaze and growled. "Mistress must not curse Master," she insisted and then patted Mia on the head like an obedient pet when the witch looked contrite. "Everyone knows who Mistress is now?" Tilly asked. "Tilly can speak of it?"

Mia nodded, smiling as she felt the elf's relief. "Yes, Tilly. You can do whatever pleases you."

"_Anything_ that pleases Tilly?" she asked nervously, twisting her tea towel in her fingers. When Mia nodded, Tilly grinned. "Good," she said and then turned to look at Sirius and Remus. She held out her hand and a rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet appeared in it and she stepped forward, whacking the wizards on the legs with the paper. When she couldn't reach their heads, she levitated the paper upwards and used her magic to thwap them repeatedly.

"Ow!" Sirius shouted, covering his head with his arms. "What the fuck!?"

"Ow!" Remus winced. "Tilly! Stop!"

"Bad boys!" The house-elf reprimanded them. "Tilly watches them yell at each other, makes Master and Mistress Lily sad! Mistress said to trust each other! Theys bad wizards! Needs be punished! Tilly spanks them!" she said, and while the paper continued to hit them over the heads repeatedly, Tilly made her way around to firmly smack Sirius on his arse.

The Animagus chuckled. "Careful Tilly, I might like — Ow!" He jumped away from her. "Not so fucking hard!"

"Tilly does as Tilly does!" she snapped at him, vanishing the paper with a snap of her fingers.

"Pushy elf!" Sirius growled.

Remus had the grace to at least appear apologetic. "We're very sorry, Tilly."

She smiled up at the werewolf sweetly. "Tilly makes Master Remus his favourite chocolate cake," she promised before turning to look at Sirius with narrowed eyes. "You . . ." she pointed at him, "is getting nothing!"

Mia grinned. "Tilly, I've punished Sirius quite a bit since I've returned."

The house-elf nodded in approval. "Tilly sees the bond," she said, gesturing between Sirius and Mia. "Very strong. Lots of practice," she said knowingly, offering Mia a coy smirk. When her focus fell on Mia's hand, she smiled brightly and gasped. "And he gives Mistress her Grandmother's ring." She beamed at the sight. "She was a bad witch, but now a good witch wears it. Mistress brings honor to the House of Black. Makes it noble again."

She turned to look back at Sirius, perhaps finally in approval, but her attention was drawn to a head of messy black hair and bespectacled green eyes. Tilly let go of Mia's hand and slowly approached the young wizard, her mouth open and her eyes soft. "Oh," she breathed. "Harry Potter," Tilly said the name with sweet reverence.

Harry smiled awkwardly. "Umm . . . nice to meet you, Tilly."

"Meet?" Tilly snorted. "Tilly does not meet Harry Potter," she insisted as she walked up, taking his hand in both of hers and then stroking the back of it, petting him affectionately. Harry was shocked to feel an oddly familiar feeling of comfort come over him. "Young Master Harry was Tilly's baby." She smiled brightly. "Tilly takes care of him when he was very small."

"What?" Harry said. "You . . . you did?"

She nodded her head, her ears flapping with the motion. "Tilly changes nappies and makes food even when Mistress Lily says not to. But Tilly doesn't pick up the toys." She shook her head. "That be Master's job. Mistress Lily says so."

Sirius chuckled at the memory of James traipsing all over Potter Cottage, collecting Harry's discarded toys.

"Tilly." Mia frowned. "You know that Jamie and Lily —"

"Tilly knows," the elf said quickly, cutting Mia off. "House of Potter strong again." She nodded her large head and smiled, stroking Harry's hand again. "Has a new Master now."

"Er . . ." Harry cleared his throat. "I'm not . . . Tilly I'm not your Master," he said and looked up at Mia in a panic. "Hermione, should I give her clothes?"

Mia laughed. "She'll bite you if you even try."

Harry smirked.

"She's not joking, Harry," Sirius insisted.

"Tilly knows who Tilly belongs to," the elf said and looked over at Mia with a lovingly devoted smile. "Mistress and . . ." she turned and glared at Sirius, "that one," she said, pointing at him.

"I'm 'that one'?" Sirius grimaced. "Remember when she used to like me?" he asked Remus.

"Tilly likes him again when he marries Mistress like a good boy," the elf promised, releasing Harry's hand to walk over to Mia, taking her hand instead and admiring the opal ring there. "Mistress Dorea insisted."

Mia blinked. "My mother was . . ." she began to ask and then rolled her eyes. "_Of course,_ my mother had planned our wedding. Why wouldn't she?"

Tilly grinned and snapped her fingers. A large stack of rolled parchments appeared on the table, all sealed with crimson wax and tied with a green ribbon. "Tilly kept all the plans!"

A thought suddenly occurred to the young witch. "Tilly, how old were we when Mum started planning this?" she asked.

"Mistress went to Hogwarts for the fourth time."

"Fourth year?!" Mia gaped.

Remus frowned. "You started dating _me _fourth year. That's kind of insulting that your mother started planning your wedding to Sirius while you were dating me."

"Mistress Dorea knew many things," Tilly said. "Knew Master Remus would find his mate." She smiled up at him. "Tilly sees the bond," she noted aloud, pointing at Remus. "Tilly wants to see the baby," she insisted.

Remus laughed at that and reached for his pocket where he kept a small photograph of Teddy..

"Mum knew about me being from the future," Mia explained to Harry. "She knew who you were, who Remus was, and what Sirius was to me, even back then."

"So let me get this straight . . ." Sirius looked down at the elf. "I'll be your Master when I marry Mia?"

Tilly nodded. "Like Mistress Lily was."

"What about Harry?" he asked.

Tilly rolled her eyes dramatically and Sirius couldn't help but wonder if Mia had picked up the habit from the elf. "Tilly is a _Black _elf. She passes from Mistress to Mistress," she said. "Tilly served Mistress Lily because Mistress Mia says so. Young Master Harry not need Tilly. Has his own elf."

"I do?" Harry blinked in confusion. No one had told him he had an elf. "You mean Kreacher?" He cringed at the thought. While the older elf seemed to have been a bit better by the end of the war, his obsession with Regulus and his distaste for both Sirius and Hermione had been a breaking point and the residents of Grimmauld Place had been glad to be well rid of him.

Tilly apparently agreed. "Tilly not say _that_! Kreacher is a bad elf! Crazy elf. Kreacher been knocked in the head too many times." She shook her head. "Tilly meant Dobby."

"What?" Harry's green eyes flew wide open. "Dobby?"

"Tilly, Dobby isn't Harry's house-elf," Mia said softly, suddenly worried that perhaps she'd been left alone for far too long. "Harry freed Dobby from Lucius Malfoy years ago."

"Tilly knows this." The elf waved Mia off incredulously, and Mia couldn't help but feel like her intelligence was being called into question.

"How?" she asked.

"Dobby is Tilly's brother," the elf said to the shock of everyone in the room. "Dobby visits. Tells Tilly all about brave Harry Potter who fights Dark Wizards. Dobby protects Harry Potter. Tilly says so."

Harry's jaw fell open and he swallowed down some bubbling emotions. "You . . . _you _told Dobby to protect me?" he asked, kneeling down in front of Tilly in gratitude.

"Dobby do it anyway." Tilly shrugged and smiled at the messy-haired wizard in front of her. "He loves his Master Harry."

"I don't understand. I'm not his Master," Harry insisted. "I don't . . . wouldn't actually own a house-elf."

Tilly smiled. "Young Master is cute," she said, leaning forward to pinch his cheek. "Thinks he has choice. Dobby does as Dobby does," she said simply. "He bond with Harry Potter right away, sock still in hand." She nodded. "You wizards, you not know what free means. Clothes not make us free."

Shocked by the new information in regards to something that happened over six years ago, Harry stood up and called out, "Dobby!"

The small elf appeared with a loud crack, looking immediately to Harry with a bright smile. He wore a purple scarf around his neck, three sets of mismatched socks on each foot, and a crooked hat that only covered one of his bat-like ears. "The Great Harry Potter calls for Dobby? Dobby loves —" the elf beamed at Harry until Tilly stepped in front of him. His ears flattened against his head and his eyes widened. "Uh oh," he said.

Tilly folded her arms and looked at him sternly. "Dobby?"

"Tilly," Dobby greeted her anxiously.

Tilly frowned and then smacked Dobby on the head. "Dobby is a bad elf! Dobby lies to his Master abouts being free!"

"Ow!" Dobby covered his head and then growled, reaching up and swatting at the other elf as she continued to hit him. "Tilly lies to her Mistress abouts being Mistress!" he said as though tattling on her, looking over and pointing at Mia.

"Tilly knows better than Dobby!" the female elf insisted.

Dobby scoffed. "Tilly likes to _think _so."

"This might be the funniest shite I've ever seen before in my life," Sirius commented with a grin.

"Tilly is a bad elf!" Dobby shot back at her. "Tilly not tell her Mistress who she is! Young Miss grows up thinking she's Muggle!"

"Tilly not _supposed _to!" she shouted. "Dobby not supposed to know but Dobby nasty snoop!"

"Dobby, did you know who I was this whole time?" Mia asked him.

The house-elf turned, removing the hat from his head and worrying it in his hands as he faced her, slowly nodding his large head. "Dobby knew," he confessed.

"Did you know that giving elves clothes wouldn't free them?" she asked him curiously. "All throughout Hogwarts, all those hats and scarves I knitted."

Dobby shrugged. "Clothes is complicated," he said quietly. "Elves pass down in families. Clothes free elves from bad wizards," he said, looking back at Harry with admiration. "Then elves goes back to good wizards. Young Miss liked to knit. Dobby likes to wear hats and scarves. Hogwarts house-elves not know better."

"You let Dumbledore pay you," Mia pointed out.

Tilly's eyes widened and she turned to glare at the other elf. "Dobby did what?!"

Dobby flushed and ran to hide behind Harry.

"Dobby!" Harry looked down at him. "Did you . . . am I your Master?"

"Dobby . . ." The little elf bit his lip anxiously. "Dobby is always happy to serve Harry Potter, sir."

Harry sighed in frustration. "Dobby, I don't want you to serve me," he insisted. "I thought . . . I thought we were friends."

Dobby's large eyes widened further and tears prickled the edges. "Harry Potter thinks . . . thinks that Dobby is . . . his friend?" He sniffled once before he started crying. As he wept, dripping large tears onto the hardwood floor, he made his way toward the fireplace and reached for the poker.

"Oh, no," Tilly said, rolling her eyes.

"Dobby stop!" Harry yelled just as Dobby gripped the poker tightly in hand. "I forbid you to punish yourself!"

Dobby halted immediately.

Tilly grinned. "Young Master Harry is a smart Master," she said affectionately. "Young Master saved Dobby from bad Malfoys. Dobby belonged to Young Miss Cissa. She give husband gift of house-elf. He a bad wizard."

"He's also dead." Mia snarled.

"Suffer much?" Tilly asked.

"His son basically cut him in half when he threatened Narcissa," she replied casually.

Tilly nodded. "That be the Black blood," she said proudly. "Good blood, bad tempers." Her attention turned back to Harry and she spoke clearly. "Harry Potter freed Dobby, Dobby bond with Harry Potter."

"Dobby, aren't you supposed to ask before starting a bond with a new Master or Mistress?" Remus asked curiously.

The little elf shrugged. "Dobby does as Dobby does."

oOoOoOo

"Can you feel the magic?" Mia asked with a smile as she slipped out of her shoes to dig her toes into the grass outside in the orchards, beneath the mass canopy of trees.

"Is that normal?" Harry asked her as he walked up to stand at her side, looking over the large expanse of land that apparently belonged to him.

"Two sealed bondings took place right here," she told him. "Your parents were married just right over there," she gestured with a bright smile, the memory in her mind as though it were only months ago, which for her, it was, "and the Pack Bond was sealed over there," she said, gesturing to a small enclosure of trees. "I wouldn't be surprised if the residual magic didn't stick around for one hundred years. Especially after Sirius and I are married here."

"I think it'll be beautiful, Hermione." Harry smiled at her. "Out of curiosity . . . how is a Pack Bond sealed?"

Mia smirked. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to, Harry."

He cringed. "Is it that bad?"

"Ginny would want to know every detail," she replied with a knowing grin.

Harry grimaced. "Understood."

"I want to move back," she said, changing the subject and nodding her head. "Immediately. I don't think I ever want to step foot in Grimmauld Place again."

Harry laughed. "I should probably tell you then, that when you said you were going to take a walk around the orchards, Sirius and Remus were transfiguring boxes so they could go and pack everything up. Dobby went with them. I still don't know how I feel about . . . owning a house-elf."

"I don't think Dobby has given you much choice." She smirked. "Cherish him and the bond. I can't tell you how happy I am to know that Tilly survived."

"Mistress call for Tilly?" the house-elf said as she popped into the orchards between Mia and Harry.

Mia chuckled. "No, Tilly, you're fine. Why don't you take a few days off."

Tilly glared at Mia. "Mistress thinks she's very funny," was all she said before her defiant eyes began looking nervous. "Tilly has . . . has something for Mistress. Young Master can see if he wishes," she said, glancing up at Harry, anxiously tugging on the end of one ear as she removed a sealed envelope from out of thin air and slowly handed it up toward Mia.

Mia recognised the handwriting on the envelope immediately and her heart caught in her throat. "Tilly . . ." she choked out. "Tilly what is this?"

"Mistress Lily leaves it," Tilly whispered and then Disapparated away.

"My Mum left you a letter?" Harry asked, his brows furrowed as he looked at the writing on the envelope that had 'Mia Potter' addressed on the front in crimson script, the back had been sealed with gold wax, the sigil of House Potter.

Mia broke the seal immediately and, hands shaking, removed a folded piece of parchment, opening it to reveal more of Lily's handwriting. "Mother of magic . . ." she whispered in awe, cleared her throat, and then began reading aloud:

"_My dearest Mia, sister, sister-in-law, and favoured Marauder wrangler . . ." _Mia chuckled softly._ "How strange it is to write a letter to someone who is supposed to be dead. You've been gone for almost two years now and still it doesn't feel like it's real. Which, I suppose it's not because you're not really gone, are you? Are you? I learned some funny things about house-elves this week. First, house-elves call their Masters and Mistresses only by that title, referring to others by their titles followed by names to differentiate. Did you know that even though Tilly calls James, 'Master', she refers to me as 'Mistress Lily'? My curious nature got the better of me and I asked our favourite little elf why that was and she informed me that a house-elf only takes on a new Master or Mistress when it is either freed or it's previous Master or Mistress dies. Surprised I said, 'But Tilly, even though I don't care to be your official Mistress if you don't want me to be, you do know that Mia died, don't you?' And do you know what our favourite little elf told me? A fantastical story about a witch I once knew, a Time-Turner, and a letter from a werewolf._

_"Oh, Mia. Is it true? I want it to be true. I asked Tilly for proof because it seems just… insane. She said she didn't know where the supposed letter was, but that she'd read it before and recited it to me from memory. I asked her why she hadn't said anything to any of us before now, and she says that dead or not, people needed to mourn you because you were gone, even if one day you would come back. I want you to come back. I'd like to wait for you to come back. But I don't think I'll see you again, will I?_

_"The letter Tilly read to me from memory never mentioned James or myself. Remus wrote it, talked about Sirius, so I can only assume that sometime between now and then we die. I think… I think I'm okay with that. Do you know why dear sister of mine and fellow descendant of the magically disinclined? Because Tilly says that Harry lives. Oh, Mia. I can't even begin to tell you how worried I've been. This war is horrible and I've been nothing but a mess of nerves, forcing myself to enjoy motherhood as I'm supposed to but instead I feel like an anxious lioness, hovering over her cub and searching in the shadows for predators. Knowing that he makes it out of this war has taken the weight of the world from my shoulders."_

Mia tore her focus away from the letter briefly to wipe at the tears that were obscuring her vision, fearing they would drip onto the parchment and smudge the ink of Lily's familiar handwriting. She smiled when she felt Harry's hand on her shoulder. "Keep reading," he pleaded.

_"Mia, I wish you could see this little boy. The Potter hair and the brightest green eyes in the world. He looks so very sweet and innocent when cuddled in my arms, or riding James's shoulders, but you know the very moment that Sirius walked into the room Harry's eyes light up and I can just see trouble. The pair of them are impossible to deal with, but I love it. I wish Sirius came by more, but he, Remus, and Peter are always away on missions and have been since shortly after Harry's birth. _

"_Mia, they are such a mess without you. Remus has lost the sparkle in his eyes and Sirius is an empty shell of a man. Tilly and that letter assured me that everything will work out for you all, and that brings me relief. To know that you'll come back to them and pull them out of this horrible darkness. To know that the war will be over one day and that our side will be victorious. To know that Harry will have you as a friend, and speaking as someone who grew up with the privilege of such an acquaintance, I can say that my little boy is in for a treat._

"_Take care of him for me, Mia. He's the most precious thing in the world. Take care of Remus and Sirius, and yourself as well. Mostly, be happy. Dorea once told me that it was the quality of years, not the number that we're all given, so if you really are still alive somewhere just waiting to come home, please fill your life with quality. Fill it with love. It's a powerful kind of magic, isn't it? Love, Lily._"

* * *

**A/N**: This was my original plan for Mia to have closure with James and Lily, however, I then realised how much more important it would be for Mia to connect through the Resurrection Stone with Jamie, and I ended up going with both ideas in the end. I hope it worked.


	149. Chapter 149

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I can't believe the story is quickly coming to a close. I'm sad but relieved at the same time to be honest. Check the author's notes at the bottom to see how Debt of Time will continue.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Nine: Red Letters

"_...So you wanna play with magic_  
_Boy, you should know what you're falling for_  
_Baby do you dare to do this?_  
_Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse_  
_Are you ready for, ready for_  
_A perfect storm, perfect storm_  
_Cause once you're mine, once you're mine_  
_There's no going back…"_  
_(Dark Horse - Katy Perry)_

* * *

**February 14th, 1999**

**Potter Manor**

Despite Mia's desire to never return to Grimmauld Place, the move transition was slower than she hoped. They had to make sure every item that left the old Black Manor wasn't cursed or had any lingering Dark Magic. In addition to settling back into Potter Manor, Grimmauld Place needed to be secured so no one ever accidentally stumbled upon it. Remus, Bill, and Sirius set to work on protective wards and permanent Muggle Repelling Charms, and not to mention, making the site unplottable. By the time they were done, the location of the place that had tried to swallow Sirius whole was only known to himself, and he swore he would carry the secret of it to his grave.

When Valentine's Day rolled around, Harry was prepared to be miserable. Inclimate weather, in addition to repairs still being made in Hogsmeade, meant that the students at Hogwarts were confined to the castle for the holiday, and Harry wouldn't be able to see Ginny. Draco, likewise, was prevented from visiting Astoria, but adequately prepared for a pureblood courtship, he was not as affected as Harry clearly was.

Mia, due to the boys loneliness and her own distaste for the holiday, decided to have a small housewarming party at the Manor, inviting everyone over for an early lunch, giving them all a chance to visit with one another, while still leaving time for the couples to go out later that night. Mia insisted that she and Sirius had no plans and were more than happy to watch Teddy (along with Harry) so that Remus and Tonks could have a night out and about in the town.

Unlike the Burrow, Potter Manor had plenty of room to spare for a large crowd, so the dining room was opened up and Tilly set to making a feast. When Molly arrived and headed for the kitchen, Mia could overhear the ginger witch arguing with the tiny elf over the proper temperature to cook a treacle tart. She laughed at the sounds as she carried several bottles of wine to the table, handing them to Sirius for approval and distribution.

Sirius tugged at the witch until she collapsed in his lap, rolling her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, content that she should remain exactly where she was as they drank wine and ate whatever Tilly and Molly decided to put in front of them, should the elf and witch actually come to an agreement on something.

Mia smiled and kissed his lips gently, ignoring the way that Fred and George, who were sitting to Sirius's right were grinning at the couple. She pulled her attention away from Sirius and took the seat to his left next to Harry who was looking a bit less morose though strangely anxious as well.

"You all right?" she asked him, worriedly.

Harry silently nodded and took an impressive gulp from his glass of firewhisky.

_That can't be good_, Mia thought to herself at the sight of Harry eagerly drinking.

She had little time to ponder the thought as Teddy cried out for her from the other side of the table between his parents, sobbing as Tonks refused to let him have a sip of her wine. "Mi! Mi! Mi!" He wept, large tears dripping down his plump cheeks as he reached out for the curly-haired witch.

_Juice_, Mia mouthed to Remus who sighed dramatically and waved his hand over Tonks's wine glass, transfiguring the fermented liquid to simple grape juice. The werewolf looked at her with devoted appreciation and she winked back at him in reply as the grateful Metamorphmagus lifted the glass of purple liquid to Teddy's mouth.

Arthur sat beside Harry, eagerly exchanging Ministry and Gringotts gossip with his eldest son while Fleur leaned back against her chair miserably, glaring at her glass of water as though it had offended her; her eyes occasionally glimpsing down at her swollen abdomen, mentally fighting the urge to steal Bill's small tumbler of firewhisky.

At the end of the table, the Slytherins huddled together. Narcissa and Laurel giggling over the wedding plans for Draco and Astoria, still more than a year away and yet already halfway planned down to the crystal stemware and silver-rimmed plates. The future groom in question was speaking heatedly, though respectfully, with his future father-in-law over the permits required to use Fiendfyre to burn Malfoy Manor to the ground, whether or not they needed to hire out an expert for such a situation, and which Potions Masters would benefit the most from the Ashwinders that would be left behind in the wake of the flames.

"The question is, can they be traced?" Fred was whispering to Sirius, which was never a good sign.

"Eventually, sure," the Animagus replied quietly, his eyes darting across the table to the Wizengamot members present. "I don't think you should sell them in the shop though boys. She always said she was joking, but a part of me really thinks she fed one to the giant squid."

_Oh great_, Mia groaned. The last thing the world needed was for Fred and George Weasley to have access to Tele-Portkeys.

George grinned. "Brilliant."

"Love that girl," Fred beamed at her.

"Platonically, of course," George insisted.

"Unless . . ."

"Hey!" Mia pointed a reproaching finger at Fred. "No flirting with me in front of Sirius."

George winked at her. "Does that mean we can flirt with you in private?"

Mia snorted. "Boys, you couldn't handle me."

"You certain about that, 'Mione?" Fred waggled his eyebrows, taking a brief glance at Sirius to gauge his mood, which appeared to be entertained. "Maybe _you _couldn't handle _us_?" the two-eared twin suggested.

"Double your pleasure."

"Double the fun."

Mia smiled at them as though they were baby kneazles first learning how to walk. "Oh, so adorable," she said with a chuckle before turning her attention away from the boys who looked mildly put out. "Arthur, what are you and Molly going to do for Valentine's Day?" she asked, reaching for her glass of wine and taking a sip, occasionally eyeing the door that led toward the kitchen, wondering if Tilly had hogtied Molly yet.

Arthur grinned at his old friend. At first it had been awkward to think of her as anything but Hermione Granger, the best friend of his two youngest children, but after a few get togethers with the witch he was reminded of who exactly he was dealing with and was more than pleased to have his old friend back. "All the kids are out of the Burrow, what do you think?" He chuckled quietly.

"Arthur!" Molly called from the other room.

The ginger wizard jumped in his seat and looked up toward the sound as though he'd been scolded, innocently blurting out in a louder tone, "Oh, just a quiet night in I think! Early to bed, maybe read a book . . . what's that dear?" he asked as Molly stepped into the room, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Can you help me with some of the plates?" she asked.

Arthur moved to stand.

"_Tilly_ does it!" The little house-elf insisted as she stormed up beside Molly, hands on her hips, her large blue eyes narrowed up at the witch.

"We can manage, Tilly, thank you!" Molly said harshly as she moved back into the kitchen to be followed by Tilly and Arthur.

Mia chuckled at the sight wondering how long before her little house-elf cracked. "What about you Fleur?" she asked the veela curiously, watching as the blonde awkwardly tried to rub her swollen feet, swatting at Bill's hands as he attempted to help her. "Is Bill taking you out dancing?"

"In zees feet?" Fleur laughed. "I zink not! I am ze size of a dragon."

All the women chuckled, Fleur included.

"You are not," Bill insisted, rolling his eyes at her theatrics.

"Non?" She looked at him, eyes blazing and he slightly cowered at the sight of her pent up rage. "I fought a dragon in ze Triwizard Tournament. 'ave you seen one zat close?!" she shrieked.

Bill took a breath and spoke slow and soft, "I'm not arguing with you, love. I'm just saying, you're beautiful."

Fleur scoffed. "Yes, well . . . I know zat!" she growled and drank down half off her water glass, yelping when a small burst of accidental magic shattered it in her hand. She sighed in frustration as Bill was quick to clean up the mess and repair the glass. Fleur looked over at Mia and Sirius apologetically. "Pardon," she sighed. "Ze 'ormones."

Molly walked into the room carrying nothing in her hands and appearing bothered by it as a smug looking Tilly walked behind she and Arthur, levitating a parade of dishes out to the table. "It's perfectly fine dear," Molly said, assuring Fleur by patting her gently on the shoulder before she took her seat next to her daughter-in-law.

"'Perfectly fine', she says," Bill muttered. "She doesn't have to bloody live with her."

Molly and Fleur glared at him, clearly having heard his quip. "It's absolutely normal," Molly insisted. "I imagine I was a bit unpleasant during six pregnancies myself."

Arthur smartly shook his head. "Absolutely not, dear," he said quickly. "You were nothing but a delight each and every time."

"All witches are delightful when pregnant," Hyperion chimed in, raising his glass in a commiserating toast to the fathers at the table.

Laurel snorted. "For a Slytherin, you're a shite liar."

Molly bristled at the cursing but wasn't imposing enough to say anything about it to a grown witch in someone else's home.

"Tonks wasn't so bad," Remus said honestly, rocking a contented Teddy in his arms and smiling when the boy's hair turned a sandy shade of blonde, only the ends of his locks were the typical turquoise, indicating that it was almost nap time, and the child was fighting the inevitable.

Tonks smirked. "That's because _you _were the hormonal one."

Remus rolled his eyes in objection to the statement.

"Lily was a monster," Sirius declared.

"That's my mum, thank you," Harry teasingly glared at his godfather.

Sirius scoffed. "Yeah well, your mum was a _monster _when she was pregnant with you," he insisted firmly. "Do you know how I know?" he asked. "Because I have this scar to remind me," he said and tilted his head backward to reveal a small silvery-pink line just beneath his chin.

"What happened?" Harry asked, shocked.

The Animagus laughed. "She bloody _attacked _me is what happened. I asked if she could see her feet over her belly and she hit me with a Tripping Jinx. When I fell, I knocked my chin on the kitchen counter."

Mia laughed at her fiance's misfortune.

"You got it easy," Remus smiled at the memories of their old friend during her days as a mother-to-be. "You stood at the foot of the bed when she gave birth while James and I held her hands. The grip on that witch was tear-inducing, and that says something coming from me," he laughed.

"Are all witches . . ." Harry began, "well . . . er . . . _mental _when they're pregnant?"

Sirius and Remus laughed loudest, pulling Teddy immediately from his near drowsy state.

Mia smirked at Harry. "We don't have to be pregnant to need a reason to hex you wizards if we're so inclined."

Everyone shared a chuckle and then tucked into the meal presented to them by an overly proud house-elf and an appreciative Molly.

"Now," Arthur said when the final bite of treacle tart was gone, "I know that we all agreed no talk of Valentine's Day, but I happened to have a small token of my affections for my Molly," he said with a smile and looked at his wife, removing a rolled up parchment from his pockets and waving his wand over them, transfiguring it into three long multi-coloured tulips.

"Oh, Arthur," she beamed at him, "they're beautiful."

"Not to outshine the lovely couple," Hyperion said, reaching into his pockets. Beside him, Laurel was sitting up straight and bouncing in her seat. "But I've a gift for _my _sweet wife as well."

Before he had a chance to present the gift to her properly, she'd snatched the red box from his hand eagerly and tore it open to reveal a pair of emerald earrings. She grinned at the sight and then held them up next to the emerald necklace that hung around her throat. "Ooo . . ." she smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'll soon have a matching set," she said, waving her naked wrist in front of his face as a hint.

Hyperion shook his head at Laurel's audacity but smiled all the same. When no one was looking, save for Mia at the other end of the table, he winked at her.

"Wait a minute," Harry huffed, "how many of your brought Valentine's Day gifts?" he asked and watched as one by one every wizard save for Fred and George raised their hands. "Seriously?" the boy pouted and then waved his hand in dismissal to them all. "All right, get on with it."

Mia chuckled at his pouting lip and reached over to tuck it back in his mouth with her finger. Harry glared at her and she laughed loudly, smiling when he eventually joined in.

Bill presented Fleur with a beautiful silver pendant, spelled with Protection Charms and Anti-Theft Hexes built right into the goblin-made piece. Remus smiled sweetly as he handed both Andromeda and Tonks homemade cookies that Teddy clearly had a hand in decorating and both witches cooed in delight at the gift. Draco, despite not having Astoria there to shower in jewels, presented Narcissa with a diamond broach that she smiled sweetly over and kissed his cheek in gratitude.

"All right," Mia turned to look at Sirius. "Where's mine?"

He looked up at her, confused. "Where's your what?"

"My gift, you prat," she smirked and hit him on the shoulder. "I know you bought me something."

"For Valentine's Day?" He looked offended at the suggestion. "I would never."

"Hand it over, mongrel."

Sirius smirked and stood up. "Fine," he said and walked into the other room, returning moments later with a long red box topped with an obscenely large bow. He made his way toward Mia but stopped halfway there to place the box down in front of Remus, who was rolling his eyes. "Moony, my love," Sirius gushed dramatically, "Happy Valentine's Day."

Mia giggled and everyone save for herself, Remus, Sirius, and Tonks looked at the scene strangely.

"You shouldn't have," Remus said sarcastically as he opened the box, snatching up two pieces of chocolate and handing one to his wife, smiling up at Sirius as the Animagus rejoined Mia on the other side of the table to receive a kiss for all of his efforts from his brightly grinning witch.

"Not that this hasn't been a hoot," Fred said as he and George stood. "But we have to get home to the flat. Katie and Angelina are coming over and we're supposed to cook them dinner."

"Right," George nodded. "Anyone want to teach us how to cook?" he asked with a smirk before bowing graciously before Sirius and Mia in gratitude for lunch. Fred stopping to kiss Tilly's hand much to her shock and ultimate annoyance, and the twins fled to the fireplace before the little elf could swat their backsides.

"Did you boys send something off to your witches at Hogwarts?" Mia asked, gesturing to Draco and Harry.

"What do you take me for, Potter?" Draco scoffed. "Of course I sent something. A sapphire bracelet that will make Astoria the envy of the school." He smirked proudly. Narcissa, Laurel, and Hyperion all looked at the blond wizard with approval.

"Harry, what did you get Ginny?" Mia asked.

He frowned. Clearly it wasn't a sapphire bracelet. "Umm . . . broom polish?" he mumbled. No one said a word in reply, but Mia smiled sweetly at him and reached up to affectionately run her fingers through his messy hair.

When the silence became awkward, Harry pushed Mia's hands off of his head and he cleared his throat loudly. "But umm . . . speaking of . . . of Ginny." He stood and reached into the pocket of his robes, withdrawing a cream coloured envelope with crimson and gold lettering, handing it over to Arthur who looked at it with curiosity as though he'd never seen an envelope before in his life. "Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley . . ." Harry swallowed. "I have . . . umm . . . this, for . . . for you."

"What is it son?" Arthur asked as he broke the seal on the back and removed the parchment from within.

Fleur was sitting up straight, leaning over Bill to get a good look at the envelope and parchment. "Eez zat . . .?"

Bill laughed and shook his head, reaching for his tumbler of firewhisky. "Oh, this should be good."

"Harry?" Arthur frowned as his eyes looked over the parchment. "Son, is this what I think it is?" he asked, looking up at the Chosen One of the Wizarding world, who was shuffling his feet and chewing the inside of his cheek.

"A Letter of . . ." Molly was whispering to herself as she read over the words. When realisation hit her she squealed in delight. "Oh! Oh!" She jumped to her feet and wrapped Harry in a tight embrace, kissing the side of his head repeatedly. "Oh, you dear sweet, sweet boy!"

Arthur was smiling at the sight, but the letter in his hand was certainly an unexpected gesture from a half-blood wizard who had been raised by Muggles. "Sirius, did you put him up to this?" he asked. "It's very old fashioned."

Mia smiled joyfully. "Sirius gave one to Harry when he asked me to marry him."

Arthur nodded. "Well, it's very honorable of you to ask our permission, Harry —"

"And we say yes!" Molly cried, only stepping back when Arthur tugged at her dress. "You may absolutely court and marry Ginny! Not that you haven't been already or you'd even need to ask for such a thing, though permission to marry her . . . oh," Molly wiped at the tears that were building up in the corners of her eyes, "such a polite young man."

Arthur nodded in agreement. "That being said . . ." he cleared his throat nervously, "normally when a letter is sent, the witch receives one as well if she's not present for the presentation to her parents."

"Please tell me you sent a copy to Ginny," Bill said, looking up at Harry with a grin. "I will be so happy."

Harry looked offended. "Of course I sent one to Ginny! I would never ask permission to marry her without informing her of my intentions first."

Bill chuckled into his crystal tumbler. "Oh, this is priceless."

"Owl!" Teddy cried in delight as he pointed a chubby finger to the tall window in the corner where two large brown owls flew in. One landing in front of Mia, the other carrying a large red envelope, dropped the post in front of a suddenly petrified Harry Potter.

"Is that a Howler?" Draco asked with a grin.

"Uh oh," Harry muttered quietly as he reached for it slowly.

He hadn't put more than a finger on the edge before Ginny's voice spoke loudly from within it: "Dear fancy pants _Lord _Harry James Potter of the famous fancy pants Potters," she said in a great, loud, mocking tone. "The lovely _lady _Ginevra received your _delightful _Letter this morning. At breakfast. In the _middle_ of the Great Hall. Where _everyone _could see . . ."

Harry winced.

". . . She was sitting beside her brother, who has given you the honourable and esteemed title of 'Supreme Prat and King of the Gits', and has decided to send you a Dungbomb, so be prepared for _that_. In addition to the lady's red-faced brother, also present for the presentation of your Letter were several irritating chits who decided to squeal with delight at the sight. Ginevra is sadly now deaf. That being said, your _simpering _lady love has sent her reply to _your _Head of House."

Harry's face was pink and he looked up, trying his best not to glare at Bill who was laughing the hardest. "My Head of . . ." Harry asked in confusion before he looked next to him where Mia was holding up a cream coloured envelope with red and gold lettering. "Oh." Harry sighed in understanding.

The Howler continued in Ginny's overly dramatic sarcastic voice. "Thank you for your consideration _Lord _Potter . . ." she said, dragging out each and every vowel. Her voice snapped back to its normal tone as she added, "and thanks for the broom polish. I was running out and my Nimbus has been flying like shite lately."

Both Molly and Fleur were scolding Bill and Mia had fixed a glare at Sirius as he tried his damnedest to contain his mirth at the plight of his poor godson who _dared _use an old fashioned proposal on Ginny Weasley of all witches.

Harry groaned, looking over a the letter in Mia's hands. "What does she say?"

"Well . . ." Mia smirked. "It appears that Ginny has decided to reply to _your _Letter of Intent, by sending one of her very own asking _my _permission to court _you_."

Unable to stop himself any longer, Draco burst into unapologetic laughter.

Harry sighed, threw his hands in the air as a sign of giving up. "I thought you said I should know all this pureblood nonsense, Hermione."

"I never said to use it on Ginny Weasley." Mia snickered. "Are you mental? I'm surprised she didn't Apparate here and Bat-Bogey you for this." She giggled and handed him Ginny's Letter of Intent. "Put this somewhere safe," she instructed him. "Poor Harry."

"Owl!" Teddy cried again as a third owl flew in through the window and dropped a piece of post down in front of Hyperion and Laurel.

"What . . . is this?" Hyperion hissed, eyes wide as he opened the letter immediately to read.

Laurel, leaning over his shoulder, blue eyes staring at the parchment let out a loud squeal of excitement. "Excellent! I get to plan _two _weddings!" she announced.

Molly's face paled. "What?! Ronald?!" she screamed.

oOoOoOo

Quite possibly in response to Molly's outrage over Ron's decision to request a pureblood courtship and betrothal to a Slytherin, Hyperion and Laurel eagerly signed their permission in regard to the Letter of Intent that Ron had owled them. Molly pouted, lamenting over the fact that all of her children were growing up — and likely no longer listening to her or needing her — and the rest of the table began chattering about weddings. Draco glared across the table at Mia, presumably because he knew she was to blame for his unfortunate and sudden relations by marriage to his Weasley rival.

Hours later when the guests were gone and all who were left in the large Manor was Sirius, Mia, Harry, and Teddy, the witch smiled as she watched her best friend carry the sleeping baby off to his room, Jamie's old room, disappearing into the shadows. She expected to feel the guilty pool in the pit of her stomach when she looked at Harry walking away with Teddy in his arms. At the sight, especially from a distance or in low lighting, she often mistook him for Jamie and it seemed to always set her emotions back to square one. However, since reading Lily's letter, Mia felt like she had a piece of closure on that chapter of her life, and now she was eager to spend the next bit of it with Sirius, Harry, and Remus and his family.

"Are the little ones off to bed?" Sirius asked, leaning casually against the doorframe as he walked into the drawing room to find Mia situated in a large armchair, book in hand.

She smiled, rolling her eyes at him. "Little ones," she said sarcastically. "Harry's an eighteen-year-old man."

Sirius chuckled. "Man?"

"He's eighteen," Mia conceded. "Do you think it will be weird?" she asked him, not fighting when he walked over and picked her up into his arms, prying the book from her fingers as she spoke. "That ours and Remus's kids will be so much younger than Harry? It shouldn't have happened like that."

"I think," Sirius kissed the tip of her nose, "that it doesn't matter. Harry _should _have had James and Lily but instead he got a broken down godfather, a used werewolf, and a time traveling witch." He laughed. "He _should _have had siblings but instead he got a second-hand Weasley and a time traveling —"

"Time traveling witch, yes, you're right," Mia said, laughing sweetly at his simplification of their overly complicated lives. "Where is it, exactly, that you appear to be taking me, Mr. Black?"

"Why Miss Potter, I am taking you to bed."

"Sirius, our bedroom is back that way," she said, gesturing around his broad shoulders to the opposite direction.

"Oh, well when I said 'I am taking you to bed', that was my way of romantically saying that I'm looking for a place to fuck you," he said and then winked at her.

"Well look at me, all starry-eyed over your sweet words," she teased him sarcastically, laughing when he pinched the back of her thigh in response. "_'You are the one I am lit for. Come with your rod that twists and is a serpent. I am the bush'_," she whispered against the shell of his ear, stopping her words only to lightly nibble on the lobe there. "_'I am burning. I am not consumed.'_"

Sirius grinned as he pushed her through the door leading to her old bedroom. "Kitten," he said, grinning at her, his pupils dark and dilated. "You know reading me poetry makes me think of Moony."

Mia threw back her head and laughed. "Whatever gets you going, love," she said, teasing him and shrieked when he lightly dug his fingers into her ribs. "Put me down you filthy mutt! Wait! Where are we going?"

Sirius grinned. "To see your Valentine's Day gift."

Mia stopped laughing. "You actually got me something?"

"Kitten," Sirius said with a sigh. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if I gave Remus chocolates any time I wanted to smother you in presents, we would have a very fat werewolf on our hands. Now, while that image may be hilarious, and I might fatten him up regardless, you will have to indulge me every once in a while when I simply need — yes, _need _— to wrap shiny things in bows and give them to you."

She furrowed her brows. "How shiny?"

"Very shiny," Sirius said as he stepped into the large bathroom, witch still in his arms, and turned to face her toward the bathtub which yesterday, had been ceramic, but today was a shiny copper clawfoot.

Mia's mouth dropped. "Fred and George really still had it?"

Sirius laughed. "Fuck no. Someone ripped the thing out years ago I guess," he said, setting her feet down on the marble floor. "Someone like Dung probably stripped the place bare of anything worth a few Galleons long before the boys bought the place. I purchased this one last week."

Mia smiled and slowly approached the large tub, already filled with hot water and bubbles. Her smile widened when she felt Sirius at her back, pressing his erection against her arse as he pulled at her robes, revealing bare shoulders save for the thin black strap of a bra.

He placed a gentle kiss against her Pack Mark and then down the splinching scar that cut through her shoulder blade. Rough, calloused hands pulled at the soft fabric, tugging it down her body and kneeling behind her thighs as he disrobed her. Without a word, he ran his hands up the front of her legs, reaching for the zipper of her jeans, slowly pulling on it and then parting the denim from her skin, revealing black lace knickers.

"Fuck," Sirius whispered against the back of her thighs, constantly surprised to see the colour, even though he knew she only ever wore black, red, or — just to bother him — green. He crawled around to face the front of her and leaned forward placing a soft kiss to the tattoo on her inner thigh, moaning when she raked her fingers through his hair in response. "Nope," he said, pulling away from her. "Tonight's not about that."

"You just said you were looking for a place to fuck me," Mia said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I . . ." Sirius paused. "Fuck . . . kitten, get in the tub," he ordered her.

She smirked, not usually one to obey orders from him, not unless he was asking her in that husky voice he used when he took complete control of her; then again, it was Valentine's Day. Maybe her gift to him would be compliance. Slipping out of her knickers and bra, Mia slid into the steaming water and hissed as she lowered her body down.

She closed her eyes and sighed in relief as the mild stress of the day melted off of her skin and into the water, any remaining fragments were washed from her body by Sirius's hands. He kneeled at the edge of the tub, watching her closely as he dipped his arms in the water, running his palms gently over her skin. Up her calf, circling her knee, along the outer expanse of one thigh and across her stomach. He stopped to pay special attention to her breasts, gently palming them, brushing his thumb over each peak.

She moaned and lifted her arm out of the water to reach for him, but he pulled away from her, tutting. "This is your gift, kitten," he insisted as his fingers dipped between her legs, parting her folds and slowly, torturously, slipping inside of her warmth. She let out a soft whimper at the welcomed intrusion and tilted her hips forward to grant him better access as he stroked her from within, going straight for the spot he knew made her see the heavens part.

When she opened her eyelids to see him staring at the apex of her thighs, watching his fingers move in and out of her through the fading bubbles, she pursed her lips at the sight of the far too smug look on his face. Mia reached for him again, testing the proverbial waters only to have him make a 'tsk' sound and push her hand away once again before rubbing her clit with the pad of his thumb and grinning at the way she bucked in response.

_Oh, that won't do_, she thought to herself. "Sirius," Mia moaned. "I need you."

"I'm here, love," he said, smirking.

"No," she said, breath heavy, eyes heated as she stared at him, "I need to touch you."

Sirius shook his head, but she could see his resolve begin to crack. "This is about you," he insisted. "My gift to you."

She hid the scowl behind an expression of pure pleasure, which wasn't hard considering the talented things his hands were capable of. But she wouldn't give up that easy. He thought he could go out and buy her an expensive tub, call it a gift and get away with celebrating Valentine's Day? "Baby," she whispered, her tone pleading, "I need you in my mouth."

Mia grinned at the echo of his downfall which sounded an awful lot like a mixture of pained groaning and the clanging noise of a forehead repeatedly knocking against the side of the bathtub. She smiled in triumph knowing that she could come from his touch and words any day of the week, but it was Valentine's Day and she felt like getting off on his complete and utter defeat.

* * *

**A/N**: So, for those who want Debt of Time to keep going, I have a list of requested "Deleted and/or Alternate Scenes" that people have wanted me to write. I have decided I will be writing those scenes in the form of Drabbles (set aside in its own story, so be sure to keep following me and DoT for the updates). So fairly short stories. But I am taking requests (and will credit those who give me the ideas when I get inspired to write them). Just nothing like, "Tell us what would have happened had James and Lily lived" because that's another 50+ chapters and I am soooo not doing another epic. Leave your requests in the reviews and I'll add them to my ever growing list.


	150. Chapter 150

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N: **This chapter was written to bring in a bit of closure to the past and push our characters into the future without their previous hang ups. I went back and forth with how I wanted to do it, but settled on what's written below and I'm really happy with it. I hope you all enjoy! There's a bit of humor at the end of the chapter because we're in such need of it.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Fifty: Details

"_...Where do we go from here?_  
_Where do we go from here?_  
_The battle's done_  
_And we kind of won_  
_So we sound our victory cheer_  
_Where do we go from here?…"_  
_(Where Do We Go - Once More with Feeling)_

* * *

**May 2nd, 1999**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

The Memorial Gala to celebrate the one year anniversary of Voldemort's downfall took place a month before Hogwarts graduation. Most of Wizarding Britain were cheering and setting off fireworks. Those who were closest to battle, who had seen it all up close, had been in the middle of the fray, gathered together on the grounds of Hogwarts to remember those they'd lost.

"My . . . my sister, Hermione," Harry said with a soft smile when Kingsley dragged him up in front of a large crowd to make a speech, "likes to remind me that the war wasn't about me. That it wasn't my fault so many people fought and died. It's taken me a long time to agree with her," he said, nodding sadly. "I'm no one special," he insisted. "I was just a wizard looking to protect his family. Like everyone else. Like all of you. I think we did a good job. But lives were still lost and even as we celebrate freedoms that seemed impossible a year ago, we shouldn't forget that while we fought to be the victors, others died as heroes."

And, like they'd promised twenty years earlier, they mourned them all.

A memorial garden had been planted west of the Black Lake in an enclosed area, in memory of all those that had fallen during the War. One by one, people came and planted flowers and other herbs in honour of their fallen loved ones. "For Alastor Moody, Rufus Scrimgeour, Edgar Bones, Benjy Fenwick and all the many Aurors that gave their lives," Kingsley said as he held his wand aloft, casting a light of magic into the garden.

Minerva stepped forward and wiped tears from her eyes. "For Albus Dumbledore," she whispered softly.

Others came representing family members of the fallen. Bathilda Bagshot, Charity Burbage, Cedric Diggory, Florean Fortescue, Bertha Jorkins, Dorcas Meadowes and many more were honoured specifically. One by one the crowd fell away, leaving behind the members of the Pack and their extended family.

Molly sobbed as she raised her wand, aiming it at the beautiful garden. "For Fabian and Gideon Prewett," she said, sniffling and leaning on Arthur for support as she thought of her twin brothers. Fred and George made their way to her side, taking Arthur's place and squeezing their mother tightly. Soon she was joined by all of her children and Mia smiled at the sight from where she stood next to Sirius.

"For Edward Tonks," Tonks said, raising her wand in honour of her father, joined by Andromeda and Narcissa.

Remus smiled softly and joined his wife, wand in one hand and Teddy in the other. "For Hope Lupin."

Draco had been standing with Astoria on his arm next to Daphne, and Ron of all people who rejoined his Slytherin girlfriend to stand with the Greengrasses and Malfoys. Draco stepped forward, giving a nod to Harry as he raised his wand. "For Severus Snape," he said clearly, to honour his godfather.

Mia smiled at the sight knowing that Severus would be annoyed with so many people thinking fondly of him in that moment.

Neville walked forward with Alice on his arm, Frank walking behind them with the assistance of a cane, and Hannah Abbot helping him find balance on the grass. Neville kissed his mother's hand sweetly, watching as his girlfriend honoured the members of her own family that had died in the war, abundantly grateful that he didn't have to raise his own wand for his parents who had been given back to him. Alice, however, had been honoured to raise her own wand and whisper, "For Mary MacDonald."

Mia looked down and wiped the tears from her eyes as relief washed over her over the fact that they finally were able to properly bury her fallen friend. Before she started crying in earnest, Mia stepped up and raised her wand. "For Charlus and Dorea Potter," she said with a proud smile on her face, and then, she sighed softly as she tried to follow Jamie's request for forgiveness and added, "And Marlene McKinnon."

Remus smiled at her, his eyes full of pride.

Sirius slowly stepped up, chestnut wand in hand, his eyes closed as he reached his empty hand out for Mia for support. "For . . . for Regulus Black," he whispered and then, breathing heavy and struggling with his words, he exchanged Mia's hand for Remus's and the werewolf offered it freely as Sirius warred with himself until he finally, and very quietly spoke, "And . . . and Peter Pettigrew."

"_I want you and Sirius to be happy," Jamie had said through the power of the Resurrection Stone. To let go of all that anger. I want you to learn to forgive Dumbledore, Snape . . . and Peter. The war is over. Put us all to rest."_

Mia smiled sweetly at her wizard who was obviously struggling with his emotions. She knew he wasn't mourning Peter, the traitor, nor regretting his inevitable demise. But Peter had once been their friend, just a scared boy who made all the wrong choices. His life had been stolen by a Death Eater, that Death Eater just happened to be himself. Mia took a breath as she tried to follow Sirius's shockingly good example, searching inside of herself to see if she could, at the very least, release all the hate. Hating their enemies, especially the dead ones, was a heavy burden and she and Sirius were finally ready and eager to be relieved of it.

"'_Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that'_," Remus said softly.

"Martin Luther King Jr," Mia said quietly, merely out of habit. "Muggle."

Remus smiled as Sirius angrily wiped at his eyes. "Doesn't matter," he said to the witch.

Finally Harry walked forward, Ginny's hand clutched in his, their fingers intertwined to show each of them wearing a Potter family ring. Harry's, the symbol of his authority; Ginny's, the ruby engraved engagement ring that once belonged to another redhead besotted with a messy-haired wizard.

"For James and Lily Potter," Harry said, smiling.

oOoOoOo

**May 31st, 1999**

**The Den - Lupin Residence and Lycanthrope Sanctuary**

When Sirius and Mia told Remus they planned on building him a new home, they weren't lying. What they failed to mention was that in addition to a small four bedroom cottage, they'd wrapped a large stylish brick wall with wrought iron gates around the entire border of land belonging to Remus, in addition to the two neighbouring plots which Sirius and Mia purchased in his name. The wall that closed around the ninety acres of land, moving through the woods behind the new Lupin cottage, was imbued with security wards and protections rivaling that of Hogwarts, but this time instead of keeping just unwanted visitors _out_, it also kept everyone _in_.

It had taken some decent research, but Bill was more than happy to assist Mia when she'd asked if he needed a break from Fleur and baby Victoire. The eldest Weasley son was delighted to leave Shell Cottage, taking Victoire with him to be left in Tilly's care so his exhausted wife could rest. The two paired together and poured over numerous tomes in the Potter Manor library until they found the spells that they were looking for: lunar wards.

Every other day of the month The Den was a small cottage home to Remus, Tonks, and Teddy, but on the night of the full moon Tonks and the one-year-old Metamorphmagus would leave to visit either Potter Manor or Andromeda's home, while the werewolf population of Wizarding Britain would arrive to greet Remus, receive their final dose of Wolfsbane Potion and prepared themselves to be locked within the moon triggered security wards behind Lupin Cottage, where they could run free with other wolves under the protection of an Alpha, and a few new Animagus friends.

When she could, Madam Pomfrey joined Mia and several St. Mungo's interns at the Lycanthrope Sanctuary to learn Healing Spells specific to werewolf injuries.

"I could be a Healer," Mia said to Remus one post-moon morning while she helped Molly fix a massively large breakfast for the extended werewolf pack members.

Remus smiled at her as he always did, eyes full of love and devotion spanning decades. "You could be anything you want to be, love," he said and kissed her forehead while snatching a plate of bacon and eggs from her hands.

"She can be a bachelorette for one last night is what she can be," Tonks said as she interrupted the pair, stealing a piece of bacon from Remus's plate, and watching in amusement as he narrowed his eyes at her. "You sure you're up to babysitting Sirius?" she asked her husband.

Remus nodded. "The additions Damocles has been making to the Wolfsbane, plus being around so many other werewolves without fighting makes recovery a lot easier." He placed a small kiss on her head "Besides, someone need to make sure he doesn't drink himself into a stupor. Are you sure you're all right with this?" Remus asked Mia.

She shrugged. "I told him years ago he's not allowed to have a _veela _stripper," she said, picking a piece of bacon from Remus's plate, smirking as he struggled to not growl at her for the theft. "I already know that Draco's paid for some poor Muggle girl." She rolled her eyes. "Let the boys have their fun, I'll have some fun of my own."

"I don't like that smile," Remus groaned.

Mia chuckled. "I may have some stipulations to Sirius being allowed a proper stag night."

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor**

Ginny stared across the round table inside Potter Manor's drawing room where the large gathering of witches sat, wands, empty flutes of champagne, and recently filled shots of firewhisky on the table in front of them. "I really don't think a wand oath is necessary, Hermione," she argued.

"Do it or we don't play," Mia shrugged her shoulders as she gave her friend the choice. "I don't even like this game to begin with."

Someone snorted to Mia's left and the witch turned to glare at Tonks who was smirking. "What?"

"You just don't want to play because _I_ know all of your secrets," Tonks replied with a grin.

Mia wasn't ashamed to admit it. "That too."

Her hen night was a bit larger than Lily's had been and, though she'd suggested they all get together to brew some potions, her friends and family members were adamant about drinking and games. Truthfully though, _Ginny _was adamant about drinking and games and with Tonks backing her up, Mia's vote no longer counted. She had assumed that Narcissa and Andromeda would be on her side, but the Black sisters were eager to dip their toes back into the fountain of youth of telling dirty stories, gossiping, and drinking with girlfriends.

The idea of Narcissa Malfoy teaming up with Ginevra Weasley against her had been what sparked the idea of a wand oath. Secrecy. She required secrecy, especially since Laurel was there and the witch had been known to talk unabashedly while intoxicated. She was a female Sirius, who tossed back firewhisky after firewhisky, barely taking a pause in her never ending chatter, which usually revolved around her telling everyone how amazing she was — at drinking and in general — and showering them with affection.

"A wand oath though?" Ginny grinned deviously. "What deviant things could you have gotten up to in your youth?"

Mia scoffed. "I'm marrying Sirius Black," she answered to a round of nodding heads of understanding. "Make the oath or I say nothing, Ginny. Everyone else has done it."

The redhead rolled her eyes but gripped her wand in hand regardless, meeting Mia's stare as she spoke, "I, Ginevra Molly Weasley, swear upon my wand and magic to never speak again, outside of those present," she amended the original oath, grinning when Mia narrowed her stare, "of what I learn here tonight."

"Fine."

Without a moment's hesitation, Ginny shouted, "Never have I ever had sex inside Hogwarts!"

Mia rolled her eyes and threw back her shot of firewhisky, watching with amusement as the other guilty witches followed suit. "That one wasn't even daring," she told Ginny.

"Mother!" Astoria gasped as Laurel drank her shot.

Laurel looked unashamed. "Don't judge me," she told her daughter.

When eyes fell on Narcissa as she lifted the small glass to her thin lips, she glared and threatened everyone, "Not a word to Draco."

"Gets pretty cold in the dungeons?" Ginny asked, waggling her eyebrows and looking far too much like her twin brothers when she grinned suggestively.

Narcissa, with delicate grace, lowered the shot glass to the table and shrugged her slender shoulders. "I suppose. It's quite warm in Ravenclaw Tower though," she said with a teasing smirk.

"Cissa!" Mia laughed.

Luna, who was sitting behind Mia on a stool with her legs crossed, braiding the bride-to-be's hair, smiled serenely at everyone. "She is right. It's very warm," she said, and then reached over for a shot glass to the shock and awe of everyone present.

Andromeda drank next and Tonks laughed at her mother before throwing back a shot of her own, followed by Fleur who winced at the burn as it slipped down her throat.

"Wait," Ginny interrupted the game. "Fleur, you didn't even _go _to Hogwarts."

The veela shrugged in indifference. "So? Ze 'ospital Wing is very private," she said, her smirk rivaling that of the Black sisters across the table from her.

"Bill?!" Ginny gasped. "He was still injured!"

Fleur grinned. "And _very _'appy to 'ave me tend his wounds."

"That's disgusting," the redhead grimaced and drank a shot of her own. "I didn't have sex in Hogwarts, I'm just trying to erase the idea of my brother shagging in the Hospital Wing."

"You did too shag in Hogwarts!" Mia pointed out loudly.

"What?" Ginny stared at her friend, shocked at the accusation. "I never!"

"Last May."

"Oooh . . ." Ginny nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I meant like . . . during school, not after battle."

Mia laughed. "I never did the Hospital Wing," she said looking up at Fleur with a bit of appreciation for the veela's sense of spontaneity. "The cots always looked uncomfortable."

Tonks snorted. "And the Shrieking Shack was a downy bed?"

Every set of eyes turned and stared at Mia who was glaring at the now giggling Metamorphmagus.

Ginny's grin nearly split her face. "Shrieking Shack?!"

Mia sighed irritably. "Among other places."

"Like where?"

"Gryffindor Tower, obviously," Mia answered knowing that there was little need to hide the fact that she'd shagged Sirius all over the school while they dated, and as for Remus, well, Tonks outed her there due to the Shrieking Shack. "The Shack, the prefect's bathroom, Room of Requirement, and the library."

Ginny laughed. "I _knew _you were library girl! Naughty Professor Lupin."

Tonks smirked. "You have no idea," she said as she refilled her shot glass.

Narcissa raised a pale eyebrow. "Excuse me? I've apparently missed something."

"He wasn't a professor then, we were both students," Mia said, narrowing her eyes at the redheaded instigator. "Think before you speak, Ginny."

"Never have I ever been caught shagging by my parents!" Tonks declared proudly.

"And I thank you for that," Andromeda replied.

Laurel however threw back a shot as Astoria and Daphne watched on in horror.

"Never have I ever . . ." Narcissa began, clearing her throat, "had sex outdoors."

All too quickly Tonks, Mia, Fleur, Luna, Laurel and Ginny drank.

"Never have I ever had sex," Astoria blurted out and watched as everyone drank around her, Daphne included though the elder Greengrass sister did so as slyly as possible while her mother looked the other way, pretending not to notice.

Ginny giggled. "Slags."

"Ginny, you drank too," Mia pointed out.

The redhead shrugged. "Meh. I think we're forgetting the purpose of this little game. We're supposed to dig up dirt on _this _dirty witch," she said, pointing at Mia, "and I have some questions. Never have I ever had sex in public." Despite Laurel and Tonks drinking, all eyes remained on Mia who swallowed a mouthful of firewhisky. Ginny grinned. "Which one?"

Mia shook her head. "Not how the game works."

"Fine," Ginny said, rolling her eyes, "never have I ever had sex with a _werewolf _in public."

Tonks and Mia both drank, the combination of firewhisky and champagne from earlier finally taking effect as the curly-haired witch stopped caring about letting go of some of the details. "Black Sabbath concert 1977."

Fleur joined in on Ginny's plan and announced, "Never ever 'ave I 'ad sex wiz _Sirius Black_ in public."

Mia drank again. "New Years Eve 1977."

Narcissa quietly chuckled. "1977 appears to have been a good year."

"Out of curiosity, was the Black Sabbath concert on New Years Eve?" Ginny jokingly asked.

"No," Mia insisted.

Tonks giggled.

"What was that?" Ginny asked, her brown eyes widening as she picked up on the silent looks that Mia was tossing toward the tipsy Metamorphmagus whose hair had suddenly turned magenta.

"Nothing," Mia hissed.

"Oh!" Laurel squealed as she picked up on the conversation. "Oh! I know! I know! Never have I ever —"

"Laurel —" Mia cautioned her old friend.

"— had sex with two men at once!"

Everyone turned to stare at Mia who was glaring at the big-mouthed Slytherin. Silence filled the room until the sound of a glass scraping against the wooden table broke through the quiet, and a snickering Tonks pushed Mia's firewhisky closer to her.

The curly-haired witch sighed in defeat and drank.

Gasps and cheers echoed in the room.

"Mother of Merlin!" Ginny squealed in delight. "Game's over, I want to know every detail!"

Mia gaped at her friend. "You realise one of those men is basically going to be your father-in-law, right?"

Ginny waved her off. "Don't change the subject."

oOoOoOo

**London**

"My Galleons are on Lupin," Draco insisted, adding his coins to a growing pile in the center of a table where Neville was collecting.

Ron scoffed nearby, haphazardly holding onto the pint in his hand as he stared at Draco. "Are you crazy? Harry and I have been Hermione's best friends since first year."

"So has he, technically," the Slytherin said, gesturing to Remus who sat across a small square table in the middle of their private room at a Gentlemen's Club, rented out for the night for the boys. They'd been drinking for hours and when Draco and Ron came to a standstill playing Wizard's Chess, Sirius suggested a new, less boring, game. It was Neville's mild curiosity about the differences between Hermione and Mia that sparked the idea and soon Remus and Harry faced off against one another in a game of who was the witch's _best _best friend.

"And a lot can change in eight years," Draco reminded Ron with a smirk.

"What is Mia's favourite gemstone?" Sirius asked, holding a set of questions written on cards that he'd put together while Harry and Remus drank down several shots of Muggle Scotch that Draco provided.

"Sapphire," Harry said proudly. "Her birthstone."

Remus grinned. "Aquamarine. Her birthstone."

"Really isn't fair that she gets two birthdays," Ron complained.

"You're both wrong," Sirius said. "She loves emeralds because I refuse to buy them. What is Mia's favourite colour?"

"Red," Harry replied.

"Green," Remus said.

"You're both wrong again. She clearly loves Black," Sirius said and winked at them all.

Harry stood up and reached for the cards. "Is that actually what it says?" he slurred.

"Don't call into question my honour, pup," Sirius laughed. "Who was Mia's first kiss?"

Remus rolled his eyes and reached for his half empty pint. "You're just asking questions all about you, you idiot. Why don't we see who knows _you _the best?"

Sirius scoffed. "Ask away Moony, my friend, I am an enigma. No knows me completely."

Remus smirked. "Anyone here know who _Sirius's _first kiss was?"

"Hermione?" Harry answered questioningly.

"Moony . . ." Sirius warned his friend.

"Wrong!" Remus shouted, grinning. "Sirius Black first locked lips with none other, than James Charlus Potter!"

Harry turned and stared at his godfather. "What?!"

Ron and Neville's mouths fell open.

Draco snorted. "Were Potters on a two for one sale?"

"How . . . why . . . how'd that even happen?" Harry asked.

"Where's the stripper?" Sirius questioned, looking around the room and eventually under the bed to distract from the situation. "I was promised a stripper."

Remus turned to Draco who had orchestrated the majority of the night, including the costume that Mia had asked be procured for the entertainment. "You heard the man, give him his stripper."

Draco smirked and left the room only to return several minutes later, dimming the lights behind him as he joined his fellow wizards in a half circle of chairs, sitting down begrudgingly next to Ron, who was staring at the paper Muggle money in his hands, trying to figure out which denomination was which.

Music began to play through speakers installed in the corners of the room and all eyes widened as a curvy blond Muggle stepped into the room wearing an incredibly short, grey, pleated skirt, a tightly fit white button down top beneath an equally tight grey jumper. Every man was grinned save for Sirius whose mouth fell open at the colours of the tie the woman was wearing: bronze and blue.

"Oh . . . that meddling, manipulative, brilliant witch," Sirius said in awe at the sight of the Ravenclaw-clad Muggle stripper who sauntered close to him, swinging a leg over his lap, straddling his waist. Sirius grimaced at the sight and turned his head away from her as though she were infected with Spattergroit.

Remus could barely breathe as he watched his friend struggle not to accidentally touch the woman who tried — with great enthusiasm — to dance for the groom-to-be. When she finally gave up, saying what a sweet and loyal man Sirius was, she made her way over to the younger men in the room, eagerly accepting Ron's folded notes in the waistband of her blue knickers.

Sirius put his head in his hands and leaned forward, laughing.

Remus smirked at the sight. "You don't even want to look anymore do you?"

"My future bride is a Legilimens, what the fuck do you think?" Sirius asked, still chuckling into his palms as he kept his vision completely obscured.

oOoOoOo

**Potter Manor**

When the men all returned to Potter Manor they found a note written in sloppy penmanship and stained with spilled firewhisky that read:

_Boys,_

_Went dancing._

By the time the girls returned, Neville had gone home, needing to start his internship early the next morning when he was due to Apparate back to Hogwarts and meet with Professor Sprout. Harry, Ron, and Draco were sitting in separate large chairs in the drawing room, having transfigured the couch into individual seats so that Ron and Draco didn't have to touch. All three were in a heated argument over the best way to brew a Hangover Potion and Draco was getting increasingly irritated considering he knew — _knew_! — that Harry and Ron were terrible at brewing.

Remus shook his head, shocked that the two Gryffindors were able to purposely goad the Slytherin into the argument without him knowing that they were faking it all for fun.

The flames in the fireplace turned bright green and suddenly five drunk witches spilled out onto the floor, giggling as they struggled to stand. Mia was leaning heavily on Tonks, Astoria was desperately trying to support her sister's weight, and Ginny was unconscious, snoring on the rug.

"Harry, Draco, Ronald, Remus," Mia said as her heavy-lidded eyes stared at the men. "I've brought you back your brides."

Harry rushed to his fiance, pushing sweaty clumps of red hair out of the way so he could make sure she was breathing. "What's wrong with Ginny?" He cringed when he saw the puddle of drool she was creating between her and the carpet.

"She's smashed out of her mind right now," Mia giggled. "We played a lot of drinking games."

Astoria let out a loud scoff of frustration and released Daphne into Ron's awaiting arms, gracefully making her way toward Draco, tilting her head to the side so that he could kiss her cheek in greeting. She smiled and blushed when he pulled her down into his lap and began toying with the ends of her hair. "How are you, pet?" he asked with a smirk.

"Perfectly fine," she said, clearly sober. "_I_ know how the hold the small amount of liquor I consumed." She smiled sweetly at Draco, perching herself with poise on his thigh.

Daphne on the other hand looked to be attempting to fit herself and Ron in the same skin and he was desperately overpowered by the witch, not at all prepared for her strength and willpower as she pushed him into the armchair behind him and made to straddle his waist.

"Uh . . . Daph?" Ron mumbled, his ears turning maroon as he looked over his witch's shoulder to see most everyone staring at him. "Daph!"

Daphne pulled away from him and covered his mouth with her palm. "Shh . . . don't let Mum see . . . I'll have to take another shot if she catches us!" she hissed and removed her hand only to replace it with her lips.

"You!" Tonks said, pointing at her husband when she finally realised where they were.

Remus was taken back by the accusatory tone in his wife's voice. "What'd _I _do?"

"You," she said, tripping several times as she made her way into his arms, clinging to his shirt for balance when she finally got there. "Remus Lupin, have been holding out on me!" she said, waggling her eyebrows.

Almost instantly, Remus turned and looked at Mia. "What did you do?"

The witch shrugged. "We played drinking games where the girls asked me _a lot_ of questions. Many details. I made them make a wand oath before we played so they can't talk about it."

Remus tensed uncomfortably. "How many details?"

Mia giggled. "Oh . . . so many."

Tonks attempted to climb Remus like a tree in order to put her lips on his ear as she whispered, far too loudly, "We're going home right now. Up against _all _the walls."

Remus groaned. "Dora, in my defence I'm no longer a teenager. My knees creak and pop."

"No excuses!" Tonks insisted and pulled him toward the fireplace, knocking the bowl of Floo Powder on top of a still sleeping Ginny in the process.

"Hello, love," Mia turned and grinned at Sirius who was amusing himself by watching the chaos in front of him unfold. "Did you have fun tonight?" she asked.

Sirius chuckled, reaching out and grabbing the witch by her hips, yanking her forward. Mia squealed at the motion, letting out a soft moan as he ground himself against her, his back to the rest of the occupants in the room. He leaned forward and ran his tongue against the shell of her ear, whispering, "You're wicked."

"Am I?" Mia asked innocently. "Tell me, what's in fashion these days for Muggle strippers?"

Sirius chuckled. "I'm going to punish you for that."

Mia bit her bottom lip, trying to contain the grin that was threatening to break free. "I'm really looking forward to it."

* * *

**A/N**: For those who haven't been counting, I thought I'd be nice and prepare you by saying that tomorrow's chapter (151) is the end of Debt of Time (and will be followed up with two Epilogues). Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this story these past seven months.


	151. Chapter 151

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** The awaited wedding of Sirius and Mia, plus the end of our story. I cried while writing this chapter, I cried while editing this chapter, and I got teary eyed again during the final read through. Quite a few flashbacks here, just for the record. The Epilogues will be posted tomorrow, I promise, but wow . . . this is it. I'm shocked and I hardly know what to do with myself anymore. I suppose I'll keep writing new stories, but nothing will ever be as epic or special as this. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and being an amazing circle of support!

PS: The lyrics used in the beginning of the chapter is actually mine and my husband's wedding song. I thought it appropriate for Mia and Sirius as well.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Part Four - The Soul Bond_

Chapter One Hundred Fifty-One: Sealed

"_...So close no matter how far_  
_Couldn't be much more from the heart_  
_Forever trusting who we are_  
_And nothing else matters_  
_Never opened myself this way_  
_Life is ours, we live it our way_  
_All these words I don't just say_  
_And nothing else matters…"_  
_(Nothing Else Matters - Metallica)_

* * *

**June 21st, 1999**

**Potter Manor**

Mia peeled apart her tired eyelids on the morning of her wedding as the light of dawn broke through the windows of her old bedroom. Despite living together, Molly insisted that the Manor was large enough that Mia and Sirius could at least spend the night before the wedding apart, "for tradition". How the pureblood ginger witch was so well-informed of Muggle wedding traditions, Mia would never know. Sirius had pouted, but Mia conceded to Molly's request, not wanting to fight about one more stupid wedding issue.

Unlike James and Lily's wedding, which had gone off without a single issue, Mia and Sirius had struggled throughout the entire planning of their ceremony. Once the location had been decided, Molly had predictably tried to commandeer everything else. She fought with Tilly on a daily basis over the menu, insisting that she be allowed to, at the very least, make the wedding cake. Molly then begged to take Mia shopping for a gown, only to frown when they ended up at Twilfit and Tattings to meet with Narcissa and Laurel as Mia was fitted for black ritual robes, similar to the ones Dorea used to own, instead of a large poofy white wedding gown.

When Molly suggested roses and daisies for the floral arrangements, Mia had to finally put her foot down. "Molly, I'm so sorry that almost everything is already planned," she said as politely as possible. "I'm sure Ginny and Daphne would love your help planning their weddings," she said, feeling slightly guilty to have to throw her friends under the bus, as long as Molly was no longer forcing her ideas into the plans that Dorea had written out. Though Molly still wasn't happy with the idea of Ronald marrying a pureblood society witch, she was overjoyed at the prospect of having a wedding to distract her.

Now that everything was ready and all that was left was to actually get married, Mia was more than happy to remain in her old bedroom for a quiet lie-in before everyone arrived and things got hectic. Unfortunately, a lie-in was not on Sirius's mind as he had sneaked into her bedroom and slipped beneath the sheets, pressing his naked body up against hers.

"You are supposed to be in your own room," she said with a smirk as she tried not to make a single movement when he lifted her thigh, his hardness seeking out her center from behind her.

She was strangely reminded that it was rare for her and Sirius to ever sleep separately, and for good reason.

"_Hermione? Hermione are you okay?" Remus had asked once as he'd stumbled upon a young Hermione Granger, camped out in front of Sirius's bedroom._

"_Professor? I umm . . ."_

"_Hermione, is there a reason you're sitting outside of Sirius's bedroom?"_

"_I . . . he . . . I heard noises. He . . . he was shouting."_

_Remus had frowned in understanding. "Oh . . . I'm sorry, Hermione. He normally puts up Silencing Charms."_

"_Normally?" Her eyes widened. "This happens a lot?"_

_The werewolf nodded. "He was kept in Azkaban for twelve years. That much exposure to Dementors should have rendered him either completely insane or powerless. I hate to say it, but he is lucky to walk away with only nightmares and memories. I try to help when he lets me, but . . ." Remus looked back in the bedroom at his best friend and he sighed, "he's stubborn."_

She smiled, glad that Sirius was in her bed with her and not in his own if what he was left to face was something horrible like a nightmare reminding him of Azkaban, especially the day of their wedding.

Sirius pulled the hair away from her shoulder and kissed her skin, licking a trail up to her ear where he nibbled on her lobe, whispering, "When have I _ever _followed rules?" and then he surged inside of her, deep and hard like he knew she wanted. Always wanted.

She gasped, still sleepy and unprepared for the intrusion and reached her arm back to grasp at the back of his neck. She moaned when his arms snaked around her waist, one hand drifting high to clutch at a breast, the other moving south to toy with her as he rocked in and out of her tight heat. When he sank his teeth into the place where her neck met her shoulder, she whimpered wantonly, feeling like a grazing gazelle that had been set upon by a mighty lion. His black hair brushed against her skin and she smiled and amended her thoughts, _panther maybe_. Either way, he was all teeth and strength, overpowering any struggle she could put up though the thought hadn't even occurred to her.

When he moved his right hand away from her clit to clutch at her hip in order to get better leverage as he thrust into her, Mia's own slender hand replaced his. First she teased herself, body shaking as the feel of him was overpowering, and then she reached further south to feel where they connected, moaning at the sensation. "More," she said in a breathy voice. "Harder."

When he refused to comply, Mia growled. "Sirius . . . fuck me harder."

He chuckled softly and she could feel the vibrations in his chest against her back. "Such language. Aren't you supposed to be a virginal bride, wrapped in white for me to deflower later?" he teased.

Mia laughed loudly. "I'll be _your _witch, experienced, and wrapped in black."

"Aren't you always?" he asked and finally relented to her needs, snapping his hips fast and hard and panting against her neck as his own pleasures began to build higher and higher.

Mia cried out when he hit a particular spot inside of her. "Sweet fucking . . . Sirius! There! Right there!" And her body shattered, her vision blurred as a tense pleasure washed over her. Sirius roared his own climax against her neck when her body squeezed his cock violently, milking him of his release. "If . . ." Mia struggled to find a breath. "If you've left a mark on my neck, Sirius Black, I will hex you."

Sirius chuckled and slipped out of her body with a hiss through his teeth, rolling off of the bed quickly and reaching for his robe before she had a chance to find a mirror. "I'll see you later, kitten." He winked at her and moved to open her bedroom door only to find Harry and Ginny standing there, his godson looking disgusted.

"And _I'm_ bad at Silencing Charms?" Harry grimaced.

Sirius grinned. "Learn a few things?"

Harry shuddered and Ginny laughed. "Get lost, both of you," she instructed the wizards. "I have to help our _virginal _bride," she said sarcastically, "get wrapped in black." The redhead smirked and shut the door behind her, effectively dismissing the boys. "Ugh, Hermione, it smells like sex in here," she said, waving her hand in front of her face. "You know you're not supposed to consummate the marriage until _after _the ceremony, right?"

Mia chuckled and pulled herself out of bed, wrapping a thin red bathrobe around her body. "Tell that to the wretched creature that sneaked into my room to defile me on the morning of my wedding."

"I'm sure Harry's doing just that," Ginny said with a grin. "Now get your arse into the bath. The other girls will be here soon."

Eventually Luna, Laurel, and Alice made their way to Mia's bathroom, all sitting around the copper clawfoot tub discussing the events of the day. The witches, as per old traditions, had been chosen to bathe the bride and prepare her for her robes which would be placed on her by family. While Ginny tended to Mia's hair and Laurel to her nails, Luna filled the tub with cloves ("It drives away negativity and Blibbering Humdingers."), lemon oil, ("To purify the body and soul."), and daffodil petals ("They're traditional," Luna insisted. "For fertility.")

"I feel like a cup of tea," Mia said with a smirk and Luna smiled at her.

Alice sat by, watching everything and telling old stories about Mia and Sirius growing up together. Ginny replied by telling everyone what she and Harry had almost walked in on earlier. "Oh, that's nothing." Alice chuckled. "By the time we all graduated Hogwarts, I think every Gryffindor in our year had walked in on the pair of them. It was practically a rite of passage. Honestly, I don't know how Remus lived with you both."

Once she was dried, Mia kissed Alice, Ginny, Laurel, and Luna on the cheeks and exchanged their company for Narcissa, Tonks, and Andromeda.

"Why," Narcissa paused. "Does it smell like lemons and cloves in here?" she asked.

Tonks snorted. "I imagine it's to cover up the stench of Sirius."

"Harry told you?" Mia asked.

The Metamorphmagus laughed. "Remus," she answered. "Your deviant little groom got a good scolding from Molly, and my dashing husband had to break it up before she hexed him. Speaking of spells though, Aunt Cissa, you're best at charms. You should get that mark on her neck off."

Narcissa frowned at the bite shaped bruise. "Something is severely wrong with that man." Mia grinned. "And perhaps something is equally wrong with you for indulging him," the blonde added with a smile.

The bodice of her robes was etched in subtle silvers and greens, but the body of it was a deep blood-red. The bust dipped strikingly low, but Andromeda put a Sticking Charm in place to keep everything covered. Her Pack Mark, however, was on full display, as were both of her upper body tattoos. The back of the robes were opened to her entire back, and the sleeves that began at her shoulders, opened up briefly around her upper arms, only to close again above her elbow with silver stitching, leaving the words of House Potter on display.

"You'll be barefoot?" Andromeda asked.

"Of course," Mia answered as though offended.

Narcissa grinned. "Despite the status that your pureblood adoption has given you, you'll still be seen as a Muggle-born to the populace. I think that you bringing back these beautiful old traditions will do a world of good in uniting everyone." She toyed with Mia's curls, wrapping them around her wand to set the shape and then letting them fall gently down the bride's back.

"Thank you, Cissa." Mia smiled at her. "Thank you all for being here."

There was a soft knock at the door. "Is it safe to come in?" Remus's voice called inside.

"Enter if you dare," Tonks teased.

"Wow." Remus gasped at the sight of his best friend, but he stopped to kiss his wife before he made his way to the bride, surrounded on either side by her cousins. "Mia you look . . ."

"Think he'll faint?" She grinned at him.

Remus laughed. "I think he's certain to make a fool of himself at the sight of you, yes."

"Good."

"We'll leave you two alone," Tonks said, kissing Remus's cheek and hugging Mia tightly before leading her mother and aunt through the bedroom door, shutting it closed behind them.

Mia flung herself into Remus's arms and she held onto him tight. The werewolf observed her revealed Pack Mark and the wolf inside of him preened in approval at the sight. "You're still mine," he said softly, his eyes reflecting amber in the light indicating the wolf within him, reaching out for her. The witch drank in the possessive words and smiled as she remembered the first time she'd heard something similar from the werewolf.

_"I love you too, Remus," a young Mia had smiled at the werewolf who lay, sated, beside her in the Room of Requirement, a large faux full moon hung in the sky over them._

_"I do love you," he promised._

_"I know."_

_"And you're my best friend."_

_"You're more than that to me," Mia had pulled herself forward, molding her body against his and sighed as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead. "You're . . . I don't know. Mine," she said possessively and Remus chuckled. "You belong to me," she insisted. "At least until you find her."_

_"You're mine too, you know," Mia calmed at the words of claim to her. "You belong to me. It's like . . . if I were an alpha wolf, you'd be my beta," he smiled and Mia chuckled._

She pulled away and smiled sweetly at him. "You're still mine," she promised. "Both of us are. Pack," she assured him, chastely kissing away his frown when he looked guilty over his statement. "Stop being such a Muggle," she teased him, chuckling when he bristled at the insult. "Not everyone will understand how we work, Remus. But we do, Sirius and Tonks do, and everyone that matters does. I'm not going anywhere, but it's okay if you want to look a little sad over giving me away."

Remus sighed in relief. "I just . . . you're sealing your Soul Bond today. That's more important than the Pack Bond."

"But no less essential. To _both _Sirius and I," she said, knowing that Remus was likely feeling equally pushed aside over the prospect of losing them both. "Did you have this same talk with him?"

Remus scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I tried," he said. "I was told by your doting husband-to-be that if I was jealous he'd be happy to take me in a broom closet and show me how much he still loved me. Arsehole."

Mia threw her head back and laughed. "I love you, Remus. Thank you for doing this."

Remus kissed her forehead. "No one else is giving you away but me. You're mine to give," he insisted.

Another knock at the door was heard before Harry, Ron, and Draco entered, strangely looking well-behaved, which she assumed was for her benefit only. No one dared to mess with a witch as frightening as her on today of all days.

"Wow," Harry said with a bright smile, his eyes sparkling at the sight of his best friend. "Hermione, you're beautiful."

Ron swallowed as he looked at her robes. "Will Daphne be wearing something like that at our wedding?" he asked, hopeful.

Draco snorted. "Not with _your _mother involved. I see seven layers of white lace and chiffon in your future, Weasel. She'll look like a bloody cake when she reaches the end of the aisle. Then again, you're a fan of cake."

Ron narrowed his eyes at his future brother-in-law.

"Careful," Mia teased. "Keep this up and people are going to start to think the two of you like one another."

They both blanched at the thought.

Harry nervously ran a hand through his hair and adjusted the uncomfortable dress robes. "I umm . . . we have some things for you," he said and reached into the pocket of his robes, pulling out a familiar piece of jewelry. "This is for you." Harry reached for her wrist.

"Harry, this is Ginny's bracelet. I gave this to her," she said as he clasped it.

He smiled at her. "Borrowed," he said. "Something borrowed."

Mia smiled brightly and tried to blink away the forming tears.

Draco looked to each of the wizards in the room and then shook his head in disapproval as he pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. "Savages," he said under his breath as Mia thanked him with a smile and dabbed at her eyes.

"I believe this goes in your shoe," Remus said with a smirk and handed over a shiny Sickle to the suddenly laughing witch. "But it seems you're not wearing any."

Mia accepted the coin gratefully, slipping it in a pocket instead. "I assume Sirius has taken care of the blue once more?"

Remus nodded. "He's a sucker for tradition," he said sarcastically.

"And naturally, I took care of the new," Draco said as he stepped forward, brandishing a small, black velvet box, opening it to reveal a silver chained necklace with a goblin-made silver pendant hanging at the end, the Black family crest engraved on it. When Mia gasped at the sight, Draco flipped the pendant to show the Potter family crest on the opposite side and, when touched, the chain and pendant turned gold.

"It's beautiful, Draco, thank you." She pulled her hair to one side of her neck as the Slytherin slipped the necklace around the bride. "Are you old then?" she asked Ron with a grin.

He nodded. "I uh . . . didn't know what to give you really, but Mum found this," he said pulling a long, red ribbon from his pockets. At the end of it was a simply stitched letter G. Mia's breath caught in her throat at the sight of it. "When . . . when we went on the hunt, you left behind a bunch of books at the Burrow," Ron told her. "Mum found this in one of them. I told her I remembered you used to use it as a bookmark way back in —"

"First year," Mia whispered as she reached out to touch it. "This . . . it belonged to my mum . . . er . . . my Muggle mother. She gave me about twenty of them when I went off to Hogwarts. Said that I'd be reading so many books I needed to keep track. I thought I'd lost them all over the years," she admitted and then reached forward pulling Ron into a tight hug. "Thank you."

oOoOoOo

When Harry, Draco, and Ron made their way downstairs and outside to the orchards, the circle was already setting up and the young wizards took their places. Ron made his way to Daphne's side with a smile, eagerly avoiding Hyperion's gaze as he stood beside his daughter, Laurel on his arm. Astoria, standing next to her mother smiled sweetly as Draco approached, kissing her cheeks in greeting before doing the same to his mother as he stepped between them.

Andromeda and Tonks were next to Narcissa, both witches entertained by Luna who was explaining to Theo about how she'd like to follow in her mother's family tradition by wedding in the nude. The Slytherin, bless him, didn't even bat an eye at the suggestion of his future bride, though he was mentally planning on sending something nice and expensive to Mia as a thank you for the arrangement of his marriage. Beside Luna, Neville and Hannah were discussing their own future, both quite adamant about the idea of getting married while fully clothed, which seemed to please both Frank and Alice who stood beside them, chuckling at the pink cheeks their son was sporting.

Kingsley stood between Frank and Minerva who chatted with Molly though he all but ignored the witches in favour of Bill Weasley who stood with his veela wife, discussing the latest changes in werewolf rights. Next to Fleur, Charlie, Fred and George were attempting to weasel out of Percy the name of his new girlfriend who he'd not invited to the wedding, as it was too soon in their relationship to expose the poor girl to the discomfort she would surely feel around his family, and Ginny was egging them on, but broke away when Harry took his place between her and Ron.

"All set?" she asked him.

Harry nodded. "Can't believe this is going to be _us _soon," he said nervously.

Ginny winked at him. "I'm all for eloping if you are."

Harry looked at her with a level of love and devotion that had yet to be reached in their relationship until that very moment. "You're perfect," he declared and Ginny laughed.

Sirius stood in the center of the circle with Arthur, fidgeting with his dress robes until he eventually shrugged out of them, removed the tight fit shirt, ignoring the stares he received from everyone as he revealed his tattoo covered chest. He threw the shirt to Harry who rolled his eyes and set it down at the foot of a large tree, and slipped the robes back on. "She'll like it better this way," he insisted as Arthur stared at him.

"Are you nervous?" Remus asked as he and Mia stood at the end of a long red carpet that led down toward the circle awaiting them, lined with floating jars filled with bluebells flames. He noted out of the corner of his eye that beyond the circle, Tilly and Dobby were taking care to make sure Teddy didn't attempt to handle baby Victoire too roughly.

"Nervous about marrying Sirius?" Mia asked, grinning up at the werewolf. "Were you nervous about marrying Tonks?"

Remus shook his head. "Not once I decided that it would happen. Granted, with the Mate Bond already sealed, the wedding was really just for show, but . . . did I ever tell you that _you're _the reason I finally did it? That I finally got over my issues and just . . . ran to her."

Mia smiled. "No, but I'd love to hear it," she said as they began their walk toward the circle, ignoring the many eyes that turned their way.

"I thought I'd screwed up, you know," he admitted. "When Sirius went through the veil, I thought something had happened and the future was broken. I figured Tonks would be better off without me, and I spent the better part of a year fighting her advances. And then Dumbledore died, and I found you up at the Astronomy Tower."

"I remember." She smiled. "I told you that you should be with your mate."

He nodded. "I figured that I'd spent a year trying to make my own decisions and I screwed it all up. I was going to listen to anything you had to say from that point forward. Not only that, but I remembered that night. You showed it to me in the Pensieve. I didn't understand because I thought the future had been ruined, but that memory gave me hope, and I . . . I decided I liked hope."

"I like hope, too," Mia said softly.

Just then, Sirius broke away from the center of the circle and all of the guests gasped at the sight, some more than likely worried that he was making a run for it. The Animagus rushed forward at the sight of his witch and grinned when he tore her out of Remus's gentle grip, spinning her around in his arms and kissing her thoroughly.

_"I know I've only said it casually, and never clear enough that you'd understand completely," Sirius had once said to her, long ago. "But . . . I love you," he declared and Mia audibly gasped at the sudden announcement. "It's bloody terrifying and painful," Sirius had said, putting a hand over his bare skin where her name was visibly inked into him, just there over his heart. "And most days when I look at you, I feel like my chest is crushing down on me unless I say something, and I still usually choose not to say anything."_

_"Why?" she'd asked with a frown, tracing the edges of his lips with her finger, smiling softly when he paused to kiss the tip._

_"Stubborn pride?" Sirius had shrugged._

_"I love you too, Sirius."_

_"More than Remus?" he'd asked, teasingly, of course, as he raised a brow at her._

_"Prat," Mia rolled her eyes._

"Godric, you two are dramatic," Remus muttered, shaking his head in quiet laughter as his two best friends engaged in an awkwardly intense snogging session in the middle of the orchards, halfway down the aisle. After at least half a minute and when Remus noticed Sirius's hands had relocated to Mia's backside, the werewolf cleared his throat. "Can we?" he asked impatiently when the couple broke apart.

Sirius grinned. "Couldn't help myself," he confessed. "Look at her." He kissed her swollen lips once more, and then reached for his wand. "One thing though," he noted and then touched the tip of it to her neck, whispering, "_Finite_," revealing the love bite he'd placed there earlier that morning. He waggled his eyebrows at his bride and then turned, skipping back toward the circle.

Mia sighed irritably. "How bad it is?"

Remus looked at her neck. "Pretty obvious."

"Was it just me, or was he not wearing a shirt?" she asked.

Remus chuckled. "Still time to change your mind," he jokingly offered.

Mia chose to laugh and she wrapped her hand around Remus's arm. "Never."

When the circle parted to allow them inside, Mia glared at Sirius. "Prat."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Arthur began, smirking as he saw the annoyed look on Mia's face as she stared at her groom. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of these two wonderful people. Sirius Black and Hermione Potter come today to bind their lives and their magic together, to seal a Soul Bond that has withstood the test of time," he said and several people chuckled. "That has, quite literally, spanned more than three decades, two wars, and several lifetimes of difficult choices that have brought them here to this moment.

"Lucky for many of us, we've been able to watch their love grow and see the wonder that they bring out in each other. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we are so very happy to be here, and are thrilled that you both wish to share this beautiful day with us all, your family and friends." Arthur smiled at Mia and then cleared his throat. "Who presents this witch?"

Remus stepped forward, holding his head high and proud. "I do," he said firmly, gently brushing his thumb over Mia's knuckles as her fingers held onto his arm. "And I do so on behalf of the House of Potter," he said, glancing at Harry with a smile, "the collective House of Godric Gryffindor, and the Lupin Pack. She's always been mine to give," he whispered and then pulled both of Mia's hands into his, kissing the inside of her wrists before reaching out for Sirius's hand, and giving one best friend over to the other.

Arthur smiled as he leaned forward, tying Sirius and Mia's hands together with a golden cord before asking, "Does this couple come today with the blessings of their Houses?" Immediately Harry and Tonks stepped forward, each with a different coloured cord in their hand.

"I . . ." Tonks hesitated, her nose crinkling when she finally spoke, "_Nymphadora_ Lupin," she said her name and several people in the circle had a chuckle at her expense, much to the annoyance of Andromeda, "blood cousin of Sirius Black and chosen representative of our family, give my blessing for my cousin to forever bind the House of Potter to the House of Black." She stepped forward, grinning as she tied the black cord in her hand around Sirius's wrist, then securing it to Mia's.

Harry then stepped up and spoke. "I, Harry Potter, bonded brother of Hermione Potter, give my blessing for my sister to forever bind the House of Black to the House of Potter." He then tied the red cord in his hand around Mia's wrist and securing the opposite end to Sirius's, stopping only to kiss Hermione's cheek.

"Sirius and Mia, these cords are symbolic of the vows you will each take, tying you to the same House, uniting your families as friends and allies from this moment forward, and in the process binding together your hearts and your magic, sealing the Soul Bond that has been prepared and provoked for many years. As your hands have been bound together, so shall the rest of your lives be bound together. Do you each come here this day of your own free will?" Arthur asked.

"We do," they said together.

"Do you swear upon your magic to be faithful partners throughout your lives?"

"We do."

"Do you swear upon your magic to establish between yourselves a lifelong friendship?"

"We do."

"Do you swear upon your magic to love one another without reservation?"

"We do."

"Do you swear upon your magic to stand by one another, in sickness and health, in plenty and in want, in times of joy and sorrow, in years of peace and in war?"

"No," Sirius blurted out. "No more sorrow; no more war," he said and Mia beamed brightly at him.

"Hermione of House Potter," Arthur said with a smile. "Turn to your new Lord Husband and make your vow."

"I, Hermione of House Potter, give to you, Sirius of House Black my love, my friendship, my support and my protection. I take your name as my own and uphold it with honour and respect. I pledge to you our first born child, to serve as your heir who will carry on the legacy of our Houses, that our courage and our craft will always be pure," she smiled as she spoke their combined House words, noting that Narcissa and Andromeda were dabbing at the tears in their eyes. "I willingly bind myself to you until death separates us, where our souls will wait for one another in the afterlife to be united once again. I swear this vow upon my magic. _Suscipiam illud vinculum_," she stated, and the red cord around her wrist turned silver.

"Sirius of House Black, turn to your new Lady Wife and make your vow."

"I, Sirius of House Black, give to you, Hermione of House Potter my love, my friendship, my support and my protection, though you'll hardly need it," he said with a smirk. "I willingly bind our Houses together knowing that you will help me cleanse my own of all darkness, and reignite the magic of yours. I pledge to you my wand to serve and defend you, and my life to be given for any purpose you have need of it, to give you as many children as your heart desires and raise them to know that our courage and craft will always be pure," he declared proudly. "I willingly bind myself to you until death separates us where our souls will wait for one another in the afterlife to be united once again. I swear this vow upon my magic. _Suscipiam illud vinculum_," he declared, and the black cord around his wrist turned silver, intertwining with the single gold cord wrapped between them.

Mia and Sirius gasped simultaneously as the physical cords tying them together glowed, physically representing the Soul Bond between them sealing itself together. Magic seeped inside the thread, filling every break, tear, hole, and gap. The Bond briefly felt as though it were on fire, like metal being put into a forge to be reshaped only to be plunged into water a moment later, solid as unbreakable steel. Their hearts beat rapidly — and in sync — as the magic settled over them.

"Holy shite," Sirius whispered, his skin still vibrating as he stared at Mia.

She was shaking too from the feel of the power, but she smirked at his words and muttered, "Poet."

Arthur laughed at the couple and joyfully announced, "I now declare you bonded for life!"

Unlike the way he kissed her halfway down the aisle, Sirius stepped forward gently, reverently as he remembered the moment he'd opened his eyes two years ago after being pulled from the veil, fully expecting to meet his maker, only to be faced with the sight of chocolate eyes — now once again amber — as they stared down at him with worry. The worries were long gone, he realised, and all there was left to do was live.

So he kissed her with that in mind.

When he pulled away, deaf to the sounds of cheers around them, he smiled at the sight of a gentle blush on her cheeks.

_"One day you won't do that anymore," he had once said to her in the middle of a forest._

_"Do what?" Hermione had asked quietly._

_"Be embarrassed about how I make you feel."_

Sirius grinned and kissed her again, drinking in the taste of her; his witch; his wife.

She tasted how firewhisky felt.

* * *

**A/N**: And all was well.


	152. Chapter 152

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** Because Chapter 151 got so many hits and reviews in such a short amount of time, I thought I'd put up the first Epilogue tonight and do the final one tomorrow morning. Fair warning, there's an obvious moment in Epilogue Part One that will bring so many tears and feels. It was planned from the very beginning of this story and still gets to me _any_ time I read it. Full circle.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Epilogue Part One_

Family

"_...You're gonna fly with every dream you chase_  
_You're gonna cry, but know that that's okay_  
_Sometimes life's not fair, but if you hang in there_  
_You're gonna see that sometimes bad is good_  
_We just have to believe things work out like they should_  
_Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me_  
_(You're Gonna Be - Reba McEntire)_

* * *

**June 21st, 1999**

**Potter Manor - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

With the ceremony over, everyone went inside to the ballroom that had been opened for the first time in over thirty years, as Dorea and Charlus rarely had a cause to use it, and Sirius and Mia walked in to the sound of applause as guests grinned at the newlyweds. Despite the ceremony itself being small, the reception was opened to everyone and soon Wizengamot members and old Hogwarts professors graced Potter Manor, now considered the Ancient and Noble House of Black since Harry had decided to rebuild Godric's Hollow so he and Ginny could move in once they were married.

Round tables were set all around the room covered in black tablecloths with red accents. Delicious food prepared by Tilly was served on silver plates with gold chargers. Each charmed centerpiece, provided by Fred and George, was a large hourglass that poured champagne instead of sand through the center. Beautiful vases of pink lilies decorated the room. While family members, which included the Greengrasses, Malfoys, and Weasleys, sat at the large tables near the front, the high table was reserved for Pack.

Mia leaned over Sirius to ask Harry, "How long did he wait before he took the shirt off?"

Ginny smirked. "He did it just as the boys rejoined the circle," she said, answering for her fiance.

"Damn," Mia hissed and reached into a small bag that she'd stored in the pocket of her robes, withdrawing a few coins and passing them down the table to the redhead. "I was sure you'd have it off before the circle even formed," she said to Sirius, explaining the money.

When Sirius, in mock protest over being used as a prop for a bet between witches, stood up and took Remus's hand, predictably dragging the protesting werewolf onto the dance floor, their wives sat side by side watching in amusement at the pair of friends.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Tonks asked Mia as she flung up a _Muffliato _to prevent the canine hearing of their husbands from eavesdropping.

Mia's eyes widened expectantly. "No," she said as a grin broke out across her face.

Tonks smiled, nodded, and then winced. "How do you think he'll take it?" she asked.

Mia looked over at Remus, who'd finally given up the struggle and had begun dancing with Sirius in earnest though they still seemed to be confused as to who was leading. The witch grinned and looked back to Tonks. "I think that even if he freaks out, he'll have us all to fall back on and remind him of how great family is."

Tonks beamed and reached for her glass of water.

oOoOoOo

**October 31st, 1999**

**Potter Manor - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Harry and Ginny had a surprise wedding at Potter Manor one weekend in late August. They told their family and friends that neither wanted the publicity of a large wedding — especially so soon after the one year anniversary of the end of the war — but they didn't have it in them to leave everyone out of their special day by eloping. Molly was a bit put out that she didn't get to plan a great big celebration, but she was thrilled to officially welcome Harry into the family. Everyone was happy that Ginny was able to enjoy the small celebration that they _did _have because up until days before the wedding, she'd apparently caught Tonks's bout of "stomach flu".

It turned out that Harry, like his father before him, could not only be consistent in forgetting Silencing Charms, but _other _important spells when in the heat of the moment. That and, despite Harry's brief status as a brewing prodigy during sixth year, neither he nor Ginny were adequate enough at brewing a Contraceptive Potion.

Mia teased Ginny and Harry relentlessly for months until the curly-haired witch woke up Halloween morning with a new reason to dislike October 31st: morning sickness.

Sirius had brought her ginger tea for her stomach and peppered her face with kisses, speaking endlessly of her brilliance before he sent a hasty Patronus off to Remus and Harry, allowing the two wizards to duel over the title of godfather. Remus, overjoyed for his friends and finally calmed down over the news that he'd be expecting a new arrival as well, relented the position of godfather to Harry, who eagerly accepted it.

oOoOoOo

**December 5th, 1999**

**The Burrow - Weasley Residence**

Much to Hyperion and Laurel's annoyance, their eldest daughter married the youngest Weasley son in the orchards of the Burrow. Though, instead of ritual robes like Mia had worn, Draco's prediction had come to pass and, true to form, Molly Weasley layered Daphne in a white gown that stuck out a good two feet on either side of her.

Ron, back in training to become an Auror and passing his exams on his own merit, wore proper dress robes and stood with Harry by his side, as Mia, followed by Ginny and Astoria, led the way for Daphne down the aisle where she met her ginger groom and the two were joyfully bound together.

oOoOoOo

**January 1st, 2000**

**St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries**

The Pack rang in the new year together at St. Mungo's when, after going into labor and refusing to allow Andromeda and Narcissa to deliver her second child, Tonks was ushered to the hospital by an achy Mia and Ginny, both largely pregnant and fussing over their shared pains, the former sending off a silvery fox Patronus to track down Remus, Harry, and Sirius.

Hope Hermione Lupin came into the world with sandy blond hair that stayed that way unlike her older brother's. Remus held his daughter in his arms with Teddy on his lap and declared that it had all been worth it. Greyback's original attack, thirty-five years of lycanthropy, over four-hundred full moons, and two wars. Every scar on his body and life was worth it at that moment.

Sirius and Narcissa picked a fight with one another outside Tonks's hospital room when they couldn't decide if godfather or godmother would hold Hope first. It didn't matter, of course, as Remus passed the baby into Mia's awaiting arms and she grinned smugly at her husband and fuming cousin.

oOoOoOo

**April 15th, 2000**

**Shell Cottage**

Unlike Tonks's labor with Hope, when Ginny started having contractions she was stuck at Shell Cottage, surrounded by witches and a Floo Network that had been temporarily closed for repairs. Patronuses were sent across Wizarding Britain and soon the entire Weasley clan, followed in by the Pack were at Bill and Fleur's door. Tilly was there to watch over Teddy, Victoire, and Hope while Dobby looked on with wide anxious eyes, overly eager to welcome in the first Potter baby born in over nineteen years.

When complications arose and Molly kicked everyone out except for Harry, the large family sat outside of the small cottage, hands gripping tightly as they waited for news.

"It's a boy!" Harry shouted as he stepped through the door, announcing the birth of his son to an expectant crowd of family and friends. "Hermione, Ron," Harry called to his two best friends and godparents of his heir, and invited them in to see the baby first, followed behind by Arthur and Sirius, who were the closest thing to fathers that Harry himself had.

Mia nervously stood in the corner while the baby passed from Molly to Arthur to Ron and eventually to Sirius who grinned brightly at the mop of hair that was nearly black like Harry's, just as messy certainly, but a tinge of red marking him a Weasley for life.

"James Sirius Potter," Harry named his son proudly, and Sirius blinked away tears before gently placing the child in Mia's awaiting arms.

Her bottom lip quivered and, unlike her husband, she did nothing to stop the flow of tears that cascaded down her cheeks as she smiled down at the little boy in her arms. She brushed her fingers over his mess of hair, her voice breaking as she whispered, "Hi, Jamie."

oOoOoOo

**July 12th, 2000**

**Potter Manor - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Summer had been busy.

Between the second year anniversary of the end of the war, attending Neville and Hannah's small wedding ceremony in a church outside Godric's Hollow, followed by Theo and Luna's _very traditional_ ceremony in the middle of the Forbidden Forest (unknown to Minerva), Mia and Sirius were so exhausted that they didn't even bother celebrating their one year wedding anniversary.

After a much-needed game of Quidditch, Sirius, Remus, and Harry found Mia laying in bed with a sleeping Teddy curled up against her side, his hair a sandy blond to match his sister's, and a cooing Jamie in her arms, perched perfectly on her swollen stomach.

"I think you both have been replaced," Sirius said to Remus and Harry with a smirk.

Mia looked up at her boys and chuckled. "Give me another week and I'll have a miniature Sirius to complete my set," she informed her husband. "Younger, cuter, sweeter versions than all of you. I can start from scratch," she said with a chuckle as she played with a random curl on Teddy's head.

Her miniature Sirius surprised them all by arriving late that very night, a head of black hair and grey eyes like his father's. The couple lay in bed, exhausted despite the surprisingly quick birth, their newborn son sleeping between them.

"Leo," Sirius suggested. "Or Rigel."

Mia shook her head. "Regulus," she said firmly. "Regulus Charlus Black."

Sirius closed his eyes, sighed in what felt like relief and closure, and kissed her forehead in gratitude.

oOoOoOo

**August 20th, 2000**

**Wiltshire Manor - Malfoy Family Residence**

"This is obscene," Ron stated as he sat next to Harry watching his sister-in-law marry Draco Malfoy.

Despite being smaller than the original Malfoy Manor, the home Draco built on the freshly cleansed property was larger than Potter Manor with a ballroom twice as big. The home had been constructed a few miles away from the Malfoy Children's Home where he could properly monitor the care of the orphans while still keeping a bit of a private life for himself, Narcissa, and now Astoria, who was in charge of the management of the orphanage and ran the place quite well.

Draped in a gown that looked to be constructed of actual emeralds and diamonds, Astoria met Draco at the end of the aisle to stand beside Daphne and Mia who happily wore dark green, opposite Sirius who stood beside Draco with Theo next to him and was aching to get out of the colour as though it were staining his very soul. He didn't complain though, having been told to be a good example for Teddy, who stood near Sirius's feet in tiny dress robes, his hair stuck on Draco's shade of silvery-blond, which seemed to make Narcissa cry all the harder, the prospect of grandchildren nearly in sight for the witch.

oOoOoOo

**July 28th, 2002**

**Godric's Hollow - Potter Residence**

When Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was born on September 2nd, 2001, Draco lost fifty Galleons to a gloating Mia who had told him that his son would grow up with a Potter and a Weasley in tow. Thankfully, Astoria had been pregnant months before Ginny and Daphne, so the "Golden Children" as the media — not the _Daily Prophet_ — had taken to calling Harry, Ron, and Mia's children, didn't overshadow the birth of the next Malfoy heir.

"I'm just saying —" Mia tried to speak, but Harry cut her off.

"You named your son, _Regulus_," he pointed out and she crinkled her nose at him. "You didn't give Malfoy hardly this much trouble when he named his kid _Scorpius_."

Mia huffed. "You leave my godson alone."

A head of dark auburn hair peeked from around the corner, followed by a matching head of hair that quickly changed to honey-brown at the sight of the witch. "Are you talking about us, Aunt Mia?" a four-year-old Teddy asked, holding onto Jamie's hand.

Mia smiled at the boys. "No, I'm talking about Scorpius," she told them.

"Brother!" Jamie yelled. "Aunt 'Mione, you see my brother?"

"I did, sweetie." She knelt down and pulled him into her arms. "He looks just like Daddy doesn't he?" She grinned when Jamie nodded.

"Daddy's eyes," Jamie said and then added, "Nana Lily's eyes." Mia nodded and kissed the boy on his forehead, cringing slightly when Jamie said, "His name is Albus Severus."

Harry grinned at his son and then turned to smirk at Mia. "You'll get over it," he told her.

oOoOoOo

**May 3rd, 2007**

**Potter Manor - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"You okay, kitten?" Sirius asked, reaching up to feel Mia's forehead. "You're looking a little green."

She nodded. "Fine, just tired from the full moon last night," she said, not yet ready to tell him that she was pregnant again. "Where are the kids?" she asked looking around, noting that there was shockingly no children underfoot.

It had been the first Memorial Gala that they'd all missed due to the full moon falling on the anniversary of the final battle. Instead of some big to do at Hogwarts, the Pack spent the night together at the Lycanthrope Sanctuary while their growing brood had one of their monthly slumber parties at the Manor, where Ginny and Tonks drank wine and let Tilly unabashedly feed sweets and cakes to their children.

"Out in the orchards," Sirius told her. "Don't worry, Tilly and Dobby are with them and I made sure the wards around the river were secure," he promised to her relief. After an unfortunate accident nearly had Regulus drowning, only to be saved by the quick thinking of Teddy and Victoire, Mia had insisted that magical barriers be erected all around the Manor.

"You off to work?" she asked him and he nodded. "Before I forget, I don't think it's smart to bring Reggie to the shop with you anymore."

Sirius whined, "He loves watching me work on the bikes though."

Mia leaned up and kissed his pouting lips. "I know, love, but he's displaying accidental magic more and more these days and we've talked about this. You bought a _Muggle _motorbike shop. Where _Muggles _are the majority of your customer base. I'm not going to have a situation like Ron and Daphne got in when Rose accidentally set a clothing rack on fire in the middle of a shopping mall."

"Fine," Sirius grumbled. "But _you _have to be the bad guy and be the one to tell him."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Have a good day, oh, remember my shift at the hospital changed next Tuesday, and then there's the Wizengamot meeting on Wednesday and —" She stopped speaking when a silvery Patronus flew in through the window.

The large dragon perched itself on the nearby table and when it's mouth opened, Draco's voice spoke._ "If you have a few minutes to spare, I'd like for you both to come down to the orphanage."_

Mia frowned. "I don't like that tone," she said looking up at Sirius.

"Me neither." Sirius nodded. "I can open the shop an hour late," he insisted and tapped his wand on a charmed set of keys to the shop, triggered to magically adjust the sign out front when hours needed to be changed due to family emergencies.

oOoOoOo

**Malfoy Children's Home**

"Aunt Hermione!" A redheaded boy launched himself into her arms the moment she and Sirius stepped out of the fireplace.

Mia held him tightly and kissed his head. "Hugo, where's Uncle Draco?" she asked.

"Upstairs with Aunt Tori," he answered. "There was a splosion."

"An explosion?" Mia's eyes widened in shock, wondering why Draco hadn't sounded even more worried. As a Healer, she expected to be called in by Draco — and had been often over the years — when there were accidents at the orphanage.

"Is everything alright, Daphne?" Sirius asked as Hugo's mother came to fetch him from Mia's arms, five-year-olds Rose and Scorpius lingering behind.

Daphne nodded. "One of the kids had a bit of an accident," she said. "We had some visitors stop by to meet with some of the kids and . . . no one wanted her," she frowned. "She got upset and then a little boy was mean and she shattered some of the windows in the house. I've never seen anything like it."

"Merlin." Mia gasped. "Is everyone okay?"

"No one was hurt, just a little scared," Daphne answered. "Tori and Draco are sitting with her right now. You can go on up."

Sirius and Mia blinked curiously at the blonde but began their way toward the stairs, followed by an anxious looking Scorpius. "Uncle Sirius?" he called after the raven-haired wizard. "She's not going to be in trouble, is she?"

"Course not, Scorp," Sirius told his young godson, patting the boy on his head. "No little witches get sent to Azkaban."

"And if she does, you'll break her out, right?" Scorpius asked nervously, clutching a stuffed dragon tightly in his small hands. Sirius grinned at the boy's question and nodded his head before following Mia up the stairs.

Draco was standing outside his office, waiting for them. "I'm glad you could come."

"What's going on?" Mia asked him. "Daphne said a little girl showed accidental magic and broke all the windows?"

The Slytherin nodded. "I was at home preparing for the meeting next week when Tori sent me a Patronus," he told her. "She's a little thing, too. Same age as Scorp, Rose, and Albus."

Sirius's grey eyes widened. "And she blew out all the windows? That's _some _accidental magic," he said in shock. "Who is she?"

Draco shrugged. "Just another kid without parents. She just got here a few weeks ago and hasn't so much as spoken to anyone except for me and Scorpius," he said. "I guess her father had blond hair or something. From the information Potter was able to get from the Muggles, we think her father was a wizard from France and her mother was a Muggle. They died in a boat crash about three years ago. She was with the mother's second cousin or something when it happened and the girl dropped her off at an orphanage when she started showing signs of magic and the family went mental. She's been in the Muggle system for a few years before Aurors caught wind and Weasel brought her here."

"Poor thing," Mia frowned. "What can we do? Is she injured? Does she need a Healer?"

Draco shook his head. "Just . . . I thought of you . . ." he said and opened his office door.

Astoria smiled at the sight of Mia and Sirius and she kneeled down and whispered to a small girl who had her head buried in her arms. "Sweetie, I want you to meet some friends of ours. This is Mister and Missus Black, they're Draco's cousins," she told her.

Mia knelt down to get on the girl's level and Sirius was right behind her. When the child turned around Mia struggled to contain a gasp as she was met with a pair of grey eyes and a head full of long black hair. "Merlin," Mia whispered. "Hello," she smiled at the girl, "it's nice to meet you."

The girl frowned nervously at Mia, clearly thinking that she was going to get in trouble for breaking the windows. Her eyes, however, moved to fall on Sirius who smiled at her and then stood, stepping out of the room quickly, only to return moments later in Padfoot form, large tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth.

"Puppy!" the girl squealed with delight, all signs of worry gone from her face as she wrapped her arms around the dog like most children did at the sight of Padfoot and giggled when he licked her face.

Mia stood and looked from Draco to Astoria. "I take it you're suggesting something?"

Draco smirked. "No one's more familiar with magical adoption than you, Granger."

"Black," she corrected him out of habit.

"Potter," he said, settling on one of her many names.

"What's her name?" she asked.

Astoria grinned. "That's what made us think of you two."

"Carina," Draco spoke to the girl. "Do you want to take the dog downstairs and see if he'll play fetch outside?" he asked. "I bet Scorpius would like to play too." The girl nodded, her grey eyes looking brightly up at the adults, and she pulled Padfoot gently by the ear and led him out of the room.

"Carina?" Mia asked, eyes wide.

"Constellation name," Draco said knowingly.

"Not just that," Mia laughed at the coincidence. "The constellation Carina contains the star Canopus. It's the _second _brightest in the sky." She smiled.

"What's the first?" Astoria asked curiously.

Mia and Draco shared a grin. "Sirius."

oOoOoOo

**June 10th, 2007**

**Potter Manor - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

"This is a very special necklace," Mia said as she handed it to Regulus who observed each side of the pendant with interest, noting both the Potter and Black family crests. "Draco gave it to me the day I married your father."

The seven-year-old boy nodded thoughtfully, trying to remember what his parents had told him to say as he turned to face the black-haired girl they'd brought home a month earlier. He'd taken to her immediately, tugging on her hair the same way he did with Hope. The way he _tried _to do once with Lily before his aunt Ginny had told him that unless you were siblings, pulling on a girl's hair meant you wanted to kiss them.

But Carina was different.

She'd been living with them for weeks and, despite Tilly tucking her in her own bed in the room that used to belong to his mum, Carina crawled out each and every night, finding her way into Regulus's room and tucking herself in beside him. When Teddy, Hope, Jamie, and Albus spent the night a week earlier, the adults woke early the next morning to find their children piled together in one large bed, all of them curled around the tiny black-haired witch. It was that night that Sirius and Mia had taken Regulus aside and told them of their plan to adopt Carina.

Regulus stepped forward, trying to appear formal, but his stark resemblance to his father made that nearly impossible. He looped the necklace around Carina's neck and smiled at her. "You're my sister," he said to the smiling girl. "And that makes you a Black."

* * *

**A/N**: Originally, Carina was going to have been born to Sirius and Mia, but then with Draco creating an orphanage and Mia having been adopted herself, I couldn't resist the accidental set up for this lovely little family.


	153. Chapter 153

**Disclaimer: **The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me and I make no profit from this story.

**Beta Love**: Fluffpanda

**Warning: **Rated M for language, violence, and the occasional graphic sexual scene, sometimes including minors.

**A/N:** I don't think there's anything more to say, other than thank you.

* * *

**The Debt of Time**

_Epilogue Part Two_

Ever After

"_...No wonder your heart feels it's flying_  
_Your head feels it's spinning_  
_Each happy ending's a brand new beginning_  
_Let yourself be enchanted, you just might break through_  
_To ever ever after…"_  
_(Ever Ever After - Carrie Underwood)_

* * *

**August 31st, 2013**

**Potter Manor - The Ancient and Noble House of Black**

Sirius opened his eyes to the smell of bacon cooking downstairs and the sound of children running in the hallways. There was also the feel of something slightly heavy on his back and a tickle of hair on his skin. When he cracked an eye open to turn his head and look, he found himself looking at a tiny face, black hair, and amber eyes.

"Daaaaaddy . . ." the little girl said with a low growl.

"Has anyone told you lately that you sound like a troll when you use that voice?" Sirius mumbled sleepily.

The tiny witch jumped once, her knees landing on Sirius's lower back. "Daddy wake up!"

"Ow, fuck!" he hissed and then rolled over, pulling his daughter into his arms and off of him. "Princess . . . those are Daddy's kidneys," he told her, still wincing from the pain.

"Galleon in the swear jar!" she said with a greedy grin. "Mummy says so."

Sirius growled under his breath. _Fucking swear jar_. "What's Daddy's swearing buying this month?" he asked.

The almost six-year-old as she cuddled up beside him, toying her fingers through his hair the way her mother often did. "Uncle Remus is going to take me and Lily to Chocolate Week in London!" she said excitedly. "Swear jar pays for tickets."

Sirius chuckled. "And why, my teeny, tiny kitten, doesn't uncle Remus pay for the damn tickets himself?"

"Jar!" she said excitedly at the sound of his swearing and then added, "because Mummy said so."

The raven-haired wizard — not grey like he'd once predicted to Remus — faked a pout down at his youngest child. "Sometimes I think Mummy likes Uncle Remus more than me," he teased.

She put her tiny hands on his cheeks and mimicked his stuck out bottom lip before saying, "I know."

Sirius laughed loudly.

Despite the trouble he often caused, Regulus had turned out more like Mia in the end, or really . . . _Hermione _if they were being specific. He was studious, well-read and soft spoken compared to his cousins, Teddy and James who, thankfully, had Hope there to boss them around when they got out of control. Remus's daughter was just as intimidating as her father when in a mood, and just as clumsy as her mother which made for a dangerous little witch.

Much like her mother, who had also been adopted, Carina developed Slytherin tendencies to rival those of her Grandmother Dorea. When asked if she wanted to take the name Black during her adoption, Carina had asked if she could have a middle name as well, and then personally chose "Dorea". It should have been a sign. The girl held everyone in the palm of her hand, with Sirius being the biggest sap of them all. Only the mothers seemed to catch on to her antics which had become much more well adjusted once she'd been legally adopted. Her accidental magic had become well controlled over the years, especially now that she had her own wand and was off to Hogwarts the following morning.

Sirius held his youngest tightly, using her as the healing salve of the open wound that Carina's departure was soon leaving behind. Thankfully, Pandora wouldn't go to Hogwarts for several more years.

"Miss Pandora Mary Black, what should Daddy do to make Mummy like me more?" Sirius asked the child that was far more like one of the witches she was named after than the other. "Should I swear less?"

"No!" Pandora insisted. "Swear jar bought Christmas and birthday presents last year!"

He chuckled at the look of fear in her eyes. "You are aware that we're wealthy, yes? Pandora, you do know that even if we didn't have the swear jar that you'd still get Christmas and birthday presents, right?" he asked, suddenly concerned that perhaps her siblings or cousins had actually told her that Sirius's swear jar paid for everything they owned. He certainly wouldn't put it past Jamie.

"But what about Chocolate Week?" Pandora asked.

He sighed. "If we didn't have the swear jar, uncle Remus would stand on a corner and dance for Muggles and they would give him money," he promised her, grinning when she broke out into a fit of giggles, presumably over the image of a dancing Remus. "Why did Mummy have you come wake me up?"

Her laughter stopped and she smirked. "She says that you have to punish the boys."

Sirius frowned. "Which boys?"

Pandora grinned. "Mawders," she said, mispronouncing the word.

Sirius sighed knowing exactly what she meant. Teddy, Jamie, and Regulus. "What did they do?"

"Took your bike."

"What?!" Sirius sat up quickly and reached for his jeans that were sitting in the armchair near the bed. He stood up, slipping the jeans on and throwing a t-shirt over his head before picking his daughter up around the waist and throwing her over his shoulder as she laughed at him.

"Regulus Charlus Black!" Sirius shouted once he'd stepped into the hallway.

A head of black hair peeked out from an open door. "I didn't do it!" Regulus said immediately. "Teddy did!"

Another head of black hair came out of Regulus's room. "It was _your _idea!" Teddy said, accusing Regulus.

James walked out from behind his cousins, approaching Sirius with a happy grin. "Can I just say how very young and handsome you're looking today, uncle Sirius?"

Sirius scoffed. "Nice try, James. Which of you touched the bike?" he asked. Instantly all three boys turned and pointed at the other two, pushing the blame off of themselves. "Right," Sirius rolled his eyes. "How can I make this clearer? When the three of you get busted at Hogwarts for shite like this —"

Pandora squealed and clapped her hands together. "Jar!"

"— you either take the fall yourself or deny everything. You do _not _turn on one another."

Regulus slowly let a grin cross his face. "Does this mean we're not in trouble?" he asked hopefully.

"Did you break the bike?"

Jamie shook his head. "It wouldn't even start. Teddy said we had to push while he steered and eventually it would turn on."

Sirius turned and looked at a snickering Teddy. "Well, your cousin is a very good liar."

"What?" Jamie turned and glared at Teddy. "You suck!"

"I put a Stasis Charm on the engine. Something your Aunt Hermione taught me," Sirius told Jamie. "Honestly, don't touch the bike. When you're old enough I'll teach you all how to drive it."

"Really?" Regulus asked, hope in his eyes.

"How mad is Mum?" Sirius asked.

Regulus took a moment to think about it. "Umm . . . stronger than a Stinging Hex, less than a Cruciatus."

Sirius winced. That didn't bode well, but at least it was the boys in trouble and not him. "You finish packing your trunk?" he asked.

"Yes, Dad."

"You help your sister with hers?"

Jamie answered for him. "Al's helping her. Hey Uncle Sirius, you want in on the bet?"

"What are we betting on?" Sirius asked, shifting Pandora from his shoulder down to the floor.

Teddy chuckled. "Whether or not Albus ends up in Slytherin."

Sirius frowned at their mirth. "I know you boys are a happy little lion pride but don't cut your siblings out just because they get Sorted into Slytherin. I'm serious about that."

"Aren't you Sirius about everything?" Teddy snickered.

Sirius ruffled Teddy's black hair until it turned green. "I like you, kid."

"Mum already gave us the lecture," Regulus chimed in. "Grandma Dorea was a Slytherin."

"So was your Uncle Regulus," Sirius pointed out.

His son nodded and smiled. "And he was a hero."

"Yes, he was."

"So is Uncle Draco!" Pandora said loudly.

"He's not our uncle munchkin, he's our cousin," Regulus said, pulling his sister into a hug and then looking up at his father. "Is he still coming?"

"Yes," Mia said as she walked around the corner to find her husband hopefully disciplining the wayward children. "He, Astoria, and Scorpius are meeting us all in Diagon Alley for some last minute shopping, at least that was the plan as of last night," she said as she watched the children scatter away from them, save for Pandora who was back at a small table in the corner with glitter and glue already all over her hands. Mia kissed Sirius and smiled. "Morning, love, did you deal with them?"

Sirius nodded. "Absolutely. Properly scolded. Rotten boys. Where are all the damn adults around here?" he asked when he heard Hope and Lily giggling down the hallway.

"Ginny will be here for lunch," Mia answered him. "Harry said there was a dispute at the Burrow during a friendly family game of Quidditch and she stuck around to make sure Ronald knew his place," she said and shared a chuckle with her husband. "Remus and Tonks Floo'd over to Shell Cottage to help Bill with something."

"Shell Cottage?" Teddy rushed back around the corner. "Can I go?" he asked eagerly.

Mia rolled her eyes. "Straight there?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Aunt Mia!" He grinned and rushed to the fireplace, abandoning Regulus and Jamie.

From her little table, Pandora hissed, "I _hate _Victoire."

Mia smirked at Sirius and folded her arms across her chest. "Ask _your _daughter what she's been making this morning."

Sirius cringed. Specifying which children belonged to whom like that always spelled trouble. Regulus was _his _son when he broke things or letters were sent home from Hogwarts. Carina was _Mia's _daughter when she convinced the boys to do something horrible. Pandora usually could go either way.

He knelt down next to his youngest and smiled at the pile of glitter and glue. "Got something to show me, teeny, tiny kitten?"

Pandora grinned proudly and pulled out a piece of cardboard that had been broken and glued back together, looking like two misshapen funnels hooked together by the narrow ends and then filled with glitter. "Look, Daddy. It's a Time-Turner."

Sirius winced. "That it is. And a beautiful Time-Turner," he said, smiling at her and trying to avoid Mia's stare.

"Ask her _why _she's making a Time-Turner," his wife insisted.

"Pandora?"

"So I can flip it like this," she said, turning the creation upside-down and sending glitter all over the table and floor, "and then I'll go back in time and, before Teddy can kiss Victoire, I will punch her in the nose and make her ugly so he won't like her anymore."

"That's . . ." Sirius stared at his five-year-old with mild shock, "disturbing as hell."

"Jar!"

"Why would you want to do that, love? Victoire likes you," he assured her. "And you have to be nice to her. She's —"

"Pack," Pandora said, interrupting him and rolling her eyes, "I know. But if I go back in time and make her ugly then Teddy won't like her and then _I_ can marry Teddy. Like how Mummy used her Time-Turner to go back and marry you."

Shocked silent, Sirius kissed the top of his daughter's head and stood, walking away from the situation entirely only to be followed by Mia. "Why do all the women I love prefer Lupins over me?" he asked her.

"Don't be dramatic," Mia chuckled. "I told you she was too young for that story. Didn't I tell you?"

Sirius nodded. "You told me."

"Now she's making a Time-Turner."

He turned and grinned at her. "Maybe she and Teddy will be very happy together," he suggested and ducked as she tried to punch him in the arm.

"You're a bad influence," Mia insisted, pointing at him.

He grinned and caught her finger in his teeth and reached forward to pull her against him, releasing her finger to capture her lips, ignoring the echoing sounds of "Ewww!" around the house. "We going to be infested with Weasleys soon?" he asked as he finally pulled away.

"Ron, Daphne, and the kids are staying at the Burrow but they'll be here for dinner tonight along with everyone else."

"And the Slytherins?"

"Notts or Malfoys?" she asked. "Be more specific."

"Both."

"Malfoys are meeting us in Diagon Alley in an hour, Luna and Theo and the twins are coming by tonight for dinner with everyone."

"Do we have time to . . ." Sirius waggled his eyebrows at her.

Mia laughed. "Are you kidding me?" She patted him gently on the cheek and then turned to walk away.

Sirius sighed and made his way back to Pandora's glitter-covered table. "Teeny, tiny kitten?" he asked as he sat down beside her. "Can Daddy borrow your Time-Turner? He just needs an extra hour."

oOoOoOo

**Diagon Alley**

Draco and Mia sat down in front of Florean Fortescue's for their traditional ice cream date, now shared with their entire family, something that seemed less peaceful and calm than when the pair used to go out right after the war to commiserate over battle, dead Death Eaters, and nosey reporters. Now, however, they were surrounded by screaming children, the majority of which didn't belong to either of them.

"Sweet Salazar," Draco groaned, "Were _we _this loud and awful as children?"

Mia snorted. "_You_ were."

"No,_ I_ was charming and brilliant," he argued. "Where's everyone else?"

"That's a long list, don't make me go through it all."

"Fine," he relented. "Where're Potter and your husbands?"

She raised a daring eyebrow. "Plural?"

"Everyone knows you and Nymphadora share," Draco teased her.

"Yes. All the responsibility of two wizards and none of the benefits," Mia said dramatically and the pair shared a laugh, though Draco's was much more subdued as he was in public and couldn't be thought of as delightful by any passersby. "Grown boys are all in the Leaky, little boys are all in the broom shop," she said, gesturing down the way.

"Dad, can I go?" Scorpius pleaded from behind his father.

Draco seemed anxious, a look on his face that most would interpret as anger but Mia knew better after all these years.

"He'll be fine, Draco," she promised him and then turned around to spot one of her nephews. "Albus!" she called and smiled when a head of messy black hair turned and the eleven-year-old broke away from the crowd of cousins and rushed back to Mia's table. "Take Scorpius with you to look at brooms," she instructed him. "If anything happens you come straight here, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Albus nodded and then gestured for the blonde to follow. "C'mon, Scorp."

Draco watched his son rush down the street with a Potter to join other Potters and Blacks and Weasleys, and he shook his head at the hilarity of it all. He finished his last bite of ice cream before peering into Mia's half-eaten dish.

"I'll stab you if you try," she threatened.

Draco laughed. "So, what's the pool up to?" he asked when his eyes looked up to check on the children, still in sight thanks to Scorpius's beacon-like head of hair.

Mia smirked. "Three-hundred Galleons."

He laughed. "For _one _Sorting?"

She nodded. "He's got four Gryffindor grandparents, two Gryffindor parents, his godfather is a Gryffindor and all of his aunts and uncles are Gryffindors," she said with a smile, looking over her shoulder to watch as Albus and Scorpius looked to be in a friendly argument over one broom model versus another. "Plus he's a Potter and my dad always said Potters get Sorted into Gryffindor."

Draco smirked. "But?"

"Well, his godmother is a Ravenclaw," she said, as though Luna's influence had anything to do with Albus's Sorting that would take place the following evening.

"Don't let Lovegood fool you," Draco grinned. "Theo tells me what she's _really _like. That witch can be cunning when she wants to be . . . and pretty filthy." He snickered. "She does things to Theo that Astoria would hex me if she knew I was thinking about them." He watched with amusement as Mia rolled her eyes, slightly disappointed that she didn't grimace the way most witches would, but then again, she was a Black. "You know where the kid's going, don't you?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "Why should I tell you insider secrets?"

"Because I'll toss in fifty Galleons of my own and split the winnings with you."

"Albus is going to be a Slytherin," she said quietly.

"How do you know that?"

"Because Blacks gets Sorted alphabetically before Potters," she said while grinning. "And _my _daughter is a born Slytherin and Carina and Albus are attached at the hip. She gets Sorted and the second that Hat gets tossed on his head he's going to beg it to put him with her."

"Malfoy," Harry said as he approached the duo, Lily on his arm, looking like a mirror image of her grandmother but with Ginny's eyes.

"Potter," Draco gave a nod in greeting.

"Been a while. How's the wife and kid?"

"Wife's with her sister and the Weasel, kid's just run off with your son."

Harry paled and his eyes widened as they turned to Mia. "Which one?"

"Albus," Mia said and Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Don't worry."

"Damn kids are going to put me in St. Mungo's," Harry exclaimed, taking a seat beside his best friend and pulling Lily up next to him, kissing her head. "Not you, love, you're the good one."

Lily stared at him with a single lifted eyebrow. "For now," she said.

"That's . . . mildly frightening," Draco commented. "You might be my favourite," he said to the little redhead with a grin.

Mia chuckled as Lily preened under the compliment while simultaneously trying to look like she didn't need or want his approval. "Don't let Pandora hear you say that," she told Draco.

"I think she's got eyes for someone else," he said, gesturing over Mia's shoulder. Everyone turned to watch Sirius and Remus leaving the Leaky Cauldron with Teddy, Hope, Victoire, and Pandora. Teddy and Victoire were trying to subtly hold hands, but every time they tried, Pandora reached up and tugged on Teddy's shirt to gain his attention. Sirius and Remus were trying — unsuccessfully — to ignore what was happening.

Finally, when Pandora growled audibly at Teddy's veela girlfriend, Sirius picked her up and moved her away from the young couple. "Pandora! Leave Teddy and Victoire alone and come over here and . . ." he looked around for a way out and his eyes fell on his wife, godson, and young cousin, "say hello to Draco," Sirius said, dropping Pandora in the seat next to the blonde.

"Draco, you're looking well." Remus smiled in greeting at the Slytherin as he took the seat beside Mia.

"Daddy," Hope said as she settled in next to the werewolf, "can I go into Flourish and Blotts?"

He nodded. "Take one or two of your cousins and get their school books so we don't have to be here all day."

Hope smiled and kissed his cheek, standing up and looking around for any number of her cousins. When her soft green eyes fell on a head of long, straight black hair she called out, "Carina! C'mon!" and then ran off, grabbing Carina's hand and dragging her toward the book shop. By the time they got there, several of the others were heading in that direction like a large herd or . . . well . . . pack, and Mia grinned at the sight of the large brood.

"Come on," she said as she stood up. "I want to go get a new copy of _Lies About Lycanthropy_." Mia grinned and tugged on Remus's arm.

The werewolf groaned. "You've got at least eleven copies," he complained.

Sirius laughed. "You know she just likes to pretend that she doesn't know you when she buys the book and then ask you for an autograph in the middle of the store."

"I know," Remus complained and Mia laughed.

As they approached the book shop several paces behind their children, the five adults heard a loud screech coming from a pug-nosed witch with shoulder length black hair. "Persius! Hurry up!" Pansy Flint shrieked loudly at the burly boy who was struggling to keep up with her. "Your father has to be back to work in an hour and I'm tired of walking around. This place is filthy!" Pansy said when her eyes fell on Mia and Draco.

When Draco's former Housemate turned to smugly walk away, they all rolled their eyes and nearly missed it when Pansy's son rammed into Carina, knocking her harshly to the ground. "Watch where you're going, loser!"

Sirius caught sight and stepped forward growling, but Mia's hand flew out, pressing against his chest to stop him. "Wait," she insisted when she noticed the children descending on the young Flint boy.

"Hey!" Albus was the first to shout as he ran forward followed by Jamie and Regulus. "Don't talk to my cousin like that!" he said.

Flint glared at Albus. "Piss off, blood-traitor!"

"Did you just push my little sister, you git?!" Regulus snarled.

Hope, flanked by Regulus and Jamie, looked just as enraged as her cousins as she walked up and stood right in the younger boy's face, causing him to step back quickly and trip onto his arse. "You like running about shoving little girls do ya?!"

"You okay?" a soft voice spoke above Carina.

"I'm fine," she huffed bitterly, glaring at the bleeding scratch on her elbow. She turned and glanced up and her eyes met the stare of a matching colour of grey and the little witch smiled sweetly. "Thanks, Scorpius."

"Careful," Scorpius said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a black and green handkerchief embroidered with a silver "M" and handing it to her. "You're bleeding there."

"Oh," she blushed and accepted the handkerchief in addition to his hand as he helped her to stand up.

oOoOoOo

**September 1st, 2013**

**Kings Cross Station**

"What's wrong with those two?" Mia asked Ginny as she kissed her cheek hello when they met up in front of the Hogwarts Express. She gestured to Lily who was sniffling and Albus who was shouting at Jamie with Harry trying to separate the boys.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "James has been teasing Al all morning long. He and Teddy and bloody Slytherin. I've never been happier to ship them all away. And _this _one," she said looking down at a teary-eyed Lily, "is upset that she can't go with them."

Mia smiled and brushed a strand of red hair from Lily's eyes. "Pandora's sad too," she told her niece. "Why don't you go over there and the two of you can make plans for all the fun things you're going to do this year."

Lily seemed slightly mollified by the suggestion and made her way over to where Pandora was sniffling in Remus's arms while Sirius walked Carina and Regulus over to meet up with Harry, James, and Albus. Ron and Daphne arrived beside Draco and Astoria, and soon Hugo joined the younger children who were sad to not be going to Hogwarts.

"Rosie, you'll be loved just as much if you end up in Slytherin," Daphne promised her daughter while Ron grumbled behind his wife's back. The poor girl looked absolutely terrified and Mia was tempted to have all of the eleven-year-olds taken aside to have a pre-Sorting pep talk.

It seemed, however, that Harry at least had Albus covered as he was kneeling in front of his son with Sirius leading the rest of the children away from the duo. Mia smiled and ran her hand affectionately through Carina's hair before her daughter walked over to say hello to Scorpius. She looked up and smiled at her husband who looked annoyed. "What's wrong, love?"

"You should hear the shite Harry's telling Al," he said, rolling his eyes. "_Bravest man I've ever known_," he said in a mocking tone.

"Hey!" Jamie said as he approached his family with a jaw splitting grin on his face. "Teddy's . . . back there," he said breathlessly, gesturing to a section of columns past the billowing clouds of steam coming from the train. "Snogging Victoire!"

Regulus was suddenly right beside him, laughing hysterically. "He had his tongue in her mouth!"

Pandora, overhearing her brother, growled viciously and Remus had to hold onto his goddaughter before she rushed off to push Victoire in front of the train. He glanced apologetically over at Bill who was groaning miserably at the overheard news from the boys, and he and Tonks walked off to find their children and put a stop to the public indecency before it got completely out of hand.

"Do you think Teddy and Victoire will get married?" Lily asked. "Then we'll all really be a family," she said with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"We're already related too much, dear," Mia told her niece with a chuckle.

"Not me," Carina pointed out. "Technically I'm not blood related to any of you," she said, her grey eyes falling on Scorpius, an action that was caught by a not-at-all amused Regulus who stepped in between his sister and the young Malfoy.

Sirius did his best to ignore the commotion and allow his son to handle what he was not at all ready to acknowledge. He turned around and smiled as Harry brought Albus over, looking much happier as he joined Carina and Scorpius, the other future Slytherins.

"Everything okay?" Mia asked and Harry nodded with a smile.

"It's nearly eleven," Sirius shouted, "you'd better all get on board!" He kissed the top of Regulus's head and pulled Carina in for a tight hug, reluctant to release her until Remus put Pandora in his arms instead before walking forward to lecture Teddy and kiss Hope goodbye.

"Don't forget to give Neville our love," Ginny told James as she kissed his cheek goodbye.

"Mum! I can't give a professor love!" he whined before being dragged by his robes onto the train by Teddy, Regulus, and Hope. The adults watched through the windows as Remus's daughter pointed at her brother and cousins, directing them to the back of the train.

"They ever remind you of —" Remus began.

"Far too often." Sirius nodded. "Stresses me out."

Behind their siblings and cousins, Albus, Carina, Rose, and Scorpius stepped onto the train with an equal mixture of nervousness and excitement. Their parents stood on the platform and watched, misty-eyed, as the clock struck eleven and the train pulled out of the station.

"They'll be okay," Mia said, swallowing down her building emotions.

"You sure?" Sirius asked.

She nodded and smiled when Remus took her left hand in his and Harry took the right. Sirius wrapped his arms around her from behind and she closed her eyes. Smiling when she could feel, even if she couldn't see, Ginny take Harry's arm and Tonks take Remus's. No one was left behind.

Soon the Malfoys and Weasleys joined them, talk of grabbing lunch — and a drink — to "celebrate" the kids being sent off. Those who were parting with their children for the first time were hesitant about the meal, but looking forward to a glass of firewhisky or two.

"You doing okay?" Mia asked Draco who was still staring off in the direction that the train left.

"I don't know how the rest of you have done this before," the blonde admitted. "He's my only son."

"It gets easier," she said thoughtfully. "When they write home and tell you about all of their classes and the friends that they've made."

"She's lying," Sirius said, looking over at his young cousin.

Remus chuckled beside them all. "It never gets easier and you worry about them constantly. You just have to smother them even more when they come home."

"My kids hate that," Harry said with a grin.

"Doesn't matter," Sirius insisted. "It's your job."

Mia smiled. "_Our_ job."

oOoOoOo** FIN **oOoOoOo


	154. Chapter 154

**Where Are They Now . . .**

* * *

**Because I know my readers will want all the details on what happened to everyone after the Epilogues and all the information about the children, I've put together a little 'Where are they now' list:**

After fighting alongside Mia and Draco in the Wizengamot as the official representative for the werewolves, Remus finally finished his book, Lies About Lycanthropy, that Sirius and Mia had been begging him to write for years. The Lupin's remained at The Den, continuing to work with other werewolves within the Lycanthrope Sanctuary. Tonks rose up in ranks alongside Harry, eventually becoming Head of the D.M.L.E. Edward Remus Lupin aka Teddy (godparents: Harry and Mia), born April 1998 was Sorted into Gryffindor when he first attended Hogwarts in 2009. His sister, Hope Hermione Lupin (godparents: Sirius and Narcissa) born January 2000 was Sorted into Gryffindor in 2011.

Draco and Astoria married shortly after she graduated Hogwarts in 2000 and set to work on the Malfoy Children's Home to help repair the damage done to families because of the war. Astoria managed the home quite well with assistance from Narcissa and Daphne, while Draco worked hard in the Wizengamot to repair the Malfoy name. They welcomed their son Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy (godparents: Sirius and Mia) in September 2001 and he was Sorted into Slytherin when he attended Hogwarts in 2013.

Neville married Hannah Abbot and took over for Professor Sprout, becoming the youngest Professor at Hogwarts. Hannah bought the Leaky Cauldron, taking over for old Tom.

Theo married Luna and reclaimed his family estates and worked beside Draco in the Wizengamot to repeal old prejudiced laws against Muggle-borns. Luna, to Mia's pleasure, took over the operations of the Daily Prophet until she gave birth to twin boys in 2009, thus breaking the family tradition of Seer witches who would lose their mother at nine years old. Knowing that she'd never have a daughter, Luna gladly told Mia that she could use the name Pandora for her own daughter.

Ron stuck with his Auror career, specialising in Muggle related incidents and worked alongside the Obliviation squad, determined to have his own career separate from Harry's. He and Daphne welcomed Rose Laurel Weasley (godparents: Draco and Astoria) in April of 2002 who was Sorted into Gryffindor when she attended Hogwarts in 2013. Hugo Arthur Weasley (godparents: Harry and Ginny) arrived two years later in April 2004, and was Sorted into Gryffindor when he went to Hogwarts in 2015.

Harry was named Head of the Auror Department at the young age of 27 and Ginny, in between pregnancies, refused to let motherhood keep her from pursuing her dream of being a Chaser for the Hollyhead Harpies. Dobby was overjoyed that Ginny and Harry trusted him to look after the kids. James Sirius Potter (godparents: Ron and Mia) was born February 2000 and Sorted into Gryffindor when he attended Hogwarts in 2011. Albus Severus Potter (godparents: Neville and Luna) was born July 2002 and Sorted into Slytherin (as Mia predicted) in 2013. Lily Luna Potter (godparents: Sirius and Tonks) was born August 2004 and Sorted into Gryffindor when she attended Hogwarts in 2015.

Mia eventually went back to Hogwarts to speak with the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. He apologised for his mistakes and, because of Jamie, she forgave the man, though her occasional visit with the portrait of Severus Snape was much more pleasant. Cornelius Fudge, bankrupted by Mia's actions in the Wizengamot, was forced to seek refuge in the Muggle world where he took on a job as a grocer in the same shop that Remus once worked at. Mia and Sirius paid regular visits to Petunia and Vernon Dursley until they felt the couple had finally paid for their actions against Harry and their memories of their moments in the cupboard under the stairs were Obliviated and the pair were allowed to retire in peace. Dudley Dursley, thanks to Mia and Sirius's help, graduated from University where he met and married a young girl and raised a family of three. Dolores Umbridge spent fifteen years in Azkaban due to her crimes and, half-crazed, attacked Mia in the middle of Diagon Alley. Mia fulfilled her promise to the prejudiced witch by burying her . . . in the Black Lake. Charges were not filed against Mia in the disappearance of Dolores Umbridge, but anytime she visited Hogwarts, she stopped by the lake to pet the Giant Squid, who had become strangely affectionate with the young witch.

Mia worked hard to fight for werewolf and house-elf rights in the Wizengamot, but stepped aside to become a Healer for the Lycanthrope Sanctuary, working every other day of the month at St. Mungo's in the newly opened Dorea Hope Ward, for Muggles. Sirius purchased a Muggle motorbike shop and spent his days enjoying life and ignoring Narcissa and Andromeda's pleas for him to act as a proper Head of House. Mia did his job just fine for him. Tilly helped to raise Sirius and Mia's children, occasionally overstepping to tell Dobby how to properly bring up Potters. Regulus Charlus Black (godparents: Harry and Ginny) was born August 2000 and Sorted into Gryffindor in 2011 to join his fellow Marauders James Potter, and Teddy and Hope Lupin - Marauder's Map and Invisibility Cloak in tow. Carina Dorea Black (godparents: Draco and Luna) was born in January 2002 to a wizard father and a Muggle mother. After an accident killed both of her parents she was put into the Muggle system until a bit of accidental magic had the Obliviation squad sent to clean up her mess. Ron, seeing her, immediately brought her to Draco and Astoria. Sirius and Mia adopted her in 2006 and when her brother Regulus gave her the Black/Potter family necklace, it provoked a Familial Bond, making Carina officially a Black. Carina was Sorted into Slytherin alongside Albus and Scorpius in 2013. Pandora Mary Black (godparents: Remus and Tonks) was born in December 2007 and Sorted into Slytherin when she eventually attended Hogwarts.

* * *

**My Big Giant Thank You Letter . . .**

When I started this story eight months ago, I never imagined it would become what it has. **Fluffpanda** and I would joke in the early days of writing and say, _"Wouldn't it be crazy if we got up to like 75 chapters!?"_ Our notes on GoogleDoc would likely take someone who'd passed their NEWT in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy to properly decipher and organize. I'm very lucky to have had a Beta like **Fluffpanda** along for this crazy ride.

A big thanks to all those who have helped to Beta this story (and those who continue to do so; look for updated chapters soon - no changes to the story, just a sudden lack of spelling errors and better sentence structure): **LJSummers**, **kaida171**, **glittergrrrl05**, **gypsyfurface**, **DramionesLady**, **iheartpadfoot1981**, **shannonnichole9**, **drarryfanatic47**, **IHEARTPADFOOT**, and **corvusdraconis**.

A massive thanks to my fellow wayward witches for your support and inspiration: **glittergrrrl05**, **AuggieDeeksNico**, **Brightki**, **KiwiAmbrosia**, **LJ** **Summers**, **sallymact**, **Colubrina**, **Pagan** **Ianthe**, and our dear headmaster, **GTH**.

The hugest thanks to **Colubrina** who suffered through anxiety driven emails seeking ego stroking and praise, and who provided much inspiration and approval of all things Slytherin.

And even though he won't likely read this, a thanks to my He-Man husband (and personal Sirius Black), who put up with my lack of attention over the last eight months in favor of this story, who listened to me read every single chapter, and came up with a lot of the plot suggestions, including our favorite "maidenhead" conversation.

Thanks to all you wonderful readers. I adore you all!

**SheAlone**

**aka: Shaya, Shea, She-Ra, Sheya, and Lonnie**


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